[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 35 (Wednesday, March 25, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H1455]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     THE STATE OF NATIONAL SECURITY

  (Mr. CUNNINGHAM asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Committee on 
Appropriations went forth on, quote, emergency supplementals in 
different areas. One was for IMF, the other was U.N., one for emergency 
spending, and the state of defense. Let me talk about the state of 
defense.
  In 30 years, Mr. Speaker, our national security is the worst and the 
lowest I have ever seen it. We have gotten there because Somalia, Haiti 
and Bosnia policies set forward were not paid for. They have cost $16 
billion out of an already low defense budget. Those dollars come out of 
operation and maintenance of a 1950s budget.
  The other problems that we have in emergency spending, we have got to 
find some offsets for those. It is going to be difficult in the 
upcoming weeks to find those offsets so we do not break the budget. 
Alan Greenspan has said if we break the budget caps, then the economy 
we have, the interest rates and everything else is going to go down. We 
need to work together to find those offsets, Mr. Speaker.

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