Political Quotes

“I rise to join my colleague and chairman, Senator Inhofe, to discuss the fiscal year 2021 national defense authorization bill. I begin by thanking Senator Inhofe for his leadership in ensuring that we had a bill to consider this year. This was an extraordinary year. Social distancing just began as the Armed Services Committee was finishing our hearings and getting ready to go into the markup for the national defense authorization bill. Despite the uncertainty, the unusual challenges--the logistical challenges particularly--Senator Inhofe ensured that the bill was written and that the markup was held on schedule. He should be commended for this accomplishment. It is a tribute to his leadership, to his wisdom, to his common sense, and to his common decency. So thank you for that, Mr. Chairman. I also want to take a moment to thank the staff. Both the chairman and I operate under the same rubric: They do the work, and we get the credit. It works for us--their work for us. They do a superb job. They found ways to draft the legislation. Yet they, too, were disrupted. Their work spaces were separated, and many had to work from home. So this has been an extraordinary achievement, and it is a tribute to their commitment, to their professionalism, to their skill, and to their collaborative, bipartisan effort. I thank them for that.…”