S. Hrg. 111–979 

NOMINATION OF JANE HOLL LUTE 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON 

HOMELAND SECURITY AND 

GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS 

UNITED STATES SENATE 

OF THE

ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

NOMINATION OF JANE HOLL LUTE TO BE DEPUTY SECRETARY, U.S. 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 

MARCH 26, 2009 

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.fdsys.gov 

Printed for the use of the 

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

( 

NOMINATION OF JANE HOLL LUTE—2009 

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office

Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800

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50–383 PDF 2011

S. Hrg. 111–979 

NOMINATION OF JANE HOLL LUTE 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON 

HOMELAND SECURITY AND 

GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS 

UNITED STATES SENATE 

OF THE

ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

NOMINATION OF JANE HOLL LUTE TO BE DEPUTY SECRETARY, U.S. 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 

MARCH 26, 2009 

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.fdsys.gov 

Printed for the use of the 

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

( 

(II) 

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS 

JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN, Connecticut, Chairman 

CARL LEVIN, Michigan 

DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii 

THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware 

MARK L. PRYOR, Arkansas 

MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana 

CLAIRE MCCASKILL, Missouri 

JON TESTER, Montana 

ROLAND W. BURRIS, Illinois 

MICHAEL F. BENNET, Colorado 

SUSAN M. COLLINS, Maine 

TOM COBURN, Oklahoma 

JOHN MCCAIN, Arizona 

GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, Ohio 

JOHN ENSIGN, Nevada 

LINDSEY GRAHAM, South Carolina 

MICHAEL L. ALEXANDER, Staff Director 

KRISTINE V. LAM, Professional Staff Member 

JASON M. YANUSSI, Professional Staff Member 

BRANDON L. MILHORN, Minority Staff Director and Chief Counsel 

JENNIFER L. TARR, Minority Counsel 

ERIC B. CHO, Minority GSA Detailee 

TRINA DRIESSNACK TYRER, Chief Clerk 

PATRICIA R. HOGAN, Publications Clerk and GPO Detailee 

LAURA W. KILBRIDE, Hearing Clerk 

(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

Opening statements: Page 

Senator Lieberman ........................................................................................... 1 

Senator Collins ................................................................................................. 3 

Senator Akaka .................................................................................................. 14 

Senator Coburn ................................................................................................. 17 

Senator Voinovich ............................................................................................. 19 

Senator Burris .................................................................................................. 21 

Senator Landrieu .............................................................................................. 23 

WITNESSES 

THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2009 

Hon. Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor, City of New York, New York ..................... 5 

Jane Holl Lute to be Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security ......................................................................................................................... 7

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF WITNESSES

Bloomberg, Hon. Michael R.: 

Testimony .......................................................................................................... 5 

Lute, Jane Holl: 

Testimony .......................................................................................................... 7 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 39 

Biographical and financial information .......................................................... 43 

Responses to pre-hearing questions ................................................................ 58 

Responses to pre-hearing questions for the Record from: 

Senator Collins .............................................................................................. 165 

Senator Coburn ............................................................................................. 179 

Letter from the Office of Government Ethics ................................................. 194 

Responses to post-hearing questions for the Record from: 

Senator Collins with an attachment ........................................................... 195 

Senator Coburn with attachments .............................................................. 229 

Senator Voinovich with an attachment ....................................................... 339 

Senator Graham ............................................................................................ 428 

APPENDIX 

Letters of Support from: 

Robert M. Appleton, Former Chairman, United Nations Procurement 

Task Force ..................................................................................................... 430 

Leroy D. Baca, Sheriff, County of Los Angeles, California ........................... 432 

Christopher B. Burnham, Former Under Secretary-General of the United 

Nations and Former Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary 

of State ........................................................................................................... 434 

Lee H. Hamilton, President and Director, Woodrow Wilson International 

Center for Scholars ....................................................................................... 436 

Chief Larry J. Grorud, President, International Association of Fire 

Chiefs ............................................................................................................. 437 

Robert L. Davis, Chief of Police, San Jose, California, and Vice President, 

Major Cities Chiefs Association ................................................................... 438 

Susan McLurg, Chairman, United Nations Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions ....................................................... 439 

David A. Goad, Sheriff and President, and Aaron D. Kennard, Executive 

Director, National Sheriffs’ Association ...................................................... 441 

Page

IV 

Letters of Support from—Continued 

Nancy J. Dragani, President, National Emergency Management Association ................................................................................................................. 443 

HRH Prince Zeid Raad Al Hussein, Ambassador of Jordan ......................... 444 

Jasmine Whitbread, Chief Executive, Save the Children UK ...................... 446 

Mary Fetchet, Founding Director, and Frank Fetchet, Director, Voices 

of September 11th ......................................................................................... 448 

OIOS reports submitted for the Record by Senator Coburn ................................ 449 

(1) 

NOMINATION OF JANE HOLL LUTE 

THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2009 

U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY

AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS, Washington, DC. 

The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:05 a.m., in room 

SD–342, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Joseph I. Lieberman, Chairman of the Committee, presiding. 

Present: Senators Lieberman, Akaka, Landrieu, Burris, Collins, 

Coburn, and Voinovich. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN LIEBERMAN 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Good morning and welcome to the nomination hearing of Jane Holl Lute to be Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). We welcome you, Ms. Lute, 

and there is a familiar looking gentleman behind you in uniform. 

I know your husband, General Doug Lute. The two of you have 

really given extraordinary service to our country, and I thank you 

both very much for that. I am also glad to welcome the other people who are behind you and here to support you. 

You have extraordinary credentials, really a remarkable professional history and very broad national security and management 

experience. It is really hard to imagine somebody, in my opinion, 

better suited to become Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security 

than you are based on the range of experiences you have had. 

You have earned five degrees, including a Ph.D. and a law degree. You have had a distinguished career in the military, served 

as the European specialist at the National Security Council during 

the first Bush and Clinton Administrations, and spent 3 years as 

a professor at West Point. That is quite a record. 

As Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations (U.N.) for 

the past several years, you have managed a large and complex 

Peacekeeping force with responsibility for hundreds of thousands of 

military and civilian personnel in over 30 countries, including real 

hot spots, trouble spots, such as Kosovo, the Congo, and Darfur. 

This was no small accomplishment. Your leadership has helped to 

ensure the security and welfare of countless people around the 

globe. 

Managing the Department of Homeland Security, as you well 

know, is also a demanding job which requires a strong, steady, and 

smart hand, heart, and head. The Deputy Secretary position carries with it diverse responsibilities, ranging from overseeing efforts 

to prevent and, if necessary, respond to a weapon of mass destrucVerDate Nov 24 2008 09:01 Jun 13, 2011 Jkt 050383 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 P:\DOCS\50383.TXT SAFFAIRS PsN: PAT
2 

tion (WMD) attack to ensuring on an entirely different level that 

the employees of this Department have adequate office space in 

which to serve our country. 

As you know, the Department of Homeland Security has worked 

hard, sometimes struggled, to gain solid footing over the course of 

its short life. But I believe, and I am happy to note, that each year, 

it has become stronger, and I do not think there is any question 

that the country is safer as a result of the Department’s efforts. 

But the Department is still not where we want and need it to be, 

and I am confident that your leadership will help us get there. 

I am going to ask that the rest of my remarks be put in the 

record as if read and call now on our distinguished Ranking Member, Senator Collins. 

[The prepared statement of Chairman Lieberman follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF SENATOR LIEBERMAN 

Good morning and welcome to the nomination hearing of Jane Holl Lute to be 

Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Welcome, Mrs. Lute. 

We’re happy to have you before us today. 

Mrs. Lute, you have outstanding credentials, a remarkable professional history, 

and broad national security and management experience, all of which is more than 

ample training for the position to which you have been nominated. 

You have earned five educational degrees—including a Ph.D. and a law degree— 

have had a distinguished career in the military, served as the European specialist 

at the National Security Council during the first Bush and Clinton Administrations, 

and spent 3 years as a professor at West Point. 

As Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations for the past several years, 

you have managed a large and complex Peacekeeping workforce, with responsibility 

for hundreds of thousands of military and civilian personnel in over 30 countries, 

including hotspots such as Kosovo, the Congo, and Darfur, to name just a few. This 

was no small accomplishment. Your leadership has helped to ensure the security 

and welfare of people around the globe living in unaccommodating and hostile circumstances. 

Managing the Department of Homeland Security is also a demanding job, which, 

much like the U.N., requires a smart and steady hand. The Deputy Secretary post 

carries with it diverse responsibilities that range from overseeing preparations to 

respond to a nuclear terrorist attack to ensuring that DHS employees have adequate 

office space. 

As you know, the Department of Homeland Security has struggled to gain solid 

footing over the course of its short life. Each year it becomes stronger, I am happy 

to note. And I do not think there is any question that the country is safer as a result 

of the Department’s efforts. 

But the Department has a difficult and varied mission and its work is central to 

the security of all Americans. So, we must continue to press forward to improve 

upon its capabilities. 

I am working to draft the Senate’s first authorization bill for the Department as 

a means of laying out what I believe should be its priorities and to make the Department more efficient and effective in its missions. Needless to say, we will be 

seeking input from the Administration. 

I do want to take a moment to mention a couple of my greatest concerns. One 

of the biggest problems the Department faces is its management of acquisitions. 

Some of the Department’s largest and most troubled acquisition programs—Deepwater, SBINet, radiation detection portal monitors—need stronger oversight and 

more decisive leadership than they have gotten in the past. 

Furthermore, the Department’s heavy reliance on contractors to perform basic 

services raises serious questions about whether DHS is building sufficient internal 

capacity and institutional knowledge. Right now, DHS still has insufficient capacity 

to develop requirements and evaluate the technical feasibility of contractors’ proposals. I look forward to hearing your plans for improvement in this area. 

The Department’s new initiative to strengthen the security of Federal information 

technology systems—the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative—is another project critical to the security of the American people that I have been overseeing with great interest. Given the Administration’s emphasis on transparency, I 

hope you will encourage increased openness and information sharing with Congress, 

3 

the private sector, and the American public on this key project to ensure that it is 

a success. Clearly, as the Administration’s announcement and the Secretary’s travel schedule this week indicate, southern border security has become a central focus for the 

Department. I intend to request additional resources and personnel for Customs and 

Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to help stem the flow 

of drugs and people moving north into the United States and guns and money moving south into Mexico. I look forward to a close collaboration with the Department 

in this area. 

As you know, there are many other challenges facing the Department that must 

be met and conquered if DHS is to succeed in its ultimate mission of protecting the 

Nation from terrorism and natural disasters. This Committee has always worked cooperatively with the Department and will continue to do so to ensure its success. 

If confirmed, you will play a large part in setting the Department on course to 

overcome these challenges. Again, thank you for your many years of service, and 

I hope you will serve your Nation for many more. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR COLLINS 

Senator COLLINS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to join the 

Chairman in welcoming Jane Lute to our Committee today as we 

consider her nomination to be Deputy Secretary of the Department 

of Homeland Security. It is certainly a credit to her that Mayor 

Bloomberg has taken the time from his busy schedule to travel to 

Washington to introduce her today, and it is certainly a testament 

to her that she has such strong support from our Nation’s leading 

first responder organizations. 

The Deputy Secretary of DHS wields considerable power over the 

day-to-day operations of the Department. The Deputy has historically played an important role in the management of the Department, from acquisition policy to personnel management. These 

responsibilities are in addition to the many other challenges associated with the operation of a Department with some 210,000 employees and a mission to secure our borders, to protect our Nation’s 

critical infrastructure, and to help prevent, prepare for, and respond to all hazards. Last year alone, the Department spent more than $14 billion in 

contracts for goods and services, and the Department has encountered significant challenges in managing those contracts, particularly in the area of information technology. The Chairman and I, 

along with other Members of this Committee, have worked hard to 

strengthen and reform Federal contracting laws, but strong management is also required. 

Ms. Lute has experience dealing with the troubled acquisition 

process at the United Nations. I will be asking her this morning 

about that experience and in particular whether a non-competitive 

contract award could have been avoided through better planning. 

I would note that Ms. Lute does have extraordinary experience 

in resolving interagency conflicts. DHS gets involved in those types 

of conflicts all of the time, and I look forward to discussing that 

issue with her, as well. 

