Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I am in support of the wartime supplemental, H.R. 1559, and I rise today to thank the House Committee on Appropriations for recognizing the damage caused by Supertyphoon Pongsona to our military installations in the territories of Guam. As this bill before us states, Typhoon Pongsona struck Andersen Air Force Base on December 8, 2002 for 9 long hours, with sustained winds of 180 miles per hour. Much damage was done to the family housing units at our base where our brave servicemen and women work around the clock to ensure our safety and security, and especially during this time of war when our bases should be in top order. On behalf of those servicemen and women and their families, I would like to thank the House Committee on Appropriations chairman, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young) and ranking member, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey). Because of their hard work, this bill provides $1.8 million to repair family housing and air-conditioning units damaged by Supertyphoon Pongsona. It also identifies the need for new aircraft hangers to bed down bombers, tankers, surveillance and fighter aircraft. Currently only one of three hangars at Andersen Air Force base is fully operational. The new reinforced concrete high-bay aircraft hangars will be typhoon proof. The state-of-the-art climate control within the hangars will ensure that the bombers will be able to use the hangars for repairs and maintenance.”