María Elvira Salazar: “Today, I rise because I want to praise the work of Chairman Levin, Senator Warner, Senator McCain, Senator Reed, Senator…”

“Today, I rise because I want to praise the work of Chairman Levin, Senator Warner, Senator McCain, Senator Reed, Senator Nelson, and the members of the Armed Services Committee for developing a very good, excellent product for us to consider in the Department of Defense authorization bill. As the Senate debates this week on the keystone issue of our time with respect to U.S. involvement in Iraq, we must not lose sight of the importance of maintaining a strong national defense. That strong national defense is what is at the heart of the 2008 Department of Defense Authorization Act. The bill is a strong statement of support for our men and women in uniform. It gives our military the tools it needs to confront an increasingly complex and dynamic set of threats that we face around the world.”