Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of an amendment extending oversight and accountability for security contractors overseas, for contractors performing security functions, as one element of this en bloc amendment. The gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt) joins me in this effort, and I also want to acknowledge the leadership of other Members, especially that of Ms. Schakowsky, in this critical area of defense policy. This amendment is brief and straightforward. It would simply extend a section of the fiscal year 2008 defense authorization bill that strengthened the oversight of private security contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan to additional areas in which there is or could be a significant security contractor presence. I don't need to recount here, Mr. Chairman, the arguments in favor of greater oversight and accountability for armed contractors, particularly those operating in areas in which our military is operating. The high-profile incidents of contractor misconduct that have punctuated our campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan should speak for themselves. In responding to these incidents, Congress has come a long way toward improving Federal management and oversight of private security contractors, most notably through several important reforms, including those in the fiscal 2008 defense authorization bill.…”