Political Quotes

“Mr. President, as a member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, let me begin my remarks by thanking Chairman Shelby and Ranking Member Durbin, as well as Vice Chairman Leahy, for their leadership on the committee and their advocacy for the men and women who defend our Nation. At a time when the threats to our Nation are increasing rather than decreasing, the work of the Defense Subcommittee is vitally important to ensure that our men and women in uniform, as well as our DOD civilian employees, have the training, ships, planes, vehicles, and other equipment they need to defend our country. The bipartisan bill reported out of the committee reaffirms the strategic importance of our Navy and our shipbuilding programs by including funding for three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in fiscal year 2019, while also including $250 million in advance procurement funding for an additional destroyer in fiscal year 2020. This funding signals our strong belief that the Navy should sustain an aggressive rate of growth for large surface combatants in fiscal year 2020 and beyond in order to project strength in an increasingly dangerous and complex world. In recognition of national security imperatives, the Navy's own 2016 fleet structure assessment increased the target number for large surface combatants to 104 ships from the 88 ships called for under the previous 308-ship Navy requirement.…”