Political Quotes

“This amendment would prohibit Congress from receiving unfunded priority lists from service chiefs and combatant commanders. These are the individuals responsible for executing U.S. military operations around the world. It is critical that Congress knows what the service chiefs and the combatant commanders need to keep our servicemembers safe and ensure success in their missions. Here are a couple of examples of FY23 unfunded priorities from General McConville, the Army chief of staff: $67 million to accelerate fielding of body armor for female soldiers; $65 million to acquire cold-weather boots, gloves, and sleeping bags for troops deployed to cold-weather environments. Neither of these critical needs were funded in the Biden proposal. We funded them in this bill only because they were included on General McConville's unfunded priority list. We likely wouldn't have known about them otherwise. These are just a couple of examples of why this amendment is misguided. There are hundreds more just like it. I urge Members to oppose this amendment. I remind Members that the President proposes a budget number that the service chiefs and combatant commanders have to salute and say, ``Yes, sir''--hopefully, one day, ``Yes, ma'am''--``That is our number, and we are going to make it work,'' regardless of what they need.…”