Political Quotes

“Mr. President, readers of Forbes might have seen an article earlier this month entitled ``Russian Navy To Be First To Field Hypersonic Cruise Missiles on Submarines.'' Articles like this are a timely reminder of the ever-present need to invest in our military. It can be easy to take U.S. military superiority for granted, but our military preeminence did not come out of nowhere. Our military is strong as a result of sustained investment and commitment. If we don't stay committed to maintaining our military strength and advantage, we will lose them. Meanwhile, as the Forbes article reminds us, other countries are busy investing in their militaries. Great powers with aggressive military tendencies are building up their armed forces and investing in the weapons and equipment of the future. We need to ensure that our military is not falling behind. Later today, we will vote on additional measures related to the National Defense Authorization Act--legislation that we take up every year to authorize funding for our military and our national defense. Both the House and Senate passed versions of this legislation this summer. Now Members from both Houses are working on reconciling the House and Senate versions of the bill. The Senate-passed National Defense Authorization Act was a strong bill, and I hope the final bill will look a lot like it. Right now, our military is rebuilding after years of underfunding and the strains of the global War on Terror.…”