police are not taking enough advantage of -- local police have access to classified information more than they did, but it is my understanding that they are not taking advantage of that the way they can. is there something that we can do to help those numbers, to make it easier for them or to encourage them to get more of that information? >> i do not know other than just encouraging them. i am urging all leadership of agencies to participate in our task forces, to at least get the secret level clearance so that if you need to, you can see things very, very quickly, and we are getting there. people are coming around. people are very, very busy, and they also know that there are offices that are cleared and are seeing everything, so i think that removes some of the sense of urgency, but we want to encourage that more and more. like i just want to follow-up. for your thank you meeting in our shared interest in information sharing with local and state officials. i'm just tried to reinforce the fact that even though i think your only the seventh director,

there will be a time when all of us go from our different positions, and the importance of having things in writing whether it is a memorandum, understanding, or something that transcends that administration, what progress we are making in terms of having something in writing in that regard in terms of information sharing. >> i think that makes good sense. in eight years and 51 weeks, i will be leaving this job, and i would like to make sure that it does not depend upon people but that the processes are documented. >> thank you. and i think director olsen wanted to comment. answer tor comey's your question but unclassified information in state and local, together with the fbi and dhs, we have the joint counterterrorism assessment team in which we bring state and local police ulcers and firefighters to the national counterterrorism center where they have access to all of the most classified information on a basis of detail, one year, two years.

they then help us design products that are classified and turn those into unclassified products, again working through dhs and fbi and their channels of communication with those communities so that we can get what we are seeing at the classified, national level and turn it into information that is usable by police ulcers on the street and firefighters around the country, and it has been a very successful program over the last several years. the believe that is first-line of defense, and i appreciate your efforts in making that easy to get. back, mr. chairman. >> thank you. the chair recognizes mr. perry. >> thank you, gentlemen. thank you for your service to the nation. you have a difficult job. it is a privilege being here with you today. all of my questions i hope you would answer certainly, but i want to knowledge i recognize the confines of operational security. still within whatever ability answer the questions -- mr. secretary, what are the department's mechanisms

in place that would prevent known american and european citizens fighting for terrorist in syria ands iraq from entering or reentering the homeland? , weirst of all, congressman have our no-fly list. that is the first thing that comes to mind. second, general aviation security, though unless you are carrying something suspicious, aviation security in itself would not pick you up. data, the more i can learn about passengers the better. from visa waiver countries, passengers are required to answer questions on electronic system for travel authorization called esta. a condition and participation in the visa waiver program security assurances that each nation is required under spd6, whichl h

requires th assurances from visa waiver countries. and we have information from the national security intelligence communities within each of these , and so withents the current threat stream, the current environment, i think we all agree that we need to be particularly focused, particularly engaged in making sure that these mechanisms work appropriately. >> i have never been in law enforcement, so i defer to you folks. from what i hear it seems somewhat passive. i do not mean to degrade its ability or capability. it seems somewhat passive asking a passenger to disclose information that is vital when to us in securing a nation when their motives might be otherwise

seems less than optimal. i'm looking at whether you have something new that you could divulgeing to d and whether you have something new we should looking at. >> i want to defer to director olsen on this, but we cannot prevent them from entering the country. or if they are not on the no-fly list they can have secondary screening. which is more than just answering question. it gives us an opportunity to provide enhanced scrutiny on an individual before they get on an airplane. director olsen, go ahead. >> exactly is secretary johnson said there is a number of , opportunities and layers of scrutiny for anyone traveling to the united states. arriving at the border is only one point in time. before they ever arrive here, there are opportunities to do that, and one of the changes from the 9/11 commission 13 years ago is to create

a single, consolidated database of known suspected terrorists. it would consolidate across the border of every known suspected terrorists we have information about. that turns into an unclassified watchlist and a number of other agencies that have a screening possibility. the no-fly list is one example. everyone who applied for a visa and everyone who seeks to travel ,ere from a visa waiver country their information is screened against that database, so when they put their name in, that information is not checked to see if they are on the watchlist. there is additional screening or they are stopped from entering the country. >> understand. i am not here to be critical. i am just curious.

