vijayashanker paramsothy nitin ramesh parandkar >> and my sister, jane ellen basler. in our thoughts every day. >> and giovanni torres. we all love and miss you dearly. i wish people could see the look in their eyes when they talk about you. they give me the feeling you are still here. i hope we make you proud up there. i love you and miss you. hardai parbhu james wendell parham debra marie paris george paris gye hyong park philip lacey parker michael alaine parkes robert e. parks jr. hasmukhrai c. parmar robert parro

diane marie parsons leobardo lopez pascual michael j. pascuma jr. jerrold hughes paskins horace robert passananti suzanne h. passaro avnish ramanbhai patel dipti patel manish patel steven bennett paterson james matthew patrick manuel d. patrocino bernard e. patterson clifford l. patterson jr. cira marie patti robert e. pattison

james robert paul patrice paz victor hugo paz stacey lynn peak richard allen pearlman durrell v. pearsall jr. thomas nicholas pecorelli thomas pedicini todd douglas pelino michel adrian pelletier anthony g. peluso angel ramon pena robert penninger. richard al penny >> an to my father, horace robert, i love and miss you, dad, and godspeed to our u.s. military. >> and to my big brother, bob,

robert michael murak. love you dearly, we miss you immensely, and i know you would have been solving today's world problems. god bless you, god bless us, and god bless america. salvatore f. pepe carl peralta robert david peraza jon a. perconti jr. alejo perez angelle perez jr. angela susan perez anthony perez ivan perez nancy e. perez >> barry berinthia perkins. joseph john perroncino edward j. perrotta emelda h. perry

glenn c. perry sr. john william perry franklin allan pershep >> davin n. peterson. michael john pescherine mark petrocelli william russell peterson glen kerrin pettit philip scott petti kaleen elizabeth pezzuti dominick a. pezzulo tu-anh pham kevin j. pfeifer sneha ann philip kenneth john phelan ludwig john picarro joseph oswald pick matthew m. picerno

dennis j. pierce christopher j. pickford nicholas p. pietrunti bernard pietronico danny pesci. >> and my husband police officer ramon suarez. this is what my hero and our family's hero looks like. he gave his ultimate -- he gave ultimate sacrifice to save so many lives on that day. and this should never be forgotten. and we should always remember the ones that we love that are here today and those still suffering from the aftermath of 9/11. he would be so proud of our little girl, my daughter jillian suarez, that's here today. your dad would be so proud of you. and he's looking down on you because he knows you will follow his footsteps. may god bless all the families out here today that are still suffering and may god bless our

troops and my god bless america. and thank you, nypd. [ applause ] >> and my uncle t.j. hargrave, we love you and we miss you. god bless america. theodoros pigis susan elizabeth pinto joseph piskadlo christopher todd pitman josh michael piver robert r. plaguer iii. zandra f. plaguer. john pocher william howard pohlmann laurence michael polatsch thomas h. polhemus steve pollicino susan m. pollio daren h. pontell.

joshua iousa poptean anthony portillo james edward potorti daphne pouletsos richard n. poulos stephen emanual poulosñr brandon jerome powell scott alan powell. shawn edward powell antonio dorsey pratt gregory m. preziose wanda ivelisse prince vincent a. princiotta kevin m. prior everett martin proctor iii carrie beth progen david lee pruim richard a. prunty john foster puckett robert david pugliese

edward f. pullis patricia ann puma jack d. punches hemanth kumar puttur >> and my uncle firefighter gerrard terence nevins. we love you and we miss you every day. >> and my brother john fiorito. john, your spirit and love grow stronger within us with each passing year. oi edward r. pykon lars peter qualben lincoln quappe beth ann quigley patrick j. quigley iv michael t. quilty james francis quinn ricardo j. quinn

carol millicent rabalais christopher peter anthony racaniello leonard j. ragaglia eugene j. raggio laura marie ragonese-snik michael paul ragusa peter frank raimondi harry a. raines lisa j. raines. ehtesham raja valsa raju edward j. rall lukas rambousek maria ramirez harry ramos vishnoo ramsaroop debra a. ramsour

lorenzo e. ramzey alfred todd rancke adam david rand jonathan c. randall srinivasa s. ranganath anne t. ransom faina rapoport rhonda sue rasmussen robert a. rasmussen amenia rasool r. mark rasweiler marsha d. rampford david alan james rathkey >> my cousin sean logato, not forgotten. >> and my grandfather, phillip t. hayes, grandpa, i walk past the freedom tower every morning thinking of you, and i know that

you're looking down at me, all of your other grandchildren, especially phillip, ammanmanda, your great grandson james, your children and especially grandma, and i know that you're smiling. i look forward to the days when i tell my own children and grandchildren about the wonderful person that you were and always will be and how you have truly inspired me. you will forever be my hero and you will never be forgotten. william ralph raub gerard f. rauzi alexey razuvaev gregory reda sarah anne redheffer michele marie reed judith ann reese donald j. regan robert m. regan thomas michael regan christian michael otto regenhard howard reich gregg reidy james brian reilly kevin o. reilly

timothy e. reilly joseph reina jr. thomas barnes reinig frank bennett reisman joshua scott reiss karen renda john armand reo richard cyril rescorla john thomas resta sylvia sanpio resta david e. retik todd h. ruben luis clodoaldo revilla eduvigis reyes jr. bruce albert reynolds john frederick rhodes francis saverio riccardelli rudolph n. riccio ann marie riccoboni david harlow rice eileen mary rice kenneth frederick rice iii cecilia e. richard vernon allan richard

>> and my father, tom estrada. you are loved and hissed every day by grandma and grandpa, your brothers and sisters, mommy, thomas, justin, and i. we will always remember your laughter, smile, and the amazing father, brother, son, and friend you always were. may god protect you always. god bless. >> and my cousin thomas ashton. we love you and his you and we will forever hold you in our heretos. be sure to watch over your nephew, tommy, and god bless america. claude daniel richards gregory david richards michael richards venesha orintia richards jimmy c. riches alan jay richman john m. rigo frederick charles rimmele iii rose mary riso moises n. rivas

joseph r. rivelli jr. carmen alicia rivera isaias rivera david e. rivers linda ivelisse rivera paul v. rizza joseph r. riverso stephen louis roach john frank rizzo leo arthur roberts joseph roberto michael edward roberts michael e. roberts jeffrey robinson donald walter robertson jr. donald arthur robson michell lee jean robotham raymond j. rocha antonio a. rocha

john michael rodooshgs laura rockefeller john rodak antonio j. rodrigues anthony rodriguez carmen milagros rodriguez gregory ernesto rodriguez mayra valdes rodriguez marsha a. rodriguez david bartolo rodriguez-vargas richard rodriguez >> and my father joseph, we love and his you very much. >> and my uncle and hero, john robert cruz, who lives in my heart always while his smile continues to light up my world. i love you and i miss you. matthew rogan jean destrehan roger karlie barbara rogers

