Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 467, the CADETS Act. The CADETS Act was introduced earlier this year by a bipartisan group of Senators led by Senator Peters of Michigan. It passed the Senate by unanimous consent last month. I am the proud sponsor of the companion legislation here in this House. The CADETS Act will begin to help solve the problem our Nation faces in recruiting qualified mariners to serve in the Navy Reserve and crew our strategic sealift vessels. Our fleet of strategic sealift vessels is critical to our ability to project and sustain U.S. forces around the world and defend ourselves and our allies. However, we can't do that without qualified Americans willing and able to crew these ships. S. 467 will incentivize Americans to serve in this critical defense role by making those older than 25 years of age eligible for MARAD's Student Incentive Payment Program. The Student Incentive Payment Program provides financial assistance to cadets who attend one of the six State maritime academies and commit to a post-graduation service obligation in the Navy Reserve. I am proud to represent the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City, Michigan, and I was honored to address the cadets at their graduation ceremony just a few weeks ago in May.…”