[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 75 (Wednesday, June 2, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6336-S6338]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2005--Continued
Amendment No. 3260, as Modified
Mr. WARNER. Madam President, we had a very important meeting between
the distinguished chairman of the Appropriations Committee and the
distinguished ranking member, Mr. Byrd. As a result of their
consultation and advice to the distinguished Senator from Michigan and
myself, I send to the desk a modified amendment.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the modification?
Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is so modified.
The amendment (No. 3260), as modified, is as follows:
(Purpose: To authorize appropriations for a contingent emergency
reserve fund for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan)
On page 239, between lines 2 and 3, insert the following:
SEC. 1006. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR A CONTINGENT
EMERGENCY RESERVE FUND FOR OPERATIONS IN IRAQ
AND AFGHANISTAN.
(a) Authorization of Supplemental Appropriations.--In
addition to any other amounts authorized to be appropriated
by this Act, there is hereby authorized to be appropriated
for the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2005, subject
to subsections (b) and (c), $25,000,000,000, to be available
only for activities in support of operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
(b) Specific Amounts.--Of the amount authorized to be
appropriated under subsection (a), funds are authorized to be
appropriated in amounts for purposes as follows:
(1) For the Army for operation and maintenance,
$14,500,000,000.
(2) For the Navy for operation and maintenance,
$1,000,000,000.
(3) For the Marine Corps for operation and maintenance,
$2,000,000,000.
(4) For the Air Force for operation and maintenance,
$1,000,000,000.
(5) For operation and maintenance, Defense-wide activities,
$2,000,000,000.
(6) For military personnel, $2,000,000,000.
(7) An additional amount of $2,500,000,000 to be available
for transfer to--
(A) operation and maintenance accounts;
(B) military personnel accounts;
(C) research, development, test, and evaluation accounts;
(D) procurement accounts;
(E) classified programs; and
(F) Coast Guard operating expenses.
(c) Authorization Contingent on Budget Request.--The
authorization of appropriations in subsection (a) shall be
effective only to the extent that a budget request for all or
part of the amount authorized to be appropriated under such
subsection for the purposes set forth in such subsection is
transmitted by the President to Congress after the date of
the enactment of this Act and includes a designation of the
requested amount as an emergency and essential to support
activities in Iraq and Afghanistan.
(d) Transfer Authority.--(1) Of the amount authorized to be
appropriated under subsection (b)(7) for transfer, no
transfer may be made until the Secretary of Defense consults
with the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the congressional
defense committees and then notifies such committees in
writing not later than five days before the transfer is made.
(2) The transfer authority provided under this section is
in addition to any other transfer authority available to the
Department of Defense.
(e) Monthly Report.--The Secretary of Defense shall submit
to the congressional defense committees each month a report
on the use of funds authorized to be appropriated under this
section. The report for a month shall include in a separate
display for each of Iraq and Afghanistan, the activity for
which the funds were used, the purpose for which the funds
were used, the source of the funds used to carry out that
activity, and the account to which those expenditures were
charged.
Mr. WARNER. I thank the Presiding Officer.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.
Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, I know my good friend from Virginia is
going to have to leave the Chamber in a moment, but before I make some
remarks in general about our colleagues who are World War II veterans,
while he is here I want to say what a privilege it has been for me, for
26 years now almost, to serve with John Warner of Virginia. I cannot
think of a person who is more decent, civil, and gentlemanly, and the
way in which he runs our committee is truly a model. He is part of a
great tradition of committee chairmen whom he has noted many times whom
he and I have served with, and whom he knew long before I did. He
serves as chairman of the committee that represents our Armed Forces in
this country and he does it with extraordinary diplomacy.
So even though it is not the Foreign Relations Committee, it is the
committee of our Armed Forces. He is noted for his gentleness and
civility. I am sure he learned some of this modesty as a member of the
``greatest generation,'' because they do not talk about what they did
in World War II. As a matter of fact, this last Memorial Day I spent a
lot of time with our veterans, their kids, their grandkids, and their
great-grandkids, urging those kids and grandkids to get those veterans
to share their histories because they are not going to volunteer it.
They are not going to initiate any discussion about the events of World
War II; they are too modest.
I do not know whether that is where my dear friend from Virginia got
that wonderful modesty of his, that self-effacement, but from wherever
he got it, it is treasured by every Member of this body and on this
occasion I address him as a World War II veteran. Before I make my
remarks about all of our other colleagues, I want to tell him what a
treasured relationship this has been, and I thank him for his service.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.
Mr. WARNER. May I thank my dear friend. I do not in any way deserve
what he said, but he and I do reflect often on how we got where we are
and that is because of men such as Jackson, Stennis, Goldwater, and
Tower, and the greats whom we have served under as chairmen of this
committee.
The Senator from Michigan has been chairman of the committee. I have
been chairman of the committee. We were trained by the best and we
learned so much of what we practice today from those great teachers,
Senators, of towering strength and wisdom. I thank my friend for
sharing his thoughts with me. In every sense, he emulates those titans
and giants who have run this committee.
Mr. LEVIN. I thank my friend.
