Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise to speak on the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2021. The National Defense Authorization Act provides crucial resources for our Armed Forces and our national defense, including a pay increase for our men and women in uniform. I am glad that the Senate was able to come together on a bipartisan basis to pass this legislation to support our servicemembers, strengthen our national security, and invest in critical projects in my home State of Maryland. While there are parts of this legislation that I do not support and will seek to change in conference, I believe that, on balance, this bill serves our national interest. In particular, I am pleased that this NDAA grants expanded acquisition authority for U.S. Cyber Command, headquartered at Fort Meade. I echo the comments of the Armed Services Committee in its report, which finds that Cyber Command's expanded mission and responsible use of its acquisition authority justify the removal of the constraints imposed by the FY16 NDAA. I appreciate that my colleagues on the Senate Armed Services Committee adopted Senator Warren's amendment directing the Pentagon to begin the process of renaming military bases named for Confederate soldiers. No American military installations should be named in honor of those who led the fight against the union to defend slavery.…”