Political Quotes

“I rise today to speak on the fiscal year 2020 Defense authorization bill. I want to begin by thanking the chairman and the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee for their leadership and for their hard work in crafting this bill and managing it on the floor. The bill before us today is the worthy successor to last year's John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act. Like its immediate predecessor, this bill's overarching objective is to reorient the Department of Defense toward the great power competition that our Nation faces today. Overall, the bill supports a total of $750 billion in defense spending, which includes $642 billion for the Department of Defense's base budget, $23 billion for the Department of Energy's defense activities, and another $76 billion for overseas contingency operations. This meets the level of spending requested by the President and provides the Department of Defense with real growth above the rate of the inflation in recognition of increasing threats our Nation faces. The bill also supports the All-Volunteer Force, providing a 3.1- percent pay raise for our men and women in uniform. It meets the President's request with respect to end strength for an Active-Duty force of 1,339,500 soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. I serve as chairman of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, which has jurisdiction over nuclear forces, missile defense, and national security space programs, and the U.S.…”