communities safe, the relationships between federal law enforcement and local cops, first responders and elected officials is crucial. that is true for dhs' .ounterterrorism mission it is also true for its role in preparing for and responding to disasters. i wouldn't that during hurricane sandy, during the response to it was responsible at every level to limit the loss of life and begin the recovery process. there is still a long way to go, as i discussed last week with administration officials, but with jeh at the helm of the hs, i am confident that new jersey will have another partner and advocate in washington. i am proud to introduce jeh

today as we learn more about him and his strengths, about his character, about his ability to lead, and about his love of country. he has a true commitment to keep american community safe and strong. thank you. >> one former mayor follows another one. he is a senator. a mayor. you bring that is effective as well. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i appreciate this opportunity. i am pleased to join senator booker and introducing a gentleman from montclair, new jersey to be our next homeland security secretary. he is a constituent, a friend, and i highly will fight lawyer, who in my view would be as effective in his new role as in

every role he has taken on in the past. i sat on the select committee that created the department of homeland security. i was the author on the house floor of implementing the 9/11 commission's recommendations in its totality. factmory is seared by the that the 700 new jersey ends -- new jerseyans who lost their lives on that fateful day. i know what this department i would our country and not come before you to support a candidate, even if he was from my state if i did not think he had the intellect, the management capacity to run a department so critical to the nation's security. that is why i support jeh johnson for the position.

he has been in a claims attorney at the defense department where he oversaw 10,000 lawyers and all of the case management that flows from that, when we talk about organizational ability. he clearly has that in a department as large and diverse as the department of homeland security. he was the chief counsel as well for the air force. beyond his extensive and --ressive aper credentials paper credentials, he has taken on difficult issues at critical times. he has earned the trust of everyone who has worked with him, seen him in action. his intellect and his deep analytical thinking skills i think will be a credit to the department is large, complex, this.portant as that is why secretary panetta has been so supportive of his nomination.

they came to rely upon him. he is a leader who was not afraid -- i know the ranking member cares about this -- is not afraid to make his unvarnished opinions known and to make tough, but intelligent decisions, and he has always exercised his best judgment. i have no doubt whatsoever it will do the same as the secretary of homeland security. had a long and illustrious career in and out of government. i think he will bring a profound sensibility about national security issues to the table. i think the associated press some doubt his qualifications saying simply and clearly, -- some up his qualifications think simply and clearly he has spent most of his career dealing with national security issues for most of his career as a top lawyer. what better qualifications for

potential secretary of homeland security? i strongly support jeh as someone who would oversee the 240 thousand employees who help secure this nation from threats we face and i am very thankful to the committee for the opportunity to introduce jeh johnson and i urge a unanimous vote for his confirmation. joining us. for senator booker, you are welcome to stay as long as your schedule permits. i know that you have other obligations. feel free to leave when you need to. we are here to consider the fornation of jeh johnson the secretary of the department of homeland security. take on aat he will difficult and amending job. the department is comprised of 22 distinct agencies spread across various locations throughout the greater washington, d.c. area and indeed throughout the country. though progress has clearly been made in bringing these 22

agencies together, 10 years after its creation, the department of homeland security still lacks leadership and a strong sense of team. among remains the lowest major federal agencies. moreover, the nation's fiscal challenges and the effect of sequestration means that dhs will face even more obstacles to get better results with fewer federal dollars. day,n all even on a good serving as the secretary for the department of homeland security is a really, really hard job. mr. johnson,or there are few better places to learn how to manage a complex national security bureaucracy than at the department of defense. he has been confirmed by the senate twice before, once as the air force's top lawyer and once as the top lawyer for the entire department of defense. has experience another

demanding jobs. mr. johnson is prepared to face the challenges that will await him if he is confirmed by the senate. before this he was a major layer in running the defense department and provided key advice in not one, but two exceptional defense secretaries, bob gates, and leon panetta, both of whom we know and respect. he has valuable experience for the huge task for which he has been nominated. mr. johnson has received high praise from many. the committee received a joint letter from the three men who have actually held this position before -- tom ridge, judge chertoff, and former governor napolitano. johnson as "an eminently qualified nominee," and urged the committee to quickly approve his nomination. former defense secretary gates, a strong rest and -- manager himself said "take my word for it.

jeh johnson has successfully managed an array of initiatives across the biggest bureaucracy in government and in so doing, won the esteem of virtually everyone with whom he worked." those are bob gates's words. his mullen also expressed he confidence in the nominee. here is what he had to say " jeh is as fine a person and professional as i have ever met. and i am confident in this choice that he will succeed in meeting this most complex organization in a critical time in our country." letter, mike mckay will bringh johnson to department of homeland security not only experience, but a frame of mind which should be a source of assurance to anyone concerned with the security of this country. he understands the shoes and the stakes and will make an excellent secretary."

mr. johnson has received encouraging words of praise from friends house and, leon panetta, george allen, a number of law enforcement groups. mr. johnson will not be alone in his task of leading dhs. critically important that mr. johnson be allowed to surround himself with capable leadership team. we can help. in deed we need to. currently at dhs there are 13 presidentially appointed positions without replacement. 13. of these, nine require confirmation. i described this as executive branch sweet cheese. we must remember that protecting the homeland is a team sport and those of us in the legislative branch are critical members of this important team.

with mr. johnson confirmed, we need to do our part to expeditiously vet and hopefully confirm his leadership team as well. before i turned to dr. coburn for his remarks, let me again publiclymr. johnson the esteem i shared with them and my office recently. he has achieved the testimony of former secretaries. he has spent a lot of time with the controller of the government of accountability office. -- i spent a lot of time with the comptroller of the government accountability office. they want you. do not be shy for asking for their advice again and again. the same should hold true for reaching out to the former bob gates and leon panetta. they hold you in very high esteem obviously. they know what you're up against. lean on them. there are guys will prove

invaluable to you as you take on the role and the tasks that lie had. let me reiterate my strong support of mr. johnson's nomination and my appreciation for his willingness to serve the people of this country in this new role. i want to call my colleagues, democrat and republican, to join me in confirming him as soon as possible. mr. johnson, if you are fortunate enough to be confirmed, i will look forward to working with you in the coming months and years to protect the homeland and its people. today,se that are here your wife and two children, your sister or two, others in your family, that i suspect you will announce when you make your comments -- i want to say to your immediate family and your parents, thank you for raising this man. thank you for instilling the values that we need in this leadership role in our country. to his immediate family, his wife, his children, thank you for sharing him with our

