Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise to commend the dedicated bipartisan work of the House Armed Services Committee in recognizing our subcommittee chairs, members, and the staff as well in bringing this critical bill to the floor. But as it has been stated earlier, the budget numbers that we are talking about contained in the bill are, unfortunately, aspirational. We have not passed a budget resolution, and the Budget Control Act is still the law of the land. While it is true that the BCA was a bipartisan failing--we can all take credit for that--pointing fingers does not solve the problems. We are on an uncertain and dangerous path, one where we have not been honest with ourselves on many levels and where we continue to play games with our men and women serving in the military. We must recognize that the only path to solving these issues is bipartisan collaboration and legislation to repeal the BCA. Continuing resolutions and unrealistic, deeply partisan budgets amount to nothing more than professional malpractice. I have to say, Mr. Chairman, that I was encouraged to see that the Senate included a proposal similar to the one I introduced during markup to continue paying the widows of servicemembers who died in defense of our Nation. Their personal compensation is not just a small gesture but our fundamental responsibility. I am also encouraged by the promise our chairman made regarding this issue.…”