suspected isis social media account have called for where operations where they raise awareness for entry into mexico as a viable option. based on even some of your testimony that says we have weak immigration laws and the fact that we use daca, do you think we should be concerned they would use this propaganda to breach the southern border and use that as an operational tool? should americans be concerned about that possibility based on everything you know and our posture today? >> we need to be aware of all the ways someone can enter this country for the purpose of carrying out a terrorist attack. it is our overriding priority to prevent that from happening. we need to allocate our resources based on the information we have and where we see a threat. at this point we have seen some

social media in small numbers. we have seen nothing to indicate there is real effort to use the southwest border to get into the country. >> think you. thank you. thank you, mr. chairman. >> the chair now recognizes mrs. clark. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. i want to a plot all of your efforts to keep the american people safe and secure. i think all of my colleagues that stated, but i wanted to emphasize that since 9/11 we have progressed and set up an infrastructure that has kept our nation they've from foreign terrorist attack. i want to wish you continued

success. i want to talk about cyber security. in particular for the workforce. i know federal and state law enforcement has challenges in having investigators and prosecutors. we know that the pool of qualified candidates are limited because individuals involved in investigating cyber crime are highly trained specialist with technical skills. once an examiner specializes in cyber crime it takes up to 12 months for the individual to become proficient in the use of those skills. add to that the competitiveness of the arena, competing with the private sector.

when we know it is a challenge to recruit, retain them from private sector competing, and trained them with changing technology and increasingly sophisticated techniques. how are you dealing with manpower issue within the agency? while we are not necessarily seeing the nexus between advanced terrorist activity through the use of the internet, i can envision it feeds money into these enterprises. i'm sure you can as well. as creative as we can be in our minds, they, too, can be creative. would you share your thoughts?

>> i will start with that. i agree that cyber talent is critical to our efforts. i have engaged in recruitment effort and have encouraged young people in graduate schools in the cyber corridor to consider a career or at least a short time before they go into the private sector working for dhs to serve or the fbi or someplace else to serve their country. there is a lot that can get them serving even for a short time. congress can help us with this. there is an effort to enhance my cyber hiring capability. now hoping with other pending legislation in cyber that congress will act on that.

i need help attracting cyber talent. >> what about the issue of retention? are you finding that people ebbed -- i mean, is it an and a flow? how do we maintain -- >> i just lost a member of my team to citigroup. so yes there is an issue of , retention. the financial sector are has more capability to offer attractive packages. even though everybody knows it is cool working for the fbi. [laughter] >> did anybody want to add to that? >> i do not want senator johnson secretary johnson to know my tricks because i'm competing for a same talent, but he figured it out. it is much cooler to work for the fbi. >> i was joking. i saw that on c-span. [laughter]

>> i oversee security before going to government. i used to recruit from that side for talent. the amount of young folks for talent we cannot compete with. but i believe we can compete on the nature of our mission. you are not going to make much of a living doing what we do. but what i say to young people -- you are going to make a life unlike any other because you are going to be saving lives. that is what we do for a living. it is a different place to think about -- is a different way to think about work, but it is a place we can and should compete. >> the chair recognizes mr. sanford. >> thank you, mr. chairman, and again thanks to each one of you for coming and testify before the committee. in the hearings about threats to the homeland, we are going to take a fairly significant vote. i would be curious to year each one of your perspectives to what

you regard to be the biggest deficiency on what to vote for today. >> i would say that the plan the president has put forward to deal with isil is a strong plan in many respects. we've got to work with an international coalition. we have got to work to support the iraqi government and we have got to take the fight directly to isil. i think it is incumbent upon congress to act upon the authorities we requested. the president has said we cannot expect to deal with this threat overnight, and it is going to take an enduring sustained effort. i hope congress will support our efforts in that regard. >> mai tai and are jacked their -- might i interject there?

