. it takes an important step by codifying the department cyber security mission. the committee would like to see a greater emphasis on building an experienced and streamlined cyber workforce and increasing the security and resiliency of our federal networks.

these employees strongly believe in their mission. you briefed me on security measures also prior to the super bowl. i believe that the local federal and private sector collaboration that took place there is a model of how our apparatus should work at home. i understand there is much to be proud of at the i look forward to your vision and perspective in the coming years. with that the chair recognizes the gentleman from mississippi , mr. thompson, for any statement he may have. >> i am pleased that our committee is the first in

congress to hear your vision for dhs. i understand as the fourth secretary of the department of the homeland security you went to new york city. that quiet account a reflects the appreciation of the magnitude of the job. first and foremost, dhs was established to help make sure that america never experiences a day like that again. specifically dhs was established to improve terrorism prevention and safeguarding aviation and other critical infrastructure from physical and cyber threats to achieve inopera built so that our first responders can communicate during an attack or other emergencies, make our land, air and sea borders more secure and to bolster emergency preparedness, response and resilience at all

levels. in the 10 plus years since the department was established, some progress has been made, but as the comptroller general and many members of this committee can tell you, more needs to be done for dhs to become the agency congress envisioned and the american people deserve. the 233,000 men and women who serve in the department and the 213 million americans it protects are looking for you to be the leader who takes dhs to the next level. your last federal position was at the defense department. i know you have not been at dhs long, but i'm sure you have noticed that the level of command and control to what you may have become uh cuss -- accustomed to is not at dhs. you experienced potentially damaging results of the structural defect. the fact that an acquisition solicitation was significant

privacy implication was published without approval by dhs or the awareness of ice leadership is very troubling. your immediate predecessor promoted the concept of one dhs, one structural changes that persist to when 22 independent officers and agencies were essentially thrown together under one roof. as you have undoubtedly learned by now, dhs components essentially function as independent entities. all too often components see directors from headquarters as advisory. this has to stop. for one dhs to truly have meaning components must adhere to department-wide policies and mandates and i appreciate your position when the chairman and i had a meeting with you that you basically committed to making that happen as well as making sure that the vacancy rate at dhs would be substantially

reduced. this committee is supported on a bipartisan basis, granting authority to the chief officers of the department to ensure adherence to the federal and department-wide policies mandates throughout dhs. short of re-doing the federal prop operation process, this is the -- prop operation process this is the surest way to prevent costly acquisition debacles and deliver homeland security initiatives. mr. secretary, there are a number of dhs programs that warrant your immediate attention. decisions need to be made on whether to reform or in some cases end them as programs. i ask you to ask tough questions and keep the lines of communication open with members of this committee who have considerable knowledge about these matters. on the subject of communication, i want to acknowledge my appreciation

for the outreach to me and the other members of the committee that you have shown. we look forward to working constructively with you going forward. with that, mr. chairman, i yield back. >> thank you. i associate myself with your remarks in terms of the out reach you have demonstrated to this committee. it certainly does not go unnoticed. members are reminded that opening statements may be submitted for the record. we are pleased today to be joined by the new appointed and confirmed secretary. congratulations to you. jeh johnson, secretary johnson was sworn in on december 23rd, 2013 as the fourth secretary of the department of homeland security. prior to joining dhs, secretary johnson served as general counsel for the department of defense where he was part of the senior management team and lead the more than 10,000 military and civilian lawyers across the

department. as general counsel of the secretary of defense he over saw the legal aspects of many of our nation's counterterrorism policies including most importantly the successful raid on bin laden, bringing him to justice. he also spear headed reforms to military commissions, guantanamo bay in 2009. his career includes extensive service and national security, law enforcement, an attorney in private corporate law practice. he was also the general counsel of the department of the air force from 1998 to 2001. he also served -- we have this in common. he served as an assistant united states attorney. i was in a different district. you were in the southern district of new york. perhaps one of the finest. it was from 1989 to 19ninety 1. his -- 1991. his written statement will appear on the record. the chair recognizes the secretary for five minutes.

>> thank you, mr. chairman. you have my written statement submitted for the record. i would just like to give some brief chepts -- comments within the five-minute allocation. mr. chairman, ranking member thompson, members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to be here. i appreciated your kind words, encouragement and support in the days leading up to today's hearing. i look forward to working with this committee to meet the critical mission of homeland security. in this, my first opportunity to testify before this committee, i would like to spell out my vision for the department that i am privileged to lead. as each of you are aware, the department of homeland security was born out of the tragic events of september 11th, 2001. i am a new yorker who was present in manhattan on 9/11. theretherefore out of the events on that day, which happens to be my birthday, my personal commitment to the mission of homeland security was also born. as the senior lawyer for the

department of defense for four years from 2009 through 2012, i was at the center of much of this government's counterterrorism efforts during that period. through the efforts of both the bush and obama administrations, we have put al-qaeda's core leadership on a path to strategic defeat. my best day as a lawyer, as the chairman mentioned, and a public servant was the day our special forces got bin laden. my second best day was may 5th, 2011, the day i returned to manhattan with the president to meet with the families of the victims of 9/11. their message to the president was simple, thank you. bin laden's death brought them some degree of closure, but our work must continue. given how the terrorist threat to this country is evolving, i welcome the opportunity to continue that work as the leader of the department of homeland security.

the corner stone of the homeland security mission has been and should continue to be counterterrorism. that is protecting the nation against terrorist attacks. security along our borders and at ports of entry is also a matter of homeland security. at our borders and ports of entry we must deny entry to terrorists, drug traffickers, human traffickers, trans national criminal organizations and other threats to national security and public satisfy tee while -- safety, while continuing to facilitate legal trade and travel. in this regard, i too congratulate our law enforcement and national security partners in the government of mexico for the capture and arrest this weekend of guzman on february 22nd. dhs must continue efforts to address the growing cyber threat to the private sector and the dot-gov networks i

will traited by the real, pervasive and attacks on public and private infrastructure. many in congress have expressed a willingness to help in cyber security. we appreciate those efforts. i have studied hr3696 reported out of this committee on a bipartisan basis. we think this bill is a good step forward. we want to continue working with congress on this and other legislation to improve the government's and the nation's overall cyber security posture. we must continue to be vigilant in preparing for and responding to disasters including floods, wildfires, winter storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, droughts and chemical leaks like the one into the elk river in west virginia that threatened the water supply of hundreds of thousands of people. finally, we must be mindful of the environment in which we pursue all these missions. first we operate in a time of severe budget constraints. as secretary of the department

of homeland security, i therefore believe i am obligated to identify and eliminate inefficiencies, waste and unnecessary duplications of resources across dhs' large and decentralized beurocracy while pursuing important missions such as the recap tallization of the aging coast guard fleet. second, i am mindful of the surveys that reflect that morale is low within various components of dhs. i intend to remind our workforce of the importance of their homeland security mission and that the department's greatest asset in the pursuit of these missions is our people. i will be a champion for the men and women of dhs, and i will advocate on their behalf. i look forward to working with this committee. the chairman is correct that i am actively working to full the vacancies in senior management positions. i do that on a daily basis. i look forward to a shared

vision and a partnership with congress on our important mission. thank you. >> thank you, secretary. i believe your priorities and mine are very similar. we look forward to working with you on achieving those. this last weekend was an extraordinary weekend for me. having been the chief of counterterrorism who had the u.s.-mexico border in my jurisdiction, the drug cartels have been on my radar screen for quite some time. the arrest of the largest, most well-known drug lord, the most powerful, oldest drug cartel organization was hugely significant. he has smuggled tons of drugs into the united states, killed thousands of people. i want to personally take this opportunity to thank homeland security officials, ice agents

on the ground who made this happen, who worked close to dea to bring chapo guzman finally to justice. i think it is important we rec cog noise our men and women in homeland security who had a role in bringing him down. i am concerned, and i did talk to the em bass -- ambassador from mexico, and he is proud of the cooperation between the united states and mexico which was extraordinary in this case. mexico is is to be commended for their willingness to take this threat on head on. they took down the head of the cartel and now with guzman. as you know, mr. secretary, chapo guzman escaped captivity, prison, in 2001.

