Political Quotes

“Thank you, Congressman Ross. Last month, the Blue Dogs joined a wide bipartisan margin of our colleagues in passing the National Defense Authorization Act. This bill funds defense spending at a level 10 percent higher than in 2007. It also calls for a much needed pay raise for our troops, and a benefit boost to spouses who had to face the worst news of all. The other thing this bill does is it institutes some much needed accountability into the management of the war in Iraq. We owe special thanks to Chairman Ike Skelton, and to our fellow Blue Dogs who worked so hard to introduce this long overdue accountability and fiscal discipline over Iraq war operations. Mr. Speaker, report after report has shown that billions of dollars have vanished, and thousands upon thousands of weapons have gone missing. And until recently, there have been no tough questions and no accountability. With this bill, we said that it will no longer be acceptable for blatant mismanagement to take place when our soldiers' lives are on the line. As a former soldier who fought in Iraq, it makes me very proud to be able to fight for accountability and oversight in Iraq and to demand answers here at home. It is astonishing to me that until now no one has tried to establish a clear sense of which American agency carries out contracts in Iraq. I assure you, to our troops in harm's way, missing money and missing weapons translate into increased danger. It is that simple.”