Troubles get getting linkedin, and hopefully we will be able to resolve this sometime. Theres a third vote pending as well. It will discuss declassification policy in particular will be discussing striking a balance between protecting our nations classified material ensuring Historical Documents can be safely get their moment in the sun. Im prepared to differ my Opening Statements for the following reasons. Senator moran is a chair hearing at 330 and in between, passing a vote and if its okay with both of you, and i just my time to senator so he can open with some comments as he joined us here today on this issue. Now he cant does not have to miss a vote and can share his important hearing at 330. We hopefully elevenths is working. Can i reserve a special favor. Yes absolutely. Take him for everything he has. Usa your comments. Of time to vote in the missing hearing. Mr. Chairman, is a real privilege to testify to be in front of this committee. I hold until committee in high regard. And its an Important Role in securing the security of our citizens. I appreciate the considerations the you and senator warner provided in the timing. Members of the committee, thank you very much for the opportunity dedicate for the declassification reform. And we are having us up and setting mr. As you may be aware i am a sponsor alongside with a member of this committee senator wyden. Senate bill, 3733 is declassification reformat. Soon why deny work on this issue for a long time. It is surprising to me if the end result is so straightforward and relatively simple. But it is an attempt to begin the process of modernizing declassification by designating the director of National Intelligence as the executive agent responsible for promoting programs, processes and systems related to declassification. The bill itself rest within the jurisdiction of another committee. This committee has previously considered this bill as amendment offered by senator white into the intelligence authorization act. Appreciate discussion of that bill which many of you and personally visited with me on the floor and throughout the capital complex. The conversations in todays hearing underscore recognition of the process which guides or nations relief of is classified information on unable to keep up with the overwhelming flood of digital data that is classified in daily basis. Congress has been toldd repeatedly over the years that the system is unsustainable. Lester the director of Information SecurityOversight Office wrote to the president that the current framework is unsustainable and desperately requires modernization. And in 2016 the Public Interest the classification board reported classification systems is no longer able to handle the current volume and forms of information especially given the exponential growth of Digital Information. Four years later, theres that little evidence that the problem is on the path to being solved. The press is most budget records are no longer required classification. As impact the taxpayers is estimated to be 18 billion per year. And it denies Public Access to information that can be used to hold the government accountable. As the Public Interest to classification board notes that over alarm system for policymakers as well. Senator wyden approached me and i 2018, asked me to join him in an effort to craft legislation that would begin to address this problem. While i indicated my great regard for members of this committee, im not one of them and said it might be a question is why is this an interest to me. And certainly, the ability to save taxpayer dollars is of interest to me and ability to be more transparent to the market public, is of interest to me. In the ability for us as policymakers have the necessary Information Available to us is important to me. Protecting those tax taxpayers to the tune of billions is spent on classification and ensuring transparency from the federal government, and the ability to do that without jeopardizing National Security is a priority. For well over europe consulted with experts from the Public Interest declassification board and Information SecurityOversight Office in the National Archives and othersi outside experts in the officials from our nations intelligence agencies as well as staff from this Intelligence Committee. When a technical solution such as. Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning exist to facilitate bring our system into the 20 percent three and we know individual agencies are taking steps with some of this technology to address the issue and a more coordinated effort and implement best practices is best required. The final product, the declassification reformat docs to keep recommendations for the latest report issued in may by the Public Interest declassification board. Senator wyden and i are not under the impression that the naming and executive agent will resolve every problem associated with classifying and classifying information that we do believe that putting an official with sufficient authority to implement changes across the government is a really good first step. Our consultation of the best year. We know is resistance and suggested improvements to the declassification reform and we also recognize other ideas that facilitate reform. I am pleased todays hearing posting to flesh out our bills and other ideas to address the problem of this magnitude. With the direction this committee determined to move forward with reform, resources will be necessary to have a minute and is a member of the defense appropriations subcommittee, please consider me and la in this endeavor. I have been pleased to join senator wyden in this effort unequally eager to work with members of this committee and achieving declassification reform that is long overdue and yet protect