scott william rohner keith roma joseph m. romagnolo elvin romero efrain romero sr. james a. romito sean paul rooney eric thomas ropiteau aida rosario angela rosario wendy alice rosario wakeford wendy alice rosario wakeford wendy alice rosario wakeford mark h. rosen brooke david rosenbaum linda rosenbaum sheryl lynn rosenbaum lloyd daniel rosenberg mark louis rosenberg andrew ira rosenblum joshua m. rosenblum joshua alan rosenthal richard david rosenthal philip martin rosenzweig daniel rossetti

richard barry ross norman s. rossinow nicholas p. rossomando michael craig rothberg donna marie rothenberg mark david rothenberg james michael roux nicholas charles alexander rowe edward v. rowenhorse julie roulette timothy alan roy sr. paul g. ruback ronald j. ruben joanne rubino david m. ruddle >> and my big brother, john m. poacher. we miss you and think of you daily. 13 year ago we lost a piece of us on that day, but most importantly we lost an amazing role model, brother, husband, son, and friend. our family has changed so much

since that day. we have welcomed new members and seen others pass on. but through this change one thing still remains the same, and that your guidance, love, and loyalty are deeply missed. michael and i continue to honor your memory in our children and hope they continue to pass on their -- the love, passion, and sense of family that you gave each and every one of us. continue to show us your special signs, guide us, protect us, and love us from your place of rest. >> and my father-in-law, whom i've never met, but i see his kind and loving nature in my husband and i am proud to be part of the wonderful family he helped create. bart joseph ruggiere susan a. ruggiero adam keith ruhalter gilbert ruiz

robert e. russell stephen p. russell steven harris russin michael thomas russo sr. >> my friend wayne alan russo. william r. ruth edward ryan john joseph ryan jonathan stephan ryan matthew l. ryan tatiana ryjova christina sunga ryook thierry saada jason elazar sabbag thomas e. sabella scott h. saber charles e. saban sr. joseph francis sacerdote

jessica leigh sachs francis john sadocha jude safi brock joel safronoff edward saiya john patrick salamone marjorie c. salamone hernando rafael salas juan g. salas esmerlin antonio salcedo john pepe salerno richard l. salinardi jr. wayne john saloman nolbert salomon catherine patricia salter frank g. salvaterra

paul richard salvio >> and my sister patricia a. cody. pat, today is a solemn day, a day our great nation remembers the victims of this tragedy. but we, the family and friends, we always remember, every day. and we shall never forget you. we love you. we miss you. and we will always hold you close in our hearts. >> and my wife, patricia ann massari. we love you and we miss you so much. you are forever in our hearts. thank you for watching over us and being our guardian angel in heaven. we will always love your beautiful smile. it would light up the room so bright. so continue to shine your bright smile down on us with love and pain, and god bless the usa. samuel robert salvo jr.

john p. samortino james kenneth samuel jr. michael san phillip hugo m. sanayñr alva cynthia jacqueline sanchez. jacquelyn patrice sanchez jesus sanchez raymond sanchez eric m. sand stacey leigh sanders herman s. sandler jim sands jr. ayleen j. santiago kirsten reese santiago maria theresa concepcion santillan susan gayle santo christopher santora john august santore mario l. santoro rafael humberto santos

rufino c.f. santos iii victor j. saracini chapelle renee sarker paul f. sarle deepika kumar sattaluri gregory thomas saucedo susan m. sauer anthony savas vladimir savinkin john michael sbarbaro david m. scales robert l. scandole michelle scarpitta dennis scauso john albert schardt john g. scharf

fred c. scheffold jr. angela susan scheinberg scott mitchell schertzer sean schielke steven francis schlag robert a. schlagel jon schlissel karen helene schmidt ian schneider thomas g. schoales frank g. schott jr. gerard patrick schrang jeffrey h. schreier john t. schroeder susan lee schuler edward w. schunk mark evan schurmeier john burkhart schwartz mark schwartz adriane victoria scibetta raphael scorca >> and my sister seta, who we

miss each and every day. our lives have changed since you're gone, but you're always remembered. rest in peace, and until we meet again. >> and my two uncles, firefighter frankie esposito and captain michael esposito. my uncles along with the other victims of the attacks, are the bravest of the brave. i know that they are safe in heaven watching over and protecting us and they will forever be a part of united states history. god bless them, and god bless america. janice m. scott randolph scott christopher jay scudder arthur warren scullin michael h. seaman margaret m. seeliger anthony segarra carlos segarra jason m. sekzer matthew carmen sellitto michael l. sill vas howard selwyn larry john senko arturo angelo sereno frankie serrano

marchian marian h.serba adele christine sessa sita nermalla sewnarine karen lynn seymour davis grier sezna jr. thomas joseph sgroi jayesh s. shah khalid m. shahid mohammed shajahan gary shamay earl richard shanahan den f. shenhour neil g. shastri kathryn anne shatzoff barbara a. shaw jeffrey james shaw robert john shay, jr. daniel james shea joseph patrick shea kathleen shearer robert m. shearer linda june sheehan hagay shefi

antoinette m. sherman john anthony sherry atsushi shiratori thomas joseph shubert mark shulman see wong shum allan abraham shwartzstein johanna sigmund dianne t. signer gregory sikorsky stephen gerard siller david silver craig a. silverstein nasima h. simjee bruce edward simmons diane m. simmons donald d. simmons george w. simmons arthur simon kenneth alan simon >> and my grandfather, wall street's gentlemen, emerick harvey. >> and my beloved brother gary. the vestiges of time do nothing to ease so great a pain as that which is brought on by the taking of such a dear life in

haste and vain. my heart cannot be consoled by any condolences or utterances for i continue to mourn my felled twin, my vanquished tower, my beloved baby brother. i love you. and your name and legacy endure in my son, who's not only your namesake but your mirror image. i love you, bro. michael j. simon paul joseph simon marianne simone barry simowitz jane louise simpkin jeff lyal simpson cheryl d. sincok khamladai k. singh roshan ramesh singh thomas e. sinton iii peter a. siracuse muriel f. siskopoulos joseph michael sisolak john p. skala

francis joseph skidmore jr. toyena corliss skinner paul albert skrzypek christopher paul slattery vincent robert slavin robert f. sliwak paul kenneth sloan firefighter stanley s. smagala jr. wendy l. small catherine t. smith daniel laurence smith gary f. smith george eric smith heather lee smith james gregory smith jeffrey r. smith joyce patricia smith karl t. smith firefighter kevin joseph smith leon smith jr. moira ann smith monica rodriguez smith rosemary a. smith bonnie smithwick rochelle monique snell christine ann sinma dianne bullis snyder

leonard j. snyder jr. astrid elizabeth sohan sushil s. solanki ruben solares naomi leah solomon daniel w. song maria soaper michael charles sorresse fabian soto timothy patrick soulas gregory thomas spagnoletti donald f. spampinato, jr. thomas sparacio john anthony spataro robert w. spear jr. robert spisz spiceman and my mother eli beth holmes george edward spencer iii and my uncle joseph palmer, you're a true hero. we love you, we miss you, and we'll never forget you. robert andrew spencer mary rubina sperando frank spinelli william e. spitz