country, once again, a very good man. dr. coburn? >> thank you, mr. chairman. i have a rather lengthy opening statement and i apologize for that. i think it is necessary in this case. mr. johnson, welcome. we have had great visits. here today.r being i personally want to thank you for stepping forward to fill this position. i think it is the most difficult position of all the cabinet secretaries. difficulties, but also because of the responsibilities. it is clear to me that you are an honorable man. all the people i have heard from, also from my encounter in terms of your intelligence -- it is far above mine and most members of congress, which is iactly what we want. appreciate your commitment to being transparent with us in working with our committee to address the fiscal and structural issues that are facing the department of

homeland security. -- i am are confirmed not going to say if -- i think you are going to be confirmed, i to fix can work together the department of homeland security where it is broken and make our nation more secure. may consider the nomination process a series of formalities, but it's important to understand one's experience and qualifications. i am extremely disturbed by the responses to the questionnaire, because the staff, either the legislative staff or the white house has cut and pasted identical answers to 23 questions in your response -- to thatl responses other nominees before this committee. so, they are not your answers. they are their answers. the shoddy work associated with

the does not serve committee well. i would like to enter these into the record now. these are exact words that have been before this committee before. the whole purpose of the questionnaire is to get your thoughts, not legislative t's thoughts or butone at omb's thoughts, your thoughts. until those are corrected and we have mr. johnson's response, i will not consider his western air has been completed. without objection. >> that does not serve mr. johnson well and that is one of the problems with homeland security. sometimes the secretary is not served well by their staff. so, i look forward to the hearing today, but i also look forward to hearing those responses. and by hearing your own responses and views about the department

-- and there is nothing wrong with and i don't know. because we cannot expect you to know everything now. there is nothing wrong with that. that is the kind of footing i want to start out with. we certainly do not know a lot of answers and we would not expect you to know all the answers until you get into it. you stand to be the fourth secretary of homeland security. the three previous were highly intelligent and dedicated public servants with significant experience. if we were here today, i would -- if they were here today, i would expect the they would be the first to admit they have not fixed all the challenges with homeland security. we have identified a series of problems in homeland security programs i would like to bring to your attention, and ask that you focus on if you are confirmed. we may not be right in our isessments, but as you and have spoken privately, it is important for you to get and put

them all sources. so, i have prepared a binder for you, which i will give to you today. i do not expect you to read it in the next week or two, but it is a different viewpoint and what you will hear inside the organization, and i can tell you , for us to be successful in getting homeland security what it needs and the resources it needs, there has to be confidence in congress along a lot of these problems. highlight a few of them. establish be rapper balance between freedom and security. that is a real issue in homeland security. the american people understand we can't achieve 100% security without sacrificing some of the freedoms and constitutional and ourbut our goal responsibility is to strike the right balance. committed to working in this private security and civil

liberties office. we have found it is often unable to do so. customs and border protection. cutting edge drums and surveillance equipment. before -- as required by law -- before putting those in the air they were supposed to have individual syllable but rudy's -- civil liberties protection and it has not been done. it still has not been done. and if it has been done, it has not been communicated back to the committee. that is a balance between law and responsibility the department has failed on. spending onther dhs counterterrorism and intelligence programs is making us safer. another program. another problem. we had a terrorist attack in 2001. everybody knows that led to the creation of the dhs, but after 10 years it is not clear that dhs intelligence and

counterterrorism initiatives are making us measurably safer. the preparedness grants, the fusion centers are all areas that have highly questionable effectiveness in terms of preventing further terrorism. the third areas have proved to the american people the department of homeland security can secure borders and enforce our nation from immigration laws. i understand that one of your priorities if confirmed is to handle its to responsibilities with comprehensive immigration reform , were it to pass. frankly the best way we can do to that would be to prove to the american people that dhs is capable of securing the border now and handling the responsibilities they have now, which they are not. over the past 10 years, we have spent $90 billion on border security, and yet we know our

southern border is not secure. an independent analysis estimated the apprehension rate at the southern border is warty 's cent to 55%, versus dhs all numbers of 75% to 80%. we know people are living here in violation of our current criminal laws. to yet dhs has done little address the problem. and frankly, we have heard from front-line personnel that dhs is not actively enforcing our immigration laws or deporting people who are known to be a risk to public safety right now. the fourth area -- the department needs to prove it can work with private sector and provide value in addressing key threats like cybersecurity before expecting new responsibilities. and i will not going to the details of that and i will try to hurry, mr. chairman. the fifth area --dhs has not managed acquisition programs

effectively and there are many areas were we have made inquiries on that and have yet to get a response. one of the things that encourages me in our conversations is the commitment that you will be responsive and transparent to us come and yet we have waited months and to get answers to our questions. fema disaster declaration process needs to be fixed. one of the areas we have seen mark improvement -- marked improvement is an fema. i congratulate. one of the areas we have seen marked improvement is the coast guard, which i congratulate the department on. being the secretary of the department of homeland security is one of the most challenging positions in our government. i believe you will be confirmed. my hope is you will renew your commitment to the committee and

me personally that you will run a transparent shop, being responsive to us and our concerns, not only giving us an opportunity to have education from you on what the facts really are, but also receive information in turn on what we are seeing in the respective areas across the country. there's too much at stake for us not to work together to fix the department of homeland security. level by at the lowest surveys of opm of any department in the federal government. that is a function of leadership. i think you have the qualities to instill that, to rebuild this organization and put this place where it needs to be. the american people are counting on us, but they are going to be counting on you and there simply too much at stake for us to fail. i hope you are in this committee's trust. you ever earned mine, thus far. i look forward to looking with

you in this very important job. i look forward to working with you in this very important job. bird work under the early rule. after the chairman and ranking member have given statements, the witnesses testify and then we recognize the members in order as they come in to ask weston's. -- questions. ms. mccaskill was the next one here. senator cap, senator mccain, others will, as well. i just want to say -- we take seriously the opportunity to engage with you and really understand you better as a human being and your priorities and really your values. andhow they were developed your approach to managing a big department like this. i just want to say thank you for your willingness to meet with all of us who serve on this

committee. i understand you have tried to meet with us. and weciate you trying will continue to do that. i'm sure you well. your bipartisan staff, you spent some two hours or more meeting with them, answering, i'm told, every question they asked. you stayed in the last man or woman standing and start -- and answered all of the questions. we will have the opportunity to ask you questions and stay here basically until we run out of questions and you run out of endurance. i do not think we will take too long. if you would -- it is not uncommon. i think you have about 100 questions to answer. some are multipart. some of those i would not expect you to answer. you would rely to some extent on

