Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I oppose this amendment. The Unfunded Priorities List is critical for services to convey their needs to adequately capture emerging requirements. The budgets submitted through an annual budgeting process are constructed over the course of a year, but combat is a daily evolution. Adversaries are really not concerned about our budgeting process. As someone who has been responsible for creating a significantly broad military budget, I know the challenges in planning for future fights while recognizing the fluidity and uncertainty surrounding current operations. UFRs allow services to convey to Congress which budget sacrifices were made and the associated consequences. More importantly, the Armed Services Committee rightfully added the Chief of the National Guard Bureau to the UFR's list this year. This amendment would strike that language and impede the Guard in adjusting for the unexpected. Undercutting the National Guard in a year in which they have been asked to do so much for our country is not--I repeat not--a wise course of action. This amendment should not be supported, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''”