Joel Hefley: “Mr. Skelton, thank you so much. You have been such a good friend over the years. And I also would be remiss if I did not…”

“Mr. Skelton, thank you so much. You have been such a good friend over the years. And I also would be remiss if I did not thank Mr. Ortiz, Solomon Ortiz. He and I have been teammates leading the Readiness Committee but before that leading the Military Construction Committee. I would guess that we have agreed on 95 percent or more of everything we have dealt with during this period of time. In fact, I can't think of anything, Solomon, that we have not agreed on, but there might have been something. But, obviously, if we did not agree, we disagreed in a professional, pleasant, friendly way and moved on to try to do what is best for our troops and for the defense of this country. Solomon, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you. Mr. Speaker, you know, despite 5 years of demanding combat operations, our Nation's military remains the most effective, most powerful, most ready force in the world. However, it comes as no surprise that the wear and tear of the years of wartime activities have resulted in increased funding requirements for training, operations, equipment and maintenance. Recognizing this, the Readiness Subcommittee has conducted rigorous oversight on military readiness through hearings, classified briefings, and visits with military personnel in the field. Our oversight efforts led the committee to include in this conference report both funding and policy actions intended to further enhance the readiness of our military forces.”