folks in the department. i would just ask you to go back through the information, the questions that dr. coburn is going to send to you and give them back to him wrongfully and so, senatorforward. mccaskill has to run. i'm going to ask if my colleagues do not mind, to go out of order. click thank you so much. i really appreciate it. i will just take a minute. i have to leave to go to the outside panel that we appointed to look at the problem of sexual assault in the military and we are having a technical session today and the complexities and the technical nature of the problem is one that i feel compelled to go over and address , so i cannot stay for the duration of the questioning of you and your testimony. i just want to briefly put in the record, the five areas that our subcommittee has worked on the most in terms of issues at home and security, those will be ones

that i would hope to work with you to address serious problems that plague dhs. andfirst is rightsizing dhs balancing the contractor and federal workforce. the ability for dhs to function as a single cohesive department. the role of dhs science and technology directorate and whether or not it is a path through or ineffective organization is them what its mission was intended to be. therole of dhs in procurement of bioterrorism countermeasures and finally the obtain a of dhs to clean audit. those are the five areas that we will continue to work on in our subcommittee and continue to work with your agency to see if we can't do much better. there's a lot of room for improvement. that youe are thrilled are willing to serve your government. you have done so in an honorable

and confident, in fact stellar fashion or many years and i want to thank your family for making the sacrifices necessary for you to lead this important agency. i look forward to working with you after confirmation. >> all right. senator mccaskill, thanks for joining us. my thanks to our colleagues were indulging her in those remarks. i want to introduce our witness. just take a minute or two. i mentioned in my earlier statement, johnson has been confirmed by the senate not once, but twice before. , he became the general counsel of the department of the air force following nomination and confirmation by the senate. do you recall what the boat was on your confirmation? >> i'm sorry? what do you recall what the vote was? >> i suspect it was a nailbiter vote. probably was. >> you received the confirmation by the department of defense.

in this capacity usurped as the chief legal officer of the department of defense and the chief legal advisor to the secretary of the department of defense, and in fact two of them. includes serving as the district attorney of new york. the nominee has been a successful attorney. mr. johnson, you may proceed with your statement and introduce your friends and family here with you today. again, thank you for being here. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. ranking member, coburn, senators of this committee -- thank you for scheduling this meeting to evaluate my nomination. i want to thank senators

menendez and booker for being here to offer their remarks and i appreciate their generous words. i would like to introduce my --ediate family auch doster dr. susan dimarco, my wife, my son, my daughter, my sister marguerite johnson crocker of birmingham, alabama. i am pleased they can be here. i think the public officials in the room will appreciate and they know that the burdens of public office are made lighter by the support and engagement of your family. and honored by the trust confidence that president obama has placed in may by nominating me to be secretary of homeland security. i appreciate the letters of support addressed to this committee from the law- enforcement organizations, retired senior military officers, former officials of both the bush and obama administrations. i respectfully submit that i am ready, willing, and able to lead

the department of homeland security. i have experience in law enforcement. meant --ral laws force as a federal law enforcement officer in new york, i have local lawh state and enforcement agencies. i have experience as a key member of the management team of the large and complex government agency. for 27 months, i was part of the senior management team of the department of the air force. for four years i was part of the senior management team of the department of defense. during that time i sat at the right hand off, learn from, and supported to outstanding americans as secretary of defense, robert gates and leon panetta. at the same time, as the senior lawyer, i lead a legal community of over 10,000 civilian and military lawyers. during the four years of president obama's first term, i

was at the center of the development and execution of many of this administration's counterterrorism policies. last year i worked closely with secretary panetta as he coordinated the department of defense's contributions to the response to hurricane sandy. are tosions of dhs prevent terrorism, enhance security, secure and manage our borders, enforce and manage our immigration laws, secure respond to and disasters. if confirmed, i will vigorously pursue these missions. they represent the most basic enforcement we can provide for our people. if confirmed, i will work to menforce among all of the department inhe the mission. i will be a champion of the men and women of the department of

homeland security and their families. i will mourn the deaths of the men and women of the department likemeland security, at our tsa officer killed recently. all who riskt their lives in special operations. my family and i spent think skipping 2010 at a military hospital in germany. i spent thanksgiving 2012 with troops at a remote command outhouse -- outpost in the mountains near pakistan. i was honored when an elite team of navy seals attended my farewell at the pentagon. if confirmed i will devote time and attention to the management issues i know that dhs faces. there are leadership vacancies

within dhs of alarming proportions. as i speak, the department of government charged with the vital mission of homeland security has no deputy secretary and a number of senior positions are vacant. if confirmed as secretary, my immediate priority, starting the day i take the oath will be to work with the white house and the senate to fill the remainder of these key leadership positions. the other management challenges faced by dhs are also known to this committee. if confirmed i continue -- i commit to continuing the progress for audited financial statements. i will work to get dhs of the gao high-risk list. i will be a hawk when it comes to identifying fraud, waste, and abuse in the use of taxpayer dollars. if confirmed, i pledge not to shrink from difficult or controversial decisions. those at the pentagon and in the

field know my track record in this regard, ranging from politically charged matters of legality policy to the of lethal force. if confirmed, i will work to implement all legislation enacted into law. like president obama, many in congress, the business community, and most of the support public, i commonsense immigration reform. if enacted into law, i will work to prepare dhs to ensure that dhs has the staff, resources, and capability to do so. i intend to be transparent with the american people about our efforts on their behalf. while senior lawyer for the department of defense, i made the extra effort to publicly explain and defend u.s. national security policies including speeches at the heritage foundation and october 2011 and

the union in 2012. i supported the declassification of the military's counterterrorism efforts in yemen and somalia. pledgeconfirmed, i transparency and candor with congress. those of you from the armed services committee know these are not just words remain. have a track record. from secretaries gates and panetta i learned a little bipartisan candor goes a long way and promotes goodwill for all of us who came to washington for the common purpose of serving the nation. i have tremendous respect for the night is a senate and its prerogatives. 35 years ago i worked as a summer intern for senator moynihan. i was an impressionable college student then. i sat in the back office with

the press secretary, tim russert, clipping press, literally, running legislation. the experience was exciting and informative and did much to inspire my public service. there is another thing that motivates me to leave private life one more time to accept this particular assignment. album is ay photo childhood picture of me and my sister standing next to my dad's convertible.ck the most striking thing about the photo is our car is parked just a few feet away from the steps of the eastern front of the capitol building. i look at the photo today and realize it captures a time in our history that is probably lost in my lifetime and perhaps forever. september 11 and other terrorist attacks here changed all of that. as i said in the rose garden on

