Inhofe: ‘Defending America Should Not Be A Partisan Issue’
Inhofe: Won’t ‘cave in’
By James Beaty
Asked if he thinks there will be more of a spirit of bipartisanship in the U.S. Senate during the upcoming 2014 congressional session in Washington, Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe said “I hope not.”
Inhofe, R-Tulsa, said if bipartisanship means not supporting the things he believes in — such as a strong defense, a thriving domestic energy program and a stance against excessive government regulations — then he wants no part of it.
“You don’t want to cave in,” he said.
“Defending America should not be a partisan issue.”
Inhofe made the comments in response to a question from the News-Capital during a quick visit to McAlester on Friday. At Pete’s Place in Krebs, Inhofe met with city leaders and representatives of the McAlester Defense Support Association — the private group formed to support the defense industry in McAlester.
As the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Inhofe said he and Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., and their counterparts in the House came together to agree on key provisions of the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act before the December deadline expired.
Congress then passed the $625 billion NDAA and President Barack Obama signed it Dec. 26.