Ben Cardin

I am pleased to have this opportunity to discuss with you the issue of the deteriorating mental health of so many of our combat troops.

The intent of this letter was to get a preliminary assessment of the number of troops being affected by the Department of Defense's (DOD) policies on mental health care in theater.

I'm honored to be before your committee, and I bring to your attention a serious issue concerning the health of our combat troops.

I'd like to know if--how familiar the three Assistant Secretaries are with this issue inside your departments, and what your thoughts are.

He has been an incredibly valuable member of the Committee.

I think that was an excellent answer. I appreciate that very much.

I want to really thank you for your extraordinary leadership on the subject. You have been tenacious in keeping us focused on dealing with these pollutants, and I thank you.

When you have moving equipment that people ride on, you have to maintain it.

You cannot have an infrastructure that hasn't been properly reinvested and parts of it maintained properly.

The first priority needs to be to take care of the existing infrastructure of the current system.

I worry about the safety of Metro today. It needs maintenance funds. It needs attention.

The Senate recently passed the new Metro compact, further advancing the final steps of authorizing a 10-year $1.5 billion authorization for Metro with a dedicated funding system.

I strongly support the legislation that Senator Mikulski has been involved with that would give the FTA the authority to set up safety standards for our transit system.

There has been no stronger voice in the United States Congress on this issue than Senator Mikulski.

I want to thank you particularly for keeping our regional delegation focused on the importance of Metro.

The Washington, DC area ranks second-worst in the United States as far as traffic congestion is concerned.

It is critically important. And I want to thank the appropriators for making those funds available.

I strongly support President Obama's budget that adds $150 million this year to the Metro funding for fiscal year 2011.

I don't mind being associated with Metro, I'm a big supporter of the Transit Authority.

I would love nothing better than to be able to work with my colleagues to frame the infrastructure development for the future.

We are missing out on the full extent of those opportunities because we are operating off a bill that under-funds yesterday's priorities.

We need a blueprint for improving and investing in our Nation's transportation system.

I, like Senator Inhofe, am a big spender when it comes to fulfilling our major responsibilities in defense and transportation.

I hope we will take advantage of this to focus on where we can create jobs, create the type of infrastructure, but also create the livable communities that are so important to Americans.

There is nothing wrong with conditioning aid because Americans expect there is accountability in the use of our taxpayer dollars.