Mike McCaul

It is my commitment and my sincere hope we can work together in a bipartisan fashion.

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

But it seems to me, if you are going to record crime statistics, you ought to be recording the things that they do best.

I would like to commend President Calderon for taking on the drug cartels that are overtaking his country. Mexico is losing this war.

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.

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.

Many officials who are directly in the line of fire, such as Captain Bob Bullock of the Texas Rangers, disagree with the Secretary.

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

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

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

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?

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.

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

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.

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

I think the awareness of the industry has improved.

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

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

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…

Members may have additional questions that you can respond to in writing.

I really like the idea of this pilot project that you mentioned, Dr. Ainslie and Professor Bailey.

It is one that I think can't be looked at in a narrow prism, and it is one that I think a lot of the testimony reflected that.