[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 92 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 92

  Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the need to invest a 
  minimum of 4 percent of gross domestic product on national defense.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 13, 2003

  Mr. Sam Johnson of Texas (for himself and Mr. Hunter) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the need to invest a 
  minimum of 4 percent of gross domestic product on national defense.

Whereas national defense is a core responsibility of the Federal Government, as 
        enumerated in Article I, Section 8, and Article II, Section 2, of the 
        Constitution;
Whereas, during periods of war, significant percentages of gross domestic 
        product were dedicated to national defense, including as much as 37.9 
        percent during World War II, 14.1 percent during the Korean War, and 9.4 
        percent during the Vietnam War;
Whereas, over the past 30 years, Federal spending on national defense as a 
        percentage of gross domestic product has varied from a high of 6.2 
        percent in 1986 to 3 percent in the last three budgets of the previous 
        administration;
Whereas, while defense spending has trended downward from an average of 6 
        percent in the 1980s to 4 percent in the 1990s, United States military 
        deployments abroad have increased from 21 deployments during the 1980s 
        to 56 deployments during the 1990s;
Whereas, given these trends of decreased defense spending and increased 
        deployments, the Armed Forces face a critical need for new equipment and 
        weapons;
Whereas, while recent expenditures for national defense have increased, they are 
        still trending downward toward 3 percent of gross domestic product and 
        18 percent of the Federal budget, and, if this trend continues, defense 
        spending will represent just 2 percent of gross domestic product by 
        2020; and
Whereas the United States can afford to invest a much greater percentage of 
        gross domestic product on national defense than it currently does: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That this resolution may be cited as the ``Military Investment 
Resolution''.
    Sec. 2. It is the sense of the Congress that the United States 
should invest a minimum of 4 percent of gross domestic product on 
national defense in order to reverse the neglect of the 1990s and 
improve military readiness to levels necessary to defend the United 
States and promote American values domestically and abroad.
                                 <all>