Political Quotes

“Just to reiterate the prior point, a few weeks ago, the Iranian Government attempted to send a fleet of ships bearing arms for Houthi rebels in Yemen, a mission that would further drive that region into a dangerous failed state. Luckily, for the world, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, a Navy aircraft carrier, led a carrier group into the waters off Yemen and blocked the delivery of those weapons. It is the quintessential platform: an aircraft carrier that can respond to external threats, such as the one a few weeks ago, at a time when there is a resurgent Russian Navy that is back, intruding on the territorial waters of Scandinavian allies, when a Chinese PLA Navy is creating island military outposts in international waters, and, as was mentioned earlier, when ISIS' advance is being confronted by U.S. airstrikes flown off U.S. carriers. Cutting our fleet to 10 from 11 will cripple our Nation's ability to respond to these challenges and will reverse last year's decision by Congress to refuel the George Washington ahead of schedule to ensure the capability of an 11-ship fleet. Nothing in the testimony we have heard in the House Armed Services Committee suggests that the Navy can get by with fewer carriers. In fact, it is the exact opposite. Eleven is the minimum we need in order to meet the missions of today and in the future. The Seapower report on carriers is a balanced plan for America's carrier fleet. Let's vote this amendment down and move forward with that plan.”