Political Quotes

“this bill is about America's patriots. This bill is about America's heroes. From Kabul to Baghdad, from Riyadh to Graznyy, our sons and daughters are in harm's way doing a fantastic job, and we applaud them with this legislation. But this bill is also about two other patriots. This bill is about the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), and it is about the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), two great Americans, Mr. Chairman, who brought us together; two great Americans who worked us for 30 hours over 2 days in the most extensive markup that I have been involved in in 17 years in this body. And while there were some issues that were very tightly split, in the end only two Members out of 60 dissented. And as we have done in the past, we will work our will and our way today to come up with a bill that we can be proud of. But I want to pay tribute, especially to Duncan Hunter and Ike Skelton for their leadership. They are both great Americans. They both served their country in military combat. They both understand as much as anyone else in this body what this bill is all about. It is an honor and a privilege for me to serve with both of them. And I know my colleagues on the Committee on Armed Services and in this body understand and appreciated the leadership of both of these outstanding individuals. So this bill is about their leadership in helping us mold a bill that will provide the support for our patriots.”