Jim Cooper

It's well defended when an 82-year-old nun got into Y-12? How can you possibly say that?

But meanwhile, as the inspector general told us in his testimony, your Department is spending about a billion dollars a year securing various facilities, hiring 4,000 guard personnel through various devices...

Do you feel like you are taking responsibility?

With all due respect, it doesn't sound to me like you are taking responsibility, because aren't you the Deputy Secretary and haven't you been the Deputy Secretary for some time?

Well, let's forget politics for a second and the view of the Department, because right now the Department doesn't have a lot of credibility on the security issue.

I am sorry we have to be here, because this incident never should have happened.

Right now in DOE, it doesn't seem like we are getting those results.

But I think that one thing folks back home understand is what do we get for taxpayer dollars?

Let's take some responsibility here.

The best I can tell this committee is doing little or nothing except talking about it.

How does that make sense? We do not even curb our CODELs, much less take a salary reduction.

If we won't fund the mission, let's have the courage to admit a smaller mission.

We have the power to fund this shortfall. Let's use that power.

This is all the result of collateral damage from political gridlock.

This is a sad day for this committee, a sad day for Congress, a sad day for America.

I don't want to prolong this unduly, but it is my understanding that the life expectancy in Afghanistan is among the shortest in the world.

I am a little worried that with all this talk of standards for the Afghan healthcare system...

I am worried that the interface between U.S. personnel and the Afghan so-called health system puts U.S. personnel in an impossible situation.

The fact that President Bush had as many IG vacancies in 2004 as President Obama does today does not mean we should ignore the current vacancies.

Personally, I am most concerned that the Administration has not nominated anyone to serve as State Department IG.

Inspectors general are critical to ensuring that our government works effectively and efficiently on behalf of the American taxpayers.

In my opinion, this is how we should approach today's hearing: by working together in a bipartisan manner to ensure that oversight is rigorous and constructive.

NAHB commends Representative Cooper for his earnest and diligent efforts in proposing much needed reforms to the Lacey Act.

I believe their bill, H.R. 3210, is a good starting point toward making what I believe are necessary changes in an important federal law.

They represent a state that is the cradle of American music from the country capital of Music Row in Nashville to the blues of Memphis' Beale Street.