Political Quotes

“I wish to thank Ranking Member Smith for his support for Guam, and I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 1540, the conference report accompanying the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012. If I were able to vote on the final passage of this legislation, I would vote against this bill. The bill completely ignores the important efforts that this administration has taken to better posture our military forces in the Pacific. Furthermore, we undercut efforts, significant efforts, by Prime Minister Noda, in Japan, in trying to achieve progress with the development of a Futenma replacement facility. I am deeply concerned about this bill because there is constant talk in this Chamber about recognizing the importance of the Asia-Pacific region, and now we are going in the opposite direction. People discuss their concerns about the potential threats posed by both China and North Korea. Yet when this country and this administration ask the Congress to act in our best national interest to realign forces in the Pacific, we blink. We are all talk and no action on this very important issue. I understand the budget realities that we currently face; but we must make the necessary hard choices and investments now, or it will cost more money and time in the long run.…”