october 18 -- i am a new yorker and september 11 happens to be my birthday. i was present and was an eyewitness to the events of that day. i know the shock and the potential for death and instruction that a breach of our homeland security can cause. i recall the sinking feeling of guilt and uselessness that i personally felt in the face of that tragedy because i had left public service at the pentagon just eight months before. september 11 changed me, it changed millions of us, it motivates me to answer this call to lead the men and women of the department of homeland security. thank you for your time and attention and i look forward to your questions. click thank you for that testimony. i read -- >> thank you for that testimony. i read that testimony on the i got tot night and

that part. it was very moving. you have to be under oath. you have done this a time or two before. i will ask you to please stand. please stand. >> raise your right hand. do you swear the testimony you give before this committee will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you god? >> i do. >> please be seated. we will start our questions with the three standard questions we ask of all nominees. oneou will just answer each . are you aware of anything in your background that might present a conflict of interest for the office for which you have been nominated? >> no, sir. >> do you have anything that

would prevent you from fully and honorably discharging the offices of the office for which you have been nominated? >> no, sir. >> do you agree without reservation to respond to any reasonable summons to appear before a duly constituted committee of congress if you are confirmed? >> definitely. >> thank you. to talk to usnute about your parents. tell us about the values they instilled in you and maybe your sister -- the kind of values they instilled in you that have enabled you to have i think a remarkable career today and that might help you in the days ahead if you are confirmed. click thank you for that question. my parents could not be here today. they are in my hometown in new york. they live in the same home they and i lived in for -- but i grew up in for almost 50 years. i'm sure they are watching right now.

>> i thought they might be. >> they are, i'm sure. if my dad could find the right c-span channel. [laughter] >> maybe we will have a lot of reruns. >> from my dad, stability. i think the right value set. my mother, positive outlook. , never accept limitations on your own abilities. she encouraged me to do that d student inc and high school. my guidance counselor told her your son should go to a two-year college. she refused to accept that and pushed me harder. i have done the same with my own kids. meet them chance to and i would say you have applied some good values to them as well. the department just turned 10. although the department has

experienced growing pains, clearly it has come a long way to improving homeland security. bit about a little vision. if confirmed, what is your vision of where you want to take this department in the years to come question mark what is your vision? what would be some of your key priorities? and what you think are the most significant challenges you would face? accepted ame i have public service position, my overriding goal is to accept the position as i found it. i think you are correct that dhs has had growing pains over the last 10 years. it is a very large bureaucracy. 22 components with rather different missions. my first priority will be to work to fill the remainder of the management agencies if i'm confirmed. the substantive priorities are well-known.

i hope to be vigilant with respect to counterterrorism, border security, the effective administration of our immigration laws, responding to national disasters. i also believe we need to move the ball forward on cybersecurity. cybersecurity is something i became acquainted with ed d.o.t. -- at dod. the other management issues are well-known to this community. get offlike to see dhs the gao high-risk list. i read that report. i have read much of dr. coburn's writings on dhs, on management efficiency. i agree with much of it. i agree with what he had to say about the pentagon, for example, in many respects. so, the management issues are things i expect to devote time and attention to. but we need to be vigilant in .espect to homeland security

i recognize the issues of morale. i saw the most recent reports. i hope to be a visible leader, run lines people of the importance of the overriding, unifying mission of homeland security. , all myork very hard energy, to pursue all these missions. because i do believe that homeland security, protection of public safety and the american public, is the core mission of the united states government. click thank you. as i mentioned earlier -- you are the former general counsel for the air force, the department of defense as well. you have worked closely with some outstanding leaders and very gifted managers in bob gates and leon panetta among those. you also had the honor of working alongside literally thousands of people who put on the uniform every day and veteran to serve our country. can you share some lessons you have learned about working

bob gates and leon panetta, but lessons you learned about leadership? some of the lessons you learned about managing a large organization? aboutssons you learned public service that will better ?quip you to be this department leadership, management, public service. secretary gates and secretary pineda had in my view two distinct styles of management which were very effective in their own respect. , but it'sger than dhs very different in some respects. i thought that they were both very disciplined, very focused cometh delegated when they needed to, focused on certain issues hopefully when they needed to. i hope to follow that model. what isle to monitor

going on in a very large bureaucracy with a lot of .omponents is a challenge i recognize the importance of regular communication with component leaders. , and i hopenize this goes to some of dr. iburn's questions -- recognize that sometimes the bureaucracy can be totally wrong. i recall in particular receiving a personnel action it was very old, and everybody up the chain said coordinate, coordinate, coordinate. i took a look at it myself, read the file very carefully, and concluded, well, i just don't think this is right. i remember bringing together around my conference table everybody who had coordinated, let's do it on this particular action and challenged a lot of the assumptions going into this

issue literally for years. meeting, everybody who had coordinated on a before said, gee, maybe we ought to take a second look at this. whether it was that kind of thing or some of our counterterrorism operations, at once in a while i felt like it was 11 to one and i was the one, and i said to myself, this is why the president put you here. recognize that even with the large staff that we have around us, that we surround ourselves with, every once in a while you have to take an independent look at something and not be afraid to realize maybe the bureaucracy has got this wrong and you happen to be right. i did that on a number of occasions at the pentagon. >> ok. all -- whatd -- we you just said reminds me. leadership is the courage to

stay out of step when everybody else is marching to the wrong 10. leadership also requires folks to lead. -- as youues know have said earlier -- this position has been vacant for months. the deputy secretary has been vacant for half a year. there are a number of other positions that need to be filled. the administration has an obligation to nominate good people. my hope is we will promptly confirm you and we will move promptly to make sure you have the team around you that you need. dr. coburn? >> thank you. again, welcome and thank you for your willingness to serve in this position. this committee and my office timelyruggled to receive responses from the department of homeland security to our inquiries and to reports that the department has moderated -- is mandated under law to provide

to us. for example congress required the law in march. they are just now complying with that, but only after i threatened to hold every nomination. here is the law on the books. yet no compliance until we hold the bigger stick. what i want to know is, what you publicly commit today to give us your word that under your leadership you will require the department to respond to congressional inquiries in a timely fashion? >> yes, sir. click specifically, let me detail a couple of them i am asking for. i do not want them to be surprises. we have requested mission logs for drones in the united states. the thatympathetic to kind of request. i would be inclined to the spine to that request, senator. the purchases of cell phone

plateept devices, license readers and more, would you return that to the committee? >> i would take a look at it and work on your request, yes, sir. >> are you willing to provide documents question mark correct the same answer. yes, sir. >> we have requested contracts, incident logs, other documents on how dhs conducts surveillance programs. >> yes, sir. promisedmer secretary to days of a breakfast meeting, senator carper and i had with her. we are still waiting on that. our inquiries have been met with stiff resistance. are you willing to provide those to the committee.

