Political Quotes

“I support them, but I ask them to address the question of the matter that is pending before the Senate: The annual Armed Forces bill. This is a list that goes back to 1961. The Senate of the United States unfailingly has passed an authorization bill for the men and women of the Armed Forces. I say to my dear friend and colleague, a former distinguished naval officer, this amendment will torpedo this bill and send it to the bottom of the sea where only Davy Jones could resurrect it. To what extent have my colleagues who are proposing this thought about breaking 40 years of precedent of the Senate by sinking the annual authorization bill at a time when the threats facing the United States of America are far more diverse, far more complicated than ever in contemporary history; when the men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States are absolutely desperate in terms of pay and benefits to keep them in the jobs as careerists? We now have one of the lowest retention rates ever. There are no lines of young men and women waiting to volunteer to be recruited. This bill goes a long way. This bill helps with the benefits they rightly deserve.”