Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, there is an important program to help our Special Forces troops and families. It is called the Preservation of the Force and Family program. Admiral McRaven, who is the commander of Special Operations Command, has told the Armed Services Committee that this is his highest priority. It combines several kinds of help and assistance to wounded warriors and to their families in a holistic way. For those who are in it and have benefited from it, it has been a tremendous, tremendous program. What I am proposing in this amendment is to take $5 million from the Special Operation Command's budget request for flying hours, which in my understanding was increased by the Appropriations Committee, which is normally an excellent thing to fund, but they even gave, in my understanding, Mr. Chairman, above and beyond what the command had asked for. So based on that, I am asking for a transfer back of $5 million from the flying hours budget to the Preservation of the Force and Family Program. This aligns with what the Armed Services Committee had put in the NDAA after their deliberations in committee. I would ask that the House adopt this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.”