>> i would be inclined to give you what you need. >> we are still waiting for responses to the record for several hearings that we held several months of no. are you willing to insist that members of your organization responds to the questions to the record question mark -- to the record? >> yes, emphatically. >> you said you did not recall specifics about any of the dhs intelligence products you may have read. you wrote that if confirmed you intend to personally assess the office of intelligence analysis products and would provide the act. of us on the committee have questions about dhs intelligence initiatives. will you commit to provide your assessment of intelligence products as well as intelligence programs, including the fusion centers, within six months of

taking the home of the department -- helm of the department? >> yes, sir. >> you said one of your priorities if confirmed is to possibleor the dhs's new responsibilities if reform becomes law. however, many of us have questions about whether dhs is effectively managing its current responsibilities in upholding our nation's immigration laws. we you commit to reviewing the status of dhs's order security and enforcement programs? >> yes. >> and specifically -- report to us in a reasonable time. i know you will be loaded, some 90 days to six months -- will you give us your word you will give us your assessment on that? >> yes, sir. >> the other thing -- i am

impressed with your background in the field of law and national therity and your time at pentagon. i know you're getting up to speed on homeland security issues. as he prepared for this hearing, and did you attend to fight any programs you think were unnecessary within the department -- did you would tend to fight any programs you think were unnecessary within the department? >> i have some questions about our intelligence and analysis components, and i would want to be sure we are not -- >> i will not ask you for a commitment on specific programs today. but the fact that you are looking at them and will take the input -- i think it is important to have you do an analysis of that from where you stand with your experience and than get back to us within six months on what your thoughts are. >> i'm happy to do that. >> that will help us.

i have a whole lot of other questions. i think i will ask this question -- this has to do with the visa program. i'm very worried about the program both from a national security standpoint and ineffectiveness standpoint. i will ask that question to you -- i have about a minute and 20 seconds left. significant given responsibilities for cybersecurity including working with critical infrastructure owners and operators in helping federal agencies secure networks. but the latest dhs inspector general reports have raised questions about whether dhs has been effectively managing its own cybersecurity programs. for example, last week a dhs inspector general report reported several problems that the dhs cyber security center including week information

sharing, lack of specialized training, poor communication, an poor performance during inspection. and the recent audit of the complaints with federal management influence -- information security act found many problems including the dhs components in the headquarters office were not adhering to dhs guidelines, including me installment of patches in a timely fashion or fixing known security bets. -- threats. it raises the question -- if homeland security can't apply the very rules to itself it is asking other agencies to comply with, what authority can they cybersecuritying at other agencies if they do not even follow their own rules for their own agency? that is a big issue and it is

one of competency and confidence. what i want to do under your leadership is see that confidence restored. you have great people under you in that area. what we have to do is make sure homeland security is doing it well before we ask everybody else to do it well. will you commit to working with a good example of cybersecurity before seeking new authority? >> yes. >> i am over time. i guess we will have a second round, so i will pause and come back. >> thank you. >> you just committed to a whole lot of stuff. >> i know. >> this guy will make sure you do it. you need some help to actually deliver on what you committed to doing, and we have got to help you get that team around you. i would just again remind my

deputyues, the secretaries one of the vacancies. dr. coburn mentioned -- the visa program. it is a way to enlist foreign investment, to create jobs. i think the program was reauthorized about year ago. i think the lead on it were senators leahy and grassley. it did not contain some recommendations from your department. it did not end up in the authorization language. it did get into the reform bill which has asked the senate and is pending in the house. but we will have more conversations, i'm sure, about that program. but just i wanted to mention that. you are on. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you to ranking member coburn also. you for being here

and being willing to serve again. you are taking over an agency that is barely 10 years old. the questionn senator coburn talked about -- my guess is it was established for two reasons. establish effectiveness and get the big spending for the buck. i think it is critically important and make sure the agencies and the departments that are there minimize overlap so there is a bigger level of accountability, and i'm confident you will do that. i thank you for your willingness to take a look at that. also, i will say i think it is important we do find a balance to join defending the borders, defending the homeland, and the civil liberties of all americans and that is something that will be on your front burner for hopefully a long time to go. what i want to talk about with you now is morale. you have talked about repeatedly performing dhs management would

be your number one priority. i think that should be a top priority. in recognizing there is a high ,ate of attrition now in dhs what ideas do you have to help cultivate future leadership at all levels of the agent say -- agency? >> in my experience if people are excited about the mission, believe in the mission, the importance of the mission, they are willing to make a change, possibly leave the private sector to her, possibly more lucrative positions in the wasate sector -- i fortunate when i was at the pentagon to have some really, really capable people working around me who were rhodes 's thats and thd's -- phd i was able to recruit that would help with the overall effort and i would hope to do that at dhs. when it comes to morale, you , you in my experience

remind people of the importance of the mission, you remind people that they are serving the nation, these are things that i think touch a lot of people at their core. i also recognize from experience that morale is driven in large part by, you know, just basic economic issues. as someone has not had a pay raise in a long time and are friends with sequestration or government shutdown, that takes its toll. expect to address morale. there are limits to what you can do without giving people some basic relief. understatement. this is a huge agency. one thing that i think impacts morale is people thinking that what they are doing is worthwhile, that they make a difference in their particular job. any ideas in that particular realm?

