Happening and answering our questions. Your full written testimony will be entered into the record. Part, i am going to read my Opening Statement and then there will be a two minute video. Will begin by saying the federal protective Service OfficerDavid Taft Underwood was 53 when he was shot that guarding a Federal Building in oakland, california during a protest. His partner was also shot, but thankfully survived. Protestsrts of the involving 8000 people turned chaotic and violent as demonstrators smashed windows, looted stores and broke into a bank. The suspect that killed the four,puty a few days of his antipolice views drew him to oakland. He saw the protest as an opportunity for more bloodshed. David dorn was a retired police chief in st. Louis. He responded to the alarm going off at a shop owned by his friend during a night of antipolice protest. Chief dorn 77 years old, father of five, grandfather of 10, died on june 2 in the anarchy unleashed in st. Louis. Unfortunately, the violence did not end there. Yesterday morning, protesters in portland broke into a Police Association building and started a fire inside. Protesters flashed tires. It was the 69th straight day of what we are told are peaceful protest. According to the department of Homeland Security, 277 attacks on police and federal officers have occurred during these feeds these peaceful protests. At least 140 officers have been injured in portland alone. 113 officers have suffered injuries to their site after protesters deliberately attempted to blind them with lasers and other weapons. At least 930 nonfederal Law Enforcement officers have been injured. One has died. At least 38 federal officers xxed. Been do personal information about them were put online as a means of intimidation. At least 21 federal court houses been vandalized the summer. Protesters in nashville broken to city hall and lit fires. A woman charged this week was caught on video holding a poster reading, f the police. Protesters in denver broke into a courthouse amplifiers. Protesters in minneapolis burnt down a police station. The same thing in seattle. A peaceful protest in oakland in july intensified after protests set fire inside of a course house. During a peaceful protest in madison, at least one individual world the gasoline bomb into the City County Building which holds the cities 911 dispatch center. That included the beating of two individuals. One of them is a state lawmaker. These peaceful protests include arson and assault. They have left a mark on our cities, culture and country. As a journalist recently wrote, for large metro areas like chicago and minneapolis, to small cities like fort wayne and green bay, the number of boarded up, damaged or destroyed buildings i have observed, commercial, civic, and residential, is staggering. Keeping count is impossible. One might think a major Media Organization like the New York Times would use their journalist resources to tally up the wreckage for posterity. Roughly six weeks later, such a tally is nowhere to be found. While police were tied up with peaceful protests, homicides elsewhere were skyrocketing. By the end of july, homicides are up 53 in chicago. In minneapolis, murders are up 86 . In milwaukee, 84 . New york, 29 . Seattle, 42 . Philadelphia, 33 . New orleans, 36 . Denver, 46 . Those numbers measure the loss of human lives. Many are black lives that dont seem to matter much to the movement. Some are children. Some are children. Their lives have been cut short. Children whose lives matter. Their names matter. In chicago alone, child victims include a 15yearold, another 15yearold was shot in the head. Michael ike, 14yearold rhonda jones junior, 10yearold lena nunez, sevenyearold natalia wallace, shot in a backyard party. Threeyearold nick i james, killed when someone shouted her father in traffic. Whenyearold sincere gaston, killed when somebody shot his mothers car. That is just since memorial day. In one city. These people died because criminals kill them. They may have also died because police were constrained and prevented from doing their job to protect them. When you encourage disdain for police, you encourage criminals. When you do little or nothing to stop riots, you unleash anarchy. When you encourage criminals and unleash anarchy, people die. All of us suffer. With that, i have a twominute video i would like everybody to watch. Its not easy to watch. What thethe reality of protest have devolved to. [video clip] [indiscernible] in milwaukee democrat was assaulted by protesters. I had my bell rung. 10 people punched and kicked the politician while he was on the ground. Video shows carpenter later collapsing near the capital. [indiscernible] senator peters. Thank you. Acting secretary wolf, i appreciate you being here today. I know you have an awful lot on your plate. I appreciate that time is precious. You have a very challenging role, especially in these unprecedented times. Im extremely disappointed with some of the recent actions this dhs has taken. They have put at risk your ability to effectively protect the homeland. However, dhs chose a response to the situation on the ground that is an acceptable. Instead of working together with state and local partners, you sent a surge of federal agents who did not have proper training to deescalate the situation. Their tactics caused additional chaos. I am concerned federal property is distracting the threat posed by domestic terrorism. Last year, the Committee Held the first ever hearing focused on White Supremacy