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Senator Joe Lieberman:
Senator Dan Akaka
and Senator George Voinovich
have done extraordinary work,
in the subcommittee
of our committee that they lead,
on a lot of the questions
that are before us on this list.
And the've particularly done
well, really great unsung work
in pursuit of better human
capital management
of the federal government.
So I'm happy to call
on Senator Akaka now
and to tell him,
"you look mighty good, Dan".
Senator Dan Akaka:
Thank you so much, Joe.
Thank you very much,
Mr. Chairman.
I'm delighted to be here
and to be part of a new movement
in the United States of America.
And you've heard from folks here
about that movement.
And it's coming strong,
as you know, here.
And you've heard all
of them speak.
And I'd like to add a little
more about what we're doing
in our subcommittee.
But I first want
to thank Gene Dodaro
and his staff at GAO
for the work to identify
and track high-risk programs.
Their reports, without question,
have been invaluable to us
and what we've been trying
to do here in the Senate.
And it has been a tool
for the work
of our subcommittee.
GAO's new report shows
that much still needs to be done
to improve management
of federal programs,
in particular in the Department
of Homeland Security.
One important step will be
to empower the Under Secretary
for Management
with the authority and resources
to promote management reform
at DHS.
Having someone solely
responsible
for implementing reforms would
really help
to move the process along.
Strategic human capital
management remains
on the high-risk list.
The federal government should be
an employer of choice,
and I am committed to working
with OPM to improve the
hiring process.
I'm especially proud of the work
that Senator Voinovich
and I have done
on security clearance reform.
Although challenges remain,
I am pleased
with the significant progress
that OMB, DOD, and OPM have made
in speeding the process
for clearances.
As chairman
of the Veteran's Affairs'
Committee, I am concerned
about the management
of federal disability programs,
which remains
on the high-risk list.
While I am pleased some progress
has been made,
the VA disability compensation
program is one that we need
to modernize.
One new addition
to this year's report is
that the U.S. financial
regulatory system is outdated
and in need
of significant reform,
and I'm committed
to increasing oversight
so the nation will not
experience another financial
crisis like this in the future.
I want to recognize the progress
made by the Federal
Aviation Administration.
The removal
of this high-risk area,
like the Postal Service's two
years ago, is a great example
of progress possible
through cooperative effort
and rigorous oversight.
I look forward
to continuing this strong
relationship
with our committees,
and the leadership
of Senator Lieberman
and Senator Collins,
and with my friend
and ranking member,
Senator Voinovich, and with GAO,
in reducing waste, fraud,
and abuse in federal government.
Thank you very much.
Senator Lieberman:
Thank you, Dan.