>> in my experience, complementing people for a job can't say thank you too many times when somebody deserves it. making them feel good about their work. goes a long way. senator mccain and i recently submitted a bill to reform the pay structure for border control agents, making the border more secure while allowing more consistent hours and overtime. potentially it could save $1 billion over 10 years. the border uses an antiquated pay system that is over 40 years old. i don't know if you have had a chance to take a look at this legislation. have you? >> i have not. >> you have enough commitments to senator coburn, but i would hope you get a chance to take a look at the legislation and work with senator mccain and myself to make sure this page format -- i think there's a lot of money being wasted at this point in time. you do not have to make a verbal

commitment on that. , think it's common sense. dhs like d.o.t., makes huge investments in enterprise wide technologies. billions of dollars in just one system. you mentioned that this bordersgy to manage the -- fiber-optic cables, the list goes on. how will you work to ensure wework are utilizing technology at the northern and southern borders to aid where human resources either are not brief but -- effective or? ask i learned a lot in the last couple of weeks. thank you. as we move toward a more advanced elegy, we need to be

more sensitive to private concerns that people may have. that is important. as the border security professionals talked to me about risk based strategies, i want to be sure we do not have any lack blank spot where we are needing to focus our technology. >> i want to talk about the private sector or and contract inc.. something that has been timesating is that often we assume big companies have all of the big ideas. what are your thoughts about .mproving competition

this is a priority? >> this usually leads to a better result for the taxpayer. this will be the most complacent guy on the block. more innovative. the year is not necessarily better. -- a bigger is not necessarily better. thehey have gotten contracts. the little guys have not.

likes a lot of the time it depends on when there is no competition it depends on how you will write your specifications and requirements. there are ways to write requirements such that only one company in america can put forward an rp. i am not in acquisition expert. there are people who are. epnds on whoes it did wrote it. >> is a very good point. you are probably going to be heading this department up. your philosophy should be able to filter down through all of the different set heirs of the agency. thank you very much for being here. >> senator mccain. >> thank you.

mr. johnson, i have known you for a number of years. i am very pleased that you will these newon responsibilities. i view you as an outstanding public servant. i am confident that your smooth.on will be very your predecessor, i want to talk about the border. statededecessor frequently the border is more secure than ever, citing the reduction in apprehensions as a proof of that progress being made. she said it for a number of years. do you agree with that statement? >> i have seen the same numbers. i noted they are going down. it might be a recent trend upward. one of the things i want to look at his exact lee how we should

define border security and whether the numbers are an accurate reflection of order security. >> in reality, there has been a 20% increase in apprehensions along the border. when your predecessor made the , itements, i used to just cannot tell you the frustration i felt. real reason the apprehensions or down was because the economy. now that the economy is getting stronger, apprehensions are up. if they are up 20% that means the border is less secure. to complete this comprehensive immigration role that is stalled, one of the of theeasons is because lack of confidence and border security. not only members here that members of the house of representatives.

apprehensions are down. now they are up. here we are faced with a situation where the border is still not secure. when we are trying to develop we got whattion, was needed to get the border secure. we had to go directly to the border patrol. it in thelude legislations. can you tell this committee that you will not repeat what happened and the frustration that we have experienced? i want to know what is required for us to have 90% effective

control of the border? can you assure the committee of that? >> i will commit to you to working with you. >> i am not asking to work with me. i want to know if you will give this committee the exact matter sector by sector so we can obtain 90% effectiveness. not working with me. answer yes or no. >> i am inclined to give you what your needs. >> i am not asking for your inclination. i am asking for an answer. i do not think that is a lot to ask. i must we get the right and youron from you bureaucracy, we are not able to ascertain how we can secure our border. as much as i admire you, unless willan tell me that you give the information i cannot support your nomination. >> i will be inclined to give it

to you. >> let the record show that you will not give the answer therefore i will not support your nomination until i get a yes answer. has the right to have that information. it is our responsibility and our obligation to our constituents. i have constituents in my state to every night there are will there are people crossing the border illegally. every day drug smugglers are going across their property. certainly have the right as citizens to know what measures need to be taken in order to have a 90% effective control of the border. i'll ask you one more time. will you or will you not do that information to this committee? i have been through this process in that to note that

when a center asks a question like that and somebody afterward is going to tell me six reasons why i should not do it. in the instances, but i think you know this, the senator needed. we are trying to get to the same place. let's give it to him. before i commit unequivocally to your question, and pardon me very much want to do that, i think i need to talk to people at dhs to better understand the issue. i read the letter you wrote in february. i'm strongly inclined to give you what you need. you know that from me from my track record at armed services. >> again. i have an obligation to the citizens that i represent. borders are not secure in their view. without your cooperation to inform the congress as to what measures need to be take in in order to ensure 90% effectiveness, then i cannot serve my and the two is in the

understand that. >> you will have my cooperation. i appreciate that. >> i'm not for -- asking for cooperation. are you yielding that the time? >> let me make a suggestion. early this year senator mccain's connect to host the state. he spent a lot of time talking with those from the border security. to spend someou time, especially in arizona and the eastern part of texas. i think it would be held will for you as well. >> he has its time down there. you understand very well the

frustration they feel when they live in an environment people .re crossing their property this is not an academic exercise. it had to go back. how can we. out our options and oversight if we do not get the kind of information we need to make the decisions? >> ok. thank you. and >> let me thank you.

we thank them for the sub work that is so essential. you and i have talked in my office about the number of things. one i want to get into detail is the fact that we have about 2 million corporations that are created every year in the united .tates that is more than the rest of the world combined. states improve these without ever asking who the real owners are.

some of these get involved with terrorism. just a few months ago at the g 20 summit, 20 liters including president obama reached the consensus that it was time to stop treating operations with hidden owners. way're committed to the they do things. that, in june president obama issued a national plan. food thesking to in

one question asking for the names of the real owners of the corporation mean formed. that is very different from the owners of record which are often shell corporations and secrecy jurisdictions. this is the need for those who push this benefit. we introduce a bill that would do that. we have been fighting for enactment for years.

represented 26,000 law enforcement officers. they're continuing to exploit the anonymity through the filing process. there are huge numbers of law right now --ere in enforcement. right now it takes more information to get a drivers license or to own a bank and to

form a corporation. what i am asking you is whether the actionight of request beneficial ownership information and the that exists only to not have that information. support the bill? love carl levin. this is championed by most of the states. be careful inu to your response. >> i would urge you to be careful as well. [laughter] >> the president of the united states want an official ownership. the only opposition we have is the secretary of state.

want to know whether you will support it. visit with you a couple of weeks ago i began to look at this legislation. i am impressed by the number of law enforcement organizations that support it. sympathetic in the interest . it theyo understand have objections to it. the number of secretaries of states are there. >> will you get back to us? >> yes. >> thank you. said that they report

the terrorist threat is higher than is on the southern border. i am glad you had become familiar with the northern border. we are very much concerned with the problems on the southern border. the needs of all of our borders and mind? >> absolutely. >> i have a need for a number of our coast guard air station's. i will have that for the record.