The protection of our Nation’s critical infrastructure, the reauthorization of port security and chemical facilities security laws, 

and emerging threats will also be important priorities for the next 

Deputy Secretary. 

I am going to follow the Chairman’s lead and ask that my entire 

statement be entered into the record so that we can hear from the 

Mayor of New York City, who I know has a busy schedule. So, Mr. 

4 

Chairman, I am going to follow your lead, but I do look forward to 

questioning our witness today for this very important post. 

[The prepared statement of Senator Collins follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF SENATOR COLLINS 

I join the Chairman in welcoming Jane Holl Lute to our Committee today as we 

consider her nomination to be Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. It is a credit to her that Mayor Bloomberg has taken the time to introduce 

her today and that she has strong support from our Nation’s first responder organizations. 

The Deputy Secretary of DHS wields considerable power over the day-to-day operations of the Department. The Deputy has historically played an important role in 

the management of the Department—from acquisition policy to personnel management. These management responsibilities are in addition to many other challenges 

associated with the operation of a Department with 210,000 employees and the mission to secure our borders, protect our Nation’s critical infrastructure, and to help 

prevent, prepare for, and respond to all hazards. 

Last year alone, the Department spent more than $14 billion in contracts for 

goods and services. The Department has faced significant challenges in many of its 

major acquisition programs, particularly in information technology programs. These 

acquisitions will need immediate and frequent attention from the Deputy Secretary 

to get them on track. 

Senator Lieberman and I have been strong advocates for reforms that have resulted in greater competition, accountability, and transparency to Federal contracting. Strong management, however, is also required. 

Ms. Lute has experience dealing with a troubled acquisition process, such as the 

intensely criticized one at the United Nations. I will be asking her about this experience, including whether a non-competitive award requested by the U.N. Department 

of Field Support could have been avoided through better planning. 

From her time at the National Security Council and the U.N., Ms. Lute also has 

experience resolving interagency conflicts within the U.S. Government and disputes 

between foreign governments and other stakeholders. If she is confirmed, Ms. Lute 

will need all these skills, and more, as she attempts to forge consensus and close 

collaboration among the Department’s components. She will have to ensure that the 

Department’s views and equities are forcefully represented in interagency negotiations with the dozens of departments and agencies that play a role in our Nation’s 

homeland security efforts. 

The protection of our Nation’s critical infrastructure from emerging threats will 

also be an important priority for the next Deputy Secretary. Among the significant 

challenges in this area are the need to enhance security at the Nation’s biological 

laboratories and throughout our cyber-infrastructure. Laws that I co-authored to improve the security of seaports and chemical facilities will need to be reauthorized 

during this Congress. 

The next Deputy Secretary will also play a key role in the Department’s emergency preparedness efforts. The Deputy must have a close collaborative relationship 

with the FEMA Administrator, so that FEMA continues to work well within DHS 

to ensure that as a Nation we are prepared for the next major disaster, whether 

natural or man-made. Planning, training, and exercising are important areas in 

which DHS has made much progress but still has more work to do. The Deputy Secretary must also ensure that its many partners at the State and local level and in 

the private sector are fully involved with DHS initiatives. 

I look forward to working with the Secretary and the next Deputy Secretary to 

continue to strengthen the Department. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Thanks very much, Senator Collins. 

It really is a great honor to welcome Mayor Bloomberg here. It 

is most unusual and, I think, speaks to the extraordinary qualities 

of the nominee. 

The term ‘‘great American’’ is tossed around here a lot, but in my 

opinion, Mayor Bloomberg really is a great American. 

Mr. BLOOMBERG. My mother agrees with you. [Laughter.] 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Yes. Actually, she wrote my introduction. 

[Laughter.] 

5 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Why? Because he speaks to all the opportunity that America offers. He has obviously been an extraordinary 

success as a result of very hard work and great creativity, and he 

then has given back enormously to our country, both in terms of 

the fruits of his success and an extraordinary history of philanthropy, but also in taking on the tough job of being Mayor of New 

York City and doing it with great success, to the benefit of the city. 

I am proud to call him a friend. I am honored to introduce him 

now. I hope I do not offend anybody else if I introduce you as 

America’s Mayor. 

TESTIMONY OF HON. MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG, MAYOR, CITY 

OF NEW YORK, NEW YORK 

Mr. BLOOMBERG. You are nice to say so. Thank you, Senator. Mr. 

Chairman, Ranking Member Collins, Senator Akaka, Senator 

Coburn, Senator Voinovich, thank you for having me and good 

morning. 

Usually these days, it seems like mayors and other executives 

come before Congress asking for something. Today, I am pleased to 

actually be bringing you something instead, the President’s sterling 

nominee for Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland 

Security, Jane Holl Lute. 

With more than 30 years of experience, ranging from the highest 

levels of government to the heart of international conflict, Ms. Lute 

really does have a deep understanding of what it takes to secure 

our homeland and protect us against terrorism. I have long known 

of Ms. Lute’s reputation and have come to know her personally in 

the last few years. During that time, it has become abundantly 

clear to me that she really is a dedicated public servant, a skilled 

manager, and a visionary thinker, and she is precisely the kind of 

leader that I think we need at the Department of Homeland Security. 

I am sure Ms. Lute’s background is well known to Members of 

this Committee. She began her career in public service as an officer 

in the U.S. Army and was deployed to the Gulf during Operation 

Desert Storm, where she served on Central Command staff. She 

went on to serve two Presidents at the National Security Council, 

and she more recently served as the Assistant Secretary-General of 

the United Nations. 

At United Nations Peacekeeping, she ran operations support for 

the second-largest deployed military presence in the world. She has 

led and developed the most significant reform and realignment of 

U.N. headquarters operations since the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations was established in 1992. She consolidated business practices and strengthened existing structures to meet field 

demands that have quintupled over the past decade. She also effectively managed the growth of United Nations Peacekeeping from a 

$1.8 billion endeavor to a nearly $8 billion operation. 

Now, I realize that some have questioned the effectiveness of the 

United Nations, but to me, there is no question about the competency, leadership, and judgment of Jane Holl Lute. She brings to 

this job a lifetime of experience confronting the issues at the core 

of the Department’s mission. She has managed crisis and emergency support, operations in some of the most difficult and danVerDate Nov 24 2008 09:01 Jun 13, 2011 Jkt 050383 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 P:\DOCS\50383.TXT SAFFAIRS PsN: PAT
6 

gerous places in the world, including Sudan, Timor, Congo, and the 

war in Lebanon. 

There is no doubt that she will bring to the Department a deep 

and broad understanding of what it takes to effectively prepare for 

and rapidly respond to emergencies and contingencies of all kinds, 

and that is of particular concern to the citizens of New York, who 

have experienced the pain and devastation of terrorism firsthand. 

Every day, we depend on a strong line of defense involving 

Homeland Security, the Coast Guard, Customs and Immigration, 

and have a strong partnership between our Federal Government, 

State Government, and our local government, and we simply just 

cannot afford to let our guard down. And with Ms. Lute as part of 

the executive team, I am confident that we will not. 

Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to share my unconditional support for this phenomenally 

talented nominee. As Mayor of New York City, I know what it 

takes to manage a crisis, and I am confident that she really does 

have the management skills and the dedication and the willingness 

to serve this country that we desperately need. 

She is a lifelong public servant, a strong and tested leader. She 

knows how to get things done, and my admiration is not just for 

her, but for her family. We all talk about service to this country. 

Both Ms. Lute and her husband have devoted their lives to service 

to this country, and I just wish we had more role models like them. 

It is a family that all of us should admire and try to copy, and I 

am just extremely proud and deeply supportive of the President’s 

nomination for her for this critical position, and I would certainly 

urge you to consider it carefully. 

We need experience in this agency. We need dedication. We need 

somebody who is willing to be accountable and knows how to get 

things done. Jane Holl Lute is all of those things. 

I am going to head back to New York and make sure that the 

city is still there. Senator Coburn, you have a child there, as I remember. 

Senator COBURN. I do. 

Mr. BLOOMBERG. I am going back just to take care of her. 

Senator COBURN. I am very appreciative of that. [Laughter.] 

Mr. BLOOMBERG. And my daughters, as well. 

Thank you very much for your consideration. This is as good an 

appointment as I think has ever come before Congress. She has all 

the skills for this job, and I would just urge you to consider it very 

carefully, and thank you for your time. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Mayor, thanks a lot. Your endorsement, 

your introduction means a lot to us on the Committee. You have 

a lot of experience with people working for you and with you, so 

your willingness to come here to testify on behalf of Ms. Lute really 

means a lot. 

I was thinking as you were speaking, your presence here means 

a lot to me because when you are here, it greatly increases the 

number of elected officials who are Independents. [Laughter.] 

Mr. BLOOMBERG. I am happy to be able to do that. [Laughter.] 

Now I am going back to New York, where I will be one of the 

few. [Laughter.] 

All the best. Thank you. 

7 

1The prepared statement of Ms. Lute appears in the Appendix on page 39. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Take care. Thank you. 

Mr. BLOOMBERG. Good luck. All the best. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Safe travels. 

We will now proceed. Jane Holl Lute has filed responses to a biographical and financial questionnaire, answered pre-hearing questions submitted by the Committee, and had her financial statements reviewed by the Office of Government Ethics. Without objection, this information will be made part of the hearing record, with 

the exception of the financial data, which are on file and available 

for public inspection in the Committee offices. 

Our Committee rules require that all witnesses at nomination 

hearings give their testimony under oath, so Ms. Lute, I would ask 

you to please stand and raise your right hand. 

Do you swear that the testimony you are about to give to the 

Committee will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the 

truth, so help you, God? 

Ms. LUTE. I do. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Thank you very much. Please be seated, 

and we would now welcome your opening statement. If there are 

people here you would like to recognize, this would be a good time 

to do it. 

TESTIMONY OF JANE HOLL LUTE1 TO BE DEPUTY SECRETARY, 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 

Ms. LUTE. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Collins, Members of the Committee, I am 

deeply honored by the President’s nomination and the opportunity 

to appear before you today. 

I want to thank the Mayor for those very kind words. I have 

been told repeatedly a nominee is advised not to make news in a 

confirmation hearing. I fear we may have already made some. It 

is not often you hear a New Yorker say such nice things about a 

Jersey girl. [Laughter.] 

So on behalf of Jersey girls everywhere, I want to thank the 

Mayor for his very nice remarks. 

But in all seriousness, despite my roots across the river, I have 

been a proud New Yorker for some time and have had a front row 

seat watching Mayor Bloomberg lead New York City in the shadow 

of September 11, 2001. I want to thank him for his leadership and 

for making the trip down here today. 

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Collins, Members of the Committee, I am also honored to be joined today by my husband, General Douglas Lute, whom some of you know, and the other members of my family, our eldest daughter, Amy Kyleen Lute; my 

brother, John; his son, John; my sister, Adele; our dear friend, 

Grace Carman; my sister-in-law, Noelle; her daughter, Brittany; 

my brother-in-law, Miles; my husband’s sister, Pat Lute; and her 

husband, Charles Smith. Our other daughters—— 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Is there anyone here not related to the 

nominee? [Laughter.] 

8 

Ms. LUTE. My parents, God rest their soul in heaven, I think are 

here, as well. Our daughters, Adellyn and Camryn, are not here. 

Adellyn is away at school, and Camryn would steal the show. 

A special word about my husband, Doug. He told me a moment 

ago he felt like a prop. Maybe he is, but he is my prop. He is the 

loving husband this morning, and I could not imagine my life without him and without his support. I am deeply blessed. 

My husband and I, as the Mayor said, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member Collins and Members of the Committee, are public 

servants. My husband and I were called to service some time ago— 

a long time ago, it turns out—as soldiers in the U.S. Army, and 

that service brought me to Berlin, Germany, at the height of the 

Cold War, to the Middle East for Operation Desert Storm, to the 

National Security Council staff under both President George H.W. 

Bush and President Clinton, to U.N. Peacekeeping, where I ran 

support operations for the second-largest deployed military presence in the world. 

That call to service has also brought me here today before you. 

I am deeply honored by President Obama’s nomination and by Secretary Napolitano’s confidence, and if confirmed, I will continue 

this tradition of service. 

