Political Quotes

“Mr. President, under current law, twenty-percent of our military dual-status technicians in the National Guard, Army Reserve, and Air Force Reserve will become federal civilians on October 1st. This will leave the state Governors to respond to wildfires, floods, and other natural disasters with twenty-percent fewer people. The benefits of this conversion are unclear. In fact, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau testified that no formal analysis has been conducted as to whether there is any benefit at all. It seems prudent to me to take a pause, bring all of the affected stakeholders together, and figure this problem out before we take any irreversible action. Today, I'm introducing the ``Armed Forces Reserve and National Guard Dual-Status Review and Modernization Act,'' to do exactly that. As I've studied this situation, I understand there are a number of valid concerns involved. The current statutory construct for dual- status military technicians is nearly 50 years old and the role of the Reserve components has changed dramatically just in the past 15 years, let alone the last half-century. I agree we should update the statute to better meet the needs of the total force and my bill addresses this concern. Similarly, many Guardsmen and Reservists feel that personnel management practices under this aging construct doesn't fit the needs of a 21st century workforce. My bill addresses those concerns as well.…”