he has 12 years left to his sentence. but i'm concerned about that happening again in mexico. my understanding is that an extradition papers have not been served to date. do you know whether this administration is intent on extraditing el chapo guzman to the united states to stand trial for the crimes he committed in the united states? >> mr. chairman, let me begin by echoing much of what you said. we do indeed have a terrific partnership with the government of mexico in our shared homeland security, border security efforts. we work together con constantly. i was in mexico with the president last week. i intend to go back in the next couple weeks. i intend to speak with my mexican counterpart today on various matters. i can't emphasize enough the

importance and the strength of our shared law enforcement homeland security, national security efforts. we work well together as a team with the government of mexico. i too agree with the importance and the broad implications of this weekend's capture and arrest. mr. chairman, as you know, extradition is a matter for the department of justice. i have read what you have read with great interest. one of the things that strikes me about where we are, it may be easier to workout the appropriate arrangement with the government of mexico than it is to work out an arrangement with the six u.s. attorneys who would like to prosecute this individual. that would be an interesting discussion. i have to respect to the department of justice with regard to the discussions they are having with mexico

regarding extradition. >> you are part of this administration. i would hope that having a seat at the table you will urge the attorney general and the state department as i am doing to seek extradition and bring him to the united states for trial. i would hope you would agree with that assessment. >> i agree wholeheartedly that we in this country have an interest in seeing him brought to justice. >> well, and i know there are multiple jurisdictions here at play. i am going to do everything in my power to see that that happens. you talked about syria in your speech at the wilson center. you said that syria is now a matter of homeland security. i couldn't tbre with you -- agree with you more. as we see more and more jihadist pouring into syria for the fight with the rebel forces -- >> we are going to leave this hearing and you can find the

rest on on the c-span .org. we will go to the u.n security council meeting on the issue of the ukraine. >> [speaking french] [speaking

french]. >> madam president, members of the security council, since the briefing yesterday by assistant secretary to this council, there have been reports of continued serious developments in ukraine. in crimea, key sites such as airports, communications and public buildings including the regional parliament reportedly continue to be blocked by

unidentified armed men. there are further reports of armed personnel taking control of regional administration buildings in several cities south of the ukraine. the new prime minister today released a statement appealing to president vladimir putin to provide assistance for the autonomous republic of crimea. in the same statement he announced she taking control of security in crimea and i quote, on a temporary basis. he told all security personnel to declare allegiance to him rather than the authorities of kiev. following the reported deployment of additional russian troops and armored vehicles to c ri mea, the russian federations approved a request of president putin for russian forces to be used in

ukraine and i quote, pending the normalization of the public and political situation in that country, end quote. at the same time, in this fluid situation, however, there are some encouraging signs. one of them is the reported announcement from kiev just now about the intention to broaden the government to include representatives from eastern ukraine. we are also noting that the cause for dialogue among all interested parties both inside and outside of ukraine appear to be resonating. referring to the secured council discussions yesterday about the fact-finding mission and his possible visit to crimea, he was in touch with the authorities of the autonomous republic of c ri mea. he came to the conclusion that a visit to crimea today was not possible for law jess stick cal reasons. -- for law gist cal reasons. if he had traveled to crimea

he would have conveyed a message for all to calm down the situation and to refrain from any actions that could further escalate an already tense environment. he will travel to geneva today where he will brief the secretary general on his mission to ukraine and discuss further possible steps. the secretary general is gravely concerned that the situation has further deteriorated since yesterday's meeting of the council. in this regard, let me reiterate the secretary general's important messages conveyed in his statement of today, and i quote, the secretary general continues to closely follow the seriously and rapidly unfolding events in ukraine including developments in crimea and is gravely concerned about the deterioration of the situation. the secretary general rejill rates his -- reiterates his call for the preservation of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of

the ukraine. he calls for an immediate restoration of calm and direct dialogue between all concerned to solve the current crisis. the secretary will be speaking with president vladimir putin of russia shortly about the situation in ukraine, end quote. let me say in closing, at this crucial moment it is important to recall the mission of this organization, to always search for peaceful settlements of dispute. this is the essence of the u.n charter and shall serve as our primary guide in this situation. now is the time for cool heads to prevail. thank you. >> [speaking french]. >> distinguished members of the council, council, deputy,

secretary general, excellen cry es, thank you to agreeing to this meeting on such short notice. thank you for your comments and thank you for presenting us the statement of the secretary general which is very promising. what i am going to state now was sent to all the nations this afternoon including the recent information ordered while the developments in the ukraine and mostly in crimea. the situation continues to deteriorate. as i told you yesterday the russian troops had illegally entered the terry tore -- territory and the biggest reason the russian speaking population of ukraine. a few hours ago the upper

house of russian parliament consideration has unanimously authorized the use of military force against ukraine upon the president of the president of russian federation vaw vladimir putin, but the troops are already there. the number is increasing every coming hour. this action by the russian federation constitute an act of aggression against the state of ukraine, a severe violation of international law posing serious threat to sovereignty and territory integrity of our country and peace and stability in the cold region. the russian federation doesn't comply with its obligations as state g awe rantor as well as other members of the security council to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity of ukraine. it is dangerous challenge to the very principal of the

mpt. russia officially rejected ukrainian proposal to hold immediate bay lateral con veer -- bilateral conversations between ukraine and russian federation of 1997. russian federation brutally violated the basic principals of charter of the united nations to refrain from threat or use of force against the territory integrity of political independence of any state. facing the military inter veption with ukraine -- intervention with ukraine they requested this meeting of the security council. they call upon the security council to do everything possible now to stop aggression by the russian federation bayou crane. by the ukraine. there is a chance ukraine will react immediately to prevent intervention. we are calling for the

international monitors of the situation of ukraine with regard to the federation. we urge all members of the united nations to demonstrate solidarity with the ukraine to protect the very basic principals of the united nations currently brutally violated by a permanent state, a prominent member of the security council. thank you, madam president. thank you for your attention. >> i thank the representative from ukraine for his statement and i now give the floor to members of the security council. i give the floor to the representative of the russian federation. >> thank you, madam president. first of all, i would like to thank my -- i would like to express my sympathy to you.

under your presidency in just the two hours we wasted on discussing the format for this meeting, and we agreed that in an open format only three people would speak. mr. ellerson, my ukrainian colleague and the russian federation. as i understand, some of the colleagues of the security council already intend to break with this, but what can you do? there is a game without rules. i would like to thank him for his briefing and support the idea he ended on, the yad that that -- the idea in this situation cooler heads must prevail. unfortunately, you must note that my ukrainian colleague did not go for that and in his speech what i heard was a number of terms we can't agree with. that's characterizing the situation in ukraine and the actions of the russian

federation. the colleagues we discussed the crisis, a crisis which should not have taken place. in order for it to occur there was no objective reason for it to happen. there was and there still is a fraternal country of ukraine, our neighbor. if you talk about this in terms of the last fall situation, the legally elected president yanukovych he is relying on a democratically-elected parliament. truly the country is dealing with a serious economic challenges and with the leadership of ukraine, they have serious decisions to make. in particular, they need to make a decision whether they will join or they will assign an agreement of association with the eu. this is a complex decision.

one of the mistakes of the ukrainian leadership maybe was the fact that at the last minute they realized that that agreement on association that was being proposed by brussels could have economic consequences for ukraine. in these conditions, the ukrainian leadership, the president took a decision that is fully constitutional and it fully meets the paw roughing -- prerogatives of any state to refrain from signing an agreement with the eu. that didn't mean as many have said that there was a full reputiation. just that he had to weigh the circumstances that had come together at that time. i repeat that was a decision which was fully within the legitimate prerogatives of the ukraine. i have a question, why did this problem need to be --

result in street manifestations? why these street demonstrations need to be encouraged from abroad, encouraged by people from the eu? why did the speakers of several countries of the eu, why did they need to appear at these meetings that were ignited by protests against the decision by the ukrainian leadership? why did officials need to talk about bringing the -- working up the public and whipping up leaders of the opposition? why is it that -- why did there have to be such crude interventions in the internal sovereignty of the ukraine? and then another question to be asked, during the crisis reacting to these protests, the president yanukovych -- and i don't want to condone his actions. many things could be said. i will just repeat the facts. that the leader -- a leader of

the opposition was offered the pm. why not accept that proposal? why continue to ratchet up the situation? he could have created a government if he wanted to sign an agreement with the eu. he could have, and then he would have been responsible for the catastrophic consequences, economic consequences for the country if he signed that agreement. and then in 2015 there will be presidential elections in ukraine. if people don't like the opposition to mr. january gnaw yanukovych, let them elect another one. that happened before. yanukovych lost elections and other presidents came into ukraine. why continue to whip up the situation? have some -- why some of our western colleagues are trying to spur on a situation of

confrontation. why these militants need to throw things at the police, monthly to molotov cocktails? why go after the police? one of the scoldings or one of the terrorists -- one of the criticism have been made against people. there is no criticisms of people fending for democracy. why do they -- why do they exist if they are going to react to this type of manifestation? why should they exist? as a result of the development of the crisis in this way, an agreement was signed, the 21st of february, and president yanukovych and the opposition signed it. in it there were signatures of three foreign affairs ministers. ministers of germany, france and poland. it was an important agreement reached. at a later stage of the crisis, it gave an opportunity to get out of the crisis situation. you under -- under this agreement there will be a

