Political Quotes

“earlier this year, I voted in opposition to the fiscal year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, NDAA. Since the Senate last voted on the fiscal year 2016 NDAA, Congress has passed and the President has signed the new Bipartisan Budget Act, which raised the discretionary caps on spending across the government, averted a default, and provided a path forward on appropriations. The Bipartisan Budget Act also enabled authors of the NDAA to fix a gimmick that called for spending from overseas contingency operations, OCO, funding to meet requirements that should have been supported by the Department's base budget. I remain concerned, however, that, in order to meet the new caps, budgetary authority had to be cut from this bill. Specifically, I do not believe that readiness funds for the Army, the Army National Guard, and the Army Reserves should be slashed at the same time that many in this body are demanding more soldiers be sent to places like Eastern Europe. This authorization bill will spend hundreds of millions of dollars on unneeded and ineffective missile defense programs, for example, while cutting the training and preparation funds for the men and women we send overseas. The bill also makes significant changes to the defense acquisition system and, inexplicably, cuts key provisions to support the National Guard that enjoyed support in both the Senate and the House.…”