Political Quotes

“I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to the gentleman from Minnesota's amendment. Put simply, the gentleman's amendment would further delay the funding of a ship that our Navy and Marine Corps wants and needs. LHA 7 is a part of the next generation of large deck amphibious assault ships, just similar to the USS Kearsarge, which just returned after an 8\1/2\-month-long deployment to where they participated in strikes in Libya and humanitarian assistance and other missions. This America class amphibious assault ship will be serving our country and providing a vital mission capability for years to come. The President's very own 2012 budget request included $2 billion for the second year of incremental funding for LHA 7. Previous Congresses have supported this ship and her procurement, and further delays to this funding are opposed by this administration, the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the House Armed Services Committee. My colleague mentioned, by the way, the GAO report. The Navy strongly disagrees with the GAO report that the gentleman has pointed to. The Navy has the shipbuilder's proposal in hand and at this point is working to complete negotiations to get this ship under contract this year, which may happen as soon as August.…”