Steve Lynch: “I thank the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee for including the Lynch-Boustany Amendment in…”

“I thank the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee for including the Lynch-Boustany Amendment in this en bloc amendment. This amendment would add the text of the bill, H.R. 995, the ``Veterans Day Moment of Silence Act'' to the NDAA. Last year, this language was incorporated into the House-passed FY 15 NDAA. Unfortunately, it was not included in the final Defense Authorization Conference Report. Mr. Chair, this amendment calls for the national observation of two minutes of silence every Veterans Day in honor of all our veterans, past and present. It sets a time where all Americans can pause, come together, and reflect on the service of generations of brave American men and women in uniform. Our nation is facing difficult challenges and we have strong disagreements over how to address them. However despite such differences, support for, and gratitude to, our veterans is something that we can all agree on. This silent tribute lets us set aside our differences, and come together as one nation, to say to our veterans that we appreciate everything they have done and sacrificed to keep us safe. I would like to thank my friend and colleague, Mr. Boustany, for cosponsoring this amendment with me, and for being an original cosponsor of H.R. 995. Mr. Chair, again I thank the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee for their cooperation. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr.…”