Mike McCaul

Thank you, Chairman McCaul, and I want to thank all of the Members here for their support of this issue.

We have an obligation to protect the most vulnerable in our society and assure that services provided are adequate, sufficient, and timely.

I believe Homeland Security should be front and center on the front lines of this crucial scourge to eliminate it.

It is my hope that with the help of your testimony, we will raise awareness about this issue and identify solutions that will have a significant impact on human trafficking in Houston and throughout this Nation.

I could not agree with you more. I think part of the exercise here is to determine what can we at the Federal level do to help.

I especially thank you for your presence here today.

I am proud to cosponsor my friend and colleague, Congressman Ted Poe--his one bill, the End Sex Slavery Act, and his second one, Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.

I want to first take this opportunity to commend the Houston Police Department.

It is a good time to highlight how supportive we have been and still are of the thriving democracy that exists on Taiwan.

I believe very strongly that the State Department and the government should understand the importance of Taiwan being part of the TPP.

We believe that more engagement... creates a more stable and peaceful environment.

I hope that when we look at the increased budget for personnel for agents--Border Patrol agents, that we take a look at the increase that the Department has proposed to make sure that that can be applied to border agent overtime so that we…

Budgets are important documents, not just operationally, but because they expose priorities.

I must say I was disappointed that the budget request proposes new entitlement spending, while recommending nearly $1 billion in cuts to the Department of Homeland Security.

Unfortunately, the realities of growing threats are not reflected in the proposed budget.

I do think we should call it what it is. I think you said it is very clear it is a violation of international law. I believe it is also very clear that this is an act of war against another nation.

I think we learned from history they invaded Georgia and then they continued to occupy Georgia.

I am concerned that the same thing that happened in Russia will now happen in--that happened in Georgia will happen in Ukraine.

As Members of Congress, we shouldn't wait for any administration, Democrat or Republican, in order to act and author the laws that we know are necessary to protect the American people from terrorist threats.

This committee needs to operate and authorize. This has never been authorized, which creates confusion not only in the Government, but in the private sector.

Frankly, I see nothing in the scant 11 pages of H.R. 4007 to deliver the massive reforms that will be required to make CFATS and other chemical security programs more efficient and productive programs.

We have enjoyed, I believe, on this committee a strong bipartisan support on legislation.

I was very pleased yesterday to hear the Secretary of Homeland Security--he gave me private assurances that he supports this legislation.

As Congressman Green and I can appreciate even more so, as the events of West, Texas, I think demonstrate, the explosion that occurred there, and the loss of life demonstrate the need for this legislation now.

I want to thank you for holding this hearing, for introducing this important legislation that I strongly support.