[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 65 (Friday, May 10, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H4837]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     MINIMUM WAGE AND PENTAGON PORK

  (Ms. McKinney asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. McKinney. Mr. Speaker, we've just passed the rule for the Defense 
Authorization bill.
  Soon we will be voting on the Department of Defense's authorization 
bill. In that bill, Republican leaders have decided to give the 
Pentagon $13 billion more than it asked for. At the same time, however, 
the Republican leadership insists on making deep cuts in Medicare, 
Medicaid, education, and the environment in their new budget.
  This, we are told, is necessary to balance the budget. But if that's 
the case, then why does the largest bureaucracy in the world--the 
Pentagon--need a $13 billion raise?
  How is it that the Pentagon gets a $13 billion increase, but that low 
wage American workers can't get a .45 cent increase in their hourly 
wage?
  Mr. Speaker, we can and should balance the budget. But we should do 
it by cutting corporate welfare and reducing our bloated military 
budget. And to my Republican colleagues I say, if you want to go after 
wasteful spending, Pentagon pork is a good place to start.

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