i continue to be impressed with your skills. as a former lawyer what i asked , is the biggest deficiency. >> i would refer you to the state department and defense department, congressman. i believe our plan is a strong one for defeating isil. pass.is a does anyone want to take a crack at the apple? >> i don't think that is the thing i can or should comment on. >> ok, so three passes. the study of war talked about how is it you impact your enemies center of gravity. many people have argued though it is doing something, we are not at the end of the day

impacting the enemy and they are center of gravity and their ability to do harm to the united states. if you could pick one thing, that would impact terrorism in the united states or around the world, what do you think would be their primary weakness, the center of gravity that would impact the outcome? >> congressman, let me answer this way from my dhs and department of defense experience. i think it is important that we not enable the enemy to recruit faster than we can capture or kill the enemy. and particularly when it comes to the homeland. along with the efforts of our military and our partners overseas to take the fight directly to isil, there has to be an effort in engaging

potential extremist threats here at home, countering their social media. as has been pointed out by many members of this committee, these groups in the current age are propaganda at , recruitment, without having to recruit someone or indoctrinate them in a terrorist camp. i am focusing on countering violent extremism at home. together we are focused on counteracting the literature and propaganda, the notion isil is an islamic state. which is false. it is not a states, and it is not islamic. it is a group of murderers and kidnappers who commit genocide. they are depraved individuals who have captured world

attention. it has got to be a comprehensive effort that involves multiple agencies. >> i see that i am down to 30 seconds, so let me get to my last question. given what some of the testimony with regard to this recurring theme with roughly 50% operational control on the southern border, why not simply build a fence? i would be curious to hear your quick thoughts, yes or no, why not simply build a fence? >> would you like me to start? >> he is going to get a pass so i can pitch it back to him. congressmanall, what we do on the southern , border depends in large part on the resources congress is willing to give us. >> absent the resource question,

what would be your recommendation -- why not simply build a fence? >> my recommendation is the most effective, efficient use of our resources is a risk-based strategy. i do not believe building a wall along the entire southwest border is an appropriate use of tax dollars. if i build a 15-foot wall, someone is going to build a 16 -foot ladder. we have the technology, and we need more. >> they might build a 16-foot wall, but it would not allow school-aged children to walk up to officers and hand themselves over. >> the situation we faced this summer was one where many of these kids wanted to get caught. when you are dealing with that kind of situation, it's important to demonstrate that if

you come here, you will be apprehended and we will send you back. we are sending people back to occur. public message campaign about the hazards of doing that, but again when we go , down that road, we need a partner in congress. i didn't get one this number. i asked for money to help pay for our efforts to step up order our border security, and we didn't get help. >> i have many thoughts on that. birther mye entirely time, mr. chairman. to be continued. >> thank you, sir. the chair recognizes mr. richman. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you to the witnesses, who play a great role in protecting. in area i represent louisiana. i have heard it said before cyber security and homegrown terrorists are what keeps us up at night.

and it was mentioned that especially with the homegrown terrorists, cyber security could be somebody sitting in their basement on the computer trying to wreak havoc. so we know it they do, secretary johnson, in terms of our chemical facilities and making sure that they are equipped to deal with those kinds of things. in louisiana we have shipping companies and ports. that handles at its peak over 1.2 million barrels of oil a day. it is responsible for probably 50% of oil getting to refineries in louisiana. how confident are we are communicating enough with state police, local police, wildlife officials, and other departments to make sure our facilities are offshore and that our facilities that connect our cover? -- are

covered? also embedded in that question to make sure intelligence , sharing is there and state and local police have done what they need to do to have clearance? >> going back to what director comey said, i would welcome the opportunity to be able to share more with state and local partners. in terms of classified information, once they have a security clearance and background check, i think it is in our interest to do that. i have been impressed with the level of participation we get from state and local law enforcement. i think in some areas of the country the relationships are better than in others. i have also visited a number of ports.