Sitting here, I am struck by the breadth and weight of the challenges that confront the Department of Homeland Security, but I 

am also deeply impressed by the men and women who have made 

the work of securing the American homeland their calling. I am 

struck, too, by the collective knowledge, experience, and wisdom in 

this room. Few understand the challenges facing the Department 

of Homeland Security better than you, the Members of this Committee, and few understand the challenges of protecting and preparing the American people better than the first responders, fire 

fighters, law enforcement, those in emergency response and management and at State, local, and Tribal governments that span this 

great Nation. 

In the process of preparing for this hearing, I have reached out 

to many of these groups and sought their guidance, wisdom, and 

input. Many have joined us today, and I am honored by their presence. 

Let me thank Harold Schaitberger, President of the International 

Association of Fire Fighters; Sheriff Kennard of the National Sheriffs Association; Mary Fetchet, Founding Director of the Voices of 

September 11; and representatives from the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, 

the International Emergency Managers Association, who are here 

today and who have already provided invaluable counsel. I will 

work to strengthen the Department’s relationship with these communities and with the State, local, and Tribal officials, as well. 

I have spent my entire adult life working on the issues at the 

heart of the Department of Homeland Security, the heart of its 

mission—protection, prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, 

and resilience. As part of that experience, I have spent a great deal 

of time around many different borders and their many issues, in 

peace ending conflict, where a balance must be struck between 

maintaining safety and security while permitting, while indeed encouraging, legitimate trade and travel. 

9 

I know what it is like to be responsible for preparing for and responding to emergencies when the need to gain accurate information, mobilize critical resources, and manage the coordination of 

those resources under the pressure of crisis is real. I know what 

it is like to be the officer in charge of support to hundreds of thousands of people in far-flung operations from diverse national, institutional backgrounds, each with legacies, traditions, cultures, and 

languages. I know the imperative of creating an integrated, coherent culture while respecting the individuality and uniqueness of its 

parts. 

While a new Administration brings change, some things will not 

change. The Department of Homeland Security must remain fully 

committed to its mission of keeping America and Americans safe, 

and we must do that while protecting the highest values and principles that define this great country. The Department must be responsible and responsive, proactive and engaged, robust and efficient. It must keep us prepared for the majestic force and might 

of Mother Nature, and it must protect us from the cruelty of those 

who target civilians. 

If confirmed, I will continue that path to keep our country safe, 

to keep the population secured and prepared and protected, and to 

keep our borders secure. 

America is at its best when Americans stand proud and confident, with a confidence that reflects clearly the deep values and 

traditions that built this great Nation. 

In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, let me underscore how deeply honored I am by the President’s nomination and how deeply honored 

I am to appear before this Committee today. And with that, Mr. 

Chairman, I would be delighted to answer any questions the Committee may have. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Thank you very much for an excellent 

opening statement. 

I will begin with the standard questions we ask of all nominees. 

First, is there anything you are aware of in your background that 

might present a conflict of interest with the duties of the office to 

which you have been nominated? 

Ms. LUTE. No. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Do you know of anything personal or otherwise that would in any way prevent you from fully and honorably 

discharging the responsibilities of the office to which you have been 

nominated? 

Ms. LUTE. No. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. And do you agree without reservation to 

respond to any reasonable summons to appear and testify before 

any duly constituted Committee of Congress if you are confirmed? 

Ms. LUTE. I do. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Thank you very much. 

Before we start the first round of questioning, I do want to note, 

in addition to the distinguished people that you have introduced, 

that the Committee has received several letters in support of your 

10 

1The letters of support referenced by Chairman Lieberman appear in the Appendix on page 

430. 

nomination, and unless there is any objection, I am going to place 

them in the record.1

Chairman LIEBERMAN. We are going to now start with the first 

round of questions, limited to 7 minutes per member. 

I want to build really from your resume and from some of the 

things you have said in your opening statement, Ms. Lute, which 

is to ask you a two-part question. The first is, in a general sense, 

not too discursive, in all the administrative experience you have 

had, what are some of the lessons you draw that you think will 

best help you fulfill your responsibilities in this job? 

And second, from what you know of the Department, what do 

you think it needs most in this next chapter? It is a work in 

progress. It has made great progress, but there is still more to be 

done. So give us an answer to those two questions. 

Ms. LUTE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would say, overwhelmingly, the most important lesson I have learned has to do with people. People are the most important resource any enterprise or organization has. They need to feel valued, and they need to be able 

to be given the opportunity to contribute value. It is the responsibility of leadership and management to bring out the best that people have to offer. 

I have learned the importance of active listening, of reaching out 

to all the stakeholders who have firsthand knowledge of what are 

very complex issues and doing it in a way that does not have to 

interfere with getting a job done. You can be inclusive in your consultation process, but you can also be decisive. 

These are, I suppose, two of the biggest lessons that I have 

learned. Treat people with respect. Value the people who are doing 

this job who have made the work their calling. And listen actively 

and engage all the stakeholders, but in a systematic way to move 

issues forward. 

As I have come to learn over the course of preparation for this 

hearing, as I mentioned, Mr. Chairman, I am very impressed by 

the commitment of the men and women in the Department of 

Homeland Security. It is a young Department, many people have 

said. It just celebrated its sixth birthday. But in my view, as you 

mentioned, the time has come. People have a right to expect that 

this Department has its feet under it, that it is very clear about 

the centrality of its missions, the resources it needs to get those 

missions done, and again working with all stakeholders at State 

and local levels, with the Members of this Committee, to move that 

mission forward. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Let me ask the follow-on to that, if in 

your discussions with Secretary Napolitano she has identified any 

particular areas that she wants you to focus on. 

Ms. LUTE. The Secretary and I have discussed this, Mr. Chairman. It is her vision, and it is certainly one that I would fully support if I am confirmed, that I would form part of the leadership 

team of this Department, working very closely with her, being fully 

cited on all of the operational issues, all of the priorities that are 

established, overseeing day-to-day, but also ensuring that the straVerDate Nov 24 2008 09:01 Jun 13, 2011 Jkt 050383 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 P:\DOCS\50383.TXT SAFFAIRS PsN: PAT
11 

tegic development of the Department, the increasing coherence and 

integration of its various parts continues. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Yesterday, the Committee held a hearing 

on the Mexican drug cartel violence, both what is happening there 

inside Mexico and what we can do to help President Calderon, and 

then the effects of the violence here. I will tell you that there was 

some evidence that the staff picked up that—and, of course, earlier 

this week, Secretary Napolitano announced the redeployment of 

some DHS and Justice Department resources to the border, and 

personnel—there is not enough coordination at this point between 

the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, 

and the Department of State in implementing all of these programs. 

I do not know whether you are in a position to have heard about 

that, if you have any thoughts about it. It just seemed to me that 

it may be something that you as Deputy could play a hand in, perhaps even putting together a more formal interagency working 

group, because this is a serious problem. Yesterday, the Department of Justice representative, the Deputy, told us that today, in 

addition to the overflow of some violence and kidnapping from 

Mexico into the U.S. border areas, the Mexican drug cartels are the 

No. 1 organized crime threat in America. 

So have you heard about those problems? If so, do you have any 

ideas about how to overcome them? 

Ms. LUTE. Mr. Chairman, I have certainly heard about these 

problems. I am aware of the steps that the Administration and the 

Department are taking to strengthen the posture, the safety and 

security at the border. I am very aware of the importance that the 

Administration places on the support of the efforts of the Mexican 

government to break the back of these cartels and to deal with this 

problem that, as Secretary Napolitano has said, every American 

needs to be aware of and engaged with. 

This is an area, too, where I think my experience in the interagency process that I have had before and my experience with the 

intelligence community will complement Secretary Napolitano’s experience. As a former governor of a border State, she knows these 

issues very well, and I would certainly, if confirmed, look forward 

to working very closely with her on this important priority. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. One more question in the time I have remaining, another substantive question, and that is about cyber security. This Committee has been concerned about our cyber security. We know that we are under regular attack, both for reasons 

of security and also to the commercial and industrial infrastructure 

of our country. There is a lot going on in the government. I know 

there are reviews going on in the new Administration. Here, too, 

there seems not to be a clear focus point of coordination, and I 

wanted to ask you to speak, to the extent you want, on how you 

assess the cyber security problem, and second, if you have any 

ideas going in about what the role of the Department of Homeland 

Security should be in our government in making sure that we are 

defending against cyber security attacks. 

Ms. LUTE. This is an issue area, Mr. Chairman, where the White 

House does have a study going on right now to look comprehenVerDate Nov 24 2008 09:01 Jun 13, 2011 Jkt 050383 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 P:\DOCS\50383.TXT SAFFAIRS PsN: PAT
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sively across the Federal Government about what actions are being 

taken to safeguard the cyber networks of this country. 

Again, in my own experience, I know how important high-fidelity, reliable, safe and secure data and communications systems are. 

They do form part of the critical infrastructure of this country. The 

Department of Homeland Security is a key player in the cyber security framework to protect this country as part of its critical infrastructure, and I know the study that the White House is conducting is looking comprehensively to make recommendations 

about strengthening not only the Department’s role, but the overall 

approach to keeping our Nation secure. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Well, I appreciate your answer to that 

and your other answers. We are going to really rely on you and the 

Secretary to advise this Committee and particularly to let us know 

whether you are receiving the resources and the authority to do 

what you need to do to protect the cyber infrastructure of the 

United States, which we have reason to believe, unfortunately, by 

the nature of unconventional warfare these days, might be one of 

the areas of our homeland that would be most likely to be attacked 

from afar. 

So I thank you for your answer, your focus, and now I would 

yield to Senator Collins. 

Senator COLLINS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Ms. Lute, you may be aware that our Committee did an in-depth 

investigation into the failed response to Hurricane Katrina. It took 

most of a year. We did several hearings, issued a report with recommendations for all levels of government. And we also wrote the 

Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act, which was 

signed into law. It significantly strengthened the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and since that time, I know 

the Chairman takes great pride in the fact, as do I, that FEMA’s 

response to natural disasters has improved enormously. 

Nevertheless, there are some critics who are still calling for 

FEMA to be taken out of the Department of Homeland Security to 

become an independent entity. Now, I would note that all of the 

first responder groups sitting behind you who are indeed on the 

front lines agree with the conclusion that this Committee reached, 

which is that FEMA needed to be strengthened but kept within 

DHS. 

What are your thoughts on the location of FEMA? 

Ms. LUTE. Thank you, Ranking Member Collins. I am aware of 

the issues that have been raised about this and certainly aware of 

the conclusions of this Committee, the position of the groups that 

are represented here. I am aware of the issues that exist on both 

sides of this question. There are some who say that FEMA is indeed strengthened by its location in the Department, with the ability to mobilize resources from other parts of the Department quickly, put them at the disposal of the emergency response anchored 

by FEMA, for example, as illustrated in Hurricanes Gustav and 

Ike, and there are others who think that FEMA needs degrees of 

freedom, perhaps, that an independent status would offer it. 

Secretary Napolitano has said that what we really need to focus 

on is a strong FEMA, able to discharge its core responsibilities of 

protecting and preparing this country for all hazards, and that is 

13 

her focus and certainly one that I would, if I am confirmed, look 

to reinforce, as well. 

Senator COLLINS. Thank you. We look forward to continuing to 

talk with you about that very important issue. 

I would now like to turn to the matter that I alluded to in my 

opening statement. You and I have discussed at length the procurement failures at the U.N., but I think it is very important for the 

public record for me to ask you a series of questions. 

The U.N. has the equivalent of an Inspector General. It is called 

the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS). In a report dated 

January 2 of this year, this office was highly critical of U.N. procurement activities, and in particular it criticized the lack of acquisition planning and contract management involving a sole source 

contract that your office requested be directed to a subsidiary of 

Lockheed Martin. 

First of all, let me ask what your response is to the criticisms 

leveled against your office or your management of this contract by 

the Inspector General. 

Ms. LUTE. Thank you, Senator Collins. It will not surprise you 

to learn that I think that some of the criticisms were not justified. 

The context of this particular contract is important to establish. It 

was a unique recommendation by me and my staff through the appropriate authorities in the United Nations, fully consistent with 

the rules and regulations, in order to address the exigencies of the 

violence that was unfolding in Darfur. I do not agree with the assessment in this report that there was inadequate planning. 

