I do believe the Secretary has agriculture's best interests at heart, and I want to work with him to be an advocate for farmers and ranchers both inside the Administration and here in Congress.

The state of the U.S. farm economy is strong.

Mr. President, we are trying to resolve one of the great problems I am sure my colleagues are sensitive to; that is, the infrastructure of this country. Today we have two witnesses next to each other, the head of the AFL-CIO and the head…

Madam President, the supplemental carriers provide a valuable and unique service to our economy as well as our military's ability to move troops and materiel around the world in a safe and timely manner. Current flight and duty rules for…

I thank the Senator for his gracious commitment to insure that these carriers are treated fairly and in accordance with well established precedent.

I believe requiring my certification is unnecessary.

Cancelling the EFV does not mean the threat of anti-ship missiles was overstated.

the demand for missile defense assets within each region over the next decade will exceed supply.

I was somewhat pleased with it. One reason is that I have been a staunch supporter up here, probably the most staunch supporter, of the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program.

According to a June 2010 Defense News article, the Aegis radar systems are 'in their worst shape ever, raising questions about the surface fleet's ability to take on its high-profile new mission next year defending Europe from ballistic…

General Amos, is there adequate funding in the near- or far-term to fully restock propositioned equipment and supplies?

The Marine Corps remains firmly partnered with the Navy with the ability to come from the sea rapidly to project power.

Secretary Mabus and Admiral Roughead, why are Aegis ships which are configured to carry 20 missiles only carrying 10 to 11 missiles?

A future end strength of 186,800 marines provides the country a 'middleweight' force that is forward deployed and forward engaged.

Slowing the production rate of the F-35B to allow for the responsible design and incorporation of technical adjustments was a prudent decision in light of the progress the JSF program had made to date.

I have had the opportunity, going all the way back to the fall of 2003... I think this really has to be recognized.

I am glad to hear that.

We are beginning to see at the mid-grade level, sort of the 8 to 10 years of service point, a slight leveling off of the retention.