[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 74 (Thursday, May 20, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H3456-H3457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           A GREATER QUALITY OF LIFE FOR AMERICA'S DEFENDERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 1999, the gentlewoman from Idaho (Mrs. Chenoweth) is 
recognized for 60 minutes.
  Mrs. CHENOWETH. Mr. Speaker, I found it interesting, the comments 
tonight on Kosovo. It is my firm belief that we are involved in an 
illegal war. We speak glowingly about the rule of law, and yet the 
Constitution requires that the Congress raise up armies and declare 
war. The War Powers Act clearly defines the limits within which the 
President may engage in war-like activities such as we have become 
involved in in Kosovo. The U.N. charter requires that no Nation see 
this kind of violent activity in a sovereign manner when there is 
internal conflict. So I do not care where one looks, whether it is 
international law, constitutional law, or statutory authority, this is 
an illegal war.
  As we think about the war in Kosovo, Mr. Speaker, I want us today, as 
we begin to approach the time when we remember the veterans, the men 
and women who have served so bravely overseas, as we begin to enter 
into that season in our year, I want us to think about them and not 
forget them. Because in today's military, a young enlisted person 
serving out his or her first contract can expect to make only $1,075.80 
a month. Over a 40-hour work week, this averages to $6.70 an hour. But 
most of our military personnel do not work 40-hour work weeks. We all 
remember the famous army slogan: We do more before 9 o'clock a.m. than 
most people do all day. Well, Mr. Speaker, it is true. These young 
enlisted personnel can expect to be at work before first light and not 
home again until long after dark.

                              {time}  1900

  Mr. Speaker, we do not pay them overtime. These young people train 
for weeks at a time away from home. They keep themselves in a state of 
top physical readiness, and they live their personal lives according to 
the high standards of integrity and honor we mandate for them. These 
young servicemen and women must uproot their families on a moment's 
notice, moving to a new duty station across the country or across the 
globe. A lot of them do it for as little as $6.70 an hour.
  For members of the military with families, the situation is even 
worse. Despite a modest living allowance, 12,000 families currently 
serving our armed forces are dependent upon food stamps, food stamps. 
We have government employees living off of government subsidies. Mr. 
Speaker, why do we not skip the intermediary step and just pay them 
properly in the first place?
  During the holidays at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, a 
network of military spouses work together to collect donations of money 
and toys for the enlisted families who cannot afford to give their 
young ones Christmas or Thanksgiving.
  Last November and December, the Mountain Home Warm Heart 
organization, run by the spouses of servicemen, distributed over 
$18,000 worth of food and toys and cash to needy military families.
  Where did this money come from, Mr. Speaker? From the pockets of 
servicemen who already had very little to give. If this were not bad 
enough, many military families have more serious concerns than just 
Christmas and Thanksgiving.
  At the Mountain Home Air Force Base, 459 women and children are 
receiving regular food assistance. That is not a proud record for us. 
One hundred and seven of those are infants. The Mountain Home Air Force 
Aid Society made $131,000 in emergency assistance loans to military 
families. I am very concerned about what will happen to these families 
when the money runs out and they still have to make monthly payments on 
their loans.
  In the 18th century, citizen soldiers won our independence and 
secured our liberties. We hailed them as heroes, and revered the 
courage and commitment they demonstrated in defense of our Nation. 
Today that Nation is protected by citizen soldiers with the same 
integrity and that same sense of duty. Only in 20th century America, we 
do not even pay them a living wage. We should be ashamed of ourselves.
  From 1988 to today, there have been 32 deployments of our military. 
In the previous 60 years, there were only 10 deployments. Put another 
way, Mr. Speaker, prior to this administration, the military was 
deployed an average of once every 6 years. During the Clinton 
administration, the military has been deployed an average of four times 
every year.
  Furthermore, since 1987 we have depleted our ranks by 800,000 
servicemen, 800,000 servicemen. In practical terms, that translates 
into more frequent deployments and dangerously long hours. It is 
illegal in this country for truck drivers to be on the road longer than 
8 consecutive hours without rest. We have pilots now patrolling the 
Mediterranean in 14-hour shifts.
  In short, this administration is expecting our servicemen and women 
to do 100 times as much and place their lives at risk 100 times as 
often with 800,000 fewer people for as little as $6.70 an hour.
  Mr. Speaker, I recently paid a plumber $90 an hour to unplug my 
garbage disposal. An auto mechanic can expect $50 an hour. A teenage 
person working as a bagger in a grocery store can earn up to $12 an 
hour. None of these jobs requires 24-hour dedication to duty and a 
constant threat to their lives.
  Mr. Speaker, one young Marine I know of has taken a second job to 
supplement his income. Every night this Lance Corporal goes home and 
trades his Marine uniform for a blue and red