The political circumstances surrounding this deployment were 

extremely volatile over a period of many months. As many of you 

know, concurrent to the indecision regarding the international community’s response to Darfur, there were a number of governments, 

including the U.S. Government, including many members of this 

body, who were urging the rapid deployment of Peacekeepers to 

Darfur. This recommendation was made fully consistent with the 

rules, fully in the context of evaluation of the circumstances on the 

ground for a very small part to facilitate that deployment. 

Senator COLLINS. During your time at the U.N., did you make 

any other requests for non-competitive contracts to be awarded in 

excess of $1 million? 

Ms. LUTE. I did not, Senator. 

Senator COLLINS. What exactly was your responsibility for procurement at the U.N.? 

Ms. LUTE. My responsibilities were to lead the support operations to Peacekeeping and peace operations worldwide—personnel, 

finance, logistics, supply chain management, aviation, communications electronics, information technology, and transportation. The 

Procurement Division rested in the Department of Management. 

One of the citings also, I believe, in the OIOS report was the difficulty in cross-departmental coordination. It is a problem that exists. I did not have procurement negotiating authority or contract 

award authority at all. 

Senator COLLINS. Did contracting officers report to you? 

Ms. LUTE. Contracting officers at headquarters reported to the 

Department of Management, and in the field, they reported 

through their respective mission chains to the head of their misVerDate Nov 24 2008 09:01 Jun 13, 2011 Jkt 050383 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 P:\DOCS\50383.TXT SAFFAIRS PsN: PAT
14 

sion. There was an earlier time when the support in the field had 

a dual report to my office and to the heads of mission, but since 

the Department of Field Support was established, that dual report 

was eliminated, and the field contracting officers report through 

their chain into the mission leadership. 

Senator COLLINS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Thank you very much, Senator Collins. 

We will call, as is our custom, Senators in order of their arrival, 

which is Senators Akaka, Coburn, Voinovich, and Burris. Senator 

Akaka. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR AKAKA 

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. 

I want to thank you for taking the time to meet with me, Ms. 

Lute. I congratulate you on your nomination and welcome you here 

today, and not only you, but your extended family that are here. 

Ms. LUTE. Thank you. 

Senator AKAKA. It is great to know that you have these supportive relationships. 

I want to tell you that your job as the Deputy of DHS, and you 

know this, is among the most demanding positions in government. 

DHS represents, besides that, the most serious management challenge in the Federal Government today. Senior leaders of the Department must be ready and eager to take on the challenges that 

will face them. Your background, without question, is an impressive one that qualifies you well for the challenge that is ahead. 

I want to mention, too, that I really appreciated your remarks on 

the importance of investing in people. I want to further urge you 

to focus on the Department’s management and integration as they 

are central to improving operational functions. You must ensure 

that DHS invests in the workforce, empowers the Under Secretary 

for Management, encourages strategic planning, and upholds our 

civil rights and civil liberties in all circumstances. 

Before I move to my questions, Mr. Chairman, I want to ask that 

my full statement be made part of the record. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Without objection. 

[The prepared statement of Senator Akaka follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF SENATOR AKAKA 

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to join you in welcoming Jane Holl Lute, the President’s nominee to be Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. 

Ms. Lute, I welcome you and your family today. 

The job for which you have been nominated is among the most demanding positions in government. DHS represents the most serious management challenge in the 

Federal Government today. Senior leaders of this Department must be ready and 

eager to take on the challenges that will face them. 

Your background is an impressive one that qualifies you well for this challenge. 

As an officer in the U.S. Army, you served your country overseas and learned the 

lessons of good leadership and management. Your time on the National Security 

Council staff undoubtedly left you with a broad understanding of coordinating policy 

across large, complex organizations and building consensus in an interagency setting. Finally, your service as an Assistant Secretary-General at the U.N. has allowed you to demonstrate your leadership skills on a global basis, working with a 

diverse United Nations staff and many nations’ peacekeeping forces, especially in 

areas facing imminent crisis. 

As you may know, implementing and transforming the Department of Homeland 

Security has been on the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) ‘‘high-risk list’’ 

since 2003. I am pleased that since being confirmed, Secretary Napolitano has put 

15 

management among her top priorities. Just last month, she began a departmentwide efficiency review initiative, which may help lead to programmatic improvements and greater accountability. If you are confirmed, I urge you to focus on the 

Department’s management and integration, as they are central to improving its 

operational functions. I would like to share with you a few of my top DHS concerns. 

DHS must invest in its workforce. For instance, the Department needs to recruit 

more acquisition professionals to better develop and oversee contracts. DHS also 

must strive to make itself an employer of choice. The most recent Partnership for 

Public Service Best Places to Work survey ranked DHS second to last among large 

Federal agencies as being an employer of choice based on employee satisfaction and 

engagement. Strengthening employee collective bargaining rights and building a 

labor-management partnership would help DHS address employee concerns that undermine morale. Toward that end, I support President Obama in granting collective 

bargaining rights to Transportation Security Officers. By having a workforce with 

the right skills, high morale, and strong employee protections, DHS can improve our 

security while it strengthens its internal operations. 

In addition, I hope you will partner with the Under Secretary for Management 

to improve contract oversight and ensure strategic planning occurs before major acquisitions are undertaken. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Secure Border 

Initiative (‘‘SBInet’’) virtual fence has suffered both from inadequate planning before 

the initial contracting decisions were made as well as the failure to correct problems 

as they arose. Also, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) needs to focus 

more on strategic planning to counter the threat of nuclear smuggling to better protect our security. For instance, DNDO set aside its plan to deploy a variety of Advanced Spectroscopic Portal (ASP) radiation monitors to detect dangerous nuclear 

materials on rail cars, at seaports, at airports, and on mobile platforms to focus on 

one type of ASP system. This system has not yet received final certification and, 

according to GAO, it may have lifecycle costs well over $1 billion more than anticipated by DNDO. 

Finally, we must ensure that our Constitutional freedoms are not considered as 

an afterthought. DHS’s unique security role requires that it embraces civil rights 

and civil liberties in all its actions. I believe that the Department’s policy at the border, which allows the search of laptops and other electronic equipment, needs to be 

reviewed with privacy concerns in mind. There is also the REAL ID Act. Along with 

imposing serious costs and burdens on States, this Act raises significant privacy 

concerns. The current law does not protect adequately personal information that 

would be contained on REAL ID cards and in linked State databases. Also, I believe 

that the National Applications Office should more fully resolve civil liberties concerns and compliance with privacy standards before DHS moves forward with making intelligence community assets available for domestic purposes such as law enforcement and homeland security. 

Ms. Lute, your long career in public service, including your willingness to take 

on the most challenging assignments in the U.N., serves as an excellent example 

of putting service before self. I want to congratulate you on your nomination, and 

I look forward to working closely with you to improve our Nation’s homeland security. 

Thank you Mr. Chairman. 

Senator AKAKA. Ms. Lute, according to the most recent Partnership for Public Service Best Places to Work survey, DHS ranks second to last among Federal agencies based on employee satisfaction 

and engagement. DHS must treat its workforce as its most valued 

asset. Therefore, it should work to address recruitment and retention challenges and ensure that its employees have collective bargaining rights, which will lead to better labor-management relationships. Will you please discuss your priorities for investing in 

the Department’s workforce and making DHS a better place to 

work? 

Ms. LUTE. Thank you, Senator. I am aware of this survey and 

I recognize that it represents a challenge for the Department. I am 

also aware that the Department has been viewed and rated as the 

most improved over time, as well. But we still have a long way to 

go. 

16 

I mentioned before that people, to me, are the most important resource an organization has. I am not a person for whom people 

have to earn respect. Human beings deserve respect. You do not 

have to earn my respect. You deserve that. People have a calling 

when they come to Homeland Security. We cannot let it just become a job. We need to build on that calling, build on that commitment and work. Do they have the tools they need to do the job? 

Do they have the training? Are their front-line supervisors well 

trained and invested? Do they feel like they are adding value? Do 

they feel valued in return? 

I think, comprehensively, this is an area that, if I am confirmed, 

I would want to work at, and I would look to work with and engage 

the workforce, the representatives of the workers that exist in the 

Department of Homeland Security, to chart a strong way forward. 

Senator AKAKA. Ms. Lute, DHS policy allows laptops and other 

electronic devices to be searched at the border without suspicion. 

Courts have ruled that the Constitution permits this. Nevertheless, 

these searches may have significant privacy implications, as many 

people keep sensitive information, such as medical and financial 

records and work documents, on their laptops. Some companies 

have started taking expensive precautions to protect data when 

their employees travel abroad. Do you plan to review this policy? 

At a minimum, I hope you will ensure that any policy on border 

searches of electronic equipment includes strong privacy protections. 

Ms. LUTE. Senator, I am aware of the issues that have been 

raised and aware of the concerns. The searches have been relatively few in number, and the Department has taken steps to improve its accounting, keeping records of when this does occur and 

ensuring that all the rules and regulations of this country are observed. 

The recent appointment of a noted privacy expert to that position 

is a testimony to the commitment that the Secretary has, and if I 

am confirmed, certainly I would support in ensuring that all the 

privacy and civil liberties and civil rights of people are maintained, 

even as we discharge our duties to secure the borders. 

Senator AKAKA. Thank you for that, Ms. Lute. 

Executive Order 13434, issued in May 2007, established the National Security Professionals Development Program. Among other 

things, this program was created to help develop National Security 

Professionals by providing them training, education, and experiences to improve interagency coordination and collaboration. How 

do you foresee this program impacting DHS’s workforce and Department-wide integration? 

Ms. LUTE. I am aware of this program, Senator. I am also aware 

that it is designed to create a robust pool and cadre of professionals 

who can work across agencies in the national security field. I am 

aware that some already at the Department of Homeland Security 

have, in fact, been certified as National Security Professionals, and 

if I am confirmed, I would look at this program to understand how 

it can benefit the Department and how our engagement can 

strengthen it across the board. 

Senator AKAKA. Well, thank you so much for your responses. I 

really appreciate it. 

17 

1The OIOS reports submitted for the Record by Senator Coburn appear in the Appendix on 

page 449. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Thank you very much, Senator Akaka. 

Before I call on Senator Coburn, I do want to respectfully amend 

something that Mayor Bloomberg said. If I am not mistaken, while 

your daughter pursues her extraordinary career in New York, her 

residence is in Connecticut. 

Senator COBURN. Unfortunately, she has two residences now—— 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. All right. 

Senator COBURN [continuing]. One in New York and one in Connecticut. [Laughter.] 

She pays New York City income taxes, let me put it that way. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Thank you. 

Senator COBURN. And Connecticut taxes. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. We are grateful. [Laughter.] 

Senator Coburn. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR COBURN 

Senator COBURN. Thank you. Ms. Lute, thank you for being here. 

I enjoyed our visit. I want to thank you and your husband, your 

family for the dedicated service you have given, not only to our 

country but to our world. 

As I told you in my office, I believe you have a lot to account for 

in your actions at the U.N., and I am going to go through a series 

of questions and will use a second round, if necessary, because I 

think the facts are not fully exposed as to some major failures 

under your leadership at the U.N. I also would ask that the OIOS 

report be entered into the record.1

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Without objection, so ordered. 

Senator COBURN. I also would note that every report we have 

that measures operations under your leadership has documented 

serious mismanagement issues. There is not one report that we can 

have that has any performance reports that document steps that 

you took to respond to the problems, whether there were improvements as a result of those responses. Without this documentation, 

I think our Committee is going to have a difficult time measuring 

your performance to determine if you truly are qualified to manage 

a Department the size of DHS and the security of the United 

States. 

A major campaign promise from President Obama is to identify 

and eliminate wasteful and duplicative government programs, and 

I applaud him for that. I am still waiting for him to do that, but 

I applaud him. I know that is in his heart and it is something he 

wants to do. 

Yet when I asked you to report which Peacekeeping missions you 

managed that were wasteful or duplicative or should be deauthorized, you chose not to answer my question. If you were unwilling 

to identify waste at the U.N., how do we know you will be willing 

to identify and eliminate waste and duplication at the Department 

of Homeland Security? 

