Gerry Connolly

This isn't a bureaucratic, you know, checklist process. What we are concerned about is efficiency, reliability, and security.

So your philosophy is that a data is compromised through a contractor, that is their problem, not your problem?

I exhort you to do what you can not only in clarifying that grade, but more importantly, the spirit of this is improvement

That is very troubling in light of the OPM breach.

Perhaps this should be the first of a recurring set of hearings to gauge successes and shortfalls across agencies when it comes to protecting the vast amount of sensitive information held by the Federal Government.

Every Federal agency ought to be reassessing its own information security protocols and reinforcing efforts to detect and deter cyber attacks and other threats.

I appreciate the opportunity to examine the information technology and security programs and practices within the Department of Education and the Federal Student Aid program.

I would like to thank Senator Johnson for his assistance in bringing the bill forward for a vote.

Aid programs that are held accountable for their performance and results can be made more effective.

The mission is not clear.

Assuming we are able to get everybody on board with this consolidation, Mr. Scott, what happens to the savings the agency might effectuate?

I got to admit, you surprised me. I was off by 3,000.

I would just suggest to you, respectfully, given your answer to Ms. Kelly, it would be perfectly consistent to do so.

I am actually pleased by the results of a recent survey of Federal IT professionals... that shows that nearly 80 percent of those surveyed within the Federal Government believe FITARA will actually have a positive effect.

FITARA, we mean it, we want to see it implemented.

I hope today's panel and the hearing of these two subcommittees and the leadership on both sides of the aisle suggests we are not going to let that happen.

No, no. My question isn't collaboration. It is rules of engagement to make sure that there is not an inadvertent collision between our Air Force and theirs, our counselors and theirs, and the like.

Well, I must say my time is up, but given what is happening on the ground, that sounds like fantasy to me.

We cannot afford to shortchange an activity so fundamental to our democracy and the sustained well-being of our communities.

Would it be fair to say, without compromising security, that some significant breaches occurred?

I think it's really important the point you're making, because it's very easy, bureaucratically, to check a box...

I led a letter signed by 70 of my colleagues asking the administration to raise that number to 100,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2017.

While I was pleased that the administration raised the refugee quota for 2016 to accommodated 10,000 refugees from Syria, I fear that isn't nearly enough to make an impact.

This is simply not acceptable.

The only way to fully ease the suffering of the Syrian and Iraqi people is to defeat ISIS and bring an end to the civil war in Syria.