Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the House Armed Services Committee chairman, Mac Thornberry, for his determined leadership to promote peace through strength. I am grateful to support H.R. 2810, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018. First of all, I would like to thank my colleague and ranking member, Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo of Guam, for her tireless efforts and participation in this process, and I also thank the Readiness Subcommittee members of the House Armed Services Committee on both sides of the aisle for bipartisan input on this bill. The creation of the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act truly was bipartisan. Mr. Chairman, over the past several months, we have heard testimony from every military service branch about their urgent need to address the alarming readiness shortfalls. Their testimonies were sobering, confirming Congress must take bold action. Here today, we have the responsibility of reducing the risk to our servicemembers by making sure they are well trained, supported, and that the equipment they use is properly maintained and combat ready. There are numerous important readiness provisions in the authorization, including adding over $2 billion to long-neglected facilities sustainment and restoration and modernization accounts. It gives the Department of Defense more responsive facility construction, repair, and real estate authorities for more efficient use of DOD resources.…”