[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 102 (Friday, July 29, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 29, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
       U.S. DEFENSE BEING WEAKENED BY DISPERSAL OF TROOPS ABROAD

  (Mr. GINGRICH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GINGRICH. Mr. Speaker, I am very concerned about the President's 
announcement on Rwanda today. First of all, because, to the best of my 
knowledge, there has been virtually no consultation with the Congress. 
Second, because we now have, in a Clinton administration which is 
cutting defense, Americans troops preparing to invade Haiti. We have a 
blockade or embargo around Haiti which is drawing forces away from drug 
interdiction to interdicting supplies to Haiti. We have American troops 
around Iraq. We have Americans now being sent into Rwanda. We have a 
proposal to send potentially 25,000 Americans to Bosnia as 
peacekeepers. Finally, we are reinforcing Korea where there is still a 
grave danger of a crisis which could explode into war.
  I just wish that the administration would carefully look at what it 
is doing to weaken defense while further dispersing Americans across 
the planet.
  I would urge my colleagues to look at what we are doing to airlift. 
All over the planet, every time you see an American airlifter showing 
up, we are wearing out the airplanes, we are wearing out the crews, and 
we are, frankly, exhausting our military. We are engaged in a process 
of hollowing out, and I think it is very, very dangerous.

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