Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlewoman from Texas, the distinguished chair, for her leadership. The amendment I am offering will support explosive ordnance disposal equipment upgrades and technology enhancements. When the Department of Defense canceled the EOD/Low Intensity Conflict Program, which formerly developed and delivered capabilities commonly required by each services' EOD tactical units, it was done without transferring this program and the oversight responsibility on EOD research, development, and acquisition to that of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics. It is my understanding that DOD's Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office will now absorb this specific mission set within their Improvised Device Defeat and Explosives Countermeasures program. This program is unique in that it supports the United States Government's Interagency Deputies' Technical Support Working Group to combat terrorism by using a whole-government approach. Specifically, the program leverages the intelligence community, the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, and State, as well as State, local, and Tribal levels of government. There are about 33,000 annual call-outs, approximately 4,500 of which are on DOD military munitions.…”