Political Quotes

“Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Let me first thank our ranking member for his comments and just reiterate the fact that while this is a 1 percent cut across-the-board, it allows the Pentagon to make those decisions about where the Pentagon and our military officials believe the cuts should come from and how to reallocate our funds. Certainly as the daughter of a veteran of 25 years--I'm an Army brat--I recognize and support our young men and women who have been placed in harm's way and who have sacrificed so much for our country. There is no way that I would offer an amendment that would harm our troops. A 1 percent cut really forces us to pause, quite frankly, and forces us to look where we can find savings when we scrutinize the Pentagon budget, the same way that we scrutinize our domestic discretionary spending. At a time when American families, businesses, and government agencies are facing budget cuts, why shouldn't the Pentagon be asked to become more efficient and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse? Let me reiterate that this bill includes $5 billion more than the President's request for the overseas contingency account. So it makes no sense. We need to begin to focus our resources on nation-building at home, ensure our national security, and really make sure that all of our agencies begin to look at waste, fraud, and abuse.…”