Neil Abercrombie: “I would just hope that by the time we come to vote on the authorization bill, that we take into account that this bill…”

“I would just hope that by the time we come to vote on the authorization bill, that we take into account that this bill, particularly this year, is the result of the efforts of numerous people, giving their best effort to come to a conclusion, come to a resolution. Not everybody is happy with the contents of the defense authorization bill. Very few people are happy in any given year with the bill because it covers such a wide range of items. In this particular instance, I cannot think of a time when more people devoted not just hours or days, but months, trying to come to a fair resolution. Mr. Speaker, I have indicated before, this is not theology, this is legislation; this is not a cathedral, this is the House of Representatives. That means that we are not coming to final conclusions and ultimate resolutions here. We are trying to act in concert on the basis of 435 agendas as to what is best for the people of this country. I ask everyone's support for the Department of Defense authorization bill.”