Edolphus Towns: “First of all, I would like to thank the Members who worked very hard to make this a reality, and I want to take the…”

“First of all, I would like to thank the Members who worked very hard to make this a reality, and I want to take the opportunity to applaud the leadership and its commitment to the Members of Congress who have worked so hard on this legislation--Senator Carper and Senator Collins and, of course, Congressman Issa and Congressman Cummings from Maryland. They have all worked very closely with us, along with my good friend Congressman Platts, to make this day a reality. Through its stewardship, the Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management has conducted a series of hearings on the problems of improper payments, and this legislation is the result of our findings on those hearings. I also want to thank the staff who worked very hard on H.R. 4053. Of course, it is a proud accomplishment when you listen to the stories of people who are in the military and when you hear how they go months and months without their families getting paid, that they are transferred from one base to another and, as a result, the families do not get paid because they're saying they cannot locate where they are. Of course, many times when soldiers are transferred from one base to another, you'll find that they are not able to get paid. I think that that's something that we should abort because here they are defending this country in a magnificent way, and we cannot find a way to get them paid.…”