On the recordJuly 18, 2012
I would say to my colleagues who are here on the floor that this is a defining moment for our country. The most basic responsibility and the most important priority we have as Americans is to defend the country. If we don't get national security right, the rest is conversation. We can talk about all these other things in the budget--we can talk about all the other priorities the country has, all of which are important--but if we fail to defend the United States of America, we have failed the citizens of this country. It is the No. 1 priority we have. It is the most important responsibility and obligation we have as public servants here in the Senate--to make sure we are taking the steps necessary to keep this country strong and secure from threats both here at home and abroad. What happened--and how we got to where we are today--goes back to the fact that we haven't passed a budget for 3 years in the Senate. I need to remind my colleagues why we are where we are today. The reason we are here is because for 3 consecutive years now the Democratic majority in the Senate has not done the most fundamental responsibility we have, which is to pass a budget that addresses our national security interests. What did we end up with?…