government intended and should be constitutional reformed undertaken and the constitution being adopted 2015 and there will be presidential elections. the opposition and authorities of the opposition said they would not use force. they were to give over their weapons to who ever was supposed to keep them. why was this agreement not complied with? why was it not implemented? why did we hear threats against president yanukovych as a result of which he had to leave kiev. why is it that the parliament with its new membership, the ukrainian parliament, with the dramatic changes why did it first off the top make a decision to take away the language legislation which says that people have the right to use specific languages, minority languages of not only russian language, but other minority languages. why the first day was that

decision made to take those away. it was not a political process they were talking about. one of the leaders of the opposition was called -- was trying to push his -- call themselves a victor and trying to force his will on people. i am not talking about whether there are a lot of them -- or not a lot of them, but there were a number of groups. among these groups there are radical extremists. activists who work on ukrainian security, work in that area. >> now, what has taken place the last few days which is really why we are meeting today, well it is a very difficult situation the last few hours has not happened in

crimea, but in the eastern part of the ukraine there has been a lot of concern and particularly in c ri mea and -- crimea and we have seen the emergence of people of kiev with the intention of repeating what is in kiev, what has been happening in the western part of the ukraine. they want to replace the regional government. so that is a great concern in the eastern part of the country. especially in the republic of crimea. in these circumstances, the head of the ministers made statement and today this is referenced. i will quote the statement, in spite of the agreement that wags achieved by the central authorities, there cannot be a change of the security without the agreement of the council and the republic of c ri mea, the violation of the constitution and the violation of laws on the police yesterday, the 28th of february and the beginning of the police action has meant

that in this interim with -- with the people that are there that are trying to control the situation in the territory because of the situation there has been disorder and with use of weapons. so then the statement i will quote now that was issued today by the minister of foreign affairs in russia, on the night of march 1st, some unknown people sent from kiev made attempts to take over the ministry of internal affairs building in crimea because of these publications there were casualties. there was an attempt to take over other buildings. the attempt they tried to block it. there were some politicians in kiev trying to stir up the situation on the peninsula with upon orders of kiev. it is very irresponsible to try to rip up the situation in a situation that is already very tense already in crimea.

what i mentioned from the prime minister of crimea he went to the president of russia and requested assistance to restore peace in crimea. at this information is in appeal about mr. yanukovych, his removal from office we thought was done -- done in not a legal way. as a result of this statement or appeal the president of russia under constitutional procedures sent to the council of the federation the following request, that due to the extraordinary situations taking place in the ukraine, threats to the lives of russian citizens, the military people, the russian federation that are there would have been sent there under the agreement we have with ukraine and crimea under the parts of the

constitution, the russian -- we have gone to the parliaments and asked for the use of force by the russian federation on ukraine until there is a normalization on the civic and political situation in ukraine, end of quote. i would like to draw your attention to on the territory of ukraine and not against ukraine as my ukrainian colleague said, but on the territory of ukraine until the normalization of civic and political situation in this country. on the recent reports that i have including on the statement by the representative of the president of the russian federation for the press, a decision on the use of armed forces on ukraine, the president of the russian federation has not taken that decision. now how to get out of this situation, i repeat as said correctly, we need cooler

heads to prevail. we have to get back to the political constitutional path. we need to go back to the agreement of the 25th of february and establish a national unity government and we need to put an end to attempts to converse with opponents, ethnic opponents, political with force and international events of interest in ukraine that we need to sideline the radicals. and we have to -- with those opponents in kiev, they have to get away from the radicals. they have to get back to the territory of ukraine because such actions that they are taking could lead to a very difficult developments which the russian federation is trying to avoid. thank you very much, madam president. >> i thank the representative

of the russian federation and i now give the floor to the representative of the united states. >> thank you, madam president. the united states renews our call for the international community to support the newly formed government of ukraine and to prevent unnecessary violence. i'd like to take a moment to respond to the comments made by the representative of the russian federation. actions speak louder than words. early this morning the russian duma authorized the use of force in ukraine. this is as dangerous as it is destabilized. we are deeply disturbed by reports this morning of russian military intervention into crimea. this intervention is without legal basis. indeed it violates russia's chit meant to protect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of ukraine. it is time for the russian intervention in ukraine to end. the russian military must stand down.

the aspirations of the ukrainian people must be represented and political dialogue must be allowed to continue. we applaud the remarkable restraint and commitment to the dialogue that the you ukrainian government has demonstrated. we recognize and respect russia's historical ties to the ukraine. instead of engaging the government of the ukraine about its concerns of ethnic russians it ignored both and acted unilaterally and militarily. it is ironic the federation goes out of its way in this chamber to emphasize the sank tau tee of national borders and sovereignty, but russian actions in ukraine are violating the sovereignty of ukraine and pose a threat to peace and security. russia alleges various actions against and threats to minority groups in ukraine. we see no evidence of these actions yet, but russia's

provocative actions could easily push a tense situation beyond the breaking point. russia's insight meant of groups to colt out to protest is not responsible behavior in the present situation. there is a clear way forward that would preserve ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and address russia's concerns. first, russia should directly engage the government of ukraine. second, international monitors and observers including from the u.n. and osce should be sent to ukraine. that's the best way to get the facts, monitor conduct and to prevent any abuses. russia is a leading member of both institutions and can participate actively to ensure that its interests are upheld. the immediate deployment of international observers from the osce or united nations to crimea would provide trans paren tee about the movement and activity of military and paramilitary forces in the region and diffuse the

tensions between the different groups. we are working to stand up an international mediation mission to begin to de escalate the situation and facilitate peaceful political dialogue among all ukrainian parties. our paramount concerns are to end the confrontation and to find a solution that allows the ukrainian people to determine their own destiny, their own government, their own future. that must be the goal of this council and the international community. the united states will work with ukraine, our allies and partners in europe and around the world, and here at the united nations to uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and democratic future of ukraine. thank you. >> i thank the representative of the united states, and i give the floor to the representative of the united kingdom. >> president, as the panel presented that some eu member states were involved in making the crisis worse i would like

to set out my government's position. the united kingdom is deeply concerned about the teptions in the crimea peninsula and by the fact that the russian parliament authorized action on ukrainian soil against the wishes of the you crane yen -- the ukrainian government. this action is a grave threat to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of ukraine. we condemn any act of aggression against ukraine. we have therefore sought an immediate and full explanation from the russian federation for the decision to authorize military action on sovereign ukrainian soil and the basis of it under international law. earlier today my prime minister called on all parties to think carefully about actions and think to lower and not escalate tensions. yesterday my secretary spoke to the ukrainian acting president and made clear the united kingdom support for the new government. he urged him that the

government takes measures to unify the country and protects the rights of all ukrainian citizens including those from may north groups in the spirit of inclaw sighness and assured him of the united kingdom's commitment to the territorial integrity, unity and sovereignty. madam president, the united kingdom government supports the ukrainian government request for urgent consultations in accordance with a 1994 budapest meme random signed by the united kingdom, the united states, russia and ukraine. we see no reason why these consultations should not take place immediately. yesterday, this council expressed support for ukraine's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity and agreed all political actors should show restraint. it is critical the russian federation respects the independence and territorial integrity of the ukraine and takes immediate steps to calm this dangerous situation. thank you.