Ms. LUTE. Dr. Coburn, thank you, and also for our chat, which 

I appreciate. I am a real believer in the responsibility of manageVerDate Nov 24 2008 09:01 Jun 13, 2011 Jkt 050383 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 P:\DOCS\50383.TXT SAFFAIRS PsN: PAT
18 

ment not only to achieve its mandates, but to be able to ensure 

that operations are run effectively and to account for the resources 

that have been entrusted to it. As I worked in the Department of 

Peacekeeping in charge of support to Peacekeeping operations 

around the world, this was an area across the board, in the area 

of personnel, where we were doing our best to reduce times necessary to recruit personnel, where we were putting in place training programs to ensure that the personnel that we did recruit had 

the training they needed so we did not have to recruit again, a 

wasteful exercise, in my judgment. 

I am very aware that resources in personnel and in missions and 

operations do constitute investments, and this is an area that I 

worked on very closely. And if I am confirmed, I would expect to 

bring the management experience that I have to the Department 

of Homeland Security in a responsible way. 

Senator COBURN. Will you make a statement to this Committee 

that you will comply faithfully on a timely basis to the Federal Accountability and Transparency Act? 

Ms. LUTE. Yes, Senator. 

Senator COBURN. In the areas under your control, is there any 

report that you can share with the Committee that documents 

where you recommended or took action to eliminate waste? 

Ms. LUTE. In many of the OIOS reports, Senator, that you cited, 

there are management responses of which I was a part and author, 

where we agreed with a great deal of the recommendations of 

OIOS, and where we disagreed, those were noted in the public reports of OIOS. 

Senator COBURN. Well, no. I am asking specifically, where is the 

report that showed in response to problems that were raised that 

problems were solved? 

Ms. LUTE. In those reports, also, Senator, it reflects in part the 

management response to the findings that were raised by OIOS, 

which indicate that management has taken on board, has eliminated waste. For example, there are reports where OIOS pointed 

out excess spare parts inventory and noted that management had 

taken steps following those findings under my authority to reduce 

those excess inventories and put in place a system to ensure that 

they are not repeated. 

Senator COBURN. Would you be happy to supply those reports to 

the Committee? 

Ms. LUTE. Senator, I have supported the request for the documents that have been requested, the public reports that are available through the U.N. website, and others. 

Senator COBURN. It raises a problem that we all should be concerned about. There is absolutely no transparency at the U.N. for 

us to even get information with which to evaluate a nominee who 

is going to hold a high position in our government. The information 

we have is all leaked reports that the average citizen of this world 

cannot have access to unless it is leaked, which tells us that we 

have great problems. 

Let me move on. In several of your responses to my pre-hearing 

questions, you diverted responsibility for many of the management 

failures documented in U.N. audits and reports. For example, U.N. 

auditors found that you failed to apply consistent accountability 

19 

standards for the Peacekeeping personnel you recruited, trained, 

and deployed into the field. Your response was you blamed rapid 

growth of the department and inexperienced mission personnel. 

Leaked U.N. memos reveal that, despite having 18 months to 

plan, the contract that Senator Collins discussed with you was 

pushed through, increasing the risk for fraud and abuse. You 

blamed, and your words were, ‘‘unfolding genocide in Darfur,’’ even 

though that tragedy was in the mix and ongoing for several years 

and even though the U.N. Security Council had reported about it 

2 years prior. You blamed the remote and dangerous conditions of 

Darfur. 

U.N. auditors found that 43 percent of Peacekeeping procurement that was audited was tainted by bid rigging, kickback 

schemes, and other fraud. You again blamed difficult and challenging environments of Peacekeeping operations. You also blamed 

the Security Council for issuing difficult mandates that made it 

hard to follow the rules. I do not have any doubt about that. I am 

sure that was a high hurdle. I know the difficulty. 

There are not many similarities between Peacekeeping and 

homeland security, but they both deal with environments and operating conditions. If you are confirmed and are managing procurement and operations for programs such as FEMA, should we expect 

you to excuse management failures or procurement fraud due to 

difficult circumstances, such as natural disasters or terrorist attacks? 

Ms. LUTE. Dr. Coburn, I believe that my record at the U.N. 

shows that I am very associated with efforts not only to implement 

mandates on the ground, but to ensure proper oversight and accountability. I was often very closely associated with OIOS, with its 

engagement to oversee operations, inviting them in. I was a strong 

proponent of the establishment of the Procurement Task Force. I 

was a strong voice for making that task force permanent, recognizing that the operating conditions, which you have described and 

which I have described, represent challenges that have to be met 

to be sure, but we also have to ensure that the proper controls are 

in place, as well, and I am associated with that effort. It is clear 

while improvement still has to be made, that we have come a long 

way, as OIOS has recognized. 

Senator COBURN. I have gone over on my time. Thank you, Mr. 

Chairman. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Thank you, Senator Coburn. Next is Senator Voinovich. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR VOINOVICH 

Senator VOINOVICH. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

I want to echo the thanks of this Committee and others for your 

service to our country and for the service of your husband to our 

country, and I am very pleased that you have been willing to continue your service in the Department of Homeland Security. 

Senator Akaka and I have been working quite aggressively to 

deal with transformation of the Department. It is the most challenging reorganization to get 22 agencies and more than 200,000 

people to move forward as a Department. I consider you to be part 

of the third chapter. The transformation of the Department is on 

20 

the High-Risk List, and one of the things that we have been trying 

to do is to get an agreement on the metrics that we would use to 

determine whether transformation actually is taking place. There 

was a great deal of work done by the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB), DHS, and the Government Accountability Office 

(GAO) to reach consensus on what those are. 

First, are you familiar with the transformation strategic plan 

that was put in place to move forward with the transformation in 

the Department, and second, if you are, when are we going to get 

back from the three agencies some agreement on metrics so we can 

better determine whether or not the transformation is indeed taking place? 

Ms. LUTE. Thank you, Senator. I am aware. I also do know, as 

I mentioned earlier, that while many people continue to say that 

the Department of Homeland Security is a young department, it is 

also time for the Department to get on with its business, to get on 

with consolidating, integrating its various functions, and if I am 

confirmed, I would look forward very much to delving deeper into 

this across the board and to working with you and the other Members of this Committee to ensure that we make forward progress. 

Senator VOINOVICH. Well, I remain interested in receiving the 

piece of paper that shows the agreed upon metrics so we have 

something to objectively measure the performance of the Department because many of the things that have gone wrong have gone 

wrong because we have not moved forward with that transformation. That is why it is on the High-Risk List. It seems to me 

that one of the goals of the Department should be to get itself off 

the High-Risk List because if it does that, it means DHS has successfully completed its transformation. I am going to be focusing in 

on that with Senator Akaka because I think that is the only way 

that we are going to eliminate some of the things that have gone 

wrong in the Department. 

We now have a Chief Management Officer in the Department, 

and Senator Akaka and I would like to see a 5-year term for that 

individual, so we have somebody that can continue the transformation. I would like you to look into that. I am pleased that we 

were able to get the Chief Management Officer, but I would like 

to have that individual have a term just like I would like to have 

it over in the Defense Department. Sometimes I wish you were 

going to the Defense Department instead of this Department—— 

[Laughter.] 

Because they need a whole lot of help, too. So I would like you 

to look at that issue of having a term. 

Ms. LUTE. Yes. 

Senator VOINOVICH. As Ranking Member on the Appropriations 

Subcommittee on Homeland Security, one of the things that struck 

me in my initial review of the budget was that we are spending an 

enormous amount of money on securing the border. Mr. Chairman, 

I think it is really important that we get a better understanding 

of where the money is going. 

There is no way that we will be ever able to afford to really secure the border without immigration reform in this country. Today, 

we have 33,000 beds around the country where people are brought 

21 

in, kept for 5 or 6 days, and we pay for their medical care, process 

them, and send them back to their country. 

It is an enormous cost to us, and I look at that cost relative to 

other costs in the Department and say to myself, how far can we 

go with spending money on this particular issue? And if we were 

able to get immigration reform, what impact would that have on 

reducing those costs? Because that is our problem. 

So I would really like you to look at that issue and the whole 

issue of where are we spending the money in the Department. 

What are the priorities? There are only X-number of dollars that 

you have. I would like to have the Secretary come back and say to 

us, I have done an examination of all these things and here is 

where I think the dollars could be spent where we could get a better return on the investment we are making, considering that we 

have limited resources. 

One of the other two things that I talked to you about in my office was the Visa Waiver Program that has been very important to 

this country in terms of improving our national security and our 

public diplomacy. I would like you to look into the program and get 

back to me on where that is. There has been legislation introduced 

and referred to the Judiciary Committee that would gut the program, and I would like you to look at that. 

The other one was the PASS Program. We are trying to get legislation passed that would allow the PASS Card to meet the documentation requirement for people to travel to Canada and to the 

other Caribbean countries instead of a passport. 

In closing we are all concerned about the management of the Department. I like your words, empower people, listen, quality management, and so on and so forth. You have the right nomenclature. 

We are hopefully going to see how it all works out. 

Ms. LUTE. Thank you, Senator. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Thank you very much, Senator Voinovich. 

Senator Burris. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR BURRIS 

Senator BURRIS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and congratulations 

to you for your nomination, Ms. Lute. 

I am concerned about an experience that I had when I came in 

as a cabinet officer of a governor back in 1972, where we had 

merged several agencies. I just heard Senator Voinovich raise that 

question about transformation. One of the biggest problems I had, 

Ms. Lute, was trying to deal with all of those agencies that did not 

want to give up their turf, and it got to be quite a situation. As 

the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, I would imagine that 

the Secretary is going to put a lot of that transformation in your 

lap. If I am wrong, let me know. But I think that there are still 

some areas of consolidation and reorganization and transformation 

that has to take place in Homeland Security in order to make that 

agency up, running, and functional. 

Have you done any assessment of this, and would you know 

whether or not this is going to be a major responsibility of yours? 

Ms. LUTE. Thank you, Senator. I am certainly aware of the challenges that have existed, the challenges that were present when 

the Department was created from 22 agencies and various parts of 

22 

the government coming together, and the efforts that have been 

made over these past 6 years to further the integration, to reduce 

duplication, and to strengthen add comparative advantages. 

My experience with integration and standing up a new department, as I was charged with in creating the Department of Field 

Support at the United Nations, is to do it in a way that reflects 

not only a respect for the legacies and traditions and the practices 

and the roles of the individual elements, but really does insist on 

the greater sum of the parts, that people make forward progress 

toward the integration that is called for by law, that has been 

called for by policy, as well. 

And if I am confirmed, I would expect to be given a leading role 

in ensuring that the integration of the Department, the further coherence of the Department, the proper engagement of the Department with the other Federal agencies across the interagency proceeds in a constructive way, and I would also hope to be able to 

work with this Committee very closely in ensuring that we stay on 

track. 

Senator BURRIS. So do you know whether or not you will be having any of these direct responsibilities for trying to complete the 

transformation process? Have you talked with the Secretary? 

Ms. LUTE. The Secretary and I have spoken, Senator, about that. 

She, if I am confirmed, would consider me a full part of the leadership team of the Department, charged with maintaining not only 

the operational picture awareness, but movement on the priorities 

that the Secretary has herself. So yes, I would expect to be charged 

with responsibilities in this area, if I am confirmed. 

Senator BURRIS. I have not read all your background, but did you 

have disaster experience at your other positions? 

Ms. LUTE. In my previous position, Senator, in fact, I was 

charged with leading support operations for Peacekeeping worldwide. In the course of that, I was also the Officer in Charge of 

Peacekeeping during the war in Southern Lebanon that happened 

in 2006, managing the emergency evacuation of personnel in that 

situation and in other situations, as well. We have had to respond 

to massacres and killings of U.N. Peacekeepers, for example, and 

I am associated with that, and also associated in mobilizing the 

Peacekeeping support element of other crisis response operations. 

And in that context, as I mentioned in my opening statement, I am 

very aware of the imperatives of establishing a clear information 

picture, mobilizing the proper resources, getting those resources 

where they need to be on the ground, and then managing the integration of those resources in the performance of a crisis response. 

