Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, my amendment is a straight-forward amendment that all Members can fully support. Simply stated, the Reed amendment would require the General Accounting Office to study the salaries paid to defense company executives. The study would concentrate on defense firms which derive 75 percent of their revenue from Defense Department contracts. In particular, the study would examine the following: What the salaries are, the reason for these salaries, how CEO pay relates to blue-collar wages, any correlation between CEO pay and defense conversion efforts, which defense workers are losing their jobs, and a comparison nondefense and defense CEO pay. The reason for the Reed amendment is also straight-forward: Making sure the taxpayer gets the most bang for their buck. In an era of decreasing defense budgets, Congress is attempting to reorder its spending priorities while maintaining essential elements of our Nation's defense industrial base. Regrettably, these policies have led to enormous lay-offs in many regions of the country already struggling with the recession. However, top-level executives of these defense contractors often receive enormous salaries, while production workers fear each day may be their last day on the job.”