Washington, D.C. – Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) chaired a hearing of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee today to discuss the fiscal year 2005 budget needs for border and transportation security. Asa Hutchinson, Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security, Department of Homeland Security, testified before the panel.

Senator Cochran questioned the witness about border crossing cards, the status of the U.S. Visit pilot programs, and funding for the integration of Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigations automated fingerprint identification systems. The Senator also asked about trade enforcement, specifically the new tariff codes on Vietnamese catfish imports, which greatly affects the catfish industry in Mississippi. He expressed concern about the level of funding requested for federal air marshals and asked about the status of the private screener pilot program being conducted at five U.S. airports including the Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Mississippi to determine if more U.S. airports will apply to opt-out of using federal screeners and use private screeners instead.

Some of Senator Cochran's Q&A with the witness will be available after 3:00 p.m. (Eastern) on the Senator's voicemail news line and on the Senator's web site at www.senate.gov/~cochran . You may record these statements as needed for newscasts or news stories.

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