joseph patrick spor jr. klaus johannes sprockamp saranya srinuan fitzroy st. rose michael f. stabile lawrence t. stack timothy m. stackpole richard james stadelberger eric adam stahlman gregory stajk alexandru liviu stan corina stan mary domenica stanley anthony starita jeffrey stark derek james statkevicus patricia j. stats craig william staub william v. steckman

eric thomas steen william r. steiner alexander robbins steinman edna l. stevens andrew stergiopoulos andrew j. stern norma lang stewardly martha jane stevens michael james stewart richard h. stewart jr. sanford m. stoller douglas joel stone lonny jay stone jimmy nevill storey timothy stout thomas strada james j. straine jr. edward w. straub george j. strauch jr. edward t. strauss

steven r. strauss larry l. strickland steven f. strobert walwyn wellington stuart jr. benjamin suarez david scott suarez ramon suarez savvier suarez ramirez yoichi sugiyama william christopher sugra daniel thomas suhr david marc sullins david marc sullins christopher p. sullivan patrick sullivan thomas g. sullivan

hilario soriano sumaya jr. james joseph suozzo colleen supinski robert sutcliffe >> my father, on behalf of the family we love and miss you every day. tlank you and god bless america. colleen m. supinski robert sutcliffe seline sutter claudia suzette sutton john francis swaine kristine m. swearson brian david sweeney brian edward sweeney madeline amy sweeney derrick sword thomas f. swift gina sztejnberg kevin thomas szocik harry taback norbert p. szurkowski norma c. taddei

joann c. tabeek keiichiro takahashi michael taddonio phyllis gail talbot keiji takahashi robert talhami paul talty sean patrick tallon rachel tamares maurita tam michael andrew tamuccio hector rogan tamayo rhondelle cherie tankard kenichiro tanaka dennis gerard taormina jr. michael anthony tanner allan tarasiewicz kenneth joseph tarantino ronald tartaro michael c. tarrou

darryl anthony taylor debra teflorella hilda d. taylor donnie brooks taylor taylor anthony taylor kip p. taylor leonard e. taylor lorisa ceylon taylor michael morgan taylor carl w. tepee sandra dawn teague yeshavant moreshwar tembe anthony tempesta dorothy pearl temple stanley l. temple david gustav peter tengelin brian john terrenzi lisa marie terry

goumatie thackurdeen harshad sham thatte »#vo>íokçñi >> and my cousin lawrence michael pollack and my sister, cousin, and best friend, joanne flor lyle. as i have said many times before, joanne for a while but not nearly long enough. i love you forever. >> and my uncle peter burton hanson, my aunt, souhanson, and my cousin, christine lee hanson. we love you and we miss you so much. thomas f. theurkauf jr. lesley anne thomas brian thomas thompson clive ian thompson glenn thompson nigel bruce thompson perry a. thompson vanavah alexi thompson$y william h. thompson eric raymond thorpe

nichola angela thorpe tamara c. thurman sal edward tieri jr. john patrick tierney marry ellen tiesi william randall tieste kenneth francis tietjen stephen edward tighe scott charles timmes michael e. tinley jennifer m. tino robert frank tipaldi john james tipping ii david tirado hector luis tirado jr. michelle lee titolo alicia nicole titus john j. tobin richard j. todisco otis v. tolbert vladimir tomasevic

stephen kevin tompsett thomas tong doris torres luis eduardo torres amy elizabeth toyen christopher michael traina daniel patrick trant abdoul karim traore glenn j. travers walter philip travers felicia yvette traylor-bass james anthony trentini mary barbara trentini lisa l. trerotola karamo baba trerra michael angel trinidad francis joseph trombino gregory james trost

willy q. troy william p. tselepis jr. zhanetta valentinovna tsoy michael patrick tucker lance richard tumulty ching ping tung simon james turner donald joseph tuzio robert t. twomey jennifer lynn tzemis john g. ueltzhoeffer >> and my father, sugiyama. dad, thank you for always being there with us. please stay at our sides forever. and to all of japanese people and my little brother in japan -- [ speaking japanese ]

never, never, never forget. this is my prayer. [ applause a >> and our cousin, paul, who would have been a grandfather for the first time this year. paul would have done a great job with his granddaughter, danielle jean, and my uncle, too, john monihan, who our family hasn't been the same the past 13 years, but we carry on with his spirit. thank you to all the first responder who is sacrificed so much that day and continue to protect us and the u.s. troops who protect our freedoms at home and overseas. god bless america. [ applause ] tyler victor ugolyn michael a. uliano jonathan j. uman anil shivhari umarkar allen v. upton

diane marie urban john damien vaccacio bradley hodges vadas william valcarcel felix antonio vale ivan vale benito valentin santos valentin jr. carlton francis valvo ii pendyala vamsikrishna erica h. van acker kenneth w. van auken r. bruce van hine daniel m. van laere edward raymond vanacore jon charles vandevander frederick t. varacchi gopalakrishnan varadhan david vargas scott c. vasel azael ismael vasquez rond j. -- ronald j. valk

arcangel vazquez santos vasquez peter vega sankara sastry velamuri jorge velazquez lawrence g. veling anthony mark ventura david vera loretta ann vero christopher james vialonga matthew gilbert vianna robert anthony vicario celeste torres victoria joanna vidal john t. vigiano ii joseph vincent vigiano frank j. vignola jr. joseph barry vilardo villalobos hernandez sergio gabriel villanueva chantal vincelli melissa anne vincent francine ann virgilio lawrence virgilio joseph gerard visciano joshua s. vitale

maria percoco vola lynette d. vosges garo h. voskerijian alfred anton vukuosa gregory kamal bruno wachtler karen j. wagner mary alice wahlstrom >> and my brother steven weinberg. steven, it's been 13 years, and although you're not here with us physically, there are times when we can still feel your presence. know that you have not been forgotten. your family and friends continue to keep your spirit alive through their memories, dreams, and loving thoughts. thank you for watching over us, steven, from your big matchbox car in the sky. >> and my uncle brian christopher novotny. you are not forgotten.

aina elizabeth vanil gabriela waisman wendy alice rosario wickford courtney wainsworth walcott victor wald kenneth e. waldie benjamin james walker glen wall mitchel scott wallace peter guyder wallace robert francis wallace roy michael wallace jeanmarie wallendorf matthew blake wallens maytal. l. waller john wallace jr. barbara p. walsh jim walsh jeffrey p. walz ching huei wang weibin wang michael warchola stephen gordon ward timothy ray ward

james a. waring brian g. warner derrick chistopher washington charles waters james thomas waters jr. patrick j. waters kenneth thomas watson michael henry waye todd christopher weaver walter edward weaver nathaniel webb dinah webster william michael weems joanne flora weil michael t. weinberg steven weinberg scott jeffery weingard steven george weinstein simon weiser david m. weiss david thomas weiss

chin sun packwells vincent michael wells debra jacobs welsh timothy matthew welty christian hans rudolf wemmers ssu-hui wen john joseph wenckus oleh d. wengerchuk peter m. west whitfield west jr. meredith lynn whalen eugene michael whelan adam s. white edward james white iii james patrick white >> and my uncle emilio p. ortiz jr. i love you and i miss you. on behalf of our entire family and all your friends, we love you and we miss you and we'll never forget you. and to daniel lopez, we love you and we miss you too.