>> i thank the representative of the united kingdom and now give the floor to the representative from france. >> madam president, since the beginning of the crisis, france has worked toward a solution which would allow for the stablization of the ukraine and democratic ukraine that respects the rights of all communities and members of the great european family. this was the meaning behind the mediation of poland, france and germany. this was the sense of the 21st of february agreement to which the federation at the time refused to give its support. it is not an issue of a geo political argument of another time. today we cannot ask the ukraine to choose between east and west. that would be contrary to all of the values that have

founded the european union. i would remind you that its existence is based on the refusal to go back to those practices of another age which lead our continent to two disasters in one century. the organization given by the russian federation to deploy troops in ukraine, if followed up by facts could be a threat to the territorial integrity of the country and would be a dangerous development for peace. in the ukrainian crisis, france will attempt to provide a political solution that will serve the interests of the ukrainian people and will preserve the territorial integrity and unity of the country. we call for all parties to show restraint and responsibility. we ask the ukrainian authorities to take all necessary measures to ensure civil peace, coexistence between communities and taking into account the legitimate concerns of the russian federation.

we expect from all of ukraine's neighbors that they help ukraine in that difficult endeavor. france and the european union are ready to make a contribution to a peaceful end to the crisis. the -- it will be decided on the third of march at the council of foreign ministers. >> i thank the representative of france for his statement. there are no more speakers on my list. i would now like to invite members of the council to informal consultations of the issue. the meeting stands adjourned. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute]. [captions copyright national cable stat light corp 2014]. >> the meeting on the situation in ukraine, after russia's parliament granted a request by vladimir putin to

allow forces to enter crimea. we will bring you more updates on the c-span network on the situation. and for now back to our hearing with secretary jeh johnson from homeland security department. his first hearing since becoming secretary. we join this back in progress. >> we need to secure the border before any conversation on any broad reforms. your comments of those -- comments of those that you made as well as what president obama has made promise an amnesty seemed to encourage and not discourage illegal entry into this country. my question is do you believe that your apparent inclination toward amnesty will improve homeland security and not worsen the problem of illegal immigration? and do you honestly believe those who have broken our laws , in fact broken many of our laws including social security

fraud, identity fraud and lots of others, that they have earned the right to be citizens? >> smore, the -- senator -- congressman -- sorry. >> i am running for senate. >> i spend a lot of time with senators. the quote you attribute to me is a misquote and attributed to me -- >> do you think those here have earned the right to be citizens. >> what i support is how it is reflected in the senate bill which was passed by a vote of 67 bipartisan senators which is that those present in this country, the 11.5 million or so who go through a background

check are held accountable, who pay their taxes and do whatever the law requires them to do should be eligible to be put on the path of citizenship? >> i apologize, but i have a very short period of time. >> i am concerned about refugee relocation. we are get august lot of these refugees to my home state of georgia. i am not sure these refugees are being betted as thoroughly as they should be. there are a lot of people who want to do harm to americans. i would like to work with you on this issue. i think this is a very dangerous issue of our accepting these refugees into this country and not having someway of monitoring them. i think we are getting too many, and these people are being forced upon american citizens in a way that a is going to be dangerous for our own homeland security. i am also very concerned about

the abu dhabi pre clearance that was suggested. we have seen tsa allow people who are on the no fly list get on airplanes. tsa is not in itself prevented one terrorist attack. every terrorist attack way have seen -- attack we have seen in this nation that has been prevented has not been prevented by tsa. i think tsa has been a total failure the way it is set up now. i think we need to focus upon those who want to harm us instead of patting down grandma and children at the airports and having this tremendous attack upon personal persons. on u.s. citizens. we need to focus on those who want to harm us. that means having the intelligence gathering capability to focus on those, and let's get rid of this idea of political correctness. we need to focus on those that

want to harm us, and i don't think the department has been. i would like very much to work with you as secretary to try to reform our -- or do something with tsa to make it so that it is functional or get rid of it altogether. my time is expired. thank you, mr. chairman. i would like to work with you as we go forward. >> would the secretary like to respond to that last question? >> yes, very briefly. on the issue of refugees, i agree. we should work together on that issue. i go down to the border, it is the number one thing that the people on the front line talk to me about. i would like to work with you on that. i have some concerns. just on the initial point, i have told my staff we need to be more responsive to this committee and to congress. when you write to me, when you have inquiries, i read each one personally, and i have told my staff we need prompt responses so you get the information you need. >> i thank you for that

reassurance, and i look forward to working with you, sir. >> thank you. >> chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona, mr. mr. barber. >> thank you, mr. chairman and mr. secretary for being with us. congratulations i think you have taken on what i believe the most difficult job, challenging job in the cabinet. we all wish you well. our mission and your mission i think are united in making sure the homeland is protected. >> i also want to thank you for accepting our invitation to come down to the border less than a month after you were confirmed and sworn in. you came to my district, which is the most poorest -- unfortunately the porous area of the border where we have 13 % of the border, but i know the people i represent appreciate the opportunity to talk with you. as you know from the time we spent together my most important priority is border security. i still have people who are unsafe on their land every day. i still have the drugs coming in and illegal immigration is,

whale getting lower, still a major problem. my responsibility, mr. secretary, as you know, is to make sure that we have the resources we need along with my colleagues to get the job done, to ensure the safety and security of people who live and work near the border, and this includes steps, of course, to support our agents, our border patrol agents in particular, and of course our customs agents. that they have the resources they need to get their job done effectively. in january, mr. secretary, you issued a department wide memo calling on all come pone nepts to -- components of the use of administratively uncontrollable overtime or auo. if it is found that the position uses auo on a regular basis as a regular part of the shift duty, that position will no longer be eligible to receive auo. for border patrol agents, this policy shift threatens to

reduce the number of agents or time on the border by as much as 20%. i believe this will undermind the progress we have made in securing our border with still work to be done. it would also hit our border patrol agents and their families very hard because they would face a loss of pay due to the loss of hours. in some cases up to a 20% pay cut. we have heard in this committee before through reports that morale of the federal agencies is measured, and unfortunately the department of homeland security morale is is among the lowest. within the department cdp is the lowest. i am concerned this adjustment or this change will further exacerbate the problem. we heard about the importance of ensuring safety and security 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. i believe now is the time to strengthen our position and

our efforts and not weaken them as i believe this change in payment will do. i would like to focus my questions, mr. secretary, on this issue. first of all, how do you believe the policy is in the best interest of our security? and should the department decide to eliminate overtime for our border patrol agents, what plans does it have in place to ensure that there are not gaps in border patrol shifts on our u.s. borders? and let me ask a second question, and if you could answer both. there are efforts under way, mr. secretary, as you know to reform agent pam in the auo system. specifically there was a bill introduced which i am a co-sponsor to reform the pay system in a way that saves taxpayer money. i am assuming are you aware of these and if is the case you are aware, why would we change the auo system when this

reform is underway? >> first, congressman, thank you for spending the day with me in arizona. thank you for introducing me to a number of state and local officials there. i appreciated the time. with regard to auo, as you know, we have from the office of special council, allegations, findings, however you characterize it of widespread abuse of uncontrollable overtime. the review of that is pending right now within the department. i look forward to the results. in the interim, what was brought to us was three discrete classes of people who were eligible for auo that we could not continue to justify paying out auo in that manner given the allegations of widespread uh -- abuse. it is three discrete classes of people. it is thine00 -- 900 people

across the 250,000 people. just 900 people. i want to emphasize this to you and to the workforce and it does not affect border patrol agents on the front lines and people are still eligible for overtime if they earn it and they are entitled to it.

guseman. associate myself with the feelings. working very hard on the border bill with bipartisan support. it passed the full house unanimously. i appreciate your comments about the senate immigration bill. that does notone agree with the senate immigration bill. i do think this congress, and i hope that we will pursue moving on a border security bill.

i think we have to pursue that. i would ask you if i could, i made a note about when you were establishing the metrics. maybe you could flesh that answer out a little bit for me. your predecessor indicated the term the we had used previously about establishing control was antiquated. . maybe it is. maybe it isn't. we are trying to understand what term would be agreeable and what those terms would actually look like. i do think it is important that we do have some actual metrics that the country can understand. that the congress can understand.

if the southern border, i have a northern border district. it was only four percent. we have the operational control on the northern border to speak of. could you tell us about what your department is doing to develop measures that could give us an accurate picture so that we could understand not only our successes, but our failures. so we can proceed on establishing border control. >> for me begin by saying in my conversations with the border uniform,experts in what they emphasize to me is a risk-based approach, that is agile, that is not necessarily , as a lot ofontrol people define it. it is effective. it is cost-efficient.

have readf metrics, i hr 1417. will we have said is that it is congresses prerogative to define it in a fully informed way. what we have said, border security should be defined by looking at a number of things. it is not simply the percentage of all those who attempt to cross the border. you have to look first of all at the quantity of people who are attempting to cross the border. you have to look at the nature of the traffic. is it third-party nationals? mexicans? motives.to look at the are these criminals attempting to cross the borders?

