Kay Bailey Hutchison

I think the Southwest Border has to be as much of a national security issue as any place that we have, and yet this request cuts the Southwest Border funding.

The Gulf of Mexico is the site of so many of our hurricanes, and tornadoes, and horrible weather, and yet, we see failures in NOAA.

I'm going to give you full credit for dismissing the case against the late Senator Ted Stevens...

I want to state a concern that I have about the National Park Service pushing for construction...

Thank you, Madam Chairman. Mr. Attorney General, we will have questions for the record, but I wanted to pursue this public integrity unit's misconduct against Senator Stevens.

Is this going to be $170 million in savings? Is that what you're saying?

There is a growing concern about the management of the NOAA satellites.

We treasure the relationship with Japan both in space, science, and in national security.

Does that trouble you, that there would be findings of misconduct in such a sensitive area that you would not let them go outside of our justice system?

Despite findings of widespread, and at times, intentional misconduct, the special counsel, Mr. Schuelke, recommended against contempt charges, because prosecutors did not disobey a clear and equivocal order by the judge, as required under…

I would hope that you would support increasing that, as we go through this process, because we must incarcerate these illegal alien criminals.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate the relationship and the support that we have from our chairman and the members of this subcommittee.

The impact of sequestration could cause mission schedules to slip and when that happens, increased costs inevitably follow.

We think it ought to be nonpartisan to support our border.

In NOAA's own National Marine Fisheries Service report, it says that there are 121 up-to-date stock assessments for the 528 stocks of fish.

Are you going to do that, Mr. Attorney General? Are you going to make a decision regarding people who have clearly exhibited that they do not have the integrity to prosecute in this sensitive area?

the report demonstrated significant widespread, and at times, intentional misconduct by the prosecutors.

I think we've done great things for NASA, and we've been creative.

I think we need Guantanamo Bay. I think we need the ability to hold people that are suspected terrorists.

I just want to make positively sure that what happened does not happen again.

Would you be open to working with NASA and seeing if the expertise that they have would expedite that?

Well, thank you, Madam Chairman, and I will echo what Senator Inouye said, and say that you've had a fabulous week.

Mr. Secretary, with the White House's interest in consolidations, has there been any talk of the satellite program either being moved to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) or some kind of collaboration required…

I was surprised when I got the call that NASA was going to cut this part of the budget by $170 million.

We look forward to working with you on it.