american citizens in our National Security. Mr. Chairman, i think you again for having us open hearing that allows me to testify and i think you and the Committee Members for the time and the opportunity to be here today. Thank you senator and thank you for being here. Going to sort of convince my Opening Statement in the interest of time. The congress established the Public Interest declassification board to advise the executive branch on the identification review and release the records. In may of 2020 the released a report in reform in the process. And recommended seeking way we for the declassify records. Today will look to our witness former horsemen to explain those recommendations. The me just say broadly the Intelligence Community agrees that reform is needed. The fact backlog of Historical Documents atlarge system for moving documents to review is completely outdated. And quite frankly and consistent throughout the National Security establishment. And i am however that the recommendations do not align with the deny porous rope given that they have needed the authority nor the expertise to serve as the leader of the declassification and a price for the entire government which is one of the issues that we discussed in terms of jurisdictions. For example they are not and should not be in a position at the deny to have the declassification rules for the Department Programs are Nuclear Programs for example. So we look forward to talking to our witnesses about a denies review of the declassification process in Business Practices including the prospect of the achievable reform within the concepts of the limits of the oh denies authority. Secondlyly it i think the subjet of this hearing allows us to emphasize a related pointed that is the difference between a process of responsible declassification of secrets and to not need to be secret. And selfish irresponsible leaks. In the recent we classify things is not because we try to keep things from people is because it t is revealed, you wl reveal how you learned about those things. And that people that youre into decentti you ae collecting on will realize that you have accesses to information and cut you off for more Important Information in the future. So this is why one of the main reasons why things are kept secret critical in this of course balanced with results positioned generally of transparency from government. And if necessary, we need transparency in order to have accountability. Better systems over government requires what has been found between these two equities of protecting the safety and security ofes americn people and to our ability to learn valuable information about adversaries and potential adversaries with the market people for transparency and everything from the government and what they do. So i would say that those, eventually very proud of this committee by and large has been very responsible in my ten years on this committee with the information we have come across. No matter what we found the issues, think it is hard to say that this committee has never been in my time on this source, of the sorts of. But there are those who do outside of this committee casually dismiss the responsibility of classified information. And many of them and frankly either never never cetera briefing mark then run into a billiondollar programs that have revealed when they were nation blind and deaf to the threats that we face. They have never met and heard about the brave men and women who risk their lives every single day to prevent the next terrorist attack. Or to feel the plans for a deadly new weapons system. These are the secrets that al qaeda, china, iran, russia and others seek. It would use that information to do us harm. These secrets need to stay secret. But not forever. An agreedupon bequest occasion process that allows review of secret documents, to ensure that those secrets can be given their day in the sun that harming people the programs of the american taxpayers. Done responsibly, that bill would be the trust between the people and governments. Build trust. So we will make sure that happens from the Intelligence Community. But some are not willing to play with the rules unfortunately. People who have put their lives in the line to get this information deserve better. It is either hard secrets slashed across the pages the New York Times of the washington post, just because of bureaucratic or politician wanted to sport some cheap political points for their own benefit. Our nation deserves better than that. Our people deserve better than that. They pay taxes to the government can provide for the common defense and we spend those taxes on technological runthroughs on brilliant mathematicians and clever computer scientists. If you make ten times her salary by working somewhere else. These people were four years to gain access to these secrets, the secrecy keep missing from the terrorist attacks or from the next enormous tax from china or somewhere else or to stop plans to try to influence to steal an election. And then see that excess evaporate when someone decides that they are above the Higher Mission thats going a political point is more important than protecting our country and honoring our taxpayers and the trust is destroyed. And our allies suddenly consider us security risks. In this note or statement toer say that peope die. If from politicians who want to be the first to the breaking news, we the market people, suffer for the selfish acts and benefits. Maybe the political, the politicians sank a few headlines for a few hours on interview on cable news but the real letter ultimately is our adversaries. All that said i want to take a minute to think t the professionals. On his shoulders these declassifications exist and the rest are a delight