[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 114 (Thursday, August 5, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1776-E1777]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  BUSINESS, MILITARY AND COMMUNITY LEADERS MAKE GOOD SENSE ON DEFENSE 
                                SPENDING

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 5, 1999

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, one of the most important 
issues we face today is how to adequately meet important social needs 
at a time when a majority in Congress unfortunately insists on large 
yearly increases in military spending while also operating under the 
budget caps of the 1997 budget act. Our national policy continues to 
mistakenly spend huge amounts of money defending ourselves and the rest 
of the world from a military threat that has greatly receded, at the 
expense or a number of other important social and economic goals of our 
society.
  I commend Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities for its thoughtful 
leadership on educating the public about the important of redirecting 
American resources away from the military in order to appropriately 
respond to the legitimate needs of Americans. I ask that three sets of 
recent statements by national security experts Admiral Stansfield 
Turner (US Navy ret.) and Vice Admiral Jack Shanahan (USN-ret.); social 
advocacy leaders Marian Wright Edelman, President of the Children's 
Defense Fund, and Bob Chase, President of the National Education 
Association; and business leaders Bruce Klatsky, chairman & CEO of 
Philips--Van Heusen, and Mohammad Akhter, executive director of the 
American Public Health Association, which appeared in the New York 
Times under the auspices of Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities, 
be inserted into the Record. These commentaries do a good job outlining 
how our national security would in no way be endangered by a lower 
defense budget and the socially constructive ways in which the savings 
generated by such a reduction could be directed.

               [From the New York Times, August 1, 1999]

 If My Business Used Pentagon Accounting Practices, I'd Be Sent to Jail

                           (By Bruce Klatsky)

       A 1995 General Accounting Office analysis revealed that the 
     Pentagon's financial books can't account for $43 billion in 
     payments made to defense contractors. The New York Times 
     reported two weeks ago that the Pentagon ``defied the law and 
     the Constitution by spending hundreds of millions on military 
     projects that lawmakers never approved.'' The Los Angeles 
     Times reported last month that $5.5 million was diverted from 
     the Pentagon's operating budget to refurnish the residences 
     of Navy brass.
       If my publicly-traded, SEC-regulated company handled our 
     finances this way I'd be facing jail time.
       It's not just that taxpayer funds are being wasted, but my 
     business experience in allocating scarce resources tells me 
     that a dollar can only be invested once. Those billions 
     squandered by Pentagon bureaucrats are unavailable for 
     programs that really build national security, and not just 
     appropriate military needs but our education and health care 
     too. The savings from reducing military waste are there. To 
     get a copy of our alternative defense budget, showing how 
     America can trim 15% of the Pentagon budget or $40 billion 
     every year, call us at the number below or download it from 
     our web site.


     
                                  ____
               [From the New York Times, August 1, 1999]

          If We Invested More in Health Care, We'd Save Lives

                          (By Mohammad Akhter)

       Thankfully, the Cold War is over. Challenges to America's 
     national security now come mainly from within: violence, drug 
     abuse and people without access to health care all pose 
     serious threats to our nation's health. Today's U.S. economy 
     is the strongest in recent memory, but we are neglecting 
     critical health problems that will increase the burden of 
     disease on the next generation.
       America needs to change its priorities. Wise investments in 
     public health programs provide handsome returns in good 
     health and prosperity. Here's where some of the unaccounted 
     for Pentagon money should have gone for real investment:
       As a step towards covering all Americans, we should provide 
     health insurance for the 11 million American children who 
     don't have it costing $11 billion annually.
       It would cost $644 million to fully immunize the children 
     who will be born next year.
       All women could be assured of screening for breast and 
     cervical cancer for just over $1 billion.
       We could rebuild the nation's system of disease detection, 
     protecting Americans from diseases such as flu and foodborne 
     illness as well as possible bioterrorist attacks for $1.3 
     billion.
       Those sound public health investments would pay real 
     dividends in communities

[[Page E1777]]

     across America. The future depends on the choices we make 
     today. Shifting our priorities from Pentagon waste to unmet 
     health needs will save lives, and assure good health for this 
     and the next generation.


                [From the New York Times, July 30, 1999]

         Why Should We Pay For Nuclear Weapons We Do Not Need?

            (By Admiral Stansfield Turner, U.S. Navy, ret.)

