Rodney Frelinghuysen: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in support of the resolution and urge its adoption. I would like to commend…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in support of the resolution and urge its adoption. I would like to commend the chairman of the full Appropriations Committee, Mr. Rogers, and the chairman of the Defense Subcommittee, Mr. Young, for their determination and perseverance in bringing the completed Defense and Military Construction/VA bills to the floor for our consideration this afternoon and this morning. Since before the end of last fiscal year, they have been committed to completing the fiscal year 2013 bills in committee and to bringing them to the floor and on to the President's desk for his signature. Why? Because they understand the damage that would be done to our national security if the Department of Defense was forced to operate under the funding levels and restrictions placed on them by the fiscal year 2012 bill. By passing this package today, we'll be giving our military leadership additional flexibility to protect their mission and capabilities in this constrained fiscal environment. I would also add that the passage of these measures today reinforces Congress' authority to set policy for the Department of Defense in important areas such as the Air Force realignment, the retirement of Navy ships, etc. And also it makes sure that we don't cede these sort of decisions only to the executive branch.…”