On the recordJuly 25, 2012
I join my colleagues this morning to sound the alarm of a serious threat facing our country, one that has been addressed by this body and now awaits action by the Senate and the President. It is not an external threat, but one that is totally within our control. Known as sequestration, this sharp severe cut to our defense budget can and must be stopped. The warnings from the Secretary of Defense and each of our service chiefs must be heeded. The Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Greenert, described it this way. He said the cuts would do ``severe and irreversible damage'' to our Navy. Madam Speaker, where is the President's outrage at this prospect? Where is his leadership in his role as Commander in Chief? The House passed legislation which would stop the cuts. My amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act requires the Senate to address it head-on. Madam Speaker, we've led. I truly believe that we've taken action to stop the cuts. The irrefutable truth is that the same is not true of the Senate and the administration. Now, we have time to do what is right, but that time is short. I call on the President and the Senate to do what is right: to lead, to lead by example, to bring us together as a nation to stop the cuts. We must look to the future and shape the future, not look behind us. ____________________