i have been to the coast guard station in new orleans. i do not know that i have been to the commercial port there, but i have been to a number of ports. i have been impressed with our cooperation with local authorities. we can do a better job. port authority is one of my jobs while in office. >> you talked about resources. in response to the question for my colleague, mr. sanford, what resources do you think we can provide local government to help with homeland security? i know you have offered license plate scanners, and they can apply for grants, but in a city like new orleans that brings in 9 million visitors a year, hosts super bowl's, mardi gras,

those kinds of things outside of , just the area like the ports, assets like that could be very valuable. the question becomes what do you think the role of the federal government is to assist state police and local police departments and getting the equipment that would make the country more safe, especially when you have events that have millions of people in town at the same time. >> the printable means is our grantmaking activity, and through our grants we fund a number of different programs, training, the ability to provide equipment for homeland security. grants as they present will means by which we should do that.

i want to make sure we have our formula is correct. i want to make sure our grant making around the country is at appropriate levels. >> i will ask you a question. to the extent your intelligence sharing and effectiveness also goes hand in hand with the ability and competence of local police departments, you do a great job with what you do, you cannot be successful if the local police department's are not focused and competent and doing what they do. do you have a mechanism to let members of congress know that the police department is lacking in areas that could make the community unsafe? i think members of congress would take great interest when they make sure the police departments in their areas are focused on it.

we may need to give them an extra push. can you provide that information, and do you see cases of that? >> i think that is a good question, on was meant. congressman. i don't know the answer. and away we don't focus on that. when we see a problem we try to work on it. the answer is i don't think so. >> i agree with director comey on on that point. i am not sure i have seen an actual mechanism. we try to sfix those problems when we see them in the field. we work through dhs and the outreach we have with state and local law enforcement. i agree that it is our first line of defense against any sort of particularly homegrown attack. >> thank you for your questions, and i would just say that if you

see any of my law enforcement chiefs, if they do not get it, please let me know they don't get it. thank you, mr. chairman. witnessesto thank the for being here today. mr. secretary, thank you for being here and thank you for your outreach to this committee. matt, we wish you well in your future endeavors, and i know we will be talking about that personally. i think itr comey, speaks volumes your presence beingoday of a new era ushered in with the fbi, dhs, and state and locals coordinating and working together, which is the best formula. which actually does sort of a into demise what they were founded to do in the first place. i thank your leadership, i cannot tell you how much i appreciate it.

members may have additional questions in writing. with that, this hearing stands adjourned. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] >> next, live, your calls and comments on "washington journal withen "newsmakers"

virginia commerce bancorp goodlatte. then, nancy pelosi talks about the state of bipartisanship in washington. >> the 2015 c-span student cam video, titian is underway, open to all middle and high school students to create a five-minute minute to seven minute documentary on the theme the three branches and you, showing how a policy, law, or action by the executive, legislate of, or judicial branch of the federal government has affected you or your community. 200 cash prizes for students and teachers totaling $100,000. for a list of rules and how to get started, go to studentcam.org. >> this one in, thomas lippman of the middle east institute talks about the coalition of arab states to fight against isis. then bloomberg news reporter alex wayne talks about the cdc and the impact of the affordable care act on reducing the number of uninsured americans. later, we will talk with local reporters about some of the midterm elections in arkansas,

pennsylvania, and kentucky. as always, we will take your calls and you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter. "washington journal" is next. ♪ least one member of congress is questioning the leadership of the secret service after two sicker the breaches occurred at the white house. a man jumped over and mated to the front door of the portico of the white house. yesterday a driver attempted to get onto the grounds of the vehicle screening area. the events are going to "inspire" more security breaches, according to some. the obama administration last week launched a new effort looking at racial bias and how it affects mobile law enforcement. this