Pay Our Military Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Georgia for his leadership on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, the House is at work and the Senate is at home. The President is absent again. But none of us would be debating the future of this country without the men and women in the United States military. That's what makes theirs special and different.

Now, I listened as some argued against this bill and then said we would all support this bill. Good. Good. Then let's put 435 green lights on the board and let's show the country that we're united in this.

Just today, 300 men and women from Moody Air Force Base, which my colleague represents as well as I do, many of the families down there in Georgia said good-bye to their families and friends and got on a plane. Why? Because we asked them to.

Over 90 days ago, this House right here passed an appropriations bill that fulfilled our promise to pay our soldiers in a timely manner and did all of the things that you said needed to be done with research and equipment and the other things. This House did that, and the Senate chose not to take action. Because of the Senate's inaction on the bill, the House is again working to do the right thing while, again, the Senate is at home, and we are working to pay our men and women who are defending our freedom.

Now, I know many of my colleagues--it sounds like maybe all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle--are going to support the legislation in this House. All we're asking is for the Senate, Harry Reid, and the President to have enough honor to make sure the families of our soldiers are not used as political leverage and guaranteed that they are paid on time. This amendment does just that.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source