Mike McCaul

Clearly, the numbers I submitted in my written testimony are accurate--18.9 percent referral rate for drug felonies, and we have 9.4 percent of the population in our border region.

There cannot be homeland security without border security.

I agree with the Ranking Member, as well.

My view is, we ought to call them what they are. Their tactics are certainly like terrorists.

We are not happy with the fact that our border is not secure, because we know it can be secure, if the Federal Government commits sufficient resources to do it.

I think Mr. Cuellar and I have talked about enhancing the best team operations to confiscate the southbound flow.

We need to increase southbound checkpoints or our best teams to confiscate weapons and cash, and then use the cash to help pay for border security operations.

We have failed the States, the Federal Government has.

That is why Chairman King and I introduced H.R. 1270 designating the Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

In my judgment, the drug cartels fall squarely within this definition.

My intent is to help Mexico.

I would also like to highlight the important supporting role that State and local law enforcement play in the Federal Government's border security.

I think that is where the cooperation, especially on the intelligence side, between the Federals and the locals is crucial.

I am heartened to know the last thing Osama bin Laden saw before death was an American soldier bearing down on him with an American flag on his shoulder.

We do have more resources down there. I think we all agree with that. But the situation has become more dangerous and more violent.

I have introduced H.R. 915, a bill to codify the BEST program in law to help ensure the program.

Members of Congress have a responsibility to ask what kind of support system or benefactors could have allowed bin Laden to maintain this safe haven?

I think Americans are asking how they could have gone undetected for that long in that kind of an environment.

At the very least, whether there was complicity or incompetence, at the very least there has not been a high priority in targeting senior al-Qaeda leaders in Pakistan.

For all the money we have spent, how can we develop a relationship of trust with the Pakistani government when, in fact, you have what I would call a fairly weak President and an ISI that is rogue at the very least?

I think the awareness of the industry has improved.

I think sometimes we legislate, and there is a law of unintended consequences.

I look forward to working with you and my time is about ready to expire. But I would like to work with you and the Department in a bipartisan way to enhance this effort because I do think the money confiscated could be directed back…

It seems to me that all the money we are seizing down there ought to go back towards our border security operations.

I am outraged that this administration refuses to honestly assess the active threats on our Southern border.