Rob Andrews: “At a time of great uncertainty in our country, this bill provides strong assurances to the American people. When our…”

“At a time of great uncertainty in our country, this bill provides strong assurances to the American people. When our Commander in Chief calls our men and women in service to action, they will be ready because of this legislation and other bills from this committee that have gone before it. When the planes need to fly and the ships need to be deployed and the Marines need to land and the soldiers need to do their work, they will be ready because of the diligence and vigilance of Members of this committee on both sides of the aisle. This bill does a lot to make them even more ready. It raises their pay, and makes significant steps towards improving the conditions in which their families live. It provides for funding for the ships, the planes, the weapons that they will need to do their job. As a member of the Subcommittee on Military Research and Development, I am particularly pleased that under the leadership of the gentleman from California (Chairman Hunter), with the active leadership of the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Meehan), we were able to increase by $6 billion, from $41 billion in the present fiscal year to $47 billion in the forthcoming fiscal year, the resources for research and development. If Members want to make the airports safer, these research and development projects will make it so.”