[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 110 (Friday, July 30, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1707-E1708]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2000

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. CHARLES F. BASS

                            of new hampshire

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 22, 1999

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2561) making 
     appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 2000, and for other purposes:

  Mr. BASS. Mr. Chairman, I rise to speak on the FY00 Defense 
Appropriations Act and to express my support for the Air Force's F-22.
  I wish to commend the distinguished gentleman from California, Mr. 
Lewis, for producing a bill that addresses the serious and evolving 
challenges facing our military. Under his guidance, the Subcommittee 
has worked very hard to promote our national security within a 
constrained budget, and I believe the bill before us goes a long way 
toward addressing many of our most urgent military requirements.
  I am, however, troubled by the Subcommittee's recommendation to cut 
$1.8 billion from

[[Page E1708]]

the F-22 program. I certainly appreciate the Subcommittee's concerns 
about the program and am fully aware of the substantial challenges it 
faced as it sought to reconcile military requirements with available 
resources. Nevertheless, I believe that the F-22 remains critical to 
maintaining the air superiority that has proven invaluable to the 
United States to date and will continue to be fundamental requirement 
in the future if our interests are to be protected. Indeed, the F-22 
program is the Air Force's number one priority.
  Mr. Chairman, although I support the bill before us on the whole, I 
look forward to working with the Subcommittee Chairman and other 
members of the Committee to ensure that the F-22 is fully funded in the 
final bill.

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