Political Quotes

“Thank you, Mr. Swalwell. There is no question that their morale and their mission effectiveness will be hurt. In fact, it will hurt my own morale because I am very proud to serve in the United States Congress, but I am not going to be proud to walk through that security gate and have to look them in the eye when they recognize that I am partly responsible, as a Member of this body, for not giving them the basic pay that they need for their families. You know, another element of the Department of Homeland Security is the U.S. Coast Guard, and many of us know that the U.S. Coast Guard protects our shores. I represent the fishing community of Gloucester north of Boston, and Gloucester has gone through some hard times and has often had to rely on the Coast Guard to save its fishermen in the worst storms. Those Coast Guardsmen not only protect fishermen in Gloucester. They also work with our military and Department of Defense overseas. There are Coast Guardsmen and -women stationed in the Middle East today. Can you imagine having to do such a difficult mission, to be in the Persian Gulf defending American ships against the threat of an Iranian attack and yet not knowing whether your rent will be paid back at home? That is an unacceptable risk for us to take, and it is an unacceptable burden for us to ask them to bear. You are absolutely right, sir, this is going to severely impact their morale. When morale is impacted, it hurts their ability to do this incredibly important job.”