yet look at the nature of the traffic and the quantity of the traffic. there are a number of things which i have looked at, which i have asked my folks to further develop. in an effort to define will be believe is a secure border. i would urge us to not focus simply on a percentage. which tends to disregard certain other very important things. it is something that i am committed to. i think in order to further immigration reform overall, we all to settle on a set of metrics we agreed to and understand. >> i appreciate that. we will be sending you a letter on another issue about these overstays. your predecessor agreed to give congress a report on these overstays. the deadline has come and gone. we are probably going to send

that letter along to you shortly asking for that. >> i have seen a draft of a report. i think it needed further work. i think there were things that i second or third opinions about before i could share with congress. >> thank you. >> the chair that ignites is the gentleman from new jersey. is an honortary, it to have you here today. that you were confirmed. i'm looking forward to your leadership and your capacity as secretary, and feel that you have one of the finest members of congress representing you from your congressional district. >> everyone know i am his constituent. start with one of

my major priorities. the issue around sandy funding. one of the priorities is ensuring that hurricane sandy relief reaches the area that needs it the most. that funding is controlled by the state of new jersey. many municipalities hardest hit, including areas where low income and minority populations live, not receiving the relief proportionate to the amount of damage suffered. inse reports are concerning this congress. we fail to have a hearing in reference to this. i think oversight is very important. i was delighted to go to the floor of congress that evening

colleagues to make sure that we got the relief in that area of the country that we needed. they responded to their fellow americans. even though it is my area that is benefiting from that, i still feel that there needs to be oversight, and responsibility to the american people that congress knows how those dollars are being spent, and what areas it goes to. to have youking commit to ensuring dhs is conducting proper oversight over the state of new jersey so those who deserve the relief are being provided for. >> thank you for that question. first of all, my own home was impacted by hurricane sandy. it took us months to repair the

damage. a lot of the funds that we referred to when we talk about andy relief money, housing urban development money. i would be interested in seeing the report that you referenced. i certainly agree with the importance of congressional oversight with regard to how the money is spent. a lot of the discretion when it comes to how that money is spent along with the state. insofar as the federal government is concerned, i believe with you -- i understand the importance of congressional oversight. >> in reference to several members, the issue around on the the deputyabo

administered or was there .bserving the operation there there is still a lot of concern once allowing passengers they get here not to be rechecked while they are in this country. the other thing, we had issue several years ago at newark airport. in a covert operation, they were past thelip things tsa. how often will tsa be often -- offered -- will the government conduct covert tests of screening? >> first of all, it is my

understanding the preclearance operations are conducted by cbt. customs border protection. not concerned that they are security gaps when it comes to arrivals. when it comes to newark airport, it is probably the airport i have used most myself. i am concerned about security gaps and want to focus on that. i would be interested in a further dialogue with you on that question. >> thank you. i yield back. >> thank you mr. chairman. thank you for your long and distinguished service to our country. they key for taking on this important mission. that you for the work

are doing in the area of cyber. i look forward to working with you in that area. i want to talk about a couple of issues. the chemical facilities antiterrorism standards. very important work that has been done in our country on this. we appreciate the situation in texas, west texas. identifying what happens when there are outliers who are allowed to exist without our recognition of there being there. industries made significant investments in responsibly accounting for and also creating the kinds of protection systems that have been called for underneath the program. it has been three years since it has been reauthorized. there have been breakdowns to be sure. a legacy that has not been too .roud

there's been significant progress in the course of the last year. efforts to look at criticisms that have been taking place, and to address those in a proactive sense. we have introduced legislation to reauthorize the program. i want to ask whether you believe that is a bill you can support. >> i have reviewed hr 4007. it is a good bill. i am supportive of that. my folks tell me we wish we could extend it longer. scheme thatgulatory we have put in place. i agree with you that it has gotten better. that stems from an appropriations measure. not an authorization measure. i have read this bill. i think it is a good bill. infrastructure

folks think it is a good bill. i support it. >> i thank you and look forward to working with you. a may be able to discuss further extension if we can make sure that we are working simultaneously towards the regression which this will allow us to do. let me switch hats. i know you have been dealing daubi.e questions of abu most of these decisions have been made while you were overseeing your anticipated leadership. there's been a series of programs that already exist. they have been used in the past. can you explain to me whether the stated security goals that could not haved been realized using those kinds of programs? do you believe they could have been realized using the kinds of ,rograms that currently exist

like immigration advisory. >> in general, the more opportunities we have two put security in place ourselves in parts of the departure airports, the better. airplane, flying into the country. levels ofked at the security at our last points of departure airports. it tends to vary. that is of concern to me. -- and i have heard the concerns of have been raised. i believe preclearance is a homeland security imperative. at thehings be improved point of arrival, or in the abu

dhabi situation in particular? i'm not going to insist that we are doing it the best way. it is a work in progress. >> the determination to instead of going to dubai, going to abu dhabi did not make sense to me, if that was policy. >> abu dhabi is not an endpoint. this is a point along the way in a progression to where we should get to a more aviation security environment for this country. >> may i close my questioning on this. what are we going to do as we as more resources over there american citizens flying in all over the world are seeing extended delays simply getting through. you're already down in the resources you need to do the work. why are we sending personnel

overseas during a time when you were understaffed at our own border? >> in general, the more we can , last forward areas points of departure outside of this country, both for the terrace can get on the airplane to fly into this country, the better. i believe that is a homeland security imperative. >> i respect the five minutes. i yield back. for appreciate your support the chemical facility antiterrorism legislation. legislation, ior hope we can pass that out of this committee in the bipartisan way. with that, the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. >> mr. secretary, thank you for your comment so far. as you have heard from other members of the committee, i think the dominant perspective and view when it comes to our border and our border with

mexico is to see that as a threat and security situation to be locked down. perspectivek that is understandable, i think it is born of a good intent to secure the border and secure the homeland. when you look at the facts, we are spending $18 billion a year. we have doubled the size of the border patrol in the last 10 years. immigrationrd low attempts. record highs southbound deportations. , the safest city in america today four years in a role. what is the largest financial community in the world. san diego is in the top 10 safest cities. laredo is in the top 10 safest cities. i want to hear you talk about the opportunities at the border. in el paso we have 22 million

pedestrian crossings every year. that is in addition to the $90 billion in us-mexico trade that passes through. supportse and commerce more than 400,000 jobs in the state of texas. more than 6 million in the united states at large. those points in of injury in el paso and arizona are sorely understaffed. what is your proposal and plan to make sure we have resources to capitalize on the opportunities at the border? , it has been made clear to me that part of my andion is to facilitate expedite trade. whether it is on the southwest border or the northern border. the canadians talk to me about our bridge crossings in michigan.

ae importance of building customs laws on the u.s. side in michigan. the same with texas. with south texas, where i was a beene of weeks ago, it has stressed to me the importance of customs enforcement. facilitating and promoting trade. that also depends on congress being willing to fund at the appropriate levels our customs plazas and ability on the u.s. side of a bridge to build these things. we need congress to authorize it appropriately. i want to work with you on that. detroitit is el paso or , or any of our other ports of entry. >> i appreciate the answer.

even within the existing budget, i urge you to deploy those resources and assets as intelligently as possible to capitalize on those opportunities we have. i want to associate myself with mr. barber's remarks about inporting men and the women border patrol. i also join him in urging you to itsort esther -- mr. chafe -- but i also want to make sure that we have the appropriate oversight and accountability for law enforcement on the border. i appreciate your going to release the policy. i will ask you to release the police executive research reports on use of force.

we only know about the use of force incidents anecdotally. i get that in my office regularly. i also hear far too often from these 22 million bridge crossers and lack of perspective and poor cbptment at the hands of officers. we need greater oversight accountability given the missions and opportunities at the border. i ask you to release that. one of the other members of the committee said, become more transparent as an agency. i think that has been a major failing of dhs. >> i think -- i will look at this particular report you refer to. i agree generally with the importance of law enforcement being credible and transparent in the communities in which they operate. enforcement -- and you

see this in the military context, is viewed with suspicion it undermines the entire mission. >> thank you. >> mr. duncan. i am impressed with what i've seen so far. i look forward to working with you on an ongoing basis. in your statement you talk about being responsive to inquiries. i want to bring one example to your attention. june 6, 2013. dealing with training vehicles that have never been answered. >> i'm happy to do that. >> thank you for that. that is part of the oversight function. a lot of times we can have hearings. we can have direct inquiries to agencies and departments to

request information. earlier, thinking about the things you are responsible for, it is overwhelming. immigration,ty, port security, coast guard, transportation security, air security, law enforcement training, cyber threats. all the things that are .ommittee deals with that is a tremendous responsibility to keep this nation safe. i want to make sure that folks watching at home understand that the department of homeland security brought 22 agencies together. decade, operating in a cohesive fashion. i understand the challenge. i want to go on the record for that. as we talk about immigration reform, the numbers that we a year using today are 11.5

million illegal immigrants. 40% of those do violate our sovereignty by crossing a border. they actually violated the national trust that we place and we place in them. they had interviewed at a consulate. we have a picture and a fingerprint. we have an address of where a lot of these folks were going. where they're going to work. whether they are going to attend college. half of the illegals in this -5.8try as to made it 4.8 million people here illegally, overstay their visa.

