I don't know if you all have seen it, but someone did a little survey of how many federal employees are actually working in the office.
By one estimate, it may be about 1% if you don't count the security personnel that are covering these buildings.
That is absurd, and it's not something the American people would stand for.
And so, one of the first things that I think you'll see is a demand from the new administration and from all of us in Congress that federal workers return to their desks and get back to the work that they're supposed to be doing.
I think that is common sense.
What you're going to see here, the overriding theme here, is a return to common sense and a return to accountability and efficiency in government.
I think that's going to serve the people well.
There'll be a lot more to tell you all in the days ahead.
Thanks for being here.
Since 1979, in partnership with the cable industry, C-SPAN has provided complete coverage of the halls of Congress, from the House and Senate floors to congressional hearings, party briefings, and committee meetings.
C-SPAN gives you a front-row seat to how issues are debated and decided with no commentary, no interruptions, and completely unfiltered.
C-SPAN, your unfiltered view of government.
Some of the headlines from national papers today on the nomination of Pete Hegseth.
This is the Washington Post.
Allegations of excessive drinking have shadowed Hegseth.
This is the headline from the Washington Times this morning.
Senators await more information on Hegseth.
The sub-headline, defense nominee vows not to drink.
This from the New York Times, the lead story today.
Hegseth asserts he won't give up as support sways, making that assertion both in appearances in the media and in an op-ed that published in the Wall Street Journal yesterday.
This is part of what Pete Hegseth wrote in that op-ed.
The press has been peddling anonymous story after anonymous story, all meant to smear me and tear me down.
It's a textbook, manufactured media takedown.
He wrote, They provide no evidence, no names, and they ignore the legions of people who speak on my behalf.
They need to create a boogeyman because they believe I threaten their institutional insanity.
That is the only thing that they are right about.
I have never backed down from a fight and won't back down from this one.
I'm grateful President-elect Trump chose me to lead the Defense Department, and I look forward to an honest confirmation hearing with our distinguished senators, not a show trial in the press.
One of those distinguished senators that Pete Hegseth met with yesterday as he made the rounds on Capitol Hill, Kevin Kramer, Republican of North Dakota.
He spoke to the press after that meeting with Hegseth.