These actions by Russia were an invasion of the privacy of citizens and that they undermined our democratic institutions and elections.

Thank you. I want to follow up, because I do not know if it came out of PCAST or if it came out of the National Commission on Forensic Science, but recently, DOJ has made a number of changes in policy that impact what you all do every day.

I guess I want to start and ask your opinion on that report: whether you think it has the scientific rigor, if you will, to defend its foundational validity.

The Department of Justice did conclude that they should abandon, to the extent possible, the term 'reasonable scientific certainty.'

I want to thank all the witnesses for being here. This is a really important topic and one that interests me as a former Federal prosecutor.

We need the funding in order to undergo universal accreditation for forensic science providers in the country.

I would like to ask that a statement from the National District Attorneys Association on the state of forensic science in the United States dated today, Tuesday, March 28, 2017, be made part of our record for the hearing.

I appreciate the chairman's indulgence. I would like to ask questions of all of you, but let me just commend you all and thank you for the work that you've done and hopefully will continue to do in this important space.

I don't take the responsibility the lawmakers in this room have lightly.

I think that would be a mistake.

I think we should start moving forward instead of moving back and re-litigating past debates.