María Elvira Salazar: “I also understand that this amendment will be accepted as part of a managers' package. I want to say thank you to both…”

“I also understand that this amendment will be accepted as part of a managers' package. I want to say thank you to both the Senator from Hawaii and the Senator from Alaska, the floor managers, for accepting this amendment. At the outset of my brief comments on this amendment, I also want to say that I very much appreciate the leadership of both Senator Inouye and Senator Stevens. I had the great honor of participating in some activities with Senator Inouye within this past week and hearing his own story of his personal courage and fight against discrimination, and how he has stood up for our country is something that makes me very proud to be an American. I think with Senator Inouye's life story one can see how far it is we have come as a country. And he is a living example of the kind of heroes that we need in America today in these difficult times which we face as a nation. I commend both Senator Stevens and Senator Inouye for bringing this vitally important bill to the floor. While servicemembers are fighting overseas, this bill is one of the most important actions that we can take this year on the Senate floor. This bill takes care of our troops and I look forward to its passage before the August recess. Protecting its citizens from attack is our Government's most important responsibility. Liberty and prosperity are impossible without security here in our Nation and in our homeland.…”