Gerry Connolly

It is rather unfortunate that instead of providing agencies with additional tools to strengthen their management of IT acquisitions, we have a hiring freeze now that would make I think it more difficult for agencies to improve in this area.

As I have pointed out before, the Federal Government lags behind the private sector in many if not most aspects of IT modernization and the management of IT investments.

I thank my friend from Massachusetts for yielding me this time. The Hippocratic Oath says ``primum non nocere''; ``first, do no harm.'' This bill violates the Hippocratic Oath in all respects. Twenty-four million people losing their health…

I think there are more questions raised than answers as to the statutory authority being cited and whether or not we need additional statutory authority to both encumber the FBI and to authorize it and to protect citizens.

I think it's a great stretch to take a law that preceded the technology and apply it in as sweeping a way as you do.

I think that the citizens of the State not only should be notified and have to volunteer, but the citizens of the State should vote if they want to allow this highly invasive scanning of their faces.

And therefore, it's not okay for the FBI or, for that matter--I don't know--you know, Target to purchase my picture without my consent.

I'm certainly going to join in legislation to put a warrant requirement in on this.

So I have zero confidence in the FBI or the DOJ, to be frank with you, of keeping this in check.

I fully support the suggestion of Ms. Lynch--no relation--that a warrant should be required in those cases.

And it disturbs me greatly that, whether it was the death Freddie Gray and those protests or the women's protest recently that was all over the country, millions of people, it disturbs me greatly that we're out there taking in this…

Wait a minute. Hold on. Where are we going here?

We take it for granted. It has been working so well that we assume we can--it will be here forever.

I disagree. I disagree.

Presumably, when and if that diplomatic effort needs to be launched, a planned 31 percent cut in the State Department and USAID's budget would not really be helpful.

There is a huge opportunity cost too. So, in addition to throwing good money after bad potentially--I'm talking about by leaving waste unaddressed, this waste--we're also taking away from civilian domestic investments that are all so…

Why in the world would we want to add $54 billion to the Pentagon's budget this year when we haven't addressed the critical issue of efficiency?

The American people must be able to trust their government. And until there is a full investigation into the Trump campaign, the Trump White House, and the Kremlin, and until we see the President's tax return to fully understand the extent…

I would ask my colleagues on both sides to join in demanding an independent commission and a special prosecutor to do the job that the Attorney General is unable to do.

I would ask every member of this committee, from both sides of the aisle, to join in calling for a bipartisan investigation to answer the questions the American people have about the health of our own democracy.

NATO is not a charity project for our European allies. NATO is strongly in the interests of the United States of America.

We do ourselves a disservice by not recognizing, on a bipartisan basis, the gravity of the situation we face.

Vladimir Putin is no Richard Daley. Richard Daley didn't have his political opponents assassinated.

This is about our country. This is not about party. It is not about defending a President or attacking a President, it is about our country.

Your sincerity can't be questioned. And I think all of us salute you and honor you for us.