Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I believe what we bring before the Senate today is a product worthy of our support. The conference report has been…”

“I believe what we bring before the Senate today is a product worthy of our support. The conference report has been crafted under two different approaches. What I believe has emerged is not only a good compromise but also makes strides in both oversight and policy. What has emerged is a solid recommendation. I thank my chairman, Senator Cochran, for his leadership. This subcommittee faced some extreme budgetary shortfalls, and without his leadership, and basically allocating more resources to this committee, we would not be able to bring this conference report to the Senate today. I also especially thank my ranking member, Senator Feinstein, for her constant support and willingness to work together. I thank her staff as well: Christian Evans, B.G. Wright, and Chad Schulken for their hard work and professionalism, along with my great staff, Tammy Cameron, Dennis Balkham, and Sean Knowles. It has been a team effort and I appreciate that so much. The military construction portion of our bill provides $6.2 billion for military construction, $5.1 billion of which is for Active Component construction, and $1.1 billion for Reserve Component construction. It also includes $4 billion for family housing. There is $1.75 billion for BRAC implementation and cleanup for both 2005 and prior rounds.…”