Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of this amendment that is offered by the gentleman from Texas. The B-1 bomber is the workhorse of our long-range bomber fleet and has been flying missions over Iraq and Afghanistan for nearly a decade. More importantly, the B-1 bomber from the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base in my home State of South Dakota just carried out air strike operations in Libya. In just under 2 days, Ellsworth generated aircraft loaded with conventional weapons that were able to strike targets halfway across the world. Regardless of what one thinks about our involvement in Libya, one thing that one cannot dispute is the B-1's capability to respond globally and its vital importance to our bomber fleet. Mr. Chairman, with the next generation bomber development still a decade or more away, the administration's proposal to retire six B-1s is short sighted and it's premature. What's more, it can't be reversed. Retired planes aren't mothballed and put away for a period of time. They are sent to the bone yard and they are used for parts. Mr. Chairman, we propose that no B-1s be irreversibly retired this year because of questions regarding the future of our bomber force structure and the B-1's proven track record in theater as our workhorse. I urge my colleagues to vote for a strong bomber fleet, a strong national defense, and I ask them to support this amendment.”