Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise to discuss the National Defense Authorization bill and how it will impact the structure of the Air Force moving forward. Of particular concern to me and my constituents is the Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station, home of the 911th Airlift Wing located outside Pittsburgh. In its FY13 request, the Air Force proposed the retirement of the installation's C-130 fleet and, by connection, the closure of 911th. I have worked closely with the Pennsylvania delegation to fight against this proposed closure and I would in particular like to thank Senator Toomey and Congressmen Murphy, Doyle and Critz for all of their work on this critical issue. We all fought so hard against this proposed closure because we believe that the Air Force proposal did not reflect a thorough analysis of the merits of the 911th Airlift Wing, nor its associated cost savings. In its FY13 Force Structure proposal, the Air Force did not provide any analysis on how the closure of the 911th would impact the local community. The lack of transparency associated with the Air Force's initial proposal and infrastructure changes around the country is extremely troubling. This is why I supported the freeze and the establishment of the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force as mandated by the FY13 NDAA reported out of the Senate Armed Services Committee.…”