>> and my godfather, kenneth. i wish you were here. i wish i had more memories of you. i wish every time i look at your picture that you would be there. you were my number-one fan. everyone misses you. emily and i miss you the most. and you are never forgotten. [ applause ] john sylvester white kenneth wilburn white jr. leonard anthony white malissa y. white maudlin a. white sandra l. white wayne white leanne marie whiteside mark p. whitford leslie a. willington mark p. whitford michael t. wholey mary catherine wieman

jeffrey david wiener william j. wik allison marie wildman glenn e. wilkinson earnest m. willcher john c. willett brian patrick williams candace lee williams crossley richard williams jr. david j. williams david williams debbie l. williams dwain williams kevin michael williams louie anthony williams louis calvin williams iii john p. williamson donna ann wilson william eben wilson david harold winton glenn j. winuk thomas francis wise alan l. wisniewski frank paul wisniewski david wiswall sigrid charlotte wiswe michael r. wittenstein christopher w. wodenshek martin phillips wohlforth katherine susan wolf jennifer yen wong su chan steve wong

yin ping wong yuk ping wong brent james woodall james john woods marvin roger woods patrick j. woods richard herron woodwell david terence wooley john bentley works martin michael wortley rodney james wotton william wren john w. wright neil robin wright sandra lee wright jupiter yambem and my father robert james crawford. they say time heals all wounds, but obviously all of us here know that's not the case. there's ha hole in my heart that can never be filled. and my biggest regret is that you never met my children, your grandchildren, sophia rose and robert nicholas. >> and my brother and friend and the funniest man you could ever meet. dennis michael edwards.

>> john d.yeminicky sr. >> vikki yancy. matthew david yarnell. myrna yaskulka shakila yasmin olabisi shadie layeni yee edward p. york kevin patrick york raymond r. york suzanne youmans jacqueline young barrington leroy young, jr. elkin yuen donald mcarthur young. edmund g. young jr. >> jacqueline young.

joseph zaccoli adel agayby zakhary;:batn arkady zaltsman edwin j. zambrana, jr. robert alan zampieri mark zangrilli christopher rudolph zarba, jr. ira zaslow kenneth albert zelmanç martin morales zempoaltecatl câñr jie yao justin zhao ivelin ziminski michael joseph zinzi charles a. zion julie lynne zipper salvatore zisa

prokopios paul zois joseph j. zuccala andrew s. zuckerç igor zukelman and my brother alan palmer. i miss you, it's been a long 13 years. >> and my brother, kevin joseph froley. i miss you, baby brother. watch out for us all, especially baby nephew, nicholas. love you. >> you're on. >> peter brennan. >> thomas moore brennan. phillip hensler. karen elizabeth hagarty.

richard bhull. >> christopher noble ingracia. robert a. lawrence jr. nancy eyen. juan william rivera. paul v.rizza. leal alter roberts. kenneth j. swenson. sandra c. taylor. paul a.tegmir. and our brother, charles anthony murphy.

and my loving sister, it's been 13 years, but for us, it seems like yesterday. you're sadly missed by all, especially your family and friends, including your mom, marta brazil and we'll always be the wings my wings. >> good job. ♪

♪ ♪ [ playing taps ]

as the ceremony comes to a close, we are showing you tweets from members of congress scrolling on the bottom of your screen there regarding the 13th anniversary of the september 11th terrorist attacks. if you missed any of our coverage of this memorial in new

york city, we will be showing it again this afternoon. also, you can watch it any time in the video library at c-span.org. there have also been memorials at the white house and the pentagon and members of the senate held a moment of silence at the beginning of their day. as you can see, the flag is flying at half staff over the capitol building. president obama took part in those memorials at the white house and the pentagon. the washington post writing standing at a memorial to those who have died. the president said the nation has been inspired by the determination of families to carry on in the face of unfathomable loss. they have, he said, turned this date into something that those who attacked us could never abide, choosing hope over fear and love over hate. we will, by the way, have the president's remarks as well as all of today's ceremony commemorating 9/11 tonight starting at 8:00 eastern on our companion network, c-span. a live picture from the

capitol here where shortly senate democratic leaders will gather to hold a press briefing to call for bipartisan support for president obama's plan to combat the terrorist threat posed by the islamic group isis. this after the president laid out his plan to destroy that terror group. during an address last night.

again, we are live in the capitol waiting for remarks from senate democrat leaders calling

for unity in supporting president obama's plan to combat isis. that plan laid out in an address to the nation last night. we expect this briefing to get underway in just a moment. we just got the two-minute warning. 

last night, president obama outlined his strategy for eradicating isis.tzñok without repeating the mistakes of the past. the president made it clear that we'll not rush into another ground war in the middle east and we will not go it alone. instead, america will lead a coalition that includes european and arab nations to destroy isis. american air strikes will be supported by@!=1 forces fighting on the ground to protect their own countries, their own families, their own homes, their own communities. but now it's up to congress to rally behind president obama and his decisive strategy. i'm confident we'll put our political differences aside and

give this administration the tools it needs to meet isis head-on. administrations consulted with congress and i expect the cooperation will continue. senators will be briefed on the situation today, hearings will proceed next week. and i expect a continued consultation with congress and the administration as events unfold, including the c.r., which we expect to get from the house next week. the proposal that the president has given to the american people requires immediate congressional action in granting the administration the authority to equip and train rebels under title 10 to fight isis. congressional support for training under title 10 to train and equip rebels is critical to building this international coalition that is so necessary. i expect this proposal to pass congress before the end of next week. our colleagues in the house are currently discussing exactly how

they're going to proceed. i expect this proposal to pass congress with broad bipartisan support. this is a time, really the time, for americans to close ranks and engage our adversaries as one united nation. matters like this are no place for political posturing. now is the time for us to come together, speak with one voice and tell the terrorists, you cannot hide, you've committed horrific acts that threaten the security of the united states and our allies, and we will find you and we will destroy you. senator durbin. >> last night, president obama spelled out a clear strategy dealing with this extraordinary terrorist threat, and it is extraordinary. we have faced and we remember this day more than any day of the year. we have faced terrorist threats in the past. this one is exceptional, exceptional in its organization, in its structure, in its financing and in its depravity.