violence and domestic terrorism threats. We have seen far too many attacks in this country at the hands of white supremacist terrorists. Attacks that have taken the lives of our far too Many Americans. Americans were murdered in Shopping Centers or wallet as worship by domestic terrorists with ties to white supremacist movements, your department failed to respond with the same urgency that we saw on the streets of portland. When one federal Protection Services officer was tragically murdered and another was seriously wounded in the mind of duty earlier this year, it was by americans with ties to boogaloo boys, a movement rooted in white nationalism. You still have not released a complete plan to combat white supremacist violence, nearly a year after a released of the strategic framework for countering terrorism and targeted violence. I want to know why your agency is not focusing on the threat posed by whites as premises violence with the same sense of urgency. I want to know why you run office of intelligence has no trouble sharing intelligence on journalists with police in portland but makes excuses for i applaud congress to make sure that they have the resources they need to stay safe in the line of duty and return home to their families safe. Let me be clear. The decisions the administration has made in recent months have put dhs personnel at unnecessary risk. Because you chose to escalate conflicts, you risk officer safely, the safety of american civilians. More than ever, we need leadership at the department of Homeland Security. We need coordination with state and local officials. We need to focus on the most prevalent and deadly threats that are facing our country. I continue to hold the department can juggle its complex mission. What i have seen so far, it calls into question the administrations priorities when it comes to National Security. I look forward to speaking with you today and continuing to Work Together to protect our National Security and the security of the American People. Thank you. Please stand and raise your right hand. Do you swear that the testimony that you give will be the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so hope you got . Please be seated. Chad wolf is the acting secretary of the department of Homeland Security. Hes been serving in this position since november 2019. Mr. Wolf previously held other leadership roles and serving as chief of staff of the department. Acting secretary wolf. Thank you again for the opportunity to testify today. While Many Americans are aware of the missions of the department of Homeland Security, many are not as familiar with the Important Mission of the federal protective service. Fps has protected federal property for almost 50 years and does so at 9000 Properties Around the country. This responsibility was provided through the secretary of Homeland Security by the United States congress. Federal properties in portland have been attacked by violent criminals, opportunists, and anarchists. I want to be clear. And went, we see nonviolent protests. The department is aware of the National Dialogue taking place around racism and law around racism and Law Enforcement practices. We continue to support and defend every americans right to exercise their First Amendment rights. The violent activity i will refer to today is not associated with those protests. The violent activity we see occurring between midnight and 5 00 began roughly around may 28 with the mayor of portland announcing an 8 00 to 6 00 curfew from a 30th to june 2. On june 1, due to the level of violence, the portland mayor asked the governor of oregon to activate the National Guard to help protect facilities in the city. Over the course of june, dhs monitored the situation in portland closely, began deploying additional officers into portland to protect federal facilities. Despite surging 20 additional officers throughout june, it was clear we were overmatched. In early june, at the request of officials in portland, i directed additional Law Enforcement aspects to protect federal properties and officers. Our officers have faced assaults from bricks, baseball bats, sledgehammers, molotov cocktails, fireworks, excel or rinse, ieds, and other violent weapons. Federal officials in portland have made 99 arrests. Dhs officers have experienced 277 separate injuries. They range from minor to serious to include several who may have permanent eye damage. I would like to play a short video of what our officers have faced. [video clip] [indiscernible] unfortunately, what was absent was the help from local Law Enforcement personnel. Dhs and doj officers were given little to no assistance provided to protect federal properties. Violent opportunists used as a staging ground to prepare for their nightly assault on the courthouse. Local officials did not allow all did not allow Law Enforcement to make any arrests if the violence was directed at federal property. Mayor of7, the portland directed all federal Law Enforcement agencies be prohibited from accessing the Portland Police bureau Emergency Operation center. On july 22, city council specifically directed all members of the Portland Police bureau shall not provide, request nor willingly receive Operational Support from dhs and doj Law Enforcement agencies. Law enforcement officers, civil Law Enforcement officers were abandoned due to the dangerous policies by local officials. Assistanceration and our federal officers receive in any other city or cross the country did not exist in portland. I