prefers, represents a very small group of people who in the last three years have been a vital partner in this committee. We sought to reveal information the right way. After working with Intelligence Committee to make sure we are doing no harm. All five volumes of the russian forecast through his shop for declassification previews. And we greatly appreciate his efforts, their efforts to r protect her secrets and yet ensure the market people were able to see our work. I wanted to thank the senator for his perspective as a historian and an academic and his leadership in ensuring the declassifications have been done properly while again for protecting your investment in our intelligent community. And the senator friend who is here today on this committee especially senator wyden who has been a leader perhaps the leader and trying to reform now perhaps, he is the leader trying to reform the declassification process. So thank you for being here. And let me just say, the housekeeping item will know when the votes are coming will b no. This is our first extremes with webex. Were not by nature very open to the public kind of committee so we are struggling with that as well. But where we have got it, we will do the best weekends we hope to work with this. So you ask everybody for their patients. Its nothing to do with keeping secrets. We promise that on this. So thank you. Thank you mr. Chairman. I think my friends moran and wyden this issue. N i think it is extraordinarily timely. I do hope we will get to hear from congressman and we have questions for them. I know declassification is a bit more technical. Some of the issues that we grapple with but is his fitting that we should have an open session to discuss it. We would all agree that todays declassification system is broken. It is outdated, it is slow, bulky, costly and most hopelessly inadequate for the digital age. Agencies are using a fragmented paperbased system. Resources and uniformity in technology to keep pace with the exploding volumes of digital records. This leads to errors, with classified information at risk, and erodes the American Trust in the system. For a quarter of a century ago, Commission Led by the late senator a former member of this Committee Found it while secrecy is important for security operations, policy discussions and weapon systems, also found that excessive secrecy has significant negative consequences. When the public cannot be engaged and informed debate which is extraordinarilyd timely and now in terms of election security. When policymakers are not informed. The government cannot be held accountable for its actions. Furthermore excessiver application saps resources needed for protecting those secrets that truly must be kept. I agree with the german those secrets are critical, they must be kept and honored in i think a greater way. But my fear is in todays digital age, if anything, the news solution seems much worse. They even which tensio of millis ne new documents are classified every year. Somebody anxious to hear from our witnesses on how the declassification system is functioning. Im sure will have questions. And the german recognize the very important work of senator wyden who without his constant persistence, i am not sure who would even be to this point. Would like to know see balance of my time to senator wyden for his comments as well. Thank you very much mr. Chairman. I especially want, to thank my cosponsors senator friend who i know is getting out the door. Also chairman rubio. Open hearings are rare. And i very much appreciate him doing this. Let me start by saying what our country safety is at stake, there is a very real need to classified documents. Essential to protecting american lives. What there is no need for is a dilapidated outofcontrol classification system that cost taxpayers more than 18 billion a year. And get this colleagues. Cannot even distinguish between what should and should not be kept secret. The classification system so i dated an dysfunction and dysfunctional that when it comes time to just classified document, the agencies have to find the dont even have the ability to communicate about it securely online. So heres what happens colleagues. Intelligence officials have to print out the documents. They put them in a bag and drive around from agency to agency. And if they get stuck in traffic, they better bring a bag lunch. Now watching these intelligence officials march around with their documents, might make for a funny saturday night live skit. But it is ann absurd wa wisdom taxpayer money is damaging to our National Security in our democracy. Documents this should not be classified or just piling up in secret databases. In the system is choking on itself. Its getting worse each year as a flood of new information gets classified digitally. As the chairman said, there is widespread consensus rated there is a serious problem here. As a widespread consensus and modernizing the declassification systems solution. There lots of good ideas for how to do it. The only thing missing is somebody to take responsibility and get it done. So thats what senator ryan and i are doing, Bipartisan Legislation that would implement the privacy boards recommendations and direct National Intelligence to take the leadership role. Theyre already responsible for information management, Information Technology and protectionor of methods. The d9 is already responsible for developing uniform policies within the intelligence communities and Solutions Solutions to this longstanding problem are and. One plus point. And chairman rubio, i like to make sure that i am part of this to you because i think you raised the central concern that i heard about the department of defense. The reform senator moran and i are urging, does not but the dni owed char