All Quotes

This is something Chairman Calvert has discussed time and time again to highlight the partnership that California has with Ukraine.

It is a game changer, absolutely.

It warms my cockles to hear an Army four star say that he asked for six F-35s and additional F-15EXs.

I am very concerned about the lack of, frankly, assets within the Reserve components, especially on the Air National Guard side...

If we can get the local communities to pay for that second income to augment the total household income and get quality of life above the poverty line, then we can save American taxpayer dollars.

I think getting that dual income, allowing the spouse to be able to stay in the workforce, but then the collateral benefit of also having that community...

I would like to expand that and enable that on the authorizing side with HASC to get that to apply to the Reserve side.

So now you have got an Active-Duty family going down to a single income for 2 to 3 years wherever they are based.

We passed a piece of legislation back in December of 2022, that was actually signed into law by the President in January of 2023 on the Active-Duty side called the Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act.

We passed, out of HAC-D, a bill that took the starting salary for an E-1 from $22,000 to $31,000, which is the equivalent of $15 per hour.

I was encouraged that the President signed my military licensing, Spouse Licensing Relief Act, into law, and I think that helps.

Last year, we missed our recruitment numbers, retention numbers by a net 41,000 personnel, recruits across all the services.

You all know my number one priority is our troops, especially our junior enlisted, E-1 through E-6. They are the most precious, they are the most potent, and they are the most powerful weapon system that we have.

I see our biggest near-term tactical threat is our open southern border, and obviously the biggest strategic threat, which I treat as an existential threat to our country, being China, as well as our debt, but that is not your fault.

If we don't pass the national security funding, that we can't provide those artillery shells to help combat Russia?

It would be unfortunate if that was held up with other additional votes that weren't germane to our national security.

Many of us in Congress are committed to passing this national security supplemental.

I hope that we can talk to some of our friends and colleagues over on the other side of the building in the United States Senate.