and i believe the president was right to speak out and single them out as a special threat to the stability of the middle east, the stability of our allies and to the interest of the united states. what i heard from the president, too, was encouraging. encouraging that this would be an international effort, that the troops on the ground would be coming from other countries, and that he, the president, is going before the u.n. security council to discuss this matter. he is engaging those who are freedom loving around the world to join us in this effort to stop this terrorist threat. now, we have a responsibility and it will begin this afternoon. a classified briefing where we'll be given even more detailed information and an opportunity to ask questions and perhaps hearings that will follow from that during the course of the next few days. this is our chance to ask specific questions. but i will have to join in at this point and say the majority leader is 100% right. make no mistake. when we commit american servicemen and women in harm's

way, it is time to put partisanship aside and stand together as a congress and as a nation. we need to be on their side. >> mr. schumer? >> thank you. last night the president laid out a clear strategy to keep the homeland safe. he made clear he'll use aggressive air strikes to attack isis wherever they are found, will not put troops on the ground and will not engage in the type of nation building that weakened america at home during the last decade. this is exactly what the president intends to do. while the president made clear and we agree that he has the authorization of military force to conduct these strikes, he also asked for congress's support in passing title 10 authorization to train foreign troops. if democrats and republicans

can't come together to keep us safe from terrorism, i don't know what will bring us together. for far too many months now, washington and congress have been marred by partisan gridlock. when it comes to combatting terrorism overseas, dysfunction must stop at the water's edge. that's how it used to be. democrats and republicans would work together to keep us safe. today, september 11th, is a stark reminder of the threat of terrorism. and a need for america to be ever vigilant and strong against those who seek to do us harm. we can achieve these goals without boots on the ground, without nation build iing.

the president set us on the right course to keep us safe from isis. and we strongly support that idea. we are eager to work with our republican colleagues to support the president in his effort and ensure he has the tools to keep the country safe. >> senator murray? >>on september 11th, every american spends a little bit more time than usual thinking about the threat of terrorists to our homeland. we think a little bit harder about those we lost on that day and those selfless heroes in our armed forces who have sacrificed so much and done everything they've been asked to do to protect our country in the 13 years since. i know i spend a little more time thinking about how we came together as a nation on september 12th, and how we were united in our belief that america should fight terrorists who tend to harm us and do everything we can to prevent future attacks. i thought about that last night after the president finished his

speech. it has become clear that isil is a brutally dangerous terrorist group that wants to hurt americans. they are murdering civilians, stealing, destroying, and they have no signs they plan to stop. while i continue to ask the administration tough questions as this strategy is implemented, i was glad to hear president obama lay out an aggressive, comprehensive plan to fight isil across the region. now, i appreciate the president's continued focus on forming a robust international coalition to take on the threat that will be absolutely critical. and i know it's something that american people are expecting. and i was very glad the president made it clear, he is not sending large numbers of combat troops back into the region and that a primary focus will be on strengthening our partners over there to fight isil themselves. we all have a full classified briefing on the plans scheduled later for this afternoon. any time the administration

talks about using force, we in congress owe it to our constituents to press hard for clarity of mission and goals to make sure these operations will make our country truly safer over the long-term. but this is not a time for partisanship or political posturing. i join our leadership today in calling for bipartisan unity as we work on this in the coming days and make sure congress is giving the president the tools he needs to keep our country safe. >> we'll take a few questions before -- yes? >> i had a question on the cost side of this. senator durbin, your committee already marked up the 15 spending bill right now, talking about the c.r., but in terms of, you know, long-term looking throughout the year since we don't have an end date on this, per se. do you expect the administration to request more funding for the wars? or do you believe throughout the fiscal year they'll be able to -- >> i'll take a run at this. >> sure.

>> the title 10 request is $500 million. and at that stage, that's only request we've had. so senator durbin who is responsible for funding the defense department should -- because he has a lot more information than most all of us have because the hearings, classified and otherwise he's had. so, dick, you should -- >> i think it's too soon to be speculating on the cost of this effort other than the title 10 aspect of it. and we're talking in the most general terms about the account and how much should be included with the administration. senator mikulski is front and center in that negotiation. we're not dealing with specific requests, to my knowledge, what's being said about title 10. >> senator. sir? >> yes, you had your hand up. >> you said you expect congress to vote on this title 10

authority. house republicans met this morning, and a number of them expressed their view that this should be something that is held at a stand alone vote. separate from the c.r. and one of the reasons being the best way to send strong message is the policy. where do you stand on having a stand alone? >> that's a decision the house is going to have to make. and we will, as i indicated in my prepared remarks, we await what the house is going to do. i've spoken to the speaker on more than one occasion. we had a nice visit yesterday. and he's moving forward to try to bring everybody together. and i appreciate very much what he's trying to do. >> senator reid? >> yes. >> we've been very clear on your position as far as authority goes putting the title 10 aside, just the strikes that the president has already authorized. how do you respond to those in your caucus who disagree like senator tim kaine who says, no, just under the constitution, the president doesn't have the authority. how do you -- what do you tell them? >> i think that we should, and i

think this is what will happen. we had the rest of the nation last night. we're going to have a briefing tonight, people who have questions will ask them. i will conduct that briefing and it'll take a long time, there'll be a lot of questions. next week, as we've indicated, there's going to be congressional hearings on the situation in the middle east. that's important we do that. we have a new government in iraq that's been formed. they're still looking forward to having a defense minister and ap interior minister, which is extremely important. we're having ongoing meetings as we speak. secretary kerry is in the middle east. he's going to be there a while. he's going to go into europe. so we have a lot of things we're going to take a look at here. and this isn't the time to start speculating on what if. what we need to do is make sure that we can take care of what we need to do. equip the rebels. and make sure that we don't do anything that is rash.

we have to be very calm and deliberate. and we as a country have to pull together on this. yes? >> senator, the president laid out in addition to destroying isis, to roll back isis. how much thought have you all given to what happens after that? you've been bombing iraq off and on for 23 years now.

yesterday, talked about vice president cheney came up here giving advice. let's get away from that. we're where we are. we can talk about what's gone on in the middle east not only for the last few decades, but for a century. we are in a situation now where we have an evil force that is really trying to destroy much of what we believe in and nations in the middle east believe in. that's why this coalition is so important. and i just think that we have to focus on title 10 and move on next week and see what the house does. let's not be negating everything that has been accomplished the last few days. yes? >> senator reid, for more than a year, senator durbin, some of your other colleagues have been raising questions about whether the scope of the current war on terror is covered by the aumf in 2001. that's being asserted for authority. >> sure. >> can any of you explain why

that does apply to this? and if not, what authority grants the president -- >> the president said last night that he has authority to do bombing as he's doing now in iraq and in syria. we, and we've said this several times here this morning. we're at the beginning of a little trek that's going to be taken. and we have to do it right. we can't, i repeat the word rash. we have to be deliberate in what we do. i don't need to run through all of the things that are taking place. we have a briefing today. we have hearings next week, the governor -- let's just not rush into things. we have a very short outline of things we must accomplish. and that can only be accomplished if we work together as a nation. thank you very much, everybody.

