[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 168 (Thursday, December 6, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S12466]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS

  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I want to make a comment or two about the 
subject we are going to debate this morning. It seems to me certainly 
there is nothing more important for us to undertake than the matter of 
appropriations for defense. I think the Senate needs to be responsive 
to the President's request for defense funding in not adding non-
defense spending to this Defense appropriations bill.
  Our men and women in the military are overseas defending this 
country, and we must support them. This appropriations bill, as other 
appropriations bills, obviously should have been passed back in August 
or September, the end of the fiscal year. We have gone 2 months now 
without increasing those dollars. So I hope we can move forward, and I 
hope we do not hold this bill hostage to some kind of fairly unrelated 
spending. We ought to get right to it and do what the President has 
asked us to do.
  He has indicated what we did in the $40 billion in September is 
available. He has indicated when they need more money, whether it be 
for defense or domestic terrorism, he will request more money. So I 
certainly hope we do not spend a great deal of time trying to add more 
dollars to Defense appropriations than what the President had asked. He 
has made it quite clear he intends to veto it if it is that way. I 
think that would be a real disadvantage to us all and to the people we 
are intending to assist.
  I look forward to being able to deal with that, to come up with 
something we can pass through the Senate and the House, get to the 
President, and that we can support the President in this area of 
defense. I think we find ourselves sometimes talking about spending 
money when there is not a plan yet to use it. Domestic security is one 
of those things. We have seen meetings where they are working together 
and Governor Ridge has said when we get the plan we will ask for the 
money that is necessary if it is not now in the $20 billion. So to go 
ahead and sort of put the money out there before those who are managing 
the program have had an opportunity to decide how that money can best 
be used is a mistake. I hope we do not do that.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. JOHNSON. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. JOHNSON. I ask unanimous consent to speak in morning business.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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