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Mr. Chairman, we have done a lot to ease the burden of military service, for example, the Congress passed the 9/11 GI bill, the Hiring Heroes Act, and the Caregivers Act, all with strong bipartisan majorities.

However, we are still struggling in the claims process area but we are making progress. The last update I saw there were a total of 672,000 claims and of that 389,000 are considered backlogged. So Mr. Secretary we still have a ton of work to do on this.

I have heard from many on the reasons for the backlog, the inclusion of Agent Orange, the winding down of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the complexity of new wounds both physical and mental of our veterans, and more which I completely understand.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I think with your comment with regard to the grant and the lobbying connection it's important to note that the Inspector General at HHS said in response to the letter that you wrote and they wrote back ‘in our review of the records for these four grant awards, we found no evidence that the grants violated prohibitions on the use of Federal funds for lobbying, publicity, or propaganda.' And sometimes in regards to research when I was chair of the Agriculture Committee when someone said we're going to do research on the glassy-eyed sharpshooter I said "what could that be research on." Well if you talk to people all over the nation the glassy-eyed sharpshooter destroys vines and grapes, which destroys an industry. So sometimes just to the eye of the observer, it's not what it appears to be.

Administrator Fugate, thank you for joining us this morning to discuss FEMA's proposed budget for fiscal year 2015. Your tenure has been a busy one, particularly in 2011, which brought a record high 99 Major Disaster Declarations, along with 29 Emergency Declarations and 114 Fire Management Assistance Declarations, also a record level. Since 2011, we have seen an additional 109 Major Declarations, including of course Superstorm Sandy in 2012 – the biggest test of FEMA's capabilities since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Assistant Secretary Darcy and General Bostick, we appreciate you appearing before the Subcommittee this afternoon.

The last several years have been busy ones for the Corps—between Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene, droughts, tornados, and flooding in the Mississippi and Missouri River Basins, you have had much to do. Let's hope that the year ahead of us is less full of surprises.

The Corps' response to these events demonstrates the important and vital role the Corps plays in our nation's ability to prevent and respond to natural disasters. We are all very thankful for the Corps' efforts in this regard. However, these events draw attention to the significant cost borne by the government, and ultimately the taxpayer, in the initial response and long-term reconstruction efforts.

Administrator Pistole, thank you for joining us this morning to discuss the Transportation Security Administration's budget request for fiscal year 2015. Your agency has a uniquely difficult task: broadly securing the transportation sector, including not only aviation, but also rail, mass transit, highways, and pipelines.

Thank you Mr. Chairman. And since this is our first hearing with you as chairman, let me publicly congratulate you on assuming this new role and say that I look forward to working with you on the many issues that this subcommittee faces. You have big shoes to fill following Chairman Simpson but I am confident that you are up to the task.

Chairman Calvert took over just as we were entering the final stretch on the FY 2014 budget and helped shepherd the Interior and Environment bill to completion. It was a significant achievement. While it took our budget colleagues 9 months to come up with an agreed upon overall number, it only took the Appropriations Committee 3 ½ weeks to turn that number into 12 appropriations bills. We all know how important it is that the Interior Department has a regular appropriation, rather than a CR, with which to operate.

Good morning, Dr. Danielson, it is good to see you again. Dr. Lyons, Secretary Smith and Hoffman, good morning. Thank you all for being here today to update the Subcommittee on your programs.

Today we consider the applied research and development portfolios at the Department of Energy—Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Nuclear Energy, Fossil Energy and the office that at least in theory, links them all together Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability — all critical areas of our nation's energy portfolio.

I have long sited our reliance on foreign energy as a grave economic and national security concern—over the last decade, we have spent $2.3 trillion importing foreign oil, making rich some of the worst global players at the expense of our own citizens.

I would like to thank Chairman Latham and Ranking Member Pastor and welcome Secretary Foxx.

First, I want to commend the work of Chairman Latham and Ranking Member Pastor who have both announced that this will be their last Congress. Iowa and Arizona along with this Committee have benefitted greatly from their service. They will be sorely missed.

This is the Secretary's first hearing before the House Appropriations Committee. I want to personally thank you for the Department's commitment to building the new Tappan Zee Bridge, and I look forward to continuing to work with you on the project.

With a 25% increase for infrastructure spending compared to the 2014 enacted level, the President's budget answers the call for rebuilding our aging country's infrastructure, which the American Society of Civil Engineers grades on average as a "D".