Political Quotes

“as a cosponsor of S. 4, the Soldiers', Sailors', Airmen's and Marines' Bill of Rights Act of 1999, I am pleased that we are moving forward on this legislation. S. 4 provides the resources to begin to reverse the steady downward spirals we have seen in military retention and recruiting. S. 4 provides significant pay raises, improved retirement pay, and enhanced GI bill benefits. It is an important step--one of several-- that the Congress must take this year to help the military pull out of what the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs describes as ``a nosedive that might cause irreparable damage to this great force.'' It is also a strong signal to our most important military asset--our men and women in uniform, and their families--that we are serious about taking care of them. Being a cosponsor, however, hasn't alleviated my concern that we may be moving too quickly on this legislation. This bill has substantial budgetary implications, many of which we are only beginning to quantify. Specifically, we don't know yet exactly what this bill will cost, nor whether it is structured to best fix ongoing retention and recruiting problems. Moreover, we haven't yet taken the time to assess where any additional defense dollars should be spent in the broader context.”