Political Quotes

“Madam President, the Constitution charges Congress with the authority and the responsibility to raise and support armies and provide and maintain a navy. It is a responsibility this body takes very seriously. That is why for over 50 years the National Defense Authorization Act has been signed into law each and every year. It is the only piece of legislation with this long history of consistently being passed by Congress and signed into law by the President. This history is a reflection of the importance of the policies and funding authorizations within the bill. I am particularly proud of what this bill includes to support Michigan's important contributions to our national defense. For example, the 127th Wing at Selfridge Air National Guard Base flies the A-10 and in 2015 deployed in the fight against ISIS. As a result of their outstanding performance, the 127th Wing won the Spaatz Trophy as the top flying unit in the Air National Guard, as well as the Meritorious Unit Award following their deployment. The A-10 is without question a great airplane, but it is also getting old. The A-10 fleet will require wing replacements in order to continue to fly those important missions. That is why I worked to include an authorization for an additional $65 million for A-10 wing replacement, bringing the bill's total investment in new A-10 wings to over $144 million.…”