Political Quotes

“I salute my colleague from Arkansas for the tribute she made to this unit in her home State of Arkansas. Every one of us in the Senate can tell a similar story. But she tells us so well about the lives that are affected by the activation of Guard and Reserve men and women who leave important lives and careers and step aside to serve their Nation. That is why it is so troubling that I come to the floor today to report for those who follow the Senate that yesterday in the conference committee of the Appropriations Committee where we met to discuss the $87 billion request of the President, we stripped out a provision which had been adopted on the Senate floor. I would like to describe it to those who want to stand behind the families of those activated Guard and Reserve men and women. We have 1.2 million Guard and Reserve in the United States. Ten percent of them work for the Federal Government, when they are not serving in the Guard and Reserve. At the present moment, of the 120,000 Federal employees with the Guard and Reserve, 23,000 have been activated. They include some people who are in the unit the Senator from Arkansas just described. I offered an amendment on the floor that said when you activate a Federal employee to the Guard and Reserve, the Federal Government agency that the person works for will make up any shortfall and any difference in income while that Guard or Reserve person is on active duty. That is not a radical suggestion.”