Richard Shelby: “We do learn from those mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes are quite costly.”

A complex and evolving security environment requires a serious commitment to our national defense.

In a fiscal environment with 8.5 percent inflation, the Department's budget request equates to a cut to our national defense at a time of unprecedented security risks.

The Department of Navy has played and will continue to play a critical role in the defense of our Nation.

I, along with many others, want to thank Senator Pat Leahy for a remarkable 48 years of service here in the Senate. As chairman of the Appropriations, Judiciary, and Agriculture Committees and President pro tempore of the Senate, I believe…