Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I thank my friends, the good Senator from Maryland, the dean of the women in the Senate, and the Senator from Maine, who have organized this portion of the debate this morning. I acknowledge and thank the other women of the Senate who are here this morning to speak on an issue we would all agree is something that must be addressed and that for far too long has not seen the redress it commands. So we stand together unified in an effort to truly make a difference. I acknowledge the good work particularly of Senators McCaskill and Gillibrand, who have worked to raise the awareness of sexual assault in the military. They have truly advanced the discussion to the point where for the first time in far too long we will make substantive, meaningful headway when it comes to addressing sexual assault, sexual harassment, and what has been called or referred to as military sexual trauma. Working together I think we do have that momentum, that push to truly address these areas in a meaningful way. When the Senate passes the National Defense Authorization Act for 2014, it will be evident to all that we have sent a very strong message on these issues--a very united message, clearly bipartisan. It should be clear to all who have been following the debates--first in the Armed Services Committee and now here on the floor--there are differences of opinion within this body about how we address the crisis. But there is no difference of opinion that we must address the crisis.…”