Ron Johnson

I continue to believe that more needs to be done to address the backlog of MILCON requirements for Guard and Reserve forces.

What is the status of the various environmental lawsuits that have been filed? Do they present any impediment to beginning construction or awarding future contracts?

How is it that there is a discussion in reducing force growth when we haven't funded MILCON for the current growth of force initiative?

I would like to thank the Secretary and those that accompanied him for appearing before this subcommittee.

It remains important to me that we meet the unique needs of our Indian veterans.

Do the current plans provide sufficient training resources for the marines?

Mr. Secretary, you are to be commended for your effort to be transparent.

We're facing a Government shutdown in less than 36 hours if an agreement cannot be reached on a long-term continuing resolution.

I was intrigued by Senator Lieberman's comments about smart immigration policy.

The purpose of an advisory is to signal to the American public that something has changed.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Madam Secretary, welcome back.

I would say, first of all, the level of the dedication of those individuals was high. It was very impressive.

Now, we have achieved some pretty good successes, like you mentioned in Yuma.

So the CBO has also estimated now that they are thinking--it is starting, I think, at 2.6 million rising to about 3.6 million employees will lose their coverage.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has issued a study, a report that claims that under the healthcare law now, that by 2016 the average cost of a family plan will be in excess of $15,000.

The average subsidy, according to CBO, per person in those exchanges will rise from about $4,500 to over $7,000 by the year 2021.

It is a privilege to serve on the subcommittee with you.

Obviously, one of the tasks of the Department is response to a terrorism attack.

How often are qualified applicants shared within agencies?

How do we bridge that gap? Is that not sort of at the root cause of the problem here?

What are the current problems involved in the hiring process right now, the top two or three?

Again, reading the briefing materials, it sounds like there is a real reluctance now for GS-14 and 15s to move into the SES.

Our Federal Government, this year, is facing a $1.65 trillion deficit. We simply cannot afford to have inefficient and ineffective government.

Today, talent is not viewed as a leadership priority it is viewed as an HR issue.

I will raise my hand and say that is why I do it as well.