I appreciate that the Economic Recovery package has money for this, but if we don't have long-term, sustained requests for beyond the timeframe of the Economic Recovery package, we're going to be in a very bad place.

we are going to have to figure out how to do that in the future.

I agree that it's much needed and, you know, in the right direction.

I am very pleased to be here today to have the opportunity to introduce Peter Rogoff as the President's nominee to be the next Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration.

I'm very concerned that if the United States doesn't have the proper tools and doesn't have a presence, we are going to be behind a lot of people very quickly.

The Winter Olympic Games are going to be held in Vancouver, British Columbia.

I did want to start by thanking you for finally budgeting some adequate levels of funding for the Pacific Northwest National Lab which is in my State.

I do want to say to you that you have some great people working in your agency, from Coast Guard to FEMA folks. We've had a lot of weather-related disasters in my State and these people have saved lives and been there time and again.

I commend to you the nomination of Peter Rogoff to be our next Federal Transit Administrator.

the formula has actually now impacted some States in a negative way.

I was disappointed to see that the President's budget didn't contain the second half of the funding required to retrofit the Coast Guard Icebreaker Polar Star.

I'm very concerned about these men and women who are coming home and don't have a job, and where we've left them.

Does that sort of exemplify your approach to how you are going to do your job?

I appreciate that response.

working families will once again be a top priority in this country.

I am proud to support his nomination, which I hope will be favorably considered very shortly.

We are seeing a trend of politicizing public health decisions.

I have always supported a strong and independent Food and Drug Administration.

Americans must have faith that when they walk into their local grocery store or their pharmacy, that the products that they purchase are safe and effective.

We have seen report after report saying that FDA has failed to pay proper attention to many risks consumers are facing just from the food we eat.

This is one of my highest priorities, and I think we all share the concerns you mentioned about the recent outbreaks and the illness and sometimes deaths caused by food-borne disease in our country.

The FDA plays a critical role in protecting families across America, and we have to make sure that they have the leadership and resources to do that well.

We also need to make sure that the FDA puts science ahead of politics.

We clearly need to work in greater partnership across agencies of the Federal Government, across levels of government--State and local public health departments are critical partners in our efforts to control food-borne disease--and of…

It is going to require additional resources and authority so that we will be able to respond in a time of crisis.