Political Quotes

“I rise today to discuss the emergency supplemental bill that we are considering in the Senate. This new version of the emergency supplemental bill represents a change from the previous version. It is less expensive--$3 billion less in domestic, nonmilitary spending that didn't belong in this bill in the first place. The bill is also better for overall defense than the last version. I am speaking of the GI bill provisions in this legislation. Changes have been made to try and address the transferability of benefits. These changes also attempt to deal with the concern the Department of Defense raised about the retention of our servicemembers by requiring extended service for extended transferable benefits. It does not fully address the concerns, but it is a step forward. Congressional leaders have sat down with the administration and developed a bill that President Bush can sign. I recently had the opportunity to address Wyoming's American Legion convention in Riverton, WY. They support improvements in the GI bill but never want to see any veterans, from World War II to our current operation, be used for gotcha politics. I think they will be pleased that changes and improvements were made. This isn't a perfect bill. There is still some overspending on non-military matters. The bill was force fed through the process. Amendments that could improve the bill further were shunned by the majority leadership. The fact remains, however, that we need to fund our troops.”