Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment that will ensure that our servicemembers in the nuclear security forces have the ability to do their job. Each and every day, these men and women are tasked with the protection of our nuclear weapons. This is not a mission that we can fail, and, thankfully, they have performed their mission successfully for over half a decade. Unfortunately, despite the gravity and importance of this mission, these men and women must use Huey helicopters, UH-1s, that are in the Vietnam-era. They must be able to respond anywhere in a 32,000-square- mile area, larger than the State of Maine, while using these helicopters that are over 50 years old. Air Force demonstrations performed at Minot Air Force Base have shown time and time again that critical security shortages exist using these Hueys, and they are problematic in mission success. The Air Force and the Department of Defense have known this for over a decade but, unfortunately, have consistently kicked the can down the road. My amendment ensures the replacement of the Huey aircraft is done now. The mission of protecting our forces is too important to delay yet again, and the Air Force and DOD, by their own tests, have proven its vulnerability. This amendment ensures a full and open competition, but does not allow the Air Force to further delay replacement. I reserve the balance of my time.”