Political Quotes

“Mr. President, let me first comment about the National Defense Authorization Act. It is an important bill for us to pass, and I wish to thank Senator Levin and Senator Inhofe for the manner in which they worked on this legislation, bringing it together in the committee. It was a bipartisan bill. As it came to the floor it maintained that focus on helping our troops and helping preserve our national security. As we were starting to consider amendments, I think some cooperation was there. Unfortunately, we lost track of being able to consider amendments in a somewhat normal course. But the bill before us represents a bipartisan effort to make sure we provide the men and women who are defending our Nation the tools they need in order to carry out their mission, and we give them the support they deserve for serving their country. So this bill is a critically important bill, and I am glad that with the earlier vote, we are on track to send this to the President for his signature before the end of the year. It is very important. The bill provides many important provisions for the health care of our troops, many important provisions for their compensation, and it is important we get that done before January 1. The bill also provides the tools they need and the direction they need in terms of foreign policy in our military. I wish to thank the committee. Several of the suggestions I made during the committee process were incorporated in the bill that came to the floor.…”