Senator BURRIS. Ms. Lute, we had another issue in dealing with 

our Southern borders. Of course, we have to be concerned a little 

bit about our Northern borders, as well. I think the Canadian border is even bigger than the Southern border. And the question is, 

in terms of the drug trafficking that is coming in, do you have any 

type of experience with communities where all of these drugs end 

up, end users in our communities, Chicago, Centralia, or Mattoon, 

Illinois, or anywhere in America, because the small-town communities are really getting inundated, as well, with these drugs that 

are coming in, which will also be a part of Homeland Security’s 

interdiction, I would assume? 

23 

Ms. LUTE. Senator, here is an area where I think my experience 

would complement the experience of Secretary Napolitano. I have 

had a lot of experience over the course of my professional life, indeed, beginning in my professional life, in and around borders— 

borders during the Cold War, contested borders in the Middle East 

and in other areas. In Africa, for example—— 

Senator BURRIS. When you say your experience, what do you 

mean by your experience with borders? What do you mean? 

Ms. LUTE. As a young lieutenant, I was assigned to Berlin. The 

border of the Cold War—— 

Senator BURRIS. When were you in Berlin? What years? 

Ms. LUTE. Nineteen-seventy-eight to 1982. 

Senator BURRIS. Nineteen-seventy-eight to 1982. The war was 

still there, right? 

Ms. LUTE. Yes, Senator, it was. 

Senator BURRIS. Yes, because I studied in Germany, so I was a 

little concerned in terms of that. 

Ms. LUTE. But I am aware of the effects of conflict, the effects 

of the illegal trafficking in weapons, in cash, in illicit contraband 

and other commodities, the effects that it has on impoverished communities internationally, and if I am confirmed, I would expect to 

bring my experience to complement that of Secretary Napolitano, 

who has first-hand experience dealing with these issues in the domestic context as the former governor of a border State. 

Senator BURRIS. Thank you very much, and good luck to you. 

Ms. LUTE. Thank you. 

Senator BURRIS. God bless you. 

Ms. LUTE. Thank you. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Thanks, Senator Burris. 

It is actually a tribute to you and an indication of the importance 

in which Members of the Committee hold your nomination that we 

have more than our normal attendance today, so with that, Senator 

Landrieu, it is all yours. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR LANDRIEU 

Senator LANDRIEU. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

I would not have missed this hearing. I think this is one of the 

most important nominations that our President has made, and I 

have had the pleasure, Ms. Lute, to meet with you privately at 

some length about some of the very pressing issues that are so important not only to our country, but to the State that I represent 

and to the region. 

Let me begin, Mr. Chairman, by saying I continue to be extremely impressed with the quality of the nominees that have come 

through my office as well as the offices of many other Senators, 

whether it is in the Department of Education, the Department of 

Housing and Urban Developmen (HUD), or the Department of 

Homeland Security. Just the level of your academic achievements, 

of your broad and deep experience, and all of that will come in 

handy to run an agency that needs a tremendous amount of work 

and effort. Despite the good work of the leadership of this Committee, there are serious problems, in my view, with Homeland Security, and I think that your experience will—you will need all of 

it to get the job done from where I sit. 

24 

But let me ask you this specifically, and then I will go more 

broadly. As we previously discussed, you may be aware of a GAO 

report that has indicated that while we have allocated from the 

Federal Treasury $120 billion for the recovery efforts in the Gulf 

Coast over the last 4 years (it will be 4 years this August), maybe 

40 percent of that money was wasted. Some of it is because of inability at the local level, but most of it, according to this report, is 

because of the poorly constructed and ill constructed avenues that 

FEMA had either not established or had atrophied. Not only was 

the money wasted and lots of it unaccounted for, in terms of poor 

training, etc., but the real sad part of it is that thousands of eligible individuals and families went unserved. 

So since I represent 4.5 million people that this travesty happened to, my question is, as we attempt to fix pieces of this, and 

we have fixed some but there are some that still have to be fixed, 

there are currently several billion dollars that are caught up in a 

now 4-year dispute between FEMA and the folks on the ground in 

New Orleans and Baton Rouge and Houma and many other places 

in our State. Despite repeated efforts in the past, FEMA rejected 

any effort to fix it. So I recently added a provision to the stimulus 

package to establish an arbitration panel. 

What is your understanding of how that will work? Are you committed to making it work? If so, when will those regulations be in 

place to basically move out the $4 to $5 billion that we think are 

stuck in the pipeline, as we say, between the Federal Government 

and local officials that are desperate for these funds to hit the 

ground? 

Ms. LUTE. Thank you, Senator. Secretary Napolitano, as you 

know, together with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, recently made a trip to the Gulf Coast, and the Secretary reiterated her commitment and the commitment of the Department 

of Homeland Security to the recovery of the region and of the State. 

The recent extension of the Office of Gulf Coast Recovery, as well, 

is a further sign of the commitment of the Administration to follow 

through on this. 

I am aware of the strengthening of FEMA as a result of the PostKatrina Emergency Management Reform Act and the efforts that 

FEMA has been taking and the Department has been taking to further strengthen not only FEMA in the performance of its duties, 

but its relationship with State and local officials. And if I am confirmed, Senator, I would expect to look at this area very closely in 

the context that you outlined, working together with you and the 

Members of this Committee to ensure that the statutes that are 

put in place and the performance of the Department and of FEMA 

is what you expect. 

Senator LANDRIEU. And the reason I pursue this line of questioning, and I do have two more brief questions, is because I have 

just completed with the good support of this Committee a 9-month 

investigation. We conducted over 90 to 120 interviews with individuals, and thousands of documents were reviewed, and what we 

found were many failings between FEMA and HUD for lack of a 

comprehensive housing recovery plan should a large population be 

displaced, and that is the subject for another hearing. 

25 

But the point is this, that our report also showed that the person 

who held your job before—I think it was Deputy Secretary Michael 

Jackson, is that correct? The report shows that decisions made at 

this level, from your position, prevented some of the requests that 

FEMA was making to interpret the Stafford Act in a more flexible 

way that would have actually brought aid, saved money, and 

spared a lot of pain and suffering. 

So I bring it to you because if FEMA is going to stay in Homeland Security, then we have to have faith that the people running 

Homeland Security will give FEMA the attention it needs to get 

the job done when we have a potential flood, like right now in 

North Dakota and Minnesota, and when we have more hurricanes 

in the Gulf or the Atlantic. 

My second question is actually about the Coast Guard. They 

were the one agency of the Federal Government that actually responded and performed magnificently, and that story will be written and it will be a proud moment for the Coast Guard. I understand they had to do a lot of things outside of the chain of command to get the job done, but that is for another story. They got 

it done. 

But the Coast Guard has now been tasked with coming up with 

new rules and regulations to govern offshore vessels, and while I 

am very supportive of that and Thad Allen is a great Commandant 

of the Coast Guard, I want you to be mindful that the offshore oil 

and gas industry, which exists only in the Gulf of Mexico, with big 

vessels and big ships, is very different than the cargo vessels that 

come in and out of all of our ports, including Louisiana’s. And I 

want to call to your attention that this industry is being threatened 

by regulations that refuse to treat them in a different way than 

these large cargo vehicles. 

Do I have your commitment to look into this issue, report back 

to me within a few weeks about what you or the Secretary can do 

to give some relief, appropriately without bending any security 

rules, for the offshore oil and gas industry? 

Ms. LUTE. Senator, if I am confirmed, you certainly have my 

commitment to look at these issues, to work with you as part of the 

outreach of the Department not only to State and local governments, the private sector is an important partner, as well, and you 

certainly have my commitment. 

Senator LANDRIEU. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Thank you very much, Senator Landrieu. 

We will go to a second round now. I want to follow up, Ms. Lute, 

on some of the questions that Senator Coburn asked about your 

time at the United Nations. As I understand it, these United Nations reports are typically confidential unless a member state specifically requests a report or reports. Am I right in what I have 

heard, which is that after meeting with Senator Coburn and hearing his desire to see these reports, you requested that the U.N. release the particular reports that Senator Coburn had in mind, or 

you requested our government to request the reports? 

Ms. LUTE. I wrote a request to the Under Secretary-General for 

Management at the United Nations—— 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Right. 

26 

Ms. LUTE [continuing]. Fully supporting the release of all the 

material that was requested. Some of the reports are available publicly when the member state requests them. I am not a member 

state. Some of them are internal management documents that remain under the control of the United Nations. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. So the problem with the reports and their 

openness is not obviously yours. This is the United Nations policy. 

Ms. LUTE. Senator, yes. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Yes. And if we are troubled by it, we may 

want to do something about that more generally, but I wanted to 

get on the record that you have tried your best to get those reports 

made public. 

I suppose the relevant follow-on question is whether as Deputy 

Secretary you would support open and transparent oversight of the 

Department of Homeland Security by the Inspector General (IG), 

GAO, Congress, and others? 

Ms. LUTE. Yes, Mr. Chairman, I would. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Senator Coburn referred to a specific 

OIOS report and additional reports more generally. If I understand 

this correctly, much like an IG report, these reports noted concerns 

or problems, which that office investigated. Those reports then 

typically offer specific recommendations for corrective actions. So if 

I heard you correctly, it was that in your responses to those when 

it was relevant, you indicated what you thought of the findings and 

what you were intending to do about it. 

Ms. LUTE. That is correct, Mr. Chairman. We prepare our detailed management responses to these reports when they come out. 

The Office of Internal Oversight Services takes portions of the 

management response, incorporates it into its final report, which is 

then issued. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. So let me ask you a general question, 

which is, because we do not have the documents, would you say 

that it was typical more often than not that you agreed with those 

recommendations and directed people under your supervision to 

take corrective actions? 

Ms. LUTE. Yes, Mr. Chairman, overwhelmingly. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Again, I am going to ask you to go from 

your memory, since you do not have the documents. Can you provide some examples of steps that you took to improve the acquisitions process at the Department of Peacekeeping Operations? 

Ms. LUTE. In direct response to not only concerns raised by 

OIOS, but our own operational concerns that the system was being 

overwhelmed, I sought a senior level meeting, and we established 

a senior-level engagement on specifically this question. I instituted 

a requirements review panel. I instituted a mission start-up, a 

monitoring process, what we called the traffic lights process—red, 

yellow, green—to have senior-level attention of the key support 

issues that were unfolding at the time of the mission start-up, 

which is a critical time. I worked with the Department of Management. My staff worked with them to expand the core requirements 

list to facilitate direct procurement on the ground where a lot of it 

occurs. We also worked with OIOS to bring them in at mission 

start-up so that they could be present. 

27 

1The letter from Mr. Appleton referenced by Chairman Lieberman appears in the Appendix 

on page 430. 2The letter from Mr. Burnham referenced by Chairman Lieberman appears in the Appendix 

on page 434. 

As I mentioned, Mr. Chairman, I was a strong supporter of the 

Procurement Task Force, of making that task force permanent, and 

of instituting policies within the Department to be responsive to 

the Procurement Task Force and OIOS. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. In regard to the Procurement Task Force, 

I do want to note that there is a very relevant and, I would say, 

remarkable letter1 filed with the Committee by Robert M. Appleton, former Chairman of the United Nations Procurement Task 

Force—that was a task force set up by the Secretary General of the 

U.N. in 2006, following the Iraqi Oil for Food scandal. Mr. Appleton 

says of you, ‘‘Ms. Lute continuously supported the task force’s investigations and our efforts to minimize the risks posed to the organization as a result of the significant amount of funds used for 

DPKO,’’ the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, ‘‘procurement. While program managers in the U.N. are not formally required to follow or accept the conclusions and recommendations of 

oversight bodies,’’ which is quite interesting itself, ‘‘Ms. Lute nevertheless reacted swiftly and responsibly and took immediate corrective action where we found corruption, fraud, or violations of internal rules or procedures of the U.N.’’ 

I mean, that is from an outside investigator, and then there is 

another letter2 filed with the Committee by Christopher Burnham, 

an American citizen who was then at the U.N. as Under SecretaryGeneral for Management. I happen to know Mr. Burnham. I did 

not know he wrote the letter until just now. But he does not offer 

these superlatives too often. ‘‘Jane Lute was not a good manager, 

she was a great manager. Inheriting the single most difficult mission at the entire U.N., Peacekeeping, she supported my efforts at 

good governance and controls and advocated for even stiffer controls within Peacekeeping, such as the creation of an Inspector 

General within Peacekeeping.’’ 

