I think it is a dangerous proposal that moves this country in the wrong direction.

As long as the market does not take into account the costs that we all bear for some of these activities, there isn't an incentive, a market incentive to reduce them.

If the caps do not go up, the problem will get worse. If the caps only go up for defense, this problem will get worse, in fact, quite a bit worse because there will be a tendency to offset those increases with further decreases on the…

I would suspect that their system are probably already out of date by many years.

We spoke about air traffic controllers previously in our statements regarding this proposed privatization.

the Administration once again proposes a $200 million cut to the Community Development Block Grant program

There are market distortions in our transportation system that mean that we don't take full advantage of the opportunity for cost savings.

In Rhode Island, nearly 42,000 households spend more than 50 percent of their income on rent.

the Administration proposes new spending of $750 million above what is needed to maintain existing rental assistance

Giving away billions of dollars in Federal assets to a nonprofit corporation controlled by airlines without any congressional oversight is I believe an ill-conceived idea at best.

I am pleased that both houses unanimously passed the Housing Opportunity through Modernization Act. That bill made important changes to HUD programs, even created savings that allow us to either house more families or reduce the cost of…

I would like to see more oversight, though, at the local level.

Let me ask a final question about the family self-sufficiency program.

most of these programs, if not all of them, require interagency coordination.

Senator Collins has taken a tremendous leadership role, increasing the Continuum of Care Program by $414 million.

We are here today because the Nation faces an affordable housing crisis.

I applaud the vision.

It amounts to what I call partial disarmament on the part of the safety regulator. That is most disturbing.

I say with some pride that we have our first female Commandant at the military academy.

We're trying to support that middle ground, safety and innovation, because we're talking about 32,092 lives, and we could save all of them.

I would hate to see that vision exclude in any way services to Rhode Island.

Only one out of every four eligible low-income households in this country receives the rental assistance they need to avoid homelessness.

I think continuing in that direction is important.

We have always appreciated it, at DOT OIG, this committee's, and your colleagues' committees over on the House side, concern and interest in and support across all the years.

Thank you very much, Madam Chairman.