>> you can see these remarks any time online on our website at c-span.org. majority reid and others will be joined by their colleagues for a briefing on isis this afternoon at 4:00 eastern. and should there be remarks afterward, we'll do our best to bring those to you. you will also find other isis-related programming, including hearings and briefings and remarks from members of congress along with the president's address from last night all on our website at c-span.org. coming up tonight, iowa public tv hosts an hour long debate for iowa's third congressional district. taking part, democrat stacy apple and republican david young. they'll discuss their platforms and future plans and answer reporters' questions. here are two of the tv ads running in that race. >> when republican and tea party

brokers went into the back room saturday, they chose d.c. insider david young 20 years on the payroll of a broken congress. young won the room by standing up for cutting social security and ending medicare as we know it, even raising the minimum retirement age. what washington really needs is a healthy dose of iowa common sense, staci apple, a mom of six worked as a financial consultant who knows small business is key to job growth. a state senator, she got results helping to make equal pay for equal work the law in iowa. as iowa's first woman in congress, she'll fight to protect social security and medicare. staci appel, end the back room deals and put iowa families first. >> i'm david young, and i approve this message. barack obama promises hope, then he ripped apart our health care system.

shredded our economy and crumbled our national security. but if we band together and fight for our conservative principles, we can put our economy and our country back together again. >> iowa's answer is not magic, it's david young. >> iowans just want a good meal and good government. will we get the good meal? but our government overspends, overtaxes and overregulates. it underperforms. i get it and you get it, why can't they? i'll bring a dose of iowa reality to washington. then maybe we can have a good meal and good government. i'm david young and i approve this message. >> you can see tonight's debate for that seat starting at 8:00 eastern on our companion network c-span 2.

this weekend on c-span networks, american history tv is live from ft. mchenry for the 200th anniversary of the star-spangled banner. and later on american history tv, we'll tour ft. mchenry and hear how war came to baltimore in 1814. about the british barrage on the fo fort. saturday night at 8:00 on c-span, the scholars program with george w. bush and bill clinton. and live coverage of the harkin steak fry. and sunday evening at 8:00, q & a with rick pearlstein. and on c-span 2 saturday night at 10:00. on book tv's afterwards, ken silverstein on the secret world of oil. and then sunday night at 6:45 eastern on book tv, democratic senator from new york, kirsten

gillibrand on her life in politics and her call for women to rise up and make a difference in the world. find our television schedule at c-span.org and let us know what you think about the programs you're watching. call us at 202-626-3400. e-mail us at comments@c-span.org. join the c-span conversation. like us on facebook, follow us on twitter. the inspectors general with the peace corps, justice department, and epa say delays to access to records and information not only impedes their investigations but also wastes taxpayer dollars. testified before the government reform committee wednesday in reference to a letter sent to members of congress outlining their concerns. 47 i.g. signed that letter.

>> the oversight committee's mission statement is we exist to secure two fundamental principles. first, americans have a right to know that the money washington takes from them is well spent. efficient, effective government that works for them. our duty is to protect these rights. taxpayers have a right to know that the money washington takes from them is well spent. it's our job we're tirelessly in partnership with citizen watchdogs and, yes, the i.g. watchdogs to deliver the facts to the american people and bring

genuine reform to the federal bureaucracy. this is our mission statement. on august 5th, 47 inspectors general, 2/3 of the i.g. community sent an unprecedented letter to congress describing serious limitations on access to records that have recently impeded the work of the inspectors general. section 6a-1 of the inspector general act of 1978 requires agencies to provide, and i quote, full and timely access records to their respective inspector general. these government watchdogs have a key role in improving

efficiency, honesty and accountability. they conduct oversight and investigations and audits to prevent and detect waste, fraud and mismanagement within government agencies. their work often protects life of federal workers and the american people. they help congress shape legislation and target our oversight and investigative activities. but let there be no doubt, they are executive branch employees who, in fact, were created by an act of congress and signed by a president so the tools they provide are available to the president of the united states to run our government better. in the last fiscal year, the i.g. community used their $2.7

billion budget to identify potential cost savings to taxpayers totaling about $46 billion. that means that for every dollar in the total i.g. budget, they identified approximately $17 in savings. access is key to that kind of savings. let me make it clear that many of the investigations, including some you hear about today are not about money, they're far more valuable. they're about liberty. they're about your government not trampling on your rights. so agencies withhold information and their records from these watchdogs, it impedes their ability to conduct their work thoroughly, independently, and most of all, timely. it runs up the cost to both sides of the ledger, the inspectors general spend many, many, many millions of dollars

simply trying to get access, while your government, the same agency spends millions and millions of dollars on lawyers trying to impede. this is one of the greatest wastes we could possibly have. when agencies refuse or deny i.g.'s access, it undermines the intent of congress and the i.g.'s ability to effectively oversee these respective agencies. today, we are going to hear from three widely respected i.g.s who have faced serious challenges from their agencies to access the necessary records to what they do in their work. at the justice department, the inspector general cannot gain access to grand jury documents or national security related documents without approval and delay from the deputy attorney general of the federal courts. requiring such permission

compromises and impedes i.g.'s investigations. at the chemical safety board, they have denied the e.p.a. inspector general, mr. elkins who is with us today. access to certain documents on the basis of attorney client privilege. but who is the attorney and what is the privilege? mr. elkins, is, in fact, the same entity that is the client. he is, in fact, part of the defined client. several offices within the e.p.a. itself, within the office of homeland security have interfered with the oig's investigations themselves. and perhaps most disturbing to me personally, and i spoke to the vice president last night, and i believe he was equally disturbed at the peace corps. they have refused to provide the inspector general access to

information related to sexual assaults on peace corps volunteers absent a memorandum of understanding. let's understand last night we honored and celebrated the 20th anniversary of the enactment of violence against women. designed to do just the exact opposite. to ask women to come forward and report their assaults. if, in fact, the i.g. cannot oversee a possible pattern of failure to protect women, then are we to ask women to come forward with the record of their assaults? but in all instances, it is the committee's position that these agencies should and must cooperate with the inspectors' generals request for information. the committee has investigated several instances, including the ones facing these watchdogs in

which agency leadership undermined the effectiveness of the inspectors general. the committee has held several hearings on this issue and facing these inspectors generals over the last -- over the past year. the committee has also conducted a deposition of the peace corps general council to address the access -- the access issue at the peace corps. it has not been resolved. and quite frankly, i look forward to the departure of the general council as part of the problem. neither this committee nor the i.g. committee should be wasting time or resources gaining access to records in which the i.g.s have not just legal entitlement to but a sworn obligation toy?> under the i.g. act.kt for nearly six years, we have seen this administration make unprecedented efforts, it says

to fight transparency by t÷ congress. but that's not what we're here for today. we're not here because the press wants to snoop. we're not here because article 1, the congress is trying to look over the shoulder of the president in his administrationi we're here because the more or less 12,000 men and women who work for the i.g.s and others not here today. part of this president's team for efficiency, transparency, and, in fact, an honorable service by all has not been getting what they wanted. it is my intention upon the end of this hearing to write with my ranking member if at all possible a letter to the president urging him to use his executive order capability to resolve this question once and for all.