I understand the questions that are being raised, but I do think 

that these are very significant statements filed on your behalf, and 

I appreciate the answers that you have given to my questions. 

Thank you. Senator Collins. 

Senator COLLINS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Let me continue with this line of questioning because I am trying 

to sort out here exactly what your responsibilities were and what 

your responses were to some of these reports. Like the Chairman, 

I have heard from people whom I respect that you are an extraordinarily good manager, and so I take those testaments very seriously. On the other hand, I am very troubled by the Procurement 

Task Force’s findings. 

During the 18-month period that the Task Force did its investigations, it completed 63 investigations. It issued 22 reports. It 

identified more than 10 significant fraud and corruption schemes 

in cases involving contracts. That is an extraordinary level of fraud 

and corruption. It led to convictions in some cases for bribery, wire 

fraud, and mail fraud. 

28 

What troubles me is that this indicates systemic weaknesses if 

the percentage is that high and the degree of fraud and corruption 

that great. Of these contracts that were reviewed and found to 

have significant fraud and corruption, what were your responsibilities for these contracts? 

Ms. LUTE. Senator Collins, as I mentioned earlier, my responsibilities were to ensure the support operations in the area of personnel, finance, logistics, aviation, communications, and IT, that 

those operations were mounted and sustained for Peacekeeping operations worldwide. We had the responsibility to raise requirements on the ground where the field staff were concerned, and my 

staff at headquarters had the responsibility for the technical review 

of bids, the technical evaluation of the sufficiency. The negotiation 

and award of contracts rested with the Department of Management. 

Senator COLLINS. Right, but you are establishing the requirements, correct? The people who reported directly to you? 

Ms. LUTE. Senator, the people who were raising the requirements on the ground were mission personnel, and there were some 

removed, but certainly those on the support side, particularly early 

on, as I mentioned, without going into the complexities of the U.N. 

reporting chain, fell under my responsibility. 

Senator COLLINS. So when you became aware of the extent of corruption and fraud, what actions did you take? There were 22 reports, and I could go through them, asking you what you did in response to each one, but give me an answer on what actions you 

took when the Procurement Task Force found widespread fraud 

and corruption that indicated there were systemic weaknesses that 

allowed this to occur. 

Ms. LUTE. Senator, some of the actions I took directly—in fact, 

some of the cases, we referred to the Procurement Task Force. 

Without the ability to recall those for you precisely, I do know that 

is, in fact, the case. Whenever an allegation was raised, we took 

immediate steps, if necessary, to suspend people from the duties 

that they were performing to ensure that a full investigation was 

conducted and then that appropriate action, management action, 

was taken in response to that investigation. 

Now, we also addressed—— 

Senator COLLINS. Those are personnel actions, so that was one 

response. 

Ms. LUTE. Right, and—— 

Senator COLLINS. But did you put into the system additional reviews or safeguards or higher-level approvals to ensure the integrity of the procurement process? 

Ms. LUTE. As I mentioned earlier, Senator, we did. I instituted 

a Requirements Review Board at a senior level to ensure that significant requirements being raised in the field had an additional 

layer of evaluation. I instituted the traffic light system that I mentioned earlier, particularly at the beginning phase, to deal with 

start-ups of operations because they were coming fast and furiously 

at the U.N. and it was essential that we have senior-level engagement and oversight. And this was a weekly meeting that I myself 

chaired, together with senior personnel on the ground in the field, 

29 

with a common framework of the support issues that were being 

engaged, including major procurements. 

We worked very closely with the Department of Management on 

the issue of personnel. For example, part of our problem, in my 

view, was the fact that we were always short of experienced procurement personnel with the expertise necessary for these very 

complex commercial transactions. I am very aware of the challenges that exist in raising requirements accurately, that can be accurately costed, and the importance of being able to present those 

requirements to the procurement officials. We instituted a program 

to identify, recruit, train, and bring on board procurement people 

because while they do exist in the world, those who can function 

with an expertise, fluent in English, fluent in other languages, in 

remote and difficult parts of the world, are relatively few in number. So this was part of our structural problem we had to address. 

Senator COLLINS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Thanks again, Senator Collins. Senator 

Coburn. 

Senator COBURN. Thank you. 

Ms. Lute, would you give us copies of the letters you wrote urging the U.N. to disclose the reports? 

Ms. LUTE. Yes, Senator. 

Senator COBURN. Thank you. I would also note for the record 

that Mr. Appleton never audited Ms. Lute’s performance or her response or the outcomes. He only spoke of her verbal commitment 

to react. 

I would also remind my colleagues on this panel that we voted 

97–0 for transparency within the U.N. When it went to conference, 

that came out. So the problems that we are having today are not 

Ms. Lute’s fault in terms of having knowledge, it is our fault because we chose to make transparency important to the United Nations, and then when it went to conference, we pulled it out, even 

though 97 of us said we should have that transparency. I would 

hope that we would not allow that to happen this year on the foreign operations appropriation budget. 

Ms. Lute, in my pre-hearing questions, I asked you how many 

no-bid contracts were issued for Peacekeeping missions you deployed. You did not answer that question, but you offered that you 

only participated in one of those, and we have discussed that already, and that may or may not have been appropriate. I cannot 

judge that. Do you know the answer to my original question? How 

many no-bid contracts were issued under your authority? 

Ms. LUTE. Under my authority, Dr. Coburn, as I said, I had no 

authority to negotiate or award contracts. 

Senator COBURN. Well, you issued one, the one to Lockheed. 

Ms. LUTE. I made a recommendation to the authorities that 

based on the analysis of our staff at the time, this would be a solution for a very limited portion of one phase of the complex deployment to Darfur. 

Senator COBURN. In other areas outside of your direct involvement, how many other recommendations were made for no-bid contracts? 

Ms. LUTE. Dr. Coburn, I do not have the knowledge to answer 

your question. 

30 

Senator COBURN. From the people that worked for you, you do 

not know that answer? 

Ms. LUTE. I am not aware of any other time at which we recommended a sole source solution. 

Senator COBURN. OK. 

Ms. LUTE. I certainly did not. 

Senator COBURN. When I asked you about the 2007 report by the 

U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services that found inconsistent 

accountability standards applied to personnel you recruited and deployed, you mentioned that you did not have access to these types 

of reports on your performance. How can you be an effective manager if you have no access to your own performance data? 

Ms. LUTE. Dr. Coburn, in response to the OIOS reports, we wrote 

detailed management letters. In many cases, overwhelmingly, we 

agreed with the findings of OIOS that we could improve the way 

we were doing business. Peacekeeping experienced unprecedented 

growth in the 60-year history of Peacekeeping during my time 

there. It was our commitment to not only fulfill the responsibilities 

that were being given to us by the members of the Security Council, of which the United States is a member, but also that we would 

improve the way we ran ourselves and account. 

Senator COBURN. But you would agree that field procurement 

was under your purview? 

Ms. LUTE. Again, Dr. Coburn, without going into the intricacies 

of the U.N. organization, those personnel on the ground in the various missions reported to their individual missions. 

Senator COBURN. I understand that, and I understand the complexity, but either it was under your purview or it was not. Is that 

a yes or a no? 

Ms. LUTE. Field procurement was an area of Peacekeeping procurement, was an area that under the general responsibility of support to Peacekeeping operations—— 

Senator COBURN. So the answer is yes. Was there at any time 

after you became aware of the significant problems in terms of procurement and fraud and kickbacks and everything else that you actually addressed the Security Council on those issues with the 

depth of the problem, made them aware of the depth of the problem, so that they, in fact, could make changes at that level at the 

U.N.? 

Ms. LUTE. Dr. Coburn, the Security Council and the General Assembly have different sets of responsibilities—— 

Senator COBURN. I understand that. I want you to answer my 

question. Was there any time at which you made the members of 

the Security Council aware of the depth of the problem and the significant complications associated with Peacekeeping procurement? 

Ms. LUTE. I am aware many times, Dr. Coburn, when I spoke to 

member states of the United Nations in various forums, in various 

oversight committees—— 

Senator COBURN. Let me ask it a different way. Was there ever 

an opportunity presented to you that you could have made the entire Security Council aware? 

Ms. LUTE. Again, Dr. Coburn, as the Security Council, I do not 

recall. This is not normally an area of the Security Council’s purview. It is a member—it belongs to the General Assembly under 

31 

the arrangements of the United Nations. But the oversight body is 

the Fifth Committee—— 

Senator COBURN. So you never had an opportunity to make them 

aware of it? 

Ms. LUTE. The members of the Security Council were certainly 

aware of the challenges that Peacekeeping faced—— 

Senator COBURN. A different question. 

Ms. LUTE [continuing]. And of our—— 

Senator COBURN. Did you ever make them aware of the significant difficulties in the Peacekeeping procurement? 

Ms. LUTE. I personally made member states of the United Nations—— 

Senator COBURN. No, I am talking—— 

Ms. LUTE [continuing]. Including members of the Security Council—— 

Senator COBURN. Did you at any time in the collective body 

where you had an opportunity to make them aware? Of the Security Council. 

Ms. LUTE. I would have to recall, Dr. Coburn, if the Security 

Council ever took up this issue specifically. If they had, I would 

have appeared. 

Senator COBURN. Let me go on to another area. The 2008 U.N. 

audit of your Liberia mission found that you deployed the mission 

without adequate safety and health programs, that your personnel 

were suffering from a high rate of malaria and dengue fever. When 

I asked you about this in the pre-hearing questions, you stated you 

were not aware of the details associated with Peacekeeping’s response to the report and blamed the high rate of infection due to 

personnel you trained and deployed not taking medicines. 

The U.N. spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually on malaria prevention programs. Why did you not mobilize this resource 

and expertise to protect your own personnel? 

Ms. LUTE. Dr. Coburn, the care and safety of Peacekeepers in the 

field is the responsibility of all of the leadership of Peacekeeping. 

Peacekeepers, when they are deployed, begin in the countries that 

they come from. There is rigorous training that a number of countries put their troops through, including safety and health matters, 

as well. That training is reiterated in missions at many opportunities, and it is an area—the safety, again, and health of the troops 

is one for which—— 

Senator COBURN. Were you aware of how your Department responded to the alarming report that they, in fact, had high rates 

of malaria infection? 

Ms. LUTE. Earlier, Dr. Coburn, I was aware when these issues 

came up in other mission areas, and I was aware of it at an earlier 

time when there was concern about malaria in Liberia, and we did 

take steps to ensure that training was in place and that appropriate medicines and medical procedures were in place, as well. 

Senator COBURN. If it were not for this U.N. audit, would you 

have been aware of the high infection rates? 

Ms. LUTE. If that were the case, Dr. Coburn, yes, we would have 

been aware because it deeply impacts the ability of a mission to 

perform its assigned tasks. 

Senator COBURN. All right. I am out of time. 

32 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Thanks, Senator Coburn. I think Senator 

Collins and I just have one more question each. I do not want to 

cut you off, but I cannot stay for too—— 

Senator COBURN. I do not have many more questions. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. So we will do one more 7-minute round, 

but I think I am only going to take one question worth of it. 

So just to pull back a bit from the U.N. and even from management, I want to ask you this substantive question. What would you 

say should be the first one, two, or three policy priorities, homeland 

security priorities of the Department as you are considered to be 

its Deputy Secretary? 

Ms. LUTE. Certainly, Mr. Chairman, as the Secretary has herself 

said, the primary focus of the Department is to keep this country 

and keep Americans safe from the threat of terrorism from any future terrorist attacks. But the Department equally has a big job to 

do. It has unique missions in the areas of maritime security, aviation security, border security, as well, and it is mobilizing, as the 

Secretary has said to this Committee, to address an immediate response on the Southern border. If I were confirmed, I would expect 

to work with the Secretary on these priorities, the priorities also 

dealing with immigration, and the other challenges that the Department of Homeland Security has been given. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. I want to just pick up from something you 

said and draw out on it a bit. It has been a priority of this Committee to improve the security of non-aviation transportation. We 

have done a very good job, I think, at improving aviation transportation, but we have a ways to go on trains, buses, and, of course, 

just following the history of terrorism, Mumbai, the earlier Mumbai 

rail attack, London, Madrid, unfortunately, terrorists tend to move 

in that direction. Do you have any ideas about that? 

