Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, I am pleased to bring the Defense Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2019 to the House floor for consideration. Congress' number one responsibility is to provide for the defense of this Nation. It is this bill that fulfills that most fundamental constitutional duty. Last year, General Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said: ``The U.S. military's competitive advantage against potential adversaries is eroding. Over the last decade, sustained operational commitments, budgetary instability, and advances by our adversaries have threatened our ability to project power and we have lost our advantage in key warfighting areas.'' My approach to funding this bill is based on that statement. The priorities funded in this bill not only stop the erosion, but also enable our military to restore and increase the competitive advantage. This is all possible because of the bipartisan budget agreement which has allowed us to provide the necessary resources. The fiscal year 2018 Defense Appropriation Act took the first step in rebuilding our military by addressing the toll taken on readiness, and began to make investments to improve our competitive advantage.…”