Jim Inhofe: “I thank the chairman, Chairman Reed, that this important issue deserves a robust debate as we consider this year's…”

“I thank the chairman, Chairman Reed, that this important issue deserves a robust debate as we consider this year's National Defense Authorization Act. I would also like to thank Senator Gillibrand for her leadership and her tenacity on this issue. As Senator Reed referenced, I am one of those who do not support removing the commanders from the decision-making process. Nevertheless, I appreciate Chairman Reed's commitment to ensuring this issue is debated and voted on during the full committee markup of the NDAA. The NDAA markup process is unique in the Senate. We debate and resolve contentious issues every year. But the regular-order process is important and has served us well for many, many years--actually 60 years. When it comes to important issues like this, we should not rush anything without making sure it is going to do the right thing by our servicemembers, and so I thank Chairman Reed for his action”