these have not yet been cap. it will get you to put some attention on the long-standing commitment. hopefully you will be confirmed soon. that will occur after that confirmation. y. >> yorty have years. yes. >> you are ready have yours. republican onking that investigation with carl levin. i had the pleasure serving with them for over many years. he is tenacious. there's a row validity to the concerns he has raised.

we have tried to encourage the states to work with law enforcement to see what can be worked out in a way they could administer it. we have been having some meetings. i am told they are good exchanges. we will continue to facilitate that and hope to get it done. i can sit next to this man whom i love arm in arm. >> thank you. we believe in all of americans teams. just as i mentioned, we need helicopters.

we have a very specific issues i would like to put on your radar screen regarding a request by a taurus and company to move folks from fairbanks alaska to dawson city. it requires border control approval. they denied it. they denied it because of insufficient use of our resources. they can bring about 19,000 visitors. about $144,000. aboutst to do this is 120,000.

they did not have the resources. i will carefully use this work. it is about a 20% profit on it. this was a business, it will make a lot of sense. we doidea was why don't them from anchorage to dawson. it makes no sense. part of this is to go to the park. it would add 400 miles to the traveler. i know it is a big issue. alaska has a border. we have a corporation with

canadians. understandink they the logistics of this and how large alaska is. put it off thell coast of california. i think you and make a very good secretary. he come from aber i.t. of fields. you are practical. you look at these issues. -- you come from a variety of fields. you are practical. you look at the issues. more money on the payroll. we would be happy to share this information with you. the office is clearly where we

wrote a letter this week. it is good for our economy. it is good or homeland security. it is a good relationship builder. i do not know if you have a quick comment. would you at least look into this if the opportunity arises? >> yes. >> lemmie also go to the issue of the coast guard. i chair the subcommittee on oceans. as more arctic development , it requires the coast guard to be there. issue aroundwhole safety on the water and what could happen. my worry is this.

my worry is that we will just around.sources in reality what we need to do is look at what is needed in the bering sea. we have a lot of international traffic moving through. can you give me your thoughts on how you would address situation that we have it in the coast guard? take huge growing new area of responsibility that would be significant for our country. >> we have terms of evolving means with the resources we have. i talked to him about your part of the world.

>> i agree that this is a part of the world where we need to pay attention to. it is what i expect to do so if i am confirmed. >> more domestic john activity -- drone activity is being seen. how do you see homeland security engaged in that in the sense of policy or otherwise? as he moves to a more risk , technology is an important component. as we rely more on more on it we

need to be very concerned about the privacy and civil liberties associated with that. dedicated to this. >> as you move forward, you will share that and continue to work with the committee in regards. >> this is a very specific question. one of the issues that came up some complaints i have received regarding house of worship center unable to access certain grants. let's say you are a house of worship and you ran a day care center or leased it out to someone who did. the day care- centers wiped off the face of the earth and they have no capacity.

recognizing that this is about the facility that is being used. was afterschool programs within this facility. this is only location we could do it. would you be able to look into this issue? i think it is important to provide the services needed and not the poor and because where they put the facility or the service they are providing. does that make sense to start e?t >> legislation has been used get would allow them to

federal grants down to the house of worships. we've had the scholars look at that carefully. questions are raised about separation of church and state. while we want to be supportive we havefaith related, to be concerned about this as well. >> there are many times when the facility is only available in a = worship.er shi i'm not a lawyer. i never want to be one. no disrespect. i want to get your response. >> i'm trying to get out of the legal business.

the enough recovering attorney generals -- >> i am a recovering attorney general. thank you for being here. thank you for your willingness to do this again. we have made some significant progress in taking on members of core al qaeda. we have affiliates that are growing over a large geographic region. what do you believe this promotes to the homeland? which affiliate you believe is

the biggest threat? how big of a threat to we face from homegrown violent extremist to our nation? answer byreface my saying i have been away from the intelligence for almost a year now. that for streams can evolve week for me. >> i understand the copy out. >> i would characterize it this way. i agree that we have had insiderable experience fighting core al qaeda. we have had some success with respect to those affiliates. i believe we are moving to a

the terroristere threat is becoming even more diffuse and we're seeing more loan wolf activity or self radicalization. somebody read a publication and they are not affiliated with the traditional manner of accepting or more command direction or they're at the campus. committing equally dangerous acts of terrorism. this ties in with the homeland security mission. >> communication is key.

what would be your biggest priority only look at preventing country? itto our is still a very real threat. >> yes. this is key. it will be even more significant in the years ahead. i believe dhs is situated in intelligence and analysis. first responders are going to have to be in a position to deal with these situations. >> one of the issues you and i have talked about at length from , howprior position doortant is this that we , howre a terrorist

important is it that we are able to conduct a curious interrogations of these individuals in terms of intercepting information about the networks? experience, somebody that has been art of these crudes has been a bovine for us. this has been my. in the first four years of this administration. >> i would hope you solve this out.

this can interview with the link of interrogation that you might to find out what someone knows to protect the country. >> happily have a new that information?her imc read concerned that we have a huge gap right now. i believe there is currently legal in tortilla for a national sick or the intelligence miranda.ation pre- somebody who is in the category of a national security threat. they want to look

at codifying some of this into law. it will become an increasingly .mportant practice the authority exists already. it might be a good idea to try to codify it. >> thank you very much. i appreciate your insight. we are in a place we do not have this policy where we captured long will qaeda, how is an issuethis that will continue to present itself. i want to ask you in terms of issues that you will be asked to address. things they have asked

you about. this has to do with overtime issues. there was the overtime cases. this is an issue i have been interest. how would you go for addressing ?hat .> i had it explained to me i would be interested in the results. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. it is nice to see you. welcome.

