Jim Inhofe: “let me, first of all, say that I would have a hard time finding a better friend than the Member who just spoke. We have…”

“let me, first of all, say that I would have a hard time finding a better friend than the Member who just spoke. We have been good friends for a long period of time, and we have not been apart on very many votes; yet we are not of the same party. Nonetheless, we are going to have to do something that is the same thing we had to do 5 years ago, and really for kind of the same reason. Every year, when the Senate turns to the NDAA, we call it our must- pass bill. It is a must-pass bill, and it is a bill that will pass. It is a must-pass because it gives our troops the pay that they have earned and the tools and the training that they need to fight and to win against our enemies. That is why we have passed the NDAA every year for 60 straight years. This year will be 61. This is pretty much the only authorization bill that gets done the way it should year after year. In fact, it is pretty much the only bill--period--that Congress does every single year without fail. However, no matter how important it is, that doesn't mean that we will accept the fact that Senator Schumer wants to jam it through the Senate without adequate consideration. Let me be clear. Senator Schumer has put us in this position today. He waited more than 2 months after we filed the NDAA to bring it to the floor. For 2 months, we could have been discussing this and having it and treating it like we should.…”