notwithstanding that, i want to thank our three witnesses here today. and i want to assure you of one thing. after you testify here today and for all 47 i.g.s who wrote, i will be looking, i know my ranking member will be looking to make sure that, in fact, no retribution, no punishment is allowed for your coming forward and expressing your concerns under your responsibility in the i.g. act. with that, i would ask just one thing. we do have a response from the executive office from the president, the office of management and budget in response to mr. cummings and my letter. i'll place it into record without objection. and we recognize the ranking member for his opening statement. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. and i want to thank our witnesses for testifying here today. i want to also thank chairman for calling this hearing. let me start off by saying that what the chairman said with

regard to retribution, i agree with. you do a phenomenal job. an important job. and every member of this committee, both sides of the aisle. if we hear about any repercussions from you being here, we will be on it and deal with it effectively and efficiently. rooting out waste, fraud and abuse is a central tenant of this mission. and we take this mission very seriously. the i.g.s and the authorities, and for example, in 2013, i sent a bipartisan letter to the president and i was joined by chairman issa as well as representative tierney, the chairman and ranking member of the national security subcommittee. in that letter, we press the president to finally nominate an

inspector general at the state department, a position that had remained vacant for five years. i've also supported legislation to help i.g.s do their job more effectively and efficiently. such as the i.g. reform agent of 2008. last month, after receiving the letter frp om 47 i.g.s, i co-signed with coburn and the homeland security and the government affairs committee as well as chairman issa. in that letter, we express our bipartisan concern to the office of management and budget about access issues raised by three i.g.s testifying here today from the peace corps, the department of justice and the environmental protection agency. when congress passed the inspector general act in 1978, section 6 of that legislation authorized i.g.s to have very

broad access to agency records. this provision was intended to give i.g.s wide latitude to conduct their audits and investigations. but congress also included certain exemptions on the legislation. some of which are an issue today. in addition, some contend that other federal laws make conflict with this broad brand of authority and that that is also a concern that we will be discussing today. first, we have the peace corps. in 2011, congress passed and the president signed the volunteer protection act. this law requires a peace corps to establish a confidential system for volunteers to report sexual assault crimes. when the i.g. sought access to this data in order to prepare report also mandated by congress, the peace corps raised a question about providing the

personal -- personally identifiable information of sexual assault victims which was supposed to be confidential. on may 22nd, the agency and the i.g. signed a memorandum of understanding providing the i.g. with access to all information, except personally identifiable information and explicit details of the sexual assaults. i understand the disagreement does not address all the i.g.'s access concerns, but i believe it is a very good start when we have two potentially conflicting statutes like this. next, the department of justice inspector general has expressed concern that when he seeks access to sensitive law enforcement information, such as grand jury and wiretap information, he must go through a lengthy approval process at the highest levels of the department.

the i.g.'s testimony for today says the department has granted access to the records in every case. but, he contends that the lengthy delays erodes his independence. according to the department, several other statutes restrict the release of sensitive information such as grand jury and wiretap material. so they must be carefully analyzed and we have to look at that. my understanding is that the department has now asked the office of legal counsel to review the issue. i applaud the i.g. for working through this process with the agency. and i look forward to olc's review. finally, the environmental protection agency, i.g., has raised two concerns. the i.g. reports that the e.p.a.'s office of homeland security has been denying the i.g. access of classified threat material and failing to recognize the i.g. statutory authority over intrusions into e.p.a. computer networks.

democratic staff has been working with both sides to mediate this issue. and on june 19th, e.p.a. administrator mccarthy proposed a framework for better cooperation. at this point, my understanding is that the i.g. still. lastly, the dispute between the e.p.a., i.g. and the chemical safety board seems, at least to me to be the most problematic. the i.g. has been trying to obtain documents from this csv chairman, but the csv still has not produced all of the requested documents. this week, the i.g.'s office sent a letter explaining that although the csv had compiled substantially -- complied substantially with requests, documents still remain outstanding. i hope we can work with you

closely on a bipartisan basis to solve this issue. let me close by making one observation. as we have seen, many of these issues involve several laws that appear to conflict. and some have raised the possibility of legislative fixes. i believe this idea should be considered very carefully. although i will not hesitate to pursue statutory clarification if necessary. the last thing the i.g.s need is for legislation to be introduced and fail. which could have the unintended effect of diluting their authority. for these reasons, mr. chairman, i appreciate your commitment to work with me and my staff in developing bipartisan and widely supported legislative reform proposals. my staff and i have devoted tremendous efforts to helping i.g.s do their work. and my goal has always been to try to solve the challenges constructively. and with that, i yield back. >> i think the ranking member, all members will have seven days

to submit opening statements for the record. we now welcome our distinguished panel of witnesses. the inspector general of the u.s. department of justice. the honorable author a. elkins jr. is the inspector general of the u.s. environmental protection agency. and the honorable miss kathy a. buller is the inspector general of the peace corps. lady and gentleman, pursuant to the committee rules, will you please rise to take the oath? and raise your right hand? do your solemnly swear or affirm that the testimony you will give today will be the truth, whole truth and nothing but the truth? please be seated. let the record reflect that all witnesses answered in the affirmative. since you're all skilled professionals and, mr. horowitz, since you're less than 24 hours from a similar event, you know

that we'd like you to keep your opening statements to five minutes, summarize in any way you can and your entire statements will be placed in the record without objection. and with that, mr. horowitz, you're up. >> thank you, members of the committee. thank you for inviting me to testify at this important hearing. access by inspectors general to information and agency files go goes to the heart of our mission to provide nonpartisan oversight. that is why 47 inspectors general signed a letter late last month to congress expressing their concerns about this issue. i want to thank the members of this committee for their bipartisan support in response to that letter. the i.g. act adopted by congress in 1978 is crystal clear. section 6a of the act expressly provides an inspectors general must be given complete, timely and unfiltered access to all agency records. however, since 2010, the fbi and other department components have not read section 6a of the act

in that manner and therefore have refused our requests during our reviews for relevant grand jury, wiretap and credit information in its files. as a result, a number of our reviews have been significantly impeded. in response to the objections, the attorney general granted us permission to access the records by making the finding that our reviews were of instance to them. they also stated their intelligence to do so in future audits and reviews. however, several significant concerns with this process. first and foremost, the process is inconsistent with the clear mandate of section 6a of the i.g. act. the attorney general should not have to order department components to provide us with access to records that congress has made clear we have a right to review. second, requiring the inspector general to obtain permission from department leadership seriously compromises our independence. the oig should be deciding which documents it needs access to,

not the leadership of the agency being overseen. third, while current department leadership has supported our ability to access records, agency leadership changes over time. and our access to records should not turn on the views of the department's leadership. further, we understand that other department components that exercise oversight over department programs and personnel, such as the department's office of professional responsibility continue to be given access to the same materials without objection. this is unjustifiable and results in the department being less willing to provide materials to the oig, presumably because the oig is statutorily independent while o.p. is not. this highlights the lack of independence from the department's leadership, which can only be addressed by granting the statutorily independent oig with jurisdiction to investigate all alleged misconduct at the department. indeed, the independent nonpartisan project on government oversight made the same recommendation in a report

issued in march of this year and bipartisan legislation introduced in the senate would do just that. this past may, the department's leadership asked the office of legal council to issue an opinion addressing the legal objections raised by the fbi and other department components. it is imperative that the olc issue its decision promptly because the existing practice at the department seriously impairs our independence every day we do our work. in the absence of a resolution, our struggle to access information in a timely manner continues to seriously delay our work. it also has a substantial impact on the morale of the oig's auditors, analysts, agents and lawyers who work extraordinarily hard every day. far too often, they face challenges getting timely access to information, including even with routine requests. for example, in two ongoing audits, we had trouble getting