[[Page H3457]]

tee shirt and matching hat from Dominoes. This young Marine, this hard-
working father of two, delivers pizza because he is too proud to accept 
welfare.
  He is not alone in this endeavor, but it is nearly impossible to know 
how many young servicemen are in this position, because most of them 
hide it from their commanders.
  A young Lance Corporal serving in the Marine Corps today can 
anticipate being combat-deployed at least once in a 4-year enlistment. 
I wonder what this Lance Corporal's family will do when he is away and 
they have to make do without the supplemental income from Dominoes? I 
am humbled by this young Marine, and many others like him who work so 
hard to protect us. I am ashamed that we do not do right by them.
  I urge this body to seriously consider the ethics of our government's 
continued overextension of our military in light of our complete lack 
of gratitude for their service.
  Mr. Speaker, I have a request to make of the Members of this body. 
Tonight, when they go home to their families and when we go to the 
security and comfort of our own homes, when we tuck our young children 
in bed and say a prayer, we need to say a prayer for the men and women 
of our armed forces.
  As we sleep, approximately 100,000 of them stand watch away from 
their own loved ones, ready to give their very lives to protect us, for 
as little as $6.70 an hour.
  Mr. Speaker, I think this Congress must begin to understand that 
there is a direct correlation between the effectiveness of active duty 
military today and the treatment of the veterans of yesterday's 
service. Retention, morale, readiness, these words are euphemisms used 
to disguise the real problem our military faces: A complete lack of 
faith that their government will take good care of them.
  Why should our active duty servicemen believe us? Veterans in my 
district are feeling the effects of cuts in the veterans budgets. 
Veterans hospitals in Salt Lake City and Spokane are suffering from 
cutbacks and layoffs which impact patient care, as well as those 
hospitals, veterans hospitals, in Boise, Idaho. There are waiting lists 
for surgery and fewer options for long-term care. We have broken our 
promises.
  A sign in front of the Boise Veterans' Medical Center reads ``The 
price of freedom is visible here.'' But indeed, it is. Unfortunately, 
in our society, a select few pay that price. They are our veterans. 
They are our heroes, and they must fight for the health care benefits 
that we promised them.
  We expected our veterans to fight for us abroad, but it breaks my 
heart when they have to come home and fight for their privileges that 
were promised them at home.
  Mr. Speaker, veterans are forced into one final choice between their 
home and their patriotism. No Idaho veteran may be laid to rest in his 
home State in a dedicated field of honor. That is because my home State 
is the only State in the Union which does not have a veterans cemetery.
  Veterans represent approximately 10 percent of Idaho's population. 
There are nearly 100,000 combat veterans in Idaho, about a third of 
whom served our Nation in World War II. Our average World War II 
veteran is 76 years old. These heroes are now passing away. This summer 
when veterans organizations call the roll of those who have died in the 
last year, they will read 3,500 names in Idaho, and not one will be 
able to be buried in an Idaho veterans cemetery. There is not an Idaho 
veterans cemetery.

  That is why I am introducing legislation which will provide Idaho 
with a veterans cemetery. This bill answers a critical need Idaho 
faces. In pressing for a veterans' cemetery, I have the support of the 
entire Idaho congressional delegation, the State veterans 
organizations, our Governor, the Idaho legislature, and the chairman of 
the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. 
Stump).
  In fact, last month, the Idaho legislature passed Joint Memorial No. 
1, which urgently requested a veterans cemetery, stating, and I quote, 
``It is fitting and proper that a grateful Nation should provide a 
burial site within a reasonable distance from the homes of those 
Idahoans and others residing in the northwestern States who honorably 
served their country in a time of emergency.''
  Mr. Speaker, I do not believe this case can be overstated. We in this 
body must begin to take very seriously our commitment to the armed 
forces. We cannot just try to make piecemeal repairs. We must begin to 
demonstrate a genuine commitment to improve the quality of life for our 
veterans and our active duty servicemen and women.
  Mr. Speaker, earlier this week I was forced to vote no on the Kosovo 
emergency supplemental. That was a very painful and difficult vote for 
me. On the one hand, I hate to pass up a chance to rectify the wrongs 
brought down on our military in the past 6 years.
  I always welcome the chance to give something back to our servicemen, 
but I cannot fund an illegal war. I cannot condone this military 
action, this terrible descent into a protracted conflict in which the 
American people have no stake whatsoever. I care about our troops too 
much to remain silent as they are led to this battlefield.
  Mr. Speaker, last month this body had the opportunity to fulfill its 
constitutional role and declare war on the people of Kosovo. All but 
two, all but two 2 Members balked from that final act. It seems that 
the only thing this body can agree on in this matter is that the people 
of Kosovo are not our enemies. Why, then, are we bombing them? Why are 
we destroying their capital?
  I do not understand the answer to this question, Mr. Speaker, and I 
cannot let the temptation to provide our servicemen their due at this 
time dissuade me from my obligation to preserve, protect, and defend 
the Constitution.
  Had I voted to fund the war I had voted against declaring, I would 
have compromised the very principles these young people have fought for 
in the past. I would have voted to violate the Constitution. Worse, Mr. 
Speaker, this supplemental amounted to nothing less than blackmail. The 
Members of this body were offered a choice: Support the troops and the 
beluga whale and the House pages and the University of the District of 
Columbia and Washington Metropolitan Air Traffic and whatever other 
random provision was added, or do not support the troops at all. It is 
a shameful situation, what was added to the so-called emergency 
supplemental. It is a testament to the way the military has been 
constantly used by us, improperly used.
  The fact is our military is being attacked by its most dangerous 
opponent, our own civilian command. This Kosovo supplemental was proof 
that we are not committed enough as a government or powerful enough as 
a Congress to undo the damage that already has been done. It is time to 
move from piecemeal repairs after the fact to proper recognition, 
support, and honor throughout.
  In a time when we were threatened, they defended us. In a time when 
we were afraid, they kept their courage. In a time when we have 
discarded patriotism, they still salute their flag, honor their 
Commander in Chief, and serve the ideals of American freedom.
  Mr. Speaker, we must show them, our heroes of past conflict and those 
who stand guard as we speak, that we care, that we are grateful, that 
we will not fail them.

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