Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise to express my support for the fiscal year 2012 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill. As a nation we are dedicated to taking care of our troops, those same troops who deploy into harm's way regardless of whether we are able to come to an agreement on our debt ceiling. We are also dedicated to upholding our commitment to our veterans who have fought past wars and did so because they believed in this country and the freedoms we all enjoy today. This bill passed the Appropriations Committee unanimously on June 30, and I'm pleased the Senate moved quickly to bring this measure to the floor for debate. Our Nation has been at war for almost a decade. We are involved in three wars. In support of our troops on the front lines, we need to make sure they have the infrastructure they need to train and the family housing facilities they deserve. The bill includes $11.1 billion for military construction worldwide to provide for barracks, readiness centers, schools, hospitals and clinics. In particular, it provides the entire requested amount, $1.2 billion, for reservist construction projects. Several of these projects from the President's budget are in Illinois, totaling some $146 million. The bill provides for Army Reserve centers in Homewood and Rockford, IL. It also provides for an Army National Guard Readiness Center in Normal, IL, as well as renovations to the Great Lakes Naval Station.…”