Political Quotes

“Madam President, on November 18 of last year, I came here to speak about the Office of Net Assessment. That is an office within the Pentagon. That office's purpose, under law, is to produce an annual net assessment, which is supposed to be a long-term look at our military's capability and those of our greatest adversaries. I don't think it lives up to its mission. In 2018, according to the Director of the Office of Net Assessment, that office had not produced a net assessment since 2007. Not doing its job for those 11 years and--who knows--possibly longer calls into question whether this office should even exist. Yet a recent inspector general report states that the office ``produces . . . highly classified net assessments.'' I question the IG's conclusion based upon available evidence that I know about, and I will give some of that evidence. In last year's speech here in the Senate and others that I have given over the years on this subject, I discussed my oversight of this office dating back to 2019. I also discussed my amendment to the national defense bill. That amendment would have done one very simple thing: required the Government Accountability Office to determine how much taxpayer money the Office of Net Assessment actually uses for net assessment--its purpose for existing. I want to know how much we can cut from their budget to save the taxpayers money. Apparently, this type of pro-taxpayer legislation was too much to ask for.…”