>> do you think the fourth amendment applies to my visa purchases? >> i do not have a legal opinion on that. there may be a privacy issue. >> this is something we all need to think about. i think this is a tragedy that this is the way the law has on. you can tell what books i read, what magazines i read. you can sell virtually about my life on my visa card. people who do not have any expectation of right is the because it is a third-party record. this is a big issue or us. the administration has not been areas of order of the word amendment. we will issues. we will be watching.

those of us who believe in the fourth amendment will be continuing to watch. do you believe a single warrant can apply to millions of s?dividuals is are >> i do not have a legal opinion for you on that. >> hopefully this will get into these of dream court. do you think it is due process to have a court trial for only >> inde is represented? the context of a litigation or a court proceeding, no. there is no advocate on the side of the constitution. there is no adversarial proceeding. reviewing done in

secret. you think we should decide the scope? in the executive branch and vice of any stew be skeptical. to have a robust discussion. i have been a part of that and making certain use of force decisions. yeseskeptical of a lot of in the room. i believe somebody needs to ask the hard west and. what i am not questioning your integrity. -- the hard questions. >> i am not questioning your integrity. is president has said it somehow due process. that has nothing to do with it. court and iss in a debated back and forth with both sides being represented.

there are a lot of things going on in our country which do not meet due process. whether you are a good or bad person is not due process. it is important this be said. we're making important decisions. think we should target american citizens overseas for killing who are not involved in combat? -- in king of propagandists i am thinking of propagandists. they can decide the guilt or innocence of american citizens? they are mostly not engaged in combat. like as you close it, i think my question would be no. shown to those on the street.

shooting down the street. nobody seems to be making the point that i am. we indicted them. convince me told convict him of treason. why not try them for treason? the have to redact some testimony, it do it. give them a chance. my guess is that he was not coming home. then you at least have to process. you have a real process. the whole idea that justice comes but the representation is something that is too important.

the principle of this is pretty important. i think we should all be aware that there were times when we do not do justice for various reasons, raise, the japanese- americans, imagine what happened to them when they do not get processed. which thatt hal happened to an african-american in the south. a lot of the should be a little more concerned about due process and not be so careless about your head of the homeland designed to collect data. that is a constitutional question. i think you will be somebody it. facilitate >> thank you.

earlier the gao. most of this is a to do list. what is high risk? high risk ways of wasting money? she used to go over. i know she went every week. she would meet with others who work for them. the see what we have to do. they made a whole lot of progress.

to take torge you heart what they used to do. let me ask you what you believe to be some of the major management challenges? what do you see your role as a secretary in adjusting those management challenges? >> i read the report here that i saw the ready one issues that they identified. see that theyto

are moving in the right direction with respect to these issues. issues, of management they are ensuring an efficient procurement process. call fived on financial statement and dealing with some of the issues that an on-site opinion. we need to be sure what financial people called business .ntelligence it will only continue to move in the right direction of someone is pushing it. sometimes making people feel uncomfortable about deadlines or the status quo. i understand that is good leadership.

i understand bureaucracy is a large, sluggish aircraft carrier that will let it chug along. i think the leaders need to push it in certain directions. people you will have a lots of direct contact with gao. our expectations are to make sure they do not ignore the work that you have us doing. i would ask that you fully subscribed to that as well. a lot of the work that homeland security does involves partnerships and cooperation with state and with local government.

our nation's homeland security is dependent on these partners. they are trying to help the tough situations. what are some of the steps you would take to make sure it works better with the state and local partners? >> given the homeland security mission and working at that of late with state and local law enforcement and governments, the the bordertor and ar

sector, i have been struck by the emphasis that people appear have placed on it. i am confirmed they want me to pay for it. it is pretty apparent to me that it is part of the mission. some of my most enduring relationships are with the cops. >> one more. that involves the tragedy at lax a couple of weeks ago. he died with a widow and two

children. we are deeply troubled by reports that the shooters cynically thought out tsa employees. i believe we should carefully review this and see if there's any thing is and the more we can do to protect tsa employees. let me give a shout out to tsa. they get a lot of criticism. it is a hard. is a hard job. they're working to try to do a better. the.need some summit

we appreciate the effort. confirmed, this could .e the target about thatomething attack that was really upsetting. apparently, the shooter shot went up an escalator and came back when he realized he was not dead and shot him again. that is really bad. given the visibility of these will and their interaction with the public, we need to look at safe. provide for their

-- safety. this is something i expect i will be focused on it i am confirmed. to try to reach out to the that ortiz in the belly area. visited thegone and person's apartment. he was apparently on his way to the airport. one of the things we can always agree on is that they will use them to agree on that. we need to do a better job at ground checks. thing that comes to

is if you see something, say something. if your roommate isn't this kind of situation, you have to say something. do not just ignore it or brush it aside. this perhaps could have been averted. >> i would add my congratulations. i think he has made remarkable improvements. we are eliminating the ability to notify through the heck the laws. we are forbidden to do that when we know somebody is dangerous.

that is an area i agree we can work on. one of the questions that has shouted a lot of spending is --reased in the money unrest on the risk. what are your thoughts rush to mark >> i think i agree with that. but we have spent $37 billion on grain which is a high -- on grants and probably less than 25% of that has gone to the highest risk areas.

it is a real problem. agree to consolidate all the programs. i think that is a wise thing to do. it on risk.base what are your feelings? ask it is an issue a number of people have raised with me. dispense taxpayer money. ace be on the board of a community trust that did nothing but give out grants. was ensuringob that this is making effective use of the money. we need to move in interaction of a risk aced

approach to homeland security. that probably entails focusing our grant money. i would be inclined to agree with you if what you're saying is that we need to make a fishing use of our taxpayer dollar. >> we can follow up and elimination of grant. bogus fixedund miniatures. we have actually highlighted them. hampshire has a bearcat for foreompany and -- whereby by the company. they know i am critical of it is the lack of control we have.

-- they know i'm critical of it. that is the lack of control we have. dollars are to these and to reduce risk rather than to satisfy or make a politician lingered. i know that is antithetical to some of my colleague but that is what we are charged to do. >> will you work with our committee to read on the grant work with theyou proposal consolidating all the grant program? what i will study the issue. >> one other thing that came up was in yourf issue response, used dated one of the

many counterterrorism -- using one of this is what they referred to as broken travel. we must do a better job in partnership with foreign before they returned united states. your response was i'm not toessarily referring suspicious individuals. i would like to know more from the homeland security to. state what you envision?

>>-did not stated as artfully as i could have. -- perhaps i did not state it as artfully as i could have. i do recognize that we have a problem when it comes to suspicious individuals wandering the travel. that is a fact. i saw it happen on my watch at dod. i think it is a blind spot. necessarily saying we therefore need to insist that we track the travel of every person who leads the country. there are rogue privacy interests associated with that. i think this is a blind spots. it is a real problem.

>> you have some significant experience of acquisitions. >> what you envisioned trying to install homeland security to improve our acquisition process and hold it accountable, number three, in terms of i.t., which is a problem for all of us in the federal government. it is two and a half times worse than that in the private sector. can you comment on what you ourd envision as firming up acquisition protocols and our capabilities -- and also holding people responsible for when they flub up. >> i think it starts with