Mark Warner: “I rise to discuss my absence today during rollcall vote No. 224. The vote was in reference to Senate amendment No. 4785…”

“I rise to discuss my absence today during rollcall vote No. 224. The vote was in reference to Senate amendment No. 4785, offered by my colleague, Senator Coburn. Senator Coburn's amendment, which sought to ensure fiscal integrity of travel payments made by the Department of Defense, passed the Senate by a vote of 96 to 0. During the vote, I was serving as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, chairing a very important hearing on Iraq, Afghanistan, and the global war on terrorism. Witnesses at the hearing included Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace; and General John Abizaid, Commander, United States Central Command. My vote would not have affected the outcome of this amendment.”