Political Quotes

“During the past two weeks, the Senate Armed Services Committee has conducted hearings on the readiness of the armed forces. Through testimony from the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the service secretaries, it has been revealed that the military is trained and being asked to perform beyond capacity. The readiness of the armed forces is clearly and unmistakably suffering. For the past several years, this has been the concern of many of the committee and in the Senate, myself included, and we have made every argument during this precipitous decade-plus decrease in defense budgeting to reduce the cuts, arguing that we've cut well beyond the fat and the flesh, and have long been cutting into the bone. This situation is now receiving the priority so long overdue. Approximately $7 billion of the emergency spending supplemental currently being debated is for immediate defense readiness funding shortfalls. This is, however, only a stop gap measure, and must be the first step in a long journey to ensure the military is properly exercised and outfitted to defend U.S. national security interests.”