Political Quotes

“I wanted to briefly explain my reasons for opposing this amendment to S. 4, the Soldiers', Sailors', Airmen's and Marines' Bill of Rights. This amendment may look alright on the surface, but it falls apart when it is closely examined. Apparently, no one has estimated how much this amendment would cost if it became law, and no one knows how we would fund the changes that this amendment would require in the pension system. I cannot in good conscience support a measure when we have not considered that basic information. I fully support the goals of this bill and this amendment. I think that our men and women in uniform deserve good pay and benefits, but we must be responsible when we take these sorts of actions. Our uniformed personnel would be the first to tell us that. There have been no hearings on this amendment or this bill, and there is no evidence that this change in pension policy for military retirees will improve retention. I want to focus on the issue of how we would pay for this amendment. It seems to me that a vote for this amendment is a vote to cut military procurement, research and development, military construction, or some other item in the defense budget. If it is not a vote to cut the defense budget, a vote for this amendment would have us dip into the surplus to cover the full pensions of military retirees. I would prefer to see the surplus go towards ensuring the long-term solvency of Social Security.”