Thad Cochran: “Operating in such a manner has 'brutal' effects on the readiness of our Nation's defense.”

I wish to honor former Senator Pete V. Domenici of New Mexico, who passed away September 13 in Albuquerque. It was a privilege to call Pete a friend and to work with him as a Senate colleague and member of the Appropriations Committee…

I understand that the Army's unfunded requirements list includes a $3.1 billion increase in end strength beyond the fiscal year 2017 NDAA mandate.

We appreciate very much your leadership in the research effort and we commend you and those who work with you for helping make sure we have what we need in order to make our nation safe and secure.

And I plan to use my best efforts to identify the areas that we can make improvements in, and take a hard look, but at the same time realize we need to get a bill.