Ms. LUTE. I am certainly aware, Mr. Chairman, that concern exists that this is an area that needs greater focus by the Department, and it would be an area, if I am confirmed, where I would 

expect to hear from and engage extensively with State and local officials as well as with the private sector. The critical infrastructure 

on the ground in this country in many cases is in private hands, 

in municipal hands, and we need to work jointly to ensure that it 

has the priority that aviation security has had. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Good. Thank you. I have no further questions. Senator Collins. 

Senator COLLINS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am going to submit for the record several questions that I did not get to today, but 

I do want to bring up two final points. 

First, in June, DHS will implement the Western Hemisphere 

Travel Initiative at the land ports of entry, which will require travelers to provide compliant documents for entry into the United 

States. I am concerned, however, that the technological infrastructure that is necessary to process those documents, including passport cards, efficiently will not be in place by June at all of the land 

ports of entry, and let me give you an example from my home State 

of Maine. 

The port of entry in Calais, Maine, is the sixth busiest on the 

Northern border. It is under construction, and it will not be completed until the end of this year. Until the port is completed and 

33 

the new technology is in place, the processing of passengers and vehicles at this port of entry could be backed up and slowed when the 

new Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative goes into full effect in 

June. 

Now, it is clearly important that the Federal Government continue its efforts to strengthen our border security and to protect the 

Nation from terrorist threats, but we have to do so in a way that 

does not unnecessarily hinder the travel of legitimate individuals 

who regularly cross the border and obviously pose no threat to our 

national security. 

What will you do to ensure that the Travel Initiative is implemented in a way that takes into account the fact that we have not 

done the investments in infrastructure at all of the land ports of 

entry? 

Ms. LUTE. Senator Collins, I am aware of the concerns regarding 

the aging infrastructure. On average, the ports of entry are over 40 

years old, and in particular, in the context of fielding the Western 

Hemisphere Travel Initiative, the Department has a three-part 

strategy, as you know: One, to get the documents ready; two, to ensure that the technology is in place and functioning; and three, 

that there is an aggressive outreach program to ensure that people 

are aware of what the requirements are, and the Secretary has 

said that the Department will continue to be on track for the June 

deadline. 

And if I am confirmed, I would expect to look at this very closely 

to see that we do strike the right balance, as I mentioned earlier, 

between the safety and security of our borders, but facilitating and, 

indeed, encouraging legitimate trade and travel, and I would hope 

to work with you and with other Senators from Northern border 

States where ports of entry exist to ensure that this is the case. 

Senator COLLINS. Thank you. In response to Senator Lieberman’s 

standard questions of all nominees, you indicated your willingness 

to respond to requests for information from this Committee. I 

would be remiss in my duties as the Ranking Minority Member if 

I did not ask that you also treat requests from the Minority in the 

same manner as you do from the Chairman, although I think you 

will find that almost always our requests will be joint. 

Ms. LUTE. You have my commitment. 

Senator COLLINS. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Thanks again, Senator Collins. Senator 

Coburn. 

Senator COBURN. First of all, we are going to be allowed questions for the record? 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. We are. 

Senator COBURN. I would ask unanimous consent that if we do 

that, we do not have a Committee markup of this nomination until 

those responses are returned. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. I am going to reserve the right to object. 

Here is my problem, my friend. Secretary Napolitano, every time 

she sees me, before we get to substantive matters, says, when are 

you going to act on the nomination of Jane Holl Lute? I need a 

Deputy. So as you know, I think it is the intention of the Committee to mark up this nomination and other matters next WednesVerDate Nov 24 2008 09:01 Jun 13, 2011 Jkt 050383 PO 00000 Frm 00039 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 P:\DOCS\50383.TXT SAFFAIRS PsN: PAT
34 

day. So, frankly, that depends on how many questions you are 

going to ask. 

Senator COBURN. There are not going to be more than maybe a 

dozen. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. I suppose there is always the possibility 

that the nominee could say she cannot answer the questions, right? 

Senator COBURN. That is what we have received so far. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Well, with that understanding, I am not 

going to object. We are going to ask that the questions be filed by 

the end of business tomorrow—— 

Senator COBURN. Without a problem. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN [continuing]. So that we can move them 

quickly and give you some time before the markup on Wednesday. 

Senator COLLINS. Mr. Chairman, in view of the conversation you 

have just had, I would suggest that the questions be provided by 

the end of today because if we are going to be fair to the nominee—— 

Senator COBURN. Absolutely. We will do our best to do that. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Excellent. We will do that. 

Senator COBURN. Ms. Lute, you were responsible for the U.N.’s 

response to the sexual abuse and exploitation of refugees by the 

personnel that were deployed by your Department to the field. The 

most recent assessment of how you responded comes from Human 

Rights Watch, which reports there was a lack of speed of investigations, a lack of transparency and follow-through, and a lack of 

breadth of the investigations. My staff also spoke individually to 

independent workers and observers on the ground of several missions where abuse took place, and we are told there are dozens of 

children victimized by Peacekeeping personnel that 4 years later— 

4 years later—still have not received U.N. assistance or had their 

basic victims’ rights protected. 

Why do we have no record of the number of victims you assisted, 

the type of care you provided, or the number of U.N. personnel that 

have been successfully prosecuted? 

Ms. LUTE. Dr. Coburn, I was in charge, as you outlined, with the 

U.N.’s effort to fix what is an inexcusable and terrible problem. I 

began that effort and dealt with it structurally and comprehensively to put in place a program of prevention in terms of clarifying 

what the standards were, undertaking to make those standards applicable to all personnel, training, awareness, of putting in place in 

every mission a conduct and discipline team that never existed before to ensure that steady progress and improvement would be 

made in this area. 

In the area of enforcement, we undertook expeditiously to work 

with OIOS so that when issues were raised, they were addressed 

properly. 

Senator COBURN. I understand that, but the question I asked you 

is why do we not have a record of the number of victims that were 

assisted, the type of care that was actually provided? You are talking about the prevention in the future, which I recognize is part 

of your function, as well, and the number of U.N. people who were 

prosecuted. Why do we not have that record? 

Ms. LUTE. Dr. Coburn, in terms of victims’ assistance and remediation, there is in place as a result of one of the working groups 

35 

1The letter from Prince Zeid referenced by Ms. Lute appears in the Appendix on page 444. 

on the task force that I chaired a comprehensive victims’ assistance 

policy that was approved by the General Assembly about a year 

ago. 

Senator COBURN. Yes, let us go to that. In response to my prehearing questions, you stated that in 2007, you convened a highlevel meeting that issued a statement of commitment with standards of behavior. Why did it take 2 years to implement standards 

of behavior against abusing refugees under the U.N.’s care? Why 

did it take 2 years? 

Ms. LUTE. Dr. Coburn, let me share your frustration. Let me 

share a lack of understanding why things like this take as long as 

they do. No one can be satisfied that it took us as long as it did 

to put in place programs to address victims’ concerns. But a program is in place. Programs are also in place—it is not possible now 

for someone to deploy to a Peacekeeping mission and not know 

what the standards are. It is not possible for a leader in Peacekeeping to not know that they are personally held accountable to 

the Secretary-General for being aware of the conduct and discipline 

within their missions. And the organization is also taking steps to 

implement the victims’ assistance policy, which was approved by 

the General Assembly. 

Senator COBURN. The victims’ assistance policy, you were in 

charge of that 2-year effort to have them adopt a victims’ support 

strategy. That was in 2008. That was 4 years after the scandal 

erupted. Is 4 years a long time to develop a victims’ assistance program, and what did we do for all the victims that were abused 

prior to 2008? 

Ms. LUTE. Dr. Coburn, I agree with you that it took a long time, 

and no one can be satisfied with how long it has taken to address 

these issues in a comprehensive structural way. The policy that we 

put in place before the formal victims’ assistance policy was adopted by the General Assembly was that Peacekeeping missions would 

work with U.N. sister agencies, in particular UNICEF, who would 

in turn work with nongovernmental organizations on the ground to 

provide victims’ assistance. But it was our aim with this victims’ 

assistance policy to engage missions more directly in that process. 

Senator COBURN. One other question. After it became evident to 

you that Peacekeeping abuse was a widespread problem in these 

operations, why did we not then require countries to prosecute 

their troops caught abusing refugees as a condition of working with 

the U.N.? 

Ms. LUTE. The member states of the United Nations retain the 

sovereign rights and authorities over their troops. I think on part 

of my behalf this morning, the Committee has a letter from Prince 

Zeid, the Jordanian Ambassador to the United States,1 who was in 

charge of a comprehensive review of this challenge as directed by 

the Secretary-General in 2004. He indicated that the member 

states do have to take responsibility and follow up on these actions. 

We did institute a policy in Peacekeeping where we reduced the 

amount of time in following up on member states on the actions 

that were taken when soldiers were found to have engaged in this 

inexcusable behavior. We reduced the amount of time and we instiVerDate Nov 24 2008 09:01 Jun 13, 2011 Jkt 050383 PO 00000 Frm 00041 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 P:\DOCS\50383.TXT SAFFAIRS PsN: PAT
36 

tuted a more thorough process of following up with the member 

states, but the authority rests with them. 

Senator COBURN. You would agree that there was nothing that 

required you to take troops from countries that had legalized 

pedophilia? 

Ms. LUTE. Dr. Coburn, I was very associated with the message 

in the United Nations that if soldiers were not prepared to uphold 

the standards of the United Nations, then the United Nations 

should be prepared to do without their services. 

Senator COBURN. Thank you. 

Mr. Chairman, I will submit the rest of my questions for the 

record. I would just ask the nominee, first of all, you have been 

very cooperative. Thank you. You had a tough job there, I do not 

doubt that at all. But I would hope that you will answer the questions that I submit rather than defer not to answering them. I 

think it will speak much to your character if you do so. Thank you. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. Thanks, Senator Coburn. 

Incidentally, when I said that you might not answer all the questions in time, I meant if it required more time to get documents 

from elsewhere to submit back to us prior to the markup next 

Wednesday. I know you will answer all the questions of Senator 

Coburn and other Members to the best of your ability. 

Ms. LUTE. Yes, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. I do want to say, Senator Coburn has 

asked some very tough but important questions, and my own conclusion about these, based on the documents, the work of our staff, 

the documents before the Committee, our overall record, is that the 

problems here were in the U.N., and that actually by the testimony 

of the two people whose letters I quoted earlier, including the outside investigator, and the letter from His Royal Highness Prince 

Zeid, who was then Jordan’s Ambassador to the U.N. and was 

charged by Kofi Annan to investigate these cases of sexual abuse 

and exploitation by U.N. Peacekeepers, you rose up as unusual in 

trying to take on those problems. 

And I will just quote briefly from Prince Zeid’s statement. ‘‘From 

the very minute I began to work on this,’’ which was an assignment 

Kofi Annan had given him, ‘‘Assistant Secretary-General Lute was 

fiercely committed to ridding the U.N. of this dreadful phenomenon,’’ the sexual exploitation, ‘‘and when most of her colleagues (in and out of the U.N. Secretariat) were largely dismissive 

of the allegations against Peacekeepers, she would have none of it. 

Instead, she fought with equal determination to unwrap these disturbing practices. It is worth noting in this context that in earlier 

years, an allegation against a U.N. Peacekeeper would predictably 

be concealed from public view by a very embarrassed United Nations. Ms. Lute sought to change all that.’’ 

So I think Senator Coburn is really focusing on some real problems that ought to concern us in regard to the U.N., to which we 

give a substantial amount of money every year, but I think ultimately, you stood up in the midst of all that against all that, and 

so that is why I am so comfortable in supporting you. 

I want to thank you for appearing before the Committee today. 

Without objection, I am going to amend this from what we normally say. The record will be kept open until the end of business 

37 

today for the submission of any written questions. Tomorrow at the 

end of business will be the deadline for any additional statements 

for the record from yourself or anybody on the Committee. And 

then we will look forward to going to markup on your nomination 

along with a lot of other business we have next Wednesday. 

I thank you very much. 

Ms. LUTE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman LIEBERMAN. I wish you the best. 

The hearing is adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 12 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.] 

(39) 

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Æ 


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