To:		thomas@loc.gov
From:		Benjamin Melançon
Subject:		Hearings transcripts

Dear THOMAS,

I have looked all over the THOMAS site, and others: where do I go for the transcripts of hearings held by House or Senate committees?

The particular example I was looking for at this time was the testimony of Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld before Senator Robert Byrd in an appropriations hearing sometime in the past month. In another document I found on THOMAS with a text search of the Congressional Record, Mr. Byrd referred to this questioning:

"I had the opportunity to discuss the war on terror with Defense Secretary Rumsfeld a few days ago when he appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee. I think it was on February 5. The Secretary appeared before the Committee to explain and defend the President's $379 billion defense budget request for Fiscal Year 2003."

How can I find this testimony? Surely such questions and answers between legislators and administrators become part of the public record somewhere?

Please help me, and I wonder how the web site can be designed to provide the clearest access to everything that Congress does that is recorded.

Thank you,

Benjamin Melançon
melancon@student.umass.edu

E-mailed 2002 February 26, Tuesday, 2 p.m.

THOMAS replied 2002 March 1:

Subject: Re: Hearings transcripts
To: Benjamin Melançon 
Cc: National Reference Service 

Dear Benjamin,

THOMAS has links to committee information under the headings House
Committees and Senate Committees on the homepage (toward the right hand
side). Simply click on Senate Committees and then on Armed Services Comm,
and you will find whatever the committee has made available. Each
committee is independent; some provide more information than others. I
looked and you will be able to find Secretary Rumsfeld's statement. If you
need further information that is not online, it would be easiest to
contact the committee directly.

I hope this helps.

Peter Yeager
Library of Congress