Homeland Security Appropriations: Opening Statement
Thursday, April 03, 2008

Thank you Mr. Chairman, and welcome to Director Sullivan. You come before us today at an interesting time in the Secret Service’s history—a time when your agency is being tested in both of its missions of protection and investigations.

Every four years, the Secret Service endures the challenges of a presidential campaign—and today, the men and women of our nation’s oldest Federal law enforcement agency are right in the thick of a protracted Presidential contest, one that is proving to be as dynamic as it is challenging. In fact, just this past week, the Secret Service surpassed 400 protective days at over 1,000 events in support of the campaign—quite a pace, by anyone’s estimation.

This campaign comes at a time of continuously evolving threats to not only your agency’s current protectees, but also to our Nation’s financial infrastructure. Our monetary systems are now intertwined with cyberspace and this is an arena rampant with derelict and criminal behavior—activity that your agency must investigate and do all it can to eradicate. I’m interested to hear how your agency, with its impressive cyber-crime forensics and intrusion detection capabilities, is assisting other government agencies and the private sector to deter and undermine cyber threats; and, in particular, I’d like to know how Secret Service does or does not fit inside DHS’s latest cyber security efforts that we’ve recently learned about.

So, once again the Secret Service finds itself needing to adapt its resources to meet the demands of its dual mission. Once again, the Secret Service is striving to find that elusive balance between protection and investigations.

But, what is different today is the persistent work this Subcommittee has done over the last few years to install the needed resources, staff, and planning requirements to help the Secret Service weather this storm.

Considering the difficulties you all encounter in budgeting for events that are as demanding and unpredictable as a Presidential campaign, I trust you are gathering first-hand data of actual expenses and impacts upon investigations from what is only the second Presidential race since 9/11.

It is this empirical data that I hope we can learn more about today as we discuss your request for FY 09 and how it will move your agency forward.

Director Sullivan, we are all well aware of the challenges facing the Secret Service; and, I believe you are well aware of our Subcommittee’s expectations. You have our trust and support, and I look forward to your testimony.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.