Political Quotes

“I hope this bill signals the beginning of a different approach from Congress in dealing with Defense Authorization. I'm pleased that there is at least some money for Iraq, with some instructions on how it's to be spent rather than relying exclusively on the discretion of the administration. It is encouraging that more attention is given to the specific needs of our men and women on the ground in Iraq. It's unfortunate that despite hundreds of billions of dollars authorized in previous bills, not enough has made it to our troops for essential things that they need. The bill continues to spend too much money on the wrong things. The most graphic example is the 13 percent increase for missile defense; $10.2 billion that's critically needed in other areas of homeland security and defense activities. One other area I take strong exception to is delaying the next round of base closings. Base closings have historically been highly controversial and political, and Congress was unable to deal with it until we had a BRAG process that helped to de-politicize the process. This bill represents an unfortunate step backwards placing politics over economic or military concerns. We continue to have inventory left over from a bygone era of defense needs that is far more than is necessary. It doesn't speak to today's demands, to say nothing of where we're going to be in the future. We have to be able to close and realign military facilities.”