Political Quotes

“I am aware of the issue, and of the concerns raised by the Senator from Ohio about this definition. Section 823 of the Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 directed the Secretary of Defense to review the definition of the term ``produced'' and to ensure that it complies with the requirements of law and is consistent with congressional intent. It is my understanding that this review is currently ongoing. I believe that we should have the informed input of the Department of Defense before we act on this issue. For that reason, I believe that the amendment is premature. However, the review required by section 823 is already several weeks overdue. I understand that DOD is not always able to meet our reporting deadlines, but this is an issue on which we need DOD's input and we need it soon. I assure the Senator from Ohio that we will carefully review the findings of the DOD review and revisit the issue in light of those findings, if necessary. If the Department fails to meet its statutory duty to address this issue, we will take that into consideration as well.”