this is low hanging fruit from a issue. and immigration the question i have for you is, do you think that we should work hard, because the information i , we know who these people are. don't you think we ought to ramp up that percentage, but more effort in enforcing the immigration, getting them back , but deal with half of these illegals before we take on another avenue of immigration enforcement? i would like to hear your thoughts with regard to these overstays. >> first of all, i don't know the numbers 40%. 40% has worked into the

narrative based on a report that was done some years ago. it is my understanding it is not a government report. to me. it is a matter it remains that we knew about these people. >> i do agree that we should .orrelate resources in my view, we need to prioritize removals with regard to national security, public safety, threats. category of these overstays there are those people we need to focus on going after those people. >> national security threats. >> public safety threats. which involve those convicted of

serious crimes in border security. people who are recent border crossers who are apprehended in and around the border, who are repeat crossers. i agree entirely with your point that we are correlating resources with priorities. my priorities are homeland security. we need to correlate our resources in that way. >> thank you for that. believe 7-10 hijackers had overstayed a visa. i yield back. >> thank you. great to have you with us. you have touched on a lot of different topics today that impact us nationally from cyber threats to domestic erroneous, and policies we need to come up with as we look at this new technology. duplication of resources.

on and so forth. i want to welcome you to visit hawaii. to come in this capacity because there is nothing like seeing firsthand the challenges and opportunities that we have that are unique to the rest of the country. from the district 14 coast guard, which covers by far the largest sector of any district , and theast guard unique implications of what they the international front. engagement, diplomacy. exclusive economic zones they patrol. it is impactful what they are responsible for and how they have done so well with such little resources. also, just to touch on the being thet exists gateway between asia and the united states.

we have had two international airports in the state of hawaii. -- was able to accept flights up until 2011. this is a situation you are familiar with. we are trying to remain day -- remedy. the facilities at the airport 2011.nsufficient in the airport facility staff sought feedback in 2012. were given a book of regulations , to under 95 pages, told to look through it and update the facility. the following year they were given updated book in 2011 and said this is the updated version. i think our folks on the ground have been proactive in trying to

make sure that we are able to are standards, and requesting a five-year exemption so we can continue to operate. happen atg were to the honolulu international airport, that we have another gateway of facility there. i wonder if you can comment on the status of that request supported by the mayor on the ground and by the governor. >> i have your letter. troubleet myself into by saying that i have been to the airport. it is probably the most pleasant airport experience i have had in a long time. also recall -- i when you could fly to the mainland. in the early 1990's.

burden of being on a multihour flight to honolulu, you have to change planes and fly. i know the inconvenience of that. withld like to see us work local airport officials to get to a place were you can have international arrivals capability. you make a good point. if you lose one, you do not have a second. i would like to see us work together on that. can'telieve however, we do something that is going to potentially compromise aviation security border patrol security. i personally am familiar with the airport. i'm happy to try to work with your constituents in this regard to get their with the concern for security.

>> thank you. the private that sector is also very much invested in helping to bring this about. and they hope to become one of the other cities that will be approved at some point in the future. i want to touch quickly on airline fees. with the budget that was passed recently, some of these fees that rackley impact airline help payr increased to for tsa. i'm going to be an advocate for , hawaiiontiguous states and alaska. air travel is essentially are only option. this is not an area that is a luxury. but one that is essential for business. i look for to working with you

to see the states are considered differently. >> i have your bill. >> i look forward to working with you. you pointed out in your testimony people are your greatest asset. one of the areas of concern that i have is how do we do security clearances, background checks on the personnel. the majority of people, have questions and concerns as i highlighted two weeks ago about your current chief of staff, mr. christian. when and where did you first meet racial? >> -- christian morone.

>> i first that him at the department of defense. >> was there a background check conducted on him before the appointment he made to his chief of staff? >> for dhs? >> yes, to the best my understanding there was. i know him for five years in of his qualities. i'm glad i hired him. >> there was a background check. did you review that? >> not myself. >> who did read it? >> the appropriate officials i'm sure. my understanding is that the background check was thorough. it included matters of public record from the trial. which is what your letter refers to. >> did the white house review it ? >> as far as i know. >> didn't reveal any concern? >> his background was reviewed

extensively. i have every reason to believe that it was thorough. we did. he is doing and neck sludge of the department. likes to conduct the background check? what's i cannot tell you that. aware of any court judgments against him? >> not sitting here now. come aware ofu vincent fumo? >> in 2008. you become of hisstian morone and testimony against vincent fumo? likes 2009. of the forensic review and financial investigation into three of one has engaged in?

>> out specifically. i would like to say i hired him because he was working for robert gates in the front office of the secretary of defense. those individuals are demanding scriptless people, who expect the highest. -- his ability to identify inefficiencies. i hired him at dhs to do the same there. he is doing an excellent job. the job that members of congress would want us all to do for the department. >> were you aware when you selected him to be your chief of staff at homeland security ellie mae personal use of moneys from tax-exempt charities? of hiss generally aware public testimony. it was highly publicized. 12-17 years ago.

i am more focused on the last five years when he is working national security. >> were you aware when he was writing secured in approval of a private investigator to snoop on the mirror philadelphia? -- the mayor of philadelphia question my >> 12-17 years ago, in his early 20's, it is a matter of public record. it is highly publicized. anybody who knows christian knows that when he came out of college, he worked for senator fumo. if you do not, you can figure that out by spending six seconds on the internet. >> that is my concern. he has been engulfed in a variety of controversies. e-mail inevealed this 1998 concerned about the department of changing practices of hiring, referring to the philadelphia police department.

-- hiring of minorities with criminal records. charter, thecity result is an undereducated and unqualified department of minority officers. i would think this would cause concern, in addition to the public things that are out there about mr. fumo. i would encourage you to look at the public record. my time has expired. about this. chat i was disappointed when i was try to come and talk to you about this. >> i was told you wanted to talk to me. i said yes i'm happy to talk to the congressman. for some reason you were unavailable. thisappy to talk to about further. >> i have concerns about this.

congressman, i am focused on trying to make the department of, security and more efficient and effective place for the benefit of the public, the taxpayers. works mr. morone when he for robert gates. secretary gates held them in the highest regard. i hired him as our chief of staff because of his administration skills of the last five years demonstrated to a lot of people. since he is come to the department of homeland security, my expectations for him have been exceeded. this is a man who has three young children. he is married. he is at work at 5:00 a.m. he streamlines our organization. he is making the department of homeland security a more efficient, safe place. he is putting together a budget process, something the people on

this committee and in this congress have been asked to do for some years. he is doing an excellent job that that of the public and the taxpayer. excess time.te the three of entities he was misrepresented come amiss that money, and overspent 5 million plus dollars. that is the concern. >> originalist time has expired. -- the gentleman's time has expired. limit questions to three minutes. the gentleman from colophon you. californialeman from . >> we look forward to your leadership. a quick question about the urban area of security initiative. the department develops a score by looking at factors like population, military access, article infrastructure.

they fund additional counties and neighboring areas that have economic and military ties in the commute areas. ,n the bay area were i in front 12 counties of the not included in urban area initiatives. we are wondering and hoping if the department can work with us to consider other cultural and theomic ties to bring in bay area footprint to the surrounding counties. they include travis air force base, the defense language institute, and other important assets. >> i'm familiar with the bay area. and all the it includes. i spent time in the bay area. i'm happy to take a look at this issue and work with you on it.

question, with respect to immigration enforcement priorities. i know being a former prosecutor that is how you classify different crimes is important. 72% of individuals removed were convicted of a level two offenses, a level one offense including a felony and a level two could include multiple misdemeanors which could be driving without a license. want to make sure that we are focusing on removing the most serious and violent offenders, not necessarily breaking up especially people who would commit crimes that were driving without a license. up until just a couple months ago in california, and

undocumented person could never receive a license. will you focus on more file individuals when we prioritize removals? continuingitted and an evaluation and reevaluation of our prosecution priorities, and ensuring that we are operating and acting in accordance with those. it is something i'm going to continually look at. >> with that, i will yield back the balance of my time. thank you. we look for to working with you. >> the chair recognizes the chairman of the transportation sub committee. >> tank you for being with us today. i'm extremely concerned and upset about the cost and delays of the new department of homeland security headquarters at the saint elizabeth campus. to $4.5allooned

million. how this isto see an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars to spend this kind of .oney for a headquarters i'm disappointed in the way it has laid out. i understand when you're consolidating agencies this is a difficult process. i in her skin the command-and-control concerns of having your agency scattered across the region. the world's tallest building only cost a billion dollars and took a fraction of the time to build. frankly the way we are going about this by trying to take these historic buildings that are crumbling and trying to bring them up to speed and build a facility is the wrong way to go. i'm a history major. i'm trying to contemplate or comprehend this type of money. $4 billion. quarter of the many we spent to rebuild japan. it is three years longer. i was doing some math.

