Wayne Allard: “I thank both the chairman of the Armed Services Committee and the ranking Republican, Senator Warner, for their diligent…”

“I thank both the chairman of the Armed Services Committee and the ranking Republican, Senator Warner, for their diligent efforts in reaching this compromise. It means a lot to me, to the State of Colorado, and particularly to the Nation. When you consider the events that happened just 10 days ago, those tragic events, it is imperative that we get a Defense authorization bill to move forward. The way the issue of missile defense started out in the subcommittee on which I am the ranking Republican, it was a rocky road. The chairman of that strategic subcommittee, Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, is a tremendous chairman. I like working with him. There are a couple of committees on which I serve with him, where he is the chairman and I am the head Republican. Our working relationship I describe as superb. He listens, tries to work with the minority side. I try and do everything I can to work with him. We have a very good relationship. It was with a heavy heart, when reporting out of that subcommittee our portion of the armed services bill, we had it reported out in a divided mode.”