my amendment protects foia from po litcyization at d.h.s. it prohibits them from improper lir blocking the release of foia documents. it allows them to be aware of foia requests and documents proposed to be released but prevents them interfering with the public's legal right to know. i ask for your support an yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from alabama rise? mr. aderholt: rise to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. aderholt: i thank the gentleman from -- i think the gentleman from michigan makes some good points and therefore, we are prepared to accept this amendment. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from north carolina. mr. price: i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. price: i rise to oppose this amendment. i want to deal just for a moment though with some of the accusations that have surrounded this proposal and others like it. the accusation that homeland secu

property, facilities, supply, transportation, mail services, diplomatic pouches, library services, foia, privacy act printing, all, a whole bundle of different duties. it's hard for me to see there where the assistant secretary of acquisition who's designated as your chief acquisition officer can have as his primary duty the management of a $7 billion acquisition program. can you respond to that? >> yes, sir. i think that if you had asked me that question in a previous life, i might have said you're correct. i think, though, that it is really a question of can the officer involved, the assistant secretary of administration, count on a professional staff that is sufficient to handle $7-$8 billion of material as you said. in 2007, shortly after i came back to the state department, i reviewed this matter and decided that we were not doing a sufficiently good job because we did not have the number of personnel assigned to the acquisitions office to keep up with the volume. we'd gone from about two billion of contracting to almost eight. >> okay. >> with nearly no staff. i changed the operat

property, facilities, supply, transportation, mail services, diplomatic pouches, library services, foia, privacy act printing. it will bundle of different duties. it is hard for me to see where the assistant secretary for acquisition, who is designated as your chief of position officer, can have as his primary duty the management of a $7 billion acquisition program. can you respond to that? >> yes, sir. i think, if you have asked me that question in a previous life i might have said you are correct. i think, though, it is really a question of candy officer of involved, the assistant secretary of administration, he counts on a professional staff that is sufficient to handle $7 billion to $8 billion of material, as you said. in 2007, shortly after i came back to the state department, i reviewed this matter and decided we were not doing sufficiently good job because we did not have the number of personnel assigned to the acquisition office to keep up with the volume. we had gone from about $2 billion of contract into almost a billion dollars with a nearly no staff. i changed in the operati