Hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee - Business Meeting, March 4, 2015

Hearing

As prepared for delivery:

Good morning. This is the first markup of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in the 114th Congress.

I am pleased that the agenda for today's business meeting is substantive. Each of the bills satisfies one of the goals that Ranking Member Carper and I have laid out for this Committee, including creating a more efficient government, reducing waste, fraud and abuse, and promoting the economic and national security of Americans.

Additionally, Ranking Member Carper and I place a very high value on bipartisan work, and this agenda reflects that. One of the bipartisan bills on today's agenda is a bill Senator Grassley, Senator McCaskill and I introduced that makes some important changes to the Inspector General Act. S. 579, the Inspectors General Empowerment Act of 2015, gives greater independence and more tools to our federal watchdogs, and ensures they have what they need to do their work well. Inspectors General have waited long enough for these reforms. I look forward to reporting this bill and many others today for full Senate consideration.

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