       Last week, the House of Representatives voted to cancel the 
     $64 billion F-22 fighter aircraft program because America 
     doesn't need such an expensive weapon. The same criteria that 
     led the House to scuttle that Cold War holdover should lead 
     to canceling other unnecessary weapons programs.
       There's more in the Pentagon's budget to cut, and invest in 
     Sensible Priorities. Case in point: We spend over $30 billion 
     each year maintaining a nuclear arsenal at a level of close 
     to 12,000 nuclear warheads. A very much smaller, 1,000-
     warhead force would still provide the destructive force of 
     40,000 Hiroshima explosions. That would surely be enough to 
     protect America from any security threat. Such a reduction 
     would save as much as $17 billion annually.
       The United States must maintain the world's strongest armed 
     forces, but that does not mean we should spend money on 
     weapons we couldn't possibly use. Besides large savings on 
     nuclear weapons, there are other ways to cut waste or trim 
     excesses in the Pentagon's budget without jeopardizing our 
     national security. Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities 
     has developed suggestions for reducing the defense budget by 
     15%, or $40 billion yearly. To get a copy, call the number 
     below or download it from our website.
       Our children and grandchildren deserve to inherit a strong 
     America, but one that is strong in education, health care, 
     equality of opportunity and quality of life, as well as 
     military power.


     
                                  ____
                [From the New York Times, July 30, 1999]

             Why Can't We Afford To Modernize Our Schools?

                             (By Bob Chase)

       Nothing is more important for our nation's future than a 
     high quality education for America's children. Educators know 
     that students learn best in safe and modern schools, equipped 
     with the latest technology.
       However, according to the U.S. General Accounting Office, 
     America's public schools need $112 billion for repair and 
     modernization. This is no surprise. The average school 
     building in America is 50 years old.
       Unfortunately, some in Congress are choosing to ignore this 
     dire need. That puts our nation and our children at risk. 
     Record student enrollment and the demands of a 21st Century 
     workforce make investing in education a national imperative.
       Other nations fund the education of their children at 
     significantly higher levels than we do. Let's make our 
     children's education our number one priority. Kids deserve a 
     bigger slice of the budget ``pie,'' and they should get it. 
     One future depends on it.


     
                                  ____
                [From the New York Times, July 28, 1999]

                I Know Something About National Security

            (By Vice Admiral Jack Shanahan, U.S. Navy Ret.)

       Not every new weapon increases our nation's military 
     strength. Some even weaken us. The F-22 fighter jet is just 
     such a weapon.
       So congratulations to the House of Representatives for 
     voting last week to halt the F-22 program. The House got it 
     right, America doesn't need this plane to maintain 
     unquestioned air superiority.
       There's a lot more waste in the Pentagon budget besides the 
     $64 billion F-22. The same prudence the House showed 
     scrapping that wasteful program should also be applied to 
     other unnecessary weapons programs. An analysis by Lawrence 
     Korb, former assistant secretary of defense under President 
     Reagan, shows how to trim the Pentagon budget 15%--about $40 
     billion annually--while maintaining the world's strongest 
     armed forces. To get a copy of Dr. Korb's report, call the 
     number or go to the website listed below.
       Having served 35 years in uniform through three wars, I 
     know what makes America strong. It's not just weapons. 
     National security is also about investing in education and 
     healthcare that make our people strong.


     
                                  ____
                [From the New York Times, July 28, 1999]

             We Know About Helping Children Grow Up Healthy

                       (By Marian Wright Edelman)

       Our nation's strength is in our people, and our ``national 
     security'' should be measured by how we invest in children.
       Is it fair that the richest nation in the world has over 14 
     million children living in poverty and more than 11 million 
     without health insurance? Is it fair that one million 
     children eligible for Head Start cannot get in, or that only 
     about one child in ten receives child care assistance?
       By curbing military spending, we can free up money for 
     vital, unmet needs like providing health insurance for all 
     uninsured children. For the cost of each F-22 jet fighter, we 
     could provide child care spaces for 50,000 more children.
       Health care and early education are crucial for children. 
     Countless studies show that healthy children are more likely 
     to stay in school, stay out of trouble, and get on the path 
     to productive lives. Head Start and child care programs 
     prepare children for school and help their parents work. At 
     the same time Congress debates spending more money for new 
     weapons, it will have a chance to vote on whether to invest 
     more dollars in child care. I hope they make the right 
     choice.

     

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