Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by thanking our chairman, Mr. McKeon, and ranking member Mr. Smith for their leadership, and to thank all the staff for their great work. You know, in this city where partisan strife tends to reign supreme, it is truly refreshing to see folks able to work across the aisle and focus on a common goal, which is ensuring that the men and women of our all- volunteer force are provided with the highest-caliber resources, training, and authorities as they step into harm's way to complete their missions. Our Nation is the greatest nation the world has ever known, precisely because our brave servicemen and -women make up the finest military the world has ever known. But our military is certainly facing many difficult challenges, both here at home, where the Pentagon has endured 50 percent of the Nation's deficit reduction despite the fact it only comprises 20 percent of the budget, and also abroad, where our troops continue to serve bravely in Afghanistan, and where geopolitical focus is beginning to shift to the Asia Pacific. These challenges have certainly been at the heart of efforts by the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee throughout the past year. And over the past 6 months, the O&I Subcommittee convened a number of hearings and briefings on the training and development of the Afghan National Security Forces.…”