mica, mr. duncan. it is, both of them made some very good points that i would just like to elaborate on a little bit. this is -- i call our coast guard, our thin blue line at sea. i think that when we saw the oil spill situation, we realized that they are indeed our coast guard. they are guarding our coast. and mr. mica was absolutely right. i think that sometimes those that are performing some of the most important tasks are unseen, unnoticed, unappreciated, and unapplauded in the words of greek thee low begans. but they do the most important things. and this is a wake-up call i think to our nation when we see something like our oil spill of how important the coast guard academy is in training young folks to go out there and be leaders, but it is also a lesson to our nation to give the united states coast guard the priority that it gives the other armed service entities. it is very, very important. i know as i travel around the country and every time i go into a port where the coast guard is stationed

>> congressman mica, with respect to the budget that has been submitted to mms. if you look at the ten-year history of the budget. there had been erosion within the department of interior mms as well as with all -- >> with -- >> let me just finish, with respect to the other agencies in the interior including mms, a very significant erosion after we came onboard. you will note that the inspectors that are set forth in the budget for mms are a significant increase from what had been there in the past. the question that was appropriate for this committee and for the congress is that number sufficient and in our view it is not. we have to have additional capacity. all i can go by the budget asked is is if you were there when the decision was made to cut the environmental review activities which also reviewed permits and then the next thing is this is february, it came out. in march did you participate in the decision to expand drilling in the gulf and other areas? >> the -- >> were you consulted? is there any documentation? >> not that i was consulted. it was my deci

>> congressman mica, with respect to the budget that has been submitted to mms. if you look at the ten-year history of the budget. there had been erosion within the department of interior mms as well as with all -- >> with -- >> let me just finish, with respect to the other agencies in the interior including mms, a very significant erosion after we came onboard. you will note that the inspectors that are set forth in the budget for mms are a significant increase from what had been there in the past. the question that was appropriate for this committee and for the congress is that number sufficient and in our view it is not. we have to have additional capacity. all i can go by the budget asked is is if you were there when the decision was made to cut the environmental review activities which also reviewed permits and then the next thing is this is february, it came out. in march did you participate in the decision to expand drilling in the gulf and other areas? >> the -- >> were you consulted? is there any documentation? >> not that i was consulted. it was my deci

>> congressman mica, with respect to the budget that ha been submitted to mms. if you look at the ten-year history of the budget. there had been erosion within the department of interior mms as well as with all -- >> with -- >> let me just finish, with respect to the other agencies in the interior including mms, a very snificant erosion after we came onboard. you will note that the inspectors that are set forth in the budget for mms are a significant increase from what habeen there in the past. the question that was appropriate for this committee and for the congress is that number sufficient and in our view it is not. we have to have additional capacity. all i can go by the budget asked is is if you were there when the decision was made to cut the environmental review activities which also reviewed permits and then the next thing is this is february, it came out. in march did you participate in the decision to expand drilling in the gulf and other areas? >> the -- >> were you consulted? is there any documentation? >> not that i was consulted. it was my decision

first i am a physician and in mica rear of caring for patients for over 30 years, cared for many patients with hiv/aids. in fact i was chief resident of boston city hospital 30 years ago when the first cases were being described so to watch this progression has been extraordinary for me on a personal level. secondly i'm a former state health commissioner so i got to oversee hiv/aids efforts in massachusetts and it is great to see many of my colleagues here today. now is the assistant secretary for health it is a great privilege to work with you to move forward and build better systems of care and prevention and insure all americans truly achieve their highest attainable standard of health. as you have heard from my colleagues, this plan stresses several themes to put our resources where the epidemic is hitting the hardest, to put out strategies where they will get the best results and to put evidence-based science first so those are our themes moving forward. over the next 150 days we have a lot of work to do and it is my great privilege to work with all of you in the department under the

what does the lord require of thee but to do justice, love her mercy and walk humbly with thy god, mica 6:8. another inscription in the lawmakers' library preserves the acknowledgment that all nature reflects the order and buethoif creator. the heavens declare the glor of of god, psalm 19:1. thunder estatue of history tennieson's prophetic lines, one god, one law, one element, and one far off divine event to which the whole creation moves. additional proof that american national life is god-centered comes from this library of congress inscription, quote, the light shine eth and the -- in the darkness and the darkness comprehend eth it not. on the east hall of the library of congress an anonymous inscription assures all americans they do not work alone, for a web begun god sends thread. i realize my time is expiring this moment there is much, much more in this wonderful speech by the now late senator robert byrd and i will not stop in the future sessions here on the floor until i have finished this wonderful speech by robert byrd. for tonight, since i believe in playing by the rules, the

first i am a physician and in mica rear of caring for patients for over 30 years, cared for many patients hiv/aids. in fact i was chief resident of boston city hospital 30 years ago when the first cases were being described so to watch this progression has been extraordinary for me on a personal level. secondly i'm a former state health commissioner so i got to oversee hiv/aids efforts in massachusetts and it is great to see many of my colleagues here today. now is the assistant secretary for health it is a great privilege to work with you to move forward and build better systems of care and prevention and insure all americans truly achieve their highest attainable standard of health. as you have heard from my colleagues, this plan stresses several themes to put our resources where the epidemic is hitting the hardest, to put out strategies where they will get the best results and to put evidence-based science first so those are our themes moving forward. over the next 150 days we have a lot of work to do and it is my great privilege to work with all of you in the department under the dire