Political Quotes

“I thank the Senator from Arizona. I very briefly described this amendment before, but I will take a few minutes now to describe it in some greater length because it is very significant. It is going to totally change the way we buy replacement parts for our weapons systems to avoid the absurdity that we have so many counterfeit parts, including used parts, where we need new parts on these weapons systems. The investigative staff of our committee looked at just a slice of the Defense chain for getting replacement parts. In that one slice of that supply chain, they identified 1,800 examples of where counterfeit parts were in our weapons systems. There were 1,800 different examples, but they involve millions of parts. What happens here is that these used computers that originate from China, which are called e-waste, are sent back to China where they are pulled apart. The electronic parts are then washed, frequently in a stream--and there are pictures of these parts being washed in streams-- dried out in the open, and then they go mainly to one place in China, Shantou. The surfaces of these parts are then sanded down, new surfaces are put on them, and a number is placed on them to make them look like new parts. Then, those parts, through various ways, get into the supply chain. That is what we have to stop. This is dangerous for our troops. It jeopardizes their missions.…”