shall briefly address offered inaccurate statements. Law enforcement officers are not a Occupying Force and are not serving the general domestic Security Agency. They have been deployed for an extended period of time to one city, portland. To protect federal property. Law enforcement officers are not stormtroopers or thugs, they are civil Law Enforcement officers who were clearly marked uniforms, are properly trained and establish practices and operate within their authority. Suggested Law Enforcement officers should not be in portland if not invited. Tole our preferences always partner with local and state Law Enforcement enforcing federal law is not buying ventilation is not by invitation. We cannot be directed to ignore criminal activity in action and we will never shy away from our statutory duty. July 14, i placed phone calls to the governor of oregon. I offered to the full resources of the department to assist them in ending the violence at the federal courthouse. Their answer was dark was stark. No thank you. Fortunately, the governor felt better about this decision and reached out two and half weeks later to offer Police Support to address the violence. As of today, the full augmented dhs posture remains in portland. They wont main until be are assured that other federal rules facilities in portland will no longer be attacked. While we have seen a noticeable decrease in violent activity directed at the federal courthouse in recent days, make no mistake, there continues to be violence in portland. Over seven days, police have declared a riot on four different occasions. Last bottles and lasers have been directed at police officers. Numerous arrests have been made. The Police Association building has been set on fire. While this violence is not directed at the federal courts have federal courthouse, dhs officers remain on alert. I look forward to your questions. Thank you secretary wilkie. Ator scott has i yield my time. I want to thank you for what you do every day. I was governor for eight years and learned three things. People care about three things, jobs, education and they want to be safe. The video you showed come of the things we have seen are disgusting. Do you think it is a peaceful protest when people use lasers to blind Law Enforcement officers . Absolutely not. A peaceful protest when people throw bricks at Law Enforcement . Absolutely not. Is it a peaceful protest when people start fires around buildings . Absolutely not. Would you call the attack on the Federal Building a peaceful protest . No. Do you have an obligation in your job to defend federal property . It is an obligation and a direction from the congress. It says we shall protect those facilities, it does not say we can. We see peaceful protest in portland every day. That are peaceful protests do not make the news. There are no arrests or injuries. That usually occurs in the early evening, very different than what the video shows. Wheren you read things politicians say all of these protests in portland were peaceful, you see the video, you see what is happening to officers, how do you feel . I would say i have strong feelings about that. Are doing what folks either intentionally or unintentionally as they are confusing two different activities. Peaceful protest thing in violent activity we see between midnight and 5 00. Law enforcement officers are doing their very best. Some of what you saw in the video. Very difficult circumstances. They are behind a perimeter, they are inside that courthouse, they only come out to defend the courthouse as its getting attacked. I mentioned some of the language, stormtroopers, gestapo, i think most reasonable americans and Law Enforcement know that is a lie. Were you surprised when the mayor into the governor didnt provide support to do the job of protecting federal property . Thateryone understands oregon and portland, there is an environment there are protesting. We appreciate that. What we saw throughout june and july is going beyond that. Becoming very violent. When you dont hold individuals accountable, or allow them to attack a courthouse and stepped back across the street to rearm to come back night after night, it emboldens them. Ant we see in portland is environment. If you go back to 2018, we had a dhs ice facility for 28 days was laid siege to buy individuals. Portland police and local officials did nothing. We finally had to send in federal Law Enforcement assets to take that building back. What should congress be doing to be helpful . Talk about the people who have lost their vision. How many . Video saw a bit from the was that green laser. That is a new tactic we have seen that our federal protective Service Officers have seen in portland. It is very powerful. This is not the laser that your cat or dog may chase on the ground. This is a very powerful laser. It hits their eyes, it will heat up the nucleus of the eye and give you permanent damage. We have been able to address that with eye protection, but we have three officers that will likely lose some portion of their vision. Sympathy have you heard a lot of sympathy for them . They say these people who throw bricks and start fires, have you heard any of them say i am worried about your Law Enforcement officers . That is disappointing. I talk passionately about what we do in ports in portland because officers putting their lives on the line getting injured. But i do not hear his appreciation for that. The Ranking Member certainly did that in his Opening Statement, but i hear very little o