Sylvester Turner: “Mr. Chairman, this bill today is one of the most important pieces of legislation that this Congress will consider, and I…”

“Mr. Chairman, this bill today is one of the most important pieces of legislation that this Congress will consider, and I want to recognize the leadership of the gentleman from Arizona (Chairman Stump), for his leadership, as well as the leadership of our ranking member, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton). The bipartisan approach that this committee has utilized to craft this bill exemplifies our bipartisan and our unwavering commitment to winning our Nation's war against terrorists. We also in this bill take major steps forward in providing our Armed Forces with the tools and the resources they need to protect our national security interests around the world. Earlier this year our military chiefs testified before our committee and identified over $25 billion in unfunded requirements for the upcoming fiscal year. Our committee was not able to address every need on the chiefs' list, but I am pleased that we addressed many of the issues, particularly in the areas of quality of life, readiness and modernization, as well as the deficiencies that the Department identified necessary to wage our war on terrorism. Over the last few years, one area of particular concern to me has been the continued reduction in troop end strength.”