Political Quotes

“And Ranking Member Smith, thank you so much for your leadership in leading this bill to the floor. I rise in support of the Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon National Defense Authorization Act, which provides funding for ongoing operations in Afghanistan and, most critically, for our men and women on the front lines, where they continue to fight and die on our behalf each and every day. No one in this Chamber should forget that most of the decisions we make impact them first and foremost. It is our constitutional responsibility and should be our highest priority to ensure that they have the training and equipment they need to do their missions and come home safely. We must be committed to ensuring that our force is always ready to respond if a crisis arises. This bill attempts to limit operational risk, while also balancing present and future readiness requirements with an unrealistic and ultimately damaging topline. When we legislate to an arbitrary budget number rather than to a national security strategy, we inevitably make ill-advised choices that impact our capacity and capability to respond to global threats, such as the crisis in Ukraine, an emboldened and increasingly aggressive Russia, an increasingly aggressive China, and growing tensions in the Asia Pacific. If circumstances demand that we call up our forces to respond at this point in time, our military options would be limited. That is why I strongly oppose BRAC at this time.…”