Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for his extraordinary leadership as our ranking member on the Armed Services Committee. I thank him for his leadership in trying to help define what our security mission is so that we have the resources that are necessary to honor our oath of office to protect and defend. Mr. Chair, I thank Mr. Thornberry as well for his leadership in the defense of our country. The bipartisanship in defending our country is something that we value, and any interference with that is unfortunate. It takes a special kind of person, my colleagues, who steps forward to serve in the U.S. military. They are men and women of courage, of strength, and of patriotism, who shoulder the burden of defending our liberties so that the rest of us can live in security and freedom. We owe these heroes an immense debt, a solemn responsibility to do everything we can to defend those who are risking and giving their lives for the United States of America. The Defense bill before us today should be about honoring that responsibility, protecting those who protect our national security; instead, here we are considering a Republican amendment purpose-built to attack the health and dignity of thousands of men and women serving with honor and courage today. Make no mistake, the effect and the intent of this unjust and mean- spirited amendment is to ban patriotic Americans from serving our country.…”