Patrick Leahy

The bad news is it demonstrates that we have a problem, and the problems can go to the heart of our whole criminal justice system.

This is something that should frighten every single person in this country, so thank you very much, Senator, for doing that.

I would think just to say from a law enforcement point of view, I would think they would want it.

I know the importance of this firsthand from the experience of my friend Kirk Bloodsworth, an innocent man who was twice convicted of murder and rape, served 8 years in prison, including two on death row, and then they finally tested the…

Forensic scientists too rarely get to review crime scene evidence in sleek, ultra-modern, state-of-the-art laboratories.

I have seen the enormous cuts in the amount of money that is available for forensic science in the past few years.

The labs should not be beholden to the law enforcement side, because labs should be about science.

I hope that prosecutors and defense attorneys around the country are reading it and raising questions.

Today, we are going to examine the pressing need to strengthen forensic science in America.

Do you agree that demand for the services provided by the Trusted Foundry Program has met and/or exceeded expectations?

I will say we have developed in the inter-agency benchmarks for success.

I think that the new strategy and now the newest development which gives me more hope than I've had in quite a while.

I think under the administration's new strategy we'll have both the military and the civilian capacity to be able to make headway with the Afghans.

I think the potential is there. I think it's a real uphill battle.

Would you agree that there is a significant difference between the police and the Army.

The extraordinary high rate of illiteracy among the recruits there has to be a cause of concern.

I have a particular interest in this. Everybody I've talked with when I was in Afghanistan told me how much they need this for the same reasons that the Secretary described.

I just had an opportunity to lead a Senate delegation on a trip to Iraq and Pakistan and Afghanistan.

I am glad to see the Secretary and Admiral Mullen.

We've written to you on the question of more transparency of where equipment goes--we appropriate the money for it, and we kind of lose sight as it comes off the assembly line, where it goes.

I'm not quite sure how I see you doing this--how you get away from no more cross-leveling, and the rating.

I would add, again, Secretary and General, that I don't raise this just out of a parochial concern for the 1,800 from Vermont, but for obviously, for everybody who is there.

I have been concerned about the increased use of roadside bombs.

I know you both know the 86th Mountain Brigade, that's upward of 1,800 very proud citizen soldiers from the Vermont Army National Guard are going to begin a deployment, either end of this year or early next year, to Afghanistan.

The contractor has extended manufacturing schedules several times, but test aircraft delivery dates continue to slip.