Political Quotes

“Thank you, Representative Perry. I really appreciate this opportunity to talk about the National Guard. I first want to start by thanking Congressman Perry for his service in the Pennsylvania National Guard for some time. He is very committed to our country and committed to the Guard. I commend him for putting this on. I also want to commend his chief of staff, who is seated right next to him, Colonel Lauren Muglia, who is also an active guardswoman; and I am very proud of her service at Fort Indiantown Gap in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, at the National Guard center up there, which is located in my congressional district--a very important asset to this country's homeland security and emergency preparedness, as well as any other missions that would be called upon them. But I have a few things I just wanted to say about the Guard very, very quickly. The Army's plan for the National Guard includes, frankly, drastic plans to slash the force structure, end strength and aviation assets, and will put the Guard on the back shelf as a strategic reserve. I am very concerned about this. And I know many of my colleagues are as well. Congress has made a very significant investment in the Guard over the past 12-or-so years to train and equip the Guard as an operational reserve. At a time when the Pentagon must dig very deep for savings in their programs and agencies, the Guard remains a viable investment. I say this as a member of the Appropriations Committee.…”