asbillion would be as tall 1000 empire state buildings. this is an incredible amount of money when we have so many other needs and homeland security. decisions were made before your tenure. before i got here. my question to you is, will you be willing to work with us. chemical that to the drawing board and come up with a better plan to meet the needs of the department? >> i have asked my folks to work on the plan going forward. my general observation about saint elizabeth. it is a wonderful place. the coast guard is headquartered there now. i'm envious. i will probably never work there. experience, ion

do believe there is value for the one team one mission message . if you will be in one had orders . i've seen at the pentagon. you have dod. you have army navy. all in the same square footage. there is value to that. , unity the morale of dhs of the mission would go a long way if we could get to a headquarters. i also believe we ought to finish what we started. we are investing a lot of money in this project. there is a certain wisdom to finishing what you start. some years ahead of us. i have asked my folks to work -- i have the same questions you do. lex i appreciate that. finish what you started.

hugee in the middle of a mass. i would just say we need to look at starting over. we could build a skyscraper and put the whole government into that kind of money. i look for to working with you. >> i want to take you back to the northern border. security. ever present buffalo -- i represent buffalo. >> i'm sorry it couldn't have been there monday. >> you were missed. it was a good event. the second busiest border crossing state. $40 billion crosses the bridge every year. hezbollah, it was disclosed that it has a presence in north

america, including 15 american cities and canada. the one thing that we know clearly is that terrorists seek to distract and kill. they also seek to disrupt their way of life. they seek out high impact targets. , thed the peace bridge ,econd busiest bridge high-impact target. toronto, an international city, earlier, a targeted terrorist plot was boarded that was targeting a passenger train from niagara falls to new york

city. i want to make you aware of that and get your thoughts. >> thank you for that. that some of the most serious mortar threats can be threats to the northern border. there are of a different kind. i appreciate that. i also recognize the importance of facilitating trade. it places like the peace bridge. u.s. senator schumer have been focused on that. i congratulate you for those efforts. the northern border is one i expect to get to send in my travels. your concerns regarding security. >> i yield back. the chair recognizes the german from pennsylvania. >> thank you for coming here today. 21st anniversary of the 1993

oned trade center bombing, of the terrorists who perpetrated the attack, he overstayed a tourist these are -- visa. he claimed he was a cab driver. he claimed to be a seasonable agriculture worker. the only thing he ever planted in america was a bomb. tara stated find a way to remain here legally not be deported. it is possible and likely there are people in this country legally with connections to radical groups in the middle east. employees within the dhs say that they are pressured rubberstamp citizenship and visa .pplications, i

i was a mayor, and aware of what it takes to do background checks. if we do not conduct face-to-face interviews in these background checks, how can we be sure we are not going to legalize individuals who have connections to radical groups in ?he middle east i have seen the other side of illegal immigration. we talked a lot about the good people who are here just working. if we are not went investigate the people in their country of origin. >> first of all, thank you for that question. when it comes to counterterrorism, i don't think i take a backseat to anyone.

i am most concerned about identifying individuals of suspicion motives in this country, or want to come into the country. regarding the complaint that some may feel pressure to rubberstamp these applications, i have heard this before. it is in the i have asked about. subject.rested in the it is something i'm willing to engage with your office about. you address the face-to-face interviews. how we going to do background checks without doing those type -- ery time-consuming >> i have asked the same question. lex i would like to work with you if i can. >> the chair recognizes the gentleman from nevada. >> thank you. i will be brief.

thank you for being here today. i had the opportunity to meet county share of in clark . local first responders from agencies throughout southern nevada, during this meeting they expressed concern about the risk assessment model does not factor into consideration things that are unique to terrorists -- tourist centers. the attorney general who has visited the fusion center considers it to be the model for how agencies should be working together. officials with whom i met believe that they were not sufficiently involved in the risk evaluation process.

that fema did not take advantage of their local expertise as first responders. i know these concerns apply to other cities beyond las vegas in an last year. as you lay the foundation for ask for your commitment to work with me and other colleagues on addressing issues with risk assessment models that does not adequately factor in the unique tourismrizations of -based economies like the one i represent. i would like to invite you out to our community to meet with our fusion center representatives, as well as the

public and private sector thatnity who has concerns we have moved away from this focus on prevention. you will review that model going forward, and if you will take me up on my invitation to go to las vegas. >> you are correct i have inherited a model that i now own. i have heard this issue before. i am willing to review it and work with you on it to make sure we have gotten it right. i understand the potential that tourism. -- potential threat to tourism. i welcome the opportunity to visit nevada. like the fusion center is a great place. i think it is a model for how

local, state, and federal agencies can work together to proactively meet our security needs. >> thank you mr. chairman. welcome, and congratulations. you have a tough job. a drone was used to assist local law enforcement in apprehending a man after a dispute with cattle. the drones are to be used to assist in the apprehension of illegal immigrants from crossing the border. not domestic surveillance of american citizens. in 2014 we appropriated a billion dollars towards the office of air and maritime, which includes unmanned reconnaissance operations. not to indict you for the sins of the past of your predecessor, department told the

didn't have enough funds to carry out its mission. i'm wondering if this is going to continue. the use of drones for law enforcement regarding american citizens. and if it is, shouldn't we consider the budget in that regard? are you really that short in funds if you're using the asset appropriated for the department for a specific reason, and it is used elsewhere? are we going to continue that policy? community i represent using thated in program. surveillance,t including aerial surveillance, is important for border security. it is one of my missions.

sure as we go forward with this technology that we are also providing adequate insurances, safeguards, protections when it comes to privacy of our citizens. who lived in and around the border. i want to be sure we further refine our policies in that regard. if we are going to continue to conduct surveillance along the border. with regard to a specific question about uses for law enforcement him and funding. i would have to get back to you on that. is anl is that there important need for surveillance for purposes of border security. that is my primary. >> i have just a few moments left. the washington times reported that dhs has left border drones out to local states hundreds of times. , that is tostic males of american citizens. is it something that you would

except that you will continue in that regard? i am asking from a privacy standpoint. illegality standpoint. >> my principle -- my priority is border security. that is part of the homeland security mission. that is my priority. if i have surveillance technology that congress has funded and given to me for that purpose, that is my priority. >> for americans or for people on the border that are coming across? >> for border security. >> only? >> i can't say solely. there may be some instances where for a very important law-enforcement objective we might support some local law enforcement efforts at drug trafficking or something to that nature. the principal reason they are there is for border security. >> your time is expired. gentlelady from new york, ms. clarke. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. welcome, mr. secretary.

i am going to just give you my questions and then have you respond given the time constraint. it is good to hear that you support the legislation. it is my understanding that dhs is currently engaged in a working group whose recommendations would be coming out in may. i want to get your feedback as to whether you think it would be great for us to be informed by what the working group comes out with as we move forward to bring forth legislation. i want to raise the issue of personal -- personnel surety. this is the direction that nppd is going with components that raises issues of long-standing concerns of this committee. lack of standardization in the area of personal surety requirements across critical infrastructure sectors.

if you would address that. finally, just a comment. i want to applaud you on your commitment to comprehensive immigration reform and add my voice to encourage you to prioritize those who we are looking at in terms of their immigrant status when we are looking at removal. if we can drill down into the agency to look at that categorization because i believe comprehensive immigration reform is inevitable. the status quo cannot hold but we are dealing with the fragmentation of families and often time the breadwinners of those families. i look forward to your response, sir. >> first, my general attitude is if you have a good bill and there is an opportunity to pass it in this congress that supports my goals and objectives and enhances homeland security, i am going to support that measure.

if there is support for it, it is a good bill. i think we in the congressional and executive branches owe it to the american people to get something done. i think this bill is a good bill. i believe we need to continually evaluate our removal priorities to make sure we are getting it right. the removal -- border threats is a fluid situation. you have to continually reevaluate it and that is what i am doing. i am sorry that i have forgotten your second question. >> it was about the personnel surety program. we are dealing with an issue of background checks and credentials across several agencies and the redundancy of that. >> i am very interested in achieving greater efficiencies and that is a directive that i have given to my staff to look for. whether it is with regard to background checks or a number of other items. >> your time is expired.

