Political Quotes

“I thank Mr. Thornberry for yielding. Madam Speaker, this is not a good conference report. This is a great bipartisan conference report. We have made significant strides in a wide range of areas that improve our national security posture, from installing a respectable $743 billion top line to supporting our Nation's highest acquisition priorities to even including related efforts on the widow's tax and family housing reform. This has become an impressive bill. I must admit, though, that I was concerned about our ability to complete the work in this conference report. When we initially debated this bill on the House floor, I voted in opposition to the bill over top-line funding issues and various riders that were included. But in conference, we debated vigorously. In the end, I am pleased that we, once again, tacked to the middle and moved to garner bipartisan support for our servicemembers and their families. Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Thornberry should be proud of this effort. Our seapower and projection capabilities are more lethal as a result. In the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, we authorized three destroyers, two submarines, two amphibious ships, two oilers, and one frigate. We accelerate unmanned vessels to the maximum sustainable level. We continue to fully support the rapid development of the B-22 Raider bomber and the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine programs, both essential elements of our nuclear triad.…”