Mike Lee

I think incentives for work are very important, and I think you are seeing a lot of energy among some prominent conservatives such as yourself, Senator Rubio, Congressman Ryan, around reforming our safety net programs to fix the…

I understand that a certain level of confidentiality must almost unavoidably surround many of the NSA programs that might be of concern to the American people, to ensure the effectiveness and to keep our enemy actors from working around…

Particularly given the fact that the NSA's mission is related to foreign intelligence-gathering, we need to make sure that we protect American citizens in their constitutionally protected rights.

The Fourth Amendment stands to safeguard those rights, and even if one assumes for purposes of this discussion that currently the only people employed at the NSA are people with only our best interests at heart, we still run a risk, even…

I worry about the NSA's surveillance and metadata collection programs and the risks that such programs could pose to the constitutionally protected rights of American citizens.

There does have to be a balance struck between achieving our national security goals and protecting the constitutionally guaranteed rights of American citizens.

I am committed to launching these programs right and keeping them on track.

We cannot let that happen.

Chairman Leahy and I and several of my other colleagues across the aisle have introduced legislation to try to reform this process in one form or another.

It is rare that a freshman from the minority party gets to chair a Committee proceeding like this one

I think it is important for us to keep our focus on bad behaviors within patent litigation rather than focusing on anything that would tend to minimize or undermine the rights of property owners of intellectual property interests.

I do believe that action by Congress is warranted, and I do believe that there is empirical evidence to point that out.

Thank you. And, Mr. Rao, how do you respond to the argument that access to justice will be limited?

But you would not disagree that we could also just decide that we want to clarify the issue on our own?

I am curious to know why you seem to believe that the courts, rather than Congress, should address these issues...

With regard to some of the pleading requirements and the filing requirements that we have talked about, aren't we really talking about infringement here?

And as you know, one of the litigation reform measures that Chairman Leahy and I have included in this legislation deals with the customer problem...

And collateral estoppel would apply as to the issues in common.

And do any of those reforms obviate the need for any of the reforms we are discussing today?

I would hope and expect that any future exercises of that authority would be made to the greatest extent possible with transparency and input from the public.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, Ms. Overton, for joining us today.

As anyone who lives in a State dominated by the Federal Government knows all too well, those states are forced to play by a different set of rules.

Wildfires are a part of life in Utah and in other parts of the western United States.

Yes, that, and I suppose are people who, once they have learned they can earn a living in a certain way, they would like to continue earning a living that way, especially if it is very lucrative.

There is widespread agreement among Republicans and Democrats that cartels should be vigorously pursued and severely punished.