On the recordDecember 22, 2010
I wish to thank both my colleagues from Tennessee for their very kind remarks. Actually, the place we have gotten, what we have achieved, is due to the efforts of a lot of people. It starts with Secretary Gates in the Department of Defense; Secretary Chu; Tom D'Agostino; his Deputy Director of NNSA, Don Cook; the Lab Directors who are incredible public servants. We visited with them. These are some of the brightest people in the country and the folks who work with them, many of whom, almost all of whom are about ready to retire, those people who actually designed and developed the weapons we now have. There are a lot of people who devoted their lives to what very few people know or understand. They are now being asked to do a very difficult and complicated job in very difficult surroundings. Part of what we are asking for--it is not just a matter of convenience, as Senator Alexander said, it is a matter of absolute necessity that these facilities be capable of dealing with these complex weapons. That is why they are expensive, but they are absolutely needed. I thank both my colleagues for having devoted a lot of their own time and attention to this issue and in supporting the efforts of modernization so we can get this job done properly. I appreciate their remarks.
