Statements
March 26, 2019
Statement
This morning the Committee will receive testimony on the posture of the National Guard and Reserve Components and their fiscal year 2020 budget requests. This will be a two panel hearing – panel one recognizes the Chief of the National Guard bureau. Panel two will recognize the Reserve Component Chiefs from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force reserves. I would encourage all members to stay for both panels.
March 26, 2019
Statement
Admiral Schultz, I want to welcome you to your first hearing before this subcommittee. We are pleased to have you testifying before us today.
I would also like to thank you, and the thousands of “Coasties” you have the privilege of leading, for your service to the Coast Guard and our country. Nearly a year into your tenure as commandant, we look forward today, to a good discussion of your observations and vision for the future.
March 26, 2019
Statement
The budget request supports our men and women in the military, supports readiness and works toward addressing much needed military construction needs of older facilities. The FY2020 budget request for military construction and family housing is $11.4 billion, an increase of $910 million dollars above the FY2019 enacted level.
March 13, 2019
Statement
It is the obligation of this subcommittee to ensure that the middle class, working families and low-income families are not harmed by reckless cuts.
We will reject these cuts to health programs, medical research, public health, home heating assistance, and so many others; instead, we are going to invest in health, education, and protections for the middle class.
Mr. Secretary, I look forward to finding out whether you support these reckless cuts. I truly hope not.
March 13, 2019
Statement
First and foremost, is whether the interests of the American taxpayer are being put first – where they belong – or whether the personal financial interests of President Trump are taking precedence when GSA is making real estate and procurement decisions.
To get to the bottom of this, we will need Administrator Murphy to answer our questions truthfully and forthrightly about the construction and consolidation of a new FBI headquarters.
March 13, 2019
Statement
There is an epidemic of gun violence in our nation, and this subcommittee has a key role to play in the urgently needed response, as we oversee the federal law enforcement agencies tasked with overseeing gun dealers, investigating gun crimes, and running our background check system, among other things.
That is why I am pleased to welcome our two witnesses today, Thomas Brandon, the Deputy Director and Head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, otherwise known as the ATF, and Christine Halvorsen, the Acting Assistant Director for Criminal Justice Information Services, or CJIS at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. CJIS, among other things, operates the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, more commonly known as NICS.
March 13, 2019
Statement
After several years of increasingly severe weather events in my home state of North Carolina and around the country—and after tens of billions of dollars appropriated for disaster relief and emergency programs, much of it from this subcommittee—we must become more intentional about applying the concepts of mitigation and resiliency into our federal housing and transportation programs.
We also need to identify ways we can support these efforts at the state and local level.
March 13, 2019
Statement
The Office of Inspector General serves the important purpose to combat waste, fraud, and abuse within the Department and works to ensure the nation’s taxpayer dollars are well spent. Under your watch, Mr. Missal, OIG sees a $21 return on investment for every dollar spent in your office.
While you are proving to be a good steward of the taxpayer dollar, VA still has many challenges that I trust are under close scrutiny by your office.
March 13, 2019
Statement
Director Krebs, congratulations on being named the first director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. We have spoken about some of the challenges you and CISA face, and I want to reaffirm my commitment to helping you address those challenges.
As you know, election security has been a major focus of this subcommittee, and for the second year in a row, we have supported significant increases to your budget to address these vulnerabilities to ensure that our election system is secure and reliable.
March 12, 2019
Statement
The Capitol Police is an essential agency of the Legislative Branch. Chief, your team is charged with keeping Congress - it’s Members, employees, visitors, and facilities both here and within our districts safe and protected from harm’s way. The men and women of the Capitol Police put their lives on the line each day to ensure Congress is able to operate efficiently. You do your jobs so that we can do ours in a safe, secure but open environment. Thank you Chief and all the officers and civilians of the Capitol Police that work tirelessly to ensure the safety and security of the Capitol complex.