Hearing of the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs on the Nominations of Erroll Southers to be Assistant Secretary, Department of Homeland Security, and Daniel I. Gordon to be Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Manag

Statement

Hearing of the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs on the Nominations of Erroll Southers to be Assistant Secretary, Department of Homeland Security, and Daniel I. Gordon to be Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management

Statement Of Senator Paul G. Kirk, Jr. On President Obama's Nominations To Head The Transportation Security Administration And Federal Procurement Policy In The Office Of Management And Budget

As Prepared for Delivery

Mr. Chairman, I commend you for calling this hearing today to consider the nominations of Erroll Southers to be Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security and chief of the Transportation Security Administration, and Daniel Gordon to be the Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy at the Office of Management and Budget.

Mr. Southers has a distinguished record in public safety and transportation security. He currently serves as Assistant Chief of Homeland Security for the police department at Los Angeles International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world.

The Transportation Security Administration is most often associated with aviation security, but it actually has a broader mandate that spans many modes of transportation. In the Northeast, we have a heavy concentration of rail, ports, and highways along with our airports, so I look forward to hearing from Mr. Southers about how he will prioritize TSA's mission of providing greater security for Americans in all the ways that we travel.

It's also important for the new Assistant Secretary to work closely with the agency's frontline employees. These men and women are the first line of defense for millions of travelers each year. Clear lines of communication between the Administrator's office and Transportation Security Officers will go far to improve the agency's effectiveness and morale.

With respect to Mr. Gordon, his record seems extraordinarily well suited for the position of head of Procurement Policy for the Executive Branch. I'm especially pleased by the nominee's commitment to implementing the President's March 4th memorandum on government contracting reform. As the memorandum stated, "the line between inherently governmental activities that should not be outsourced and commercial activities that may be subject to private sector competition has been blurred and inadequately defined." Providing clear guidance to agencies on this issue must be a high priority for the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, and I look forward to the nominee's views on how he would do so.

I'll also be interested to hear the nominee's ideas for making federal contracts more open and accessible to small-businesses. A leader in the small business community in Massachusetts tells me that "the record has been pretty dismal" when it comes to their ability to compete for federal contracts. It's important that small companies willing and able to meet the government's contracting needs are given a fair opportunity to do so.

Again, I commend the Chair for holding this hearing, and I look forward to the testimony of our witnesses.

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