organizational charts in a timely manner. we remain hopeful they'll issue an opinion prompt ly manner. have substantial consequences for our work. that lead to incomplete, inaccurate or significantly delayed findings or recommendations. i cannot emphasize enough how critical it is to get these pendingr[ímky"3vm'76çiñ:gz acce promptly. hopefully, olc will issue, shortly, an opinion, finding that 6a of the i.g. act means what it says. namely that the oig is entitled

to have complete access to files. prepared statement. i'd be pleased to answer any questions you may have. >> thank you. and you. you will yield back the one second? >> i will yield back the one second. >> thank you. mr. elkins? >> good morningç members of th committee. i am arthur elkins. thank you for inviting me to appear before you today. i would like to take this opportunity to publically commend the office of inspector general staff across the federal government who work hard each day to carry out our important mission. as the committee is aware, for more than a year this oig was confronted with the denial of access by the csb. the csb's leadership asserted that the denial was based on attorney/client privilege. we countered that such denial violated section 6a1. with that impairment, we

resorted to the rarely invoked seven day letter. this committee held a hearing on june 19th at which you stated the csb to turn over the documents to the oig within a week. the csb since has produced several sets ofdetermined but te not fully complied with our document request. however, the evidence we have gathered demonstrates that there are additional documents within the scope of our request the csb officials have not provided. in addition, to the csb matter, the epa office of homeland security continues to impede the investigations of this oig. we provided t ed testimony on m. while there are multiple facets, the crux is this. the epa asserts a belief that there is a category of activity defined as intelligence to which the oig may have access only if

the epa determines the oig access is permitted. this impairment by the epa was ongoing when i arrived four years ago and it is still not resolved. now, i would like to discuss how well the ig act is serving the taxpayers of this country in plushing goals that congress set more than 35 years ago. on august 5, i joined with 46 other igs in sending a letter to this committee as well as other congressional members discussing the troubling push back many of us have been experiencing from our respective agencies when we seek mandated access. we asked congress for a strong reaffirmation of the original and we believe still existing intent of the ig act that oigs have access to all information to assist us in obtaining prompt and complete agency cooperation. mr. chairman, questions about whether the ig act is

accomplishing congress's goals and whether it needs clarification are not hypothetical to me. they are questions with real world impact on my ability to carry out my mandated functions. you might think, therefore, that i would say without reservation that the ig act requires some enhancements on access and agency cooperation. however,lonñ want all of us, ig and congress included, to be very careful about what i am saying and what i am not saying on this issue. the act as written is quite strong and quite clear. it provides access to all agency information and all agency employees. there are no exceptions. not for material that an agency has searched cannot be further released and not for some piece ofñi agency activity that might happen to involve classified information. no courts, no congressional committees and no opinions from the department of justice's office of legal counsel have

given any cause for concern that the requirement for access to all information means anything other than all. in the attempt to clarify or strengthen that authority could suggest that it is not suggest and fully encompassing. the ig act hinges on the cooperation of agency with its ig. if there is not prompt and complete cooperation, the work is stifled. in this regard, the ig act can be compared to a "house of cards." if you pull out the cooperation card, the entire act collapses. i therefore urge this committee to look at enforcement mechanisms for the access and cooperation already required. the ig act is fine as written. the agency's ability to ignore the act is the problem. this oig will be happy to work with your staff on integrity and efficiency on seclusions to address or access concerns. i believe that congress can send

a strong and needed message through legislative enhancements and other means such impairment will not be tolerated. mr. chairman, this concludes my prepared statement and i will be pleased to answer any questions you or the committee may have. >> thank you. you yield back four seconds. >> yes, i will. thank you. >> miss buller. >> chairman, ranking member cummings, members of the committee, thank you for inviting me to appear before you today and allowing me to summarize my statement. you have asked me to testify about my office's difficulty in obtaining access to agency documents. i testified about this issue before your committee on january 15th. while progress has been made, thanks in part to your efforts, some challenges remain. our access issues stem from the peace corps's interpretation of the volunteer protection act of 2011 which congress enacted after serious reports that the agency failed to respond to victims of sexual assault.

to enhance the response, it mandates the reporting so that volunteers may disclose details and receive the services they need without dissemination of their personally identifying information. unfortunately, peace corps's general council has written a legal opinion concluding the act overrides the ig act cause ing them to establish policies and procedures that deny access to information. in the case of restricted reports, they argue the act prohibits the agency from disclosing to oig any details of a sexual assault or the victim's pii. however, the act authorizes disclosure when required by law and the law mandates an extensive oversight role to my office. in may, my office entered into a formal agreement with the agency to obtain some information from restricted reports. the agreement can be terminated

by either party at any time but we signed it so we could get some information while continuing to seek agency to congressional action. although the agreement improves access, i am concerned about my office having to enter into an agreement to get information we are entitled to by law and that we need to do our job. i am also concerned that the agency's legal opinion authorizing it to withhold information from the oig remains in place. this sets a dangerous precedent where an agency may interpret a law as overriding the act forcing them to spend limited resources and time wrangling to obtain information. many have asked why we need full access to restricted reports. the answer is simple. without full access, we cannot properly inform the agency or congress whether the agency is complying with the act and whether the agency's response to sexual assaults is getting better or worse.

further more, the act mandates that my office conduct a case review of the number of cases without full access to information, it's very difficult for us to complete this review and ensure that volunteers are receiving the services that they need. on august 5th, 47 igs signed a letter to congress expressing concern over our access issues. recognizing the implication of agencies refusing, restricting or delaying access to agency documents. in response to inquiries about the letter, peace corps told "the washington post" it is committed to working with the inspector general to ensure rigorous oversight while protecting the confidentiality and privacy of volunteers who are sexually assaulted. suggesting that privacy and oversight are mute actuually exclusive. they are not. it is trained and experienced in

handling sensitive information. and there is no sighted record of my office ever mishandling such information. the agency has also suggested that fewer volunteers would report sexual assaults if oig had access to the information. when pressed for a factual basis for this, the agency had none. as the daily beast reported, it's hard to imagine a case where volunteers declined to report sexual assault because the agency's internal watchdog will be provided information to determine there is no negligence or wrongdoing. the agency argues policies and procedures are victim centric. we ask that congress reaffirm what it said in the ig act.

the ig act we also believe is very plain on its face and the legislative history strengths that intent. but there are individuals like our general councse counsel who taken it upon themselves to interpret the act. we request you look at reaffirming what the ig act says and make sure everybody is on the same page. i thank you for asking me to testify before you. and i am prepared to answer any questions. >> thank you. and you yielded back 12 seconds. i have never had a more professional panel. i commend you all. we do a lot of hearings here that are partisan. as you know, this isn't one of them. so one of the challenges here is asking the first and most difficult question, which is, from each of your experiences,