ms. brooks from indiana. >> thank you for being here and sitting here longer than you expected. in the past two budget cycles, the president proposed consolidating several of the homeland security grant programs administered by fema. that request has been denied by a bipartisan way because they were never enough details provided as to how this was going to affect our state and local partners. we're still waiting and have been waiting to hear what fema proposed with respect to consolidating these very important grant programs. i'm curious if you've seen the language, whether or not the administration is planning to submitting this grant program once again. i have another quick question for you. >> i would have to get back to you on that one. i'm sorry. >> it has been met with much

opposition by both sides, both chambers and would expect it to receive the same response if it is presented in the same way. we also, in sharing the emergency preparedness response communications subcommittee, we just held a hearing recently on the bioterror threat facing the country. you may or may not be aware but the weapons of mass destruction center issued a report card that showed that we in this country received grades of a large number of d's and f's in our preparation for a bioterror threat. i would like to know -- one of the recommendations of the congress was that the next generation three system that was proposed for detecting bioterrorism exceeded costs by almost three times to $5.8 billion in the lifecycle for what is called generation three

of the bio-watch program. i don't know if you have been briefed on the bio-watch program, the analysis of alternatives, and whether or not you are aware that our country really is lacking in its preparedness and its response for a bioterror attack. >> the bioterror threat is part of the homeland security mission. it is on my watch. i have been briefed generally on the bioterror concerns that we all have and agree that this has got to be a real priority in a cost-effective way. i am happy to work with you to further the dialogue on this and address this in a cost-efficient way. >> i might make a suggestion that came out during this hearing that there is currently no one singular person that has his or her mission in the

department of homeland security to be responsible for bioterror and i would encourage you to look at that. there have been those positions. there currently is not that in this administration. >> your time has expired. mr. richmond from louisiana. >> thank you, mr. secretary. we're in the process of fixing these massive flood insurance premium increases around the country and we are getting some pushback from fema in terms of what they can and cannot do. i wanted to ask you to commit to ensuring that fema implements all aspects of the legislation as soon as possible. can you commit to doing that? >> yes, sir. >> i would move to tsa's use of small businesses. usually it is difficult because

small businesses did not have the money and expertise to invest in the specific technologies but they are there. tsa has failed to use them. they awarded a $68 million contract to a company just as a small business is about to be certified and able to do that. can you commit to us to ensuring that you put pressure on tsa to use small businesses? >> i would encourage all of my components to look at the most effective and efficient way to contract out for services. my general view is that big is not necessarily better. i would rather have somebody who is more effective, is cost-efficient, is a little hungry, and is looking to fulfill my mission in a cost-effective, efficient way.

big is not necessarily better. >> i would ask you to look in that specific instance of the business that is nearing certification and the fact that we may have contracted out all of the opportunity for them without taking into account the fact that they could be included. the other thing i would follow up -- conclude with his coast guard reauthorization. i would publicly state on the record that in the aftermath of both katrina and rita, watching the coast guard and what they do and how they did it, they are certainly a key component to homeland security. i would urge that we stake our claim to jurisdiction and make sure that legislation reauthorization would come before us and have your commitment to support us on that. >> i am very focused on coast guard recapitalization at the

moment. i am told the coast guard is the most aged fleet of vessels of the world. i think it is time for recapitalization. it is something i am focused on and i appreciate the support we have been given by congress thus far. >> i yield back. >> we intend to offer a coast guard reauthorization bill. last but not least, the gentleman from mississippi. mr. palazzo. >> thank you, secretary johnson for being here today. i want to highlight an issue that is related to fema. hurricane katrina, hurricane sandy and other storms that may have flown under your radar. i am talking about flood insurance. the rising cost and multiple shortcomings of fema to get their flood mapping or premium rate setting right. there are countless instances where fema has used inaccurate data concerning land elevation and landscape features and in some cases, data that is decades old.

much of this is detailed in the 2008 report. the house has been working on hr-3370, the homeowner flood insurance affordability act. this bill will provide relief to homeowners who went to great efforts and expense and followed all the rules to build back after storms such as hurricane katrina and sandy. this bill will prevent fema from changing the rules and punishing those people when fema updates their flood maps. i urge my colleagues to support this bill when it hits the floor next week. while the bill will go a long way to providing relief, we still need to ensure that fema is using good science methods. i know you're relatively new to your post but this is a critical priority that needs to be addressed. because fema and nfip fall under your purview as the head of dhs, i am curious have you made aware the flawed and outdated formula fema has been using for premium rate settings?

are you aware of how fema's faulty mapping practices are directly affecting the severity of rate increases for homeowners? >> i think the overall goal for us in the executive and congressional branches is that we maintain going forward a solvent flood insurance program for the american people. that is the overarching priority. i am aware of discussions, disagreements concerning maps. i was in one as recently as two days ago with a certain governor who raised concerns. i do know that when we adopt maps there is an opportunity for public community comment on the maps and an appeal process so local communities can raise concerns with the technique that we have used. that process has built into the law and i would encourage local communities that have concerns to raise those in the process. >> i appreciate that.

the bill that is going forward in the house right now is a nationwide bipartisan issue. it is affecting homeowners, communities. it is deteriorating property values. in my district, we are seeing foreclosures because rates have gone from $1000 to $11,000. we can get into the consequences of bigger waters but this bill that we are going to be introducing is paid for, it helps lead nfip to be solvent. it does it in a compassionate manner by not punishing those that have already played by the rules that fema and the local governments have set. i look forward to working with you on that. >> let me say thank you for your generosity with time. i look forward to working with you on our priorities that i know we share together. members may have additional questions in writing. we ask that you respond to those. without objection, the committee now stands adjourned. [captioning performed by national captioning institute]

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>> president obama has spoken by phone with russian president vladimir putin to talk about the decision on russia's parliament to send its military into ukraine. in a white house rita of the conversation, president obama called for russia to directly engage with the government of ukraine and warned that russia's actions would negatively impact

russia's standing in the international community if it continued to violate ukraine's sovereignty. meanwhile, the u.s. security council concluded an emergency meeting a few hours ago with the u.s. ambassadors to the u.s., russia, and france all spoke about the ongoing situation. we will show that meeting at 7 p.m. eastern here on c-span. >> i think there are some myths out there. people think the cherry is preserved and it is really not. it is no different than a pickled cherry and the process is no different than the types of uses of wine. i wouldn't call it a healthy product but i would call it something that is a tasty treat. you see here is sherry's and berries at stages of process. the cherries that come in still

have stuff in the fruit so they will go through an extensive washing to get the sulfur and calcium out of the fruit. the practice of making the cherries is that you are taking a fruit and soaking it in a progressively stronger sugar and color solution. over the course of that syruping, you will see the color intensity picked up. up. here is some fruit that is really early. it is lightly colored. that is much farther along. try to give you an idea. yellow, pink, deep red. it is that cycle of the infusion and where it is that in the process -- act in the process. >> this weekend how we look behind the history and literary

life of salem, oregon. >> in his weekly address, president obama talks about the importance of investing in technology and infrastructure to create jobs. missouri representative and wagner as the republican address. she talks about the impact of the health care law in her district. state of the union address, i said the best measure of opportunity is access to a good job. after the worst recession of our lifetimes, our businesses have created 8.5 million new jobs in the last four years. we need to do more to make america a magnet for good jobs for the future. this year of action where congress will not do that, i will do whatever i can to expand opportunity for more americans. this week i took two actions attract new jobs to america. jobs and american manufacturing

and jobs rebuilding america's infrastructure. here is why this is important. have lost0s alone we more than one third of all american manufacturing jobs. one in three. when the housing bubble burst, work is in the construction industry were hit harder than anybody. news is today are manufacturers of added more than 620,000 jobs over the last four years. sustainede first growth in manufacturing jobs since the 1990's. the economy has still changed and if we want to attract more good manufacturing jobs to america, we have to make sure we are on the cutting-edge of new techniques. in today's global economy, first-class jobs gravitate to first-class infrastructure. that is why on tuesday i launched two new high-tech manufacturing hubs, laces where universities will partner to make groundbreaking research into real-world goods made in

america. so far bureau launched four of these hubs where workers could printing, energy-efficient electronics, light weight metals, and digital manufacturing. technologies that could help ensure a steady stream of good jobs well into the 21st century. on wednesday, i launched a new, titian to build a 21st century infrastructure. transit, bridges, mass more efficient ports, and faster passenger rails. rebuilding america will not just attract businesses, it will create more construction jobs that cannot be shipped overseas. congress could make an even bigger difference in both areas. thanks to the leadership of a bipartisan group of lawmakers, there is a ill in congress right now that will create an entire network of high tech manufacturing hubs all across the country. next week, i will send congress a budget that will rebuild our transportation systems and support millions of jobs nationwide. there is a lot we could do if we

work together. while congress decides what it is going to do, i am going to keep doing everything in my power to rebuild an economy where everybody who works hard as a chance to get ahead. where we are restoring our founding vision of opportunity for all. thanks everybody. have a great weekend. >> i am and wagner. it is an honor to resent the heartland of our country in st. louis, missouri is a member of the united states congress. my dad used to tell me that your word is your bond. when your bond is broken, your trust is broken. obamaunately, president has broken that bond with the american people and they no longer can trust his word. it seems like every week there is another broken promise i this administration about obamacare. about -- as a candidate for president, senator barack obama's from his to sign a health care law that