Statements

March 6, 2019 Statement
"It will surprise no one to say that there is a student debt crisis: 44.7 million people owe $1.5 trillion in federal student loans, more than credit card debt or car loans. But less well known is this. We are facing a student loan servicing crisis."
March 6, 2019 Statement
"There are many critical areas for oversight of the Department of Homeland Security. Therefore, it is fitting to formally begin our hearings with the Office of Inspector General, which is perhaps in the best position inform us about how the Department of Homeland Security is doing."
March 6, 2019 Statement
"Long story short, this issue could have, and should have, been resolved years ago. When I think about the time and resources that have been wasted over the years on this endeavor, it is easy to see why Members have such strong feelings and such frustration concerning this issue."
February 28, 2019 Statement
"The VA must maintain a focus on women veterans’ needs regardless of what challenges it faces now or in the future."
February 28, 2019 Statement
"Funding for gender-specific healthcare for women has remained stagnant at around $500 million over the past few years, yet women are the fastest-growing veteran group – they make up about 9 percent of the current veteran population, and are estimated to make up 15 percent by 2035."
February 27, 2019 Statement
"While the full impacts from the shutdown will not be known for some time, there are undoubtedly accrued backlogs of inspections, delayed drug and medical device reviews and potentially exhausted pools of user fees as a result of the shutdown. We look forward to hearing the processes put into place to work through these backlogs as efficiently as possible and other efforts to return to more standard operations."
Issues:
February 27, 2019 Statement
"The Administration is attempting to misuse the flexibility provided by Congress to fund construction projects that directly support the use of our armed forces in an emergency or a declared war. The President’s plan is not to make us safer; it is in fact, an attempt to fulfill his campaign promise to build an unnecessary wall that he said Mexico would pay for."
February 27, 2019 Statement
"Whatever the format, GPO’s fundamental function is making information about the operations of government—particularly the Congress— readily available to the public. That’s a crucial function in a democracy."
February 27, 2019 Statement
"HUD has an obligation to receive and investigate fair housing complaints; issue grants to state and local governments as well as non-profit organizations that help enforce our fair housing laws; and assist communities as they seek to comply with the Fair Housing Act. These activities support what should be a bedrock federal commitment to fair housing—unfortunately, we’ve seen some troubling signs in the last two years that this commitment is waning at HUD headquarters."
February 27, 2019 Statement
"It is clear that our humanitarian and development efforts are needed now more than ever. For USAID to succeed in leading these efforts, the Agency must have sufficient resources and staffing to nimbly and effectively respond."

Pages