Political Quotes

“President, today I rise to recognize one of Congress' longest-serving and loyal staffers, Charlie Houy. After three decades of service under Senators Ted Stevens, John Stennis and Daniel Inouye, Charlie retired April 6, 2013. Today, on his one month retirement anniversary, we reflect on his quiet and steady leadership which was so important to the work of the Appropriations Committee and the Senate. Charlie began his career on the Appropriations Committee as a professional staff member for the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee in 1987. He was quickly promoted and assumed the role of democratic clerk starting in 1995. In that capacity, Charlie worked on nearly every issue in the defense area from purchasing weapons to personnel issues. Charlie's work on the Defense Subcommittee enabled our Nation's military to transform itself from a Cold War-era force to the agile and quick response force that exists today. Charlie played a major role in helping modernize our weapon systems, including helping secure funding for the development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles--UAVs. Funding for UAVs helped to change the tide of the latest conflict in our favor and will continue to play a major role as we continue to prosecute and disrupt terrorist activities worldwide. The role of UAVs in today's warfare is especially evident in my home State of Nevada. Creech Air Force Base is home to the famed Predator and Reaper aerial vehicles.…”