[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 428 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 428

 Recommending that Congress not provide funds for fiscal year 2005 for 
   the deployment of ground-based, strategic, mid-course, ballistic 
missile defense system components that have not met operational testing 
requirements and, instead, provide needed funding for programs designed 
         to keep America's ports secure from terrorist attacks.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 17, 2004

  Ms. Harman submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
  referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the 
  Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Recommending that Congress not provide funds for fiscal year 2005 for 
   the deployment of ground-based, strategic, mid-course, ballistic 
missile defense system components that have not met operational testing 
requirements and, instead, provide needed funding for programs designed 
         to keep America's ports secure from terrorist attacks.

Whereas America's maritime transportation system is the gateway to the global 
        economy;
Whereas America's economic prosperity rests on the ability of millions of tons 
        of containers and cargo arriving unimpeded at United States ports to 
        support the delivery system that underpins the Nation's manufacturing 
        and retail sectors;
Whereas America's ports and waterways are also used to carry millions of 
        citizens on cruise ships and ferries;
Whereas America's seaports remain vulnerable to terrorist attack;
Whereas cargo containers could be used to smuggle terrorists or dangerous 
        materials into the United States or used as a delivery vehicle for a 
        weapon of mass destruction;
Whereas the Intelligence Community has warned that the United States is more 
        likely to be attacked with a weapon of mass destruction delivered by 
        ship, truck, or airplane than by a ballistic missile;
Whereas the Department of Defense has waived the operational testing 
        requirements that are essential to determining the effectiveness and 
        sustainability of a ground-based, strategic, mid-course, ballistic 
        missile defense system;
Whereas the General Accounting Office has issued a report stating that only two 
        of the ten critical technologies of the ground-based, strategic, mid-
        course, ballistic missile defense system components have been verified 
        as workable by adequate developmental testing;
Whereas deploying a highly complex weapons system prior to adequately testing it 
        can increase the long-term costs of the system significantly;
Whereas United States technology already deployed can pinpoint the source of a 
        ballistic missile launch;
Whereas it is therefore highly unlikely that any state would attack the United 
        States or allow terrorists to do so from its territory with a weapon of 
        mass destruction, thereby risking annihilation from a United States 
        retaliatory strike; and
Whereas 49 retired generals and admirals have called on the President to 
        postpone operational deployment of a ground-based, strategic, mid-
        course, ballistic missile defense system and requested that the 
        associated funding be transferred to accelerated programs to secure the 
        Nation's facilities containing nuclear weapons and to protect the 
        Nation's ports and borders against terrorists who may attempt to smuggle 
        a weapon of mass destruction into the United States: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),  
That Congress--
            (1) recommends that the amount of funds appropriated for 
        ballistic missile defense programs for fiscal year 2005 should 
        not be greater than the amount of funds appropriated for those 
        programs for fiscal year 2004;
            (2) recommends that any funds appropriated for ballistic 
        missile defense programs for fiscal year 2005 should not be 
        used to deploy a ground-based, strategic, mid-course, ballistic 
        missile defense system that has not met operational testing 
        requirements that demonstrate the maturity of all of the 
        critical technologies; and
            (3) recommends that funds appropriated for port security 
        programs within the Department of Homeland Security for fiscal 
        year 2005 should be increased by $500,000,000 over the amounts 
        appropriated for those programs for fiscal year 2004.
                                 <all>