[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 112 (Friday, August 1, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1613]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1613]]
             DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1998

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. BILL LUTHER

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 29, 1997

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2266) making 
     appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 1998, and for other purposes:

  Mr. LUTHER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment to 
freeze military spending at the fiscal year 1997 level.
  Mr. Chairman, simply put, we must not allow our rapidly growing 
economy and the recent budget deal to justify avoidance of the tough 
decisions needed to secure the long-term financial health of our 
country.
  The current budget deal is just the first step in restoring fiscal 
health to our Federal Government. Congress must continue to look for 
opportunities to cut spending and we cannot justify spending any more 
on the military budget than our own military experts believe is 
necessary. Unfortunately this bill includes over $500 million for 
continued production of the B-2 bomber--money that the Pentagon did not 
request. It also contains millions of dollars for building new nuclear 
weapons such as the Trident D-5 submarine launched ballistic missile 
and the Seawolf submarine.
  We have been elected to have the judgment, common sense, and courage 
to make the hard choices necessary to achieve a balanced Federal 
budget. Freezing military spending would demonstrate our collective 
commitment to getting our Nation's fiscal house in order.
  Equally important, it will set the stage for asking the American 
people to make sacrifices in other important budget areas. It is much 
easier to discuss the idea of shared sacrifice with the American people 
when we can assure them that all Federal programs and agencies are 
facing the same budget constraints. The American people know it's wrong 
to ask them to share the pain of balancing the budget when one part of 
the budget--the military budget--continues to increase year after year.
  So the bottom line is simple and we should know it by now--if we are 
serious about balancing the budget, it is essential that every Federal 
program and Federal agency share in the sacrifice--including the 
Department of Defense.
  We need to maintain a strong military and an absolutely credible 
nuclear deterrent force but we must maintain that defense while keeping 
in mind the realistic threats facing our country. As a cosponsor of 
this amendment, I am asking my colleagues to change the way they think 
about military spending in the aftermath of the cold war. Times have 
changed and I am hopeful that this amendment will help us move into the 
future.
  Let's show the American people that we really are committed to fiscal 
responsibility and apply the same belt-tightening to the military 
budget that we have applied to the rest of the Federal budget. I urge 
my fellow House Members to vote for this bipartisan amendment and 
freeze military spending at fiscal year 1997 levels.

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