Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 24, to redesignate the Department of the Navy as the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps. I want to thank my colleagues for bringing this important measure before the House. This bill has the cosponsorship of an overwhelming majority of this House. It has been part of the House-passed National Defense Authorization Acts for the last 8 years. It is time this change was made, and I want to thank Representative Jones for his tireless efforts in this regard. The National Security Act of 1947 defines the Marine Corps, Army, Navy, and Air Force as the separate services, each with distinct statutory missions. By designating each service's commanding officer as an equal member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 reinforced the idea that we have four separate services. This bill supports that notion. Mr. Speaker, the purpose of this bill is to provide the Marine Corps the equal recognition among the services that it deserves, even while it preserves the historical relationship that the Navy and the Marine Corps have enjoyed for over 200 years. {time} 1500 I urge my colleagues to support this important measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”