On the recordMay 17, 2016
I respect the gentleman's opinion. I understand the President is the Commander in Chief, but I also understand that the APLs, the ones that we use, protect our forces, our friends, and our allies. As far as the danger of them, we lead on landmine clearance, and we have lived up to all the international obligations we have accepted. The landmine ban treaty disarms us, not our enemies. Dismantling our APLs is not showing leadership. Instead, it would be the height of irresponsibility. I know that sometimes in this House we get to the point where politics takes precedence over policy. If, at the end of the day, this House can't do everything possible to protect our daughters and sons in uniform and our allies and friends around the world--we are the most responsible user of APLs. We are doing more than anybody else to disarm IEDs. The problem comes down to where does the United States stand. We need to stand, and we need to be resolute behind our Armed Forces. That is why I stand strong on this amendment. Make sure the APLs stay in place. I yield back the balance of my time.
