Roger Wicker

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this important hearing, and thanks to our witnesses, very talented public servants, for your participation and continued service to our Nation.

I hope our witnesses can explain how the current program will benefit from the more than $3 billion spent on this EFV.

Since our last hearing on the Marine Corps acquisition programs, we've witnessed some significant developments.

Admiral Burke, what are the potential operational implications of these early retirements?

What is the Navy doing to enable it to reactivate at a later date the seven cruisers it plans to retire early?

Admiral Blake, why did the Navy cut seven Ticonderoga Aegis-class cruisers early and put two landing ship dock (LSD) amphibious ships in reduced operating status?

I voted for the legislation that puts sequestration in place. I think, like most of the people who voted yes, I voted for it believing in my heart that we would have the leadership in this city both in the administration and in Congress to…

You're going to share that answer with Admiral Blake, I believe.

Lieutenant General Mills, won't protection from IEDs and other threats necessarily be different in the two vehicles?

What have you learned about habitability? How long can a marine stay in one of those vehicles?

I trust our witnesses will reassure this subcommittee that the Marine Corps JLTV requirements are stable to ensure that the Marine Corps can afford to field this important replacement for our HMMWVs as soon as possible.

The affordability concerns raised by the Marine Corps are significant, but should we allow comparisons to historical costs to drive an assessment of what is required to do the mission?

The requests from combatant commanders for amphibious ships has increased over 80 percent in the last 5 years.

However, the President's proposed budget seeks to reduce Marine Corps end strength by 20,000 marines and delay or defer certain weapons system purchases.

Admiral Burke, how does retiring seven Ticonderoga Aegis-class cruisers early and putting two LSD amphibious ships in reduced operating status square away with the Secretary of Defense's new strategic guidance?

One of the many new technologies on the Ford-class aircraft carrier is the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and the Advanced Arresting Gear.

But I'm particularly concerned about the proposed construction of new ships that will lead to job reductions, that we're going to have to make up for later on.

I believe these proposed cuts to our naval capabilities without a plan to compensate for them will place our strategic interests in the Asia-Pacific region and Arabian Sea at greater risk.

Admiral Blake, what would be the cost to keep these ships without retiring them?

Tolling is an issue that deserves the attention of this subcommittee, particularly as we continue to push for a long-term transportation reauthorization.

I regret that. I hope we can negotiate on both sides of the aisle so amendments such as this can be offered. To set benchmarks, we could use an additional 3 million barrels of oil per day and 10 billion additional cubic feet of natural gas…

I rise to speak on the second-year anniversary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care law. I will be joined shortly by a few of my colleagues. I ask unanimous consent that at that point we engage in a colloquy. The ACTING PRESIDENT…

So the promise was not to touch Medicare, and that promise has not been fulfilled. The promise was to reduce the deficit, and that turned out to be an empty promise. Also, we were told by the President and by Speaker Pelosi this bill would…

Let me ask my colleagues about another promise. They will call time on us soon. Does anybody recall hearing this statement from the President of the United States in 2009? He said this: If you like your health care plan, you will be able…

I know our friend from South Dakota has joined us and is eager to join in this discussion. I wonder if he has anything to add about the broken promises that were made during the passage of ObamaCare. Mr. McCAIN. Before that, the whole…