Throughout the history of our young nation, we have seen our military go bravely into battle, armed with courage and willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.
But the fact is, Mr. Chairman, for all the challenges the Postal Service of the 21st century faces, it still retains its traditional place as a key cog in how American businesses conduct their affairs and how Americans all across this land communicate.
Aquatic invasive species are destroying the environment, damaging fisheries, and costing American taxpayers billions of dollars annually.
As America celebrates Memorial Day, we pay tribute to those who have given their lives in our nation's wars.
Since far fewer people are recruited to serve in a voluntary military, the connection between America and its military is increasingly tenuous and less personal.
My hope is that we continue to do an even better job in terms of our nation's energy policy, so that we may even further reduce our reliance on foreign sources of oil and take better care of our environment in the process.
The Army's always had a special place in my heart.
As long as we're dependent on those fossil fuels, we're dependent on the Middle East. If we are not victims, we're certainly captives.
One in seven Americans lives without health insurance, and that's a truly staggering figure.
Americans have an expectation that the Postal Service will abide by its well-known, although unofficial, motto - a commitment to deliver.
We have already seen evidence that, notwithstanding the addition of substantial resources, we are experiencing great stress in recruiting and not inconsequential retention problems.
We are particularly interested in the mental health programs and policies that support our troops and their families before, during, and after deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan.
The study also included the disturbing revelation that most of the troops who reported having mental health problems also reported that they did not seek or did not receive care for their problems.
Last month, the Iraqi people went to the polls, voting in their first free election in more than 50 years.
For the freedoms our founding fathers not only dreamed about, but made into reality. It is that same pursuit of freedom today that is helping to make our world a safer place.
In the Armed Services Committee, we endeavored to put forth proposals that would help alleviate some of that stress, both for the troops and for their families.
One only has to look at the performance of the economy to understand how it shapes the perspective of America's youth about military service.
The more we focus on using renewable fuels, the less we are dependent upon foreign oil.
