Jack Reed

I commend the President. I have had the privilege of working with Mr. Donovan in many capacities.

Opening statements, comments, or prepared statements of: Senator Reed

I think the President has made a very wise choice. Your service and your personal experience reinforces the best ideals of this country.

How do we raise the wages and, therefore, the standard of living, of middle-income Americans?

With your chairmanship and the leader's Cabinet position, we are on the road to healthcare reform, I believe.

How in the world can we allow, in the year 2009, for us to say, that is just the way life is?

This amendment would raise the LIHEAP spending to the authorized total of $5.1 billion. I wish to recognize the work of Senator Specter and Senator Harkin, who earlier today passed an amendment that increased LIHEAP funding. I have worked…

I agree. I think it is something we can do. The effort is to bring people together and move from 51 to 61 to 71 to 100. I think we can.

In early 2008, Chairman Reed very appropriately wrote the accounting standard setters citing concerns about the accounting standards for off balance sheet debt.

A nation eager for change in Iraq heard the President speak about his plans for the future. But, once again, the president failed to provide either a plan to successfully end the war or a convincing rationale to continue it.

Senator McConnell is proposing additional resources for the Bluegrass chemical demilitarization facility. It is a very important project. It is one we funded already in the bill. I can assure the Senator from Texas that I will work with my…

I agree that great work has been done at Fort Monmouth to support our military and it deserves recognition. Fort Monmouth has played an important role in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the men and women working there are to be…

Admiral Roughead, as you are aware, the LCS program has had difficulties regarding cost overruns and changing capability requirements. What is your plan and timeline for determining requirements and total cost?

Do you see any progress on that front? If there is not progress on that front, how do we address the needs of reconstruction?

One of the persistent problems is the inability of non-DOD elements to complement the increased forces, military forces, with civilian actors.

I have seen reports, news reports, that were broadcast by al Zawahiri, that basically suggested that, they see us as being trapped in Iraq.

I think we have to begin to think about the end of the surge.

There has been no real political progress on the ground.

One of the issues I think that's been unintentionally prompted by the surge is I am told that the requirements for reset have had to be deferred.

Can you give me an idea of the ongoing tempo for reset funding going forward?

One of my concerns is that there are military occupation specialties which are less stressful in some cases than being an infantry squad leader or an armored platoon leader, cavalry squad leader, et cetera.

I think there's a serious, serious danger here going forward indefinitely that those types of tours and the effects will accumulate.

I think you're going to be a superb Secretary of the Army and I certainly support you.

These are magnificent young men and women that are doing the job of soldiering in the United States Army, but they can only take so much.

I could go down a list of other major responsibilities you'll have.