I want to add one other thing, and that is the way in which he was
able to modify the amendment is typical of the way Senator Warner
works. I will not go into the details because it is probably not even
appropriate, but there were some differences on the wording of this
amendment. He worked with some real giants in this Senate--Senator
Byrd, Senator Stevens, Senator Inouye--to find a way to work through
this difference. To the outside world, it would look like a very minor
modification and in the scheme of things it probably is a modest
modification, but it took some real effort, some real diplomacy, and
some real willingness to look for the path through the bramble, and the
Senator from Virginia found it. It was very typical. He sent an
amendment to the desk and in about 4 seconds it is done, but it took a
lot more than 4 seconds. It took the special character and the special
approach of my dear friend from Virginia.
I thank him for his service as a World War II veteran, as well as all
of our other colleagues.
This past weekend, the Memorial Day weekend, the Nation paused to
dedicate the newly completed World War II Memorial and pay a long
overdue tribute to the 16 million Americans who served in the Armed
Forces During World War II, the more than 400,000 who died, and the
millions who supported the war effort here at home.
The World War II Memorial is inscribed with many poignant quotes,
including the words of President Harry S Truman: ``Our debt to the
heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be
repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never
forget their sacrifices.'' These words reflect the sentiments of
countless Americans. All of us owe a tremendous debt to this ``greatest
generation'' which sacrificed so much to protect our freedom and
liberty.
Over this past weekend, I was privileged to meet with hundreds of
these
[[Page S6337]]
veterans and their families who made the journey to Washington, D.C.,
from Michigan for the dedication of the monument. I heard many
inspiring personal stories of these men and women. Nearly all spoke of
the memory of those who did not return.
Those who were in Washington represented thousands and thousands of
veterans who died in war, and those who were unable to make this
journey and those who did not live to see the memorial constructed.
It was particularly moving to witness the pride that the sons and
daughters, and the grandchildren, of these veterans took in their
service. America will remember.
We in Michigan, in particular, are also mindful of the tremendous
effort made ``back home'' by those who supported the war effort. Our
State became known as the ``Arsenal of Democracy''. From jeeps to tanks
to bombers to artillery, and even ambulances, the industrial strength
of Michigan turned to production of the tools needed by those on the
front lines. As National Geographical Magazine noted in 1944: ``It does
not take long, in Michigan, to realize you are on a real battle front.
The industrial sections roar with machinery.''
We, in the Senate, are fortunate to serve with six of these heroic
veterans. These are my friends and colleagues and I value each of them
for the many important contributions they have made to the Nation in
this body. But, today, I salute them for their courage and for their
sacrifice as young men in World War II and because they collectively
represent millions of Americans who did their duty in their Nation's
hour of need. Senator Akaka of Hawaii, Senator Hollings of South
Carolina, Senator Lautenberg of New Jersey, Senator Inouye of Hawaii,
Senator Stevens of Alaska, and Senator John Warner of Virginia--you
have my admiration, my respect and my thanks.
We cannot ever repay the debt we owe to those who fought in our
defense during World War II and those who supported their efforts on
the homefront. This week, we have taken an important step in assuring
that America will never forget their valor and their sacrifice. And,
even as we do so, we think of and we honor the courage and commitment
of our armed forces today in Iraq and Afghanistan fighting the enemies
of freedom and democracy. These men and women, too, like the millions
of Americans before them, have answered the call.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, on May 12, 2004, the President sent to
Congress an amendment to his fiscal year 2005 budget request that would
add $25 billion for the cost of the ongoing wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan. The President's request amounted to a blank check: There
were virtually no strings at all on how those funds could be used.
Senator Warner, as chairman of the Armed Services Committee, held a
hearing, at my request, on the day after this $25 billion request was
sent to Congress. Members of the committee were nearly unanimous that
Congress should not sign away its power of the purse by giving a
rubberstamp approval to the President's proposal.
After reviewing the President's request, I developed several
proposals to strengthen congressional oversight over the President's
request. The funds should be authorized in discrete appropriations
accounts for the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Reasonable limits
should be placed on transfer authority, so that this budget request
would not become a blank check. Needed funding for the Coast Guard
operations in the Persian Gulf should be included in the $25 billion
requested by the President.
Senator Warner, Senator Stevens, Senator Levin, and Senator Inouye
worked diligently to include my proposals in the amendment that is now
before the Senate. Funds have been placed in regular appropriations
accounts in order to promote oversight. The amount of funds that can be
transferred to other accounts has been reduced from 100 percent to a
reasonable 10 percent. Anticipated costs for Coast Guard operations
have been funded.
I commend Senator Warner and Senator Stevens for their work on this
amendment. I thank Senator Levin and Senator Inouye for their steadfast
efforts in working to provide the necessary funding for our troops
while preserving the power of the purse. I would also like to thank
Senator Reid for his work in bringing this bipartisan amendment to a
vote.
Approval of a this amendment is but one step in providing the
necessary support to our troops in a manner that promotes
accountability and oversight by the Congress. In the coming days, the
Appropriations Committee will take up the Defense Appropriations bill.
The Senate should build on its work here to insure that the
appropriations bill includes similar provisions that preserve the power
of the purse that resides with Congress. I look forward to working with
my colleagues on that bill, in the same bipartisan manner as we did
today, to support our troops and protect the Constitution.
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, since 2002, I have raised serious concerns
about this administration's policy on Iraq, including the President's
failure to plan for post-war Iraq and his inability to convince much of
the world to share the burden by providing troops and funding.
However, I will support the President's request for $25 billion to
support our military men and women who are serving so bravely under
extremely difficult conditions.
When the President initially requested this additional funding on May
12, it was a blank check. It allowed the President to spend funds on
any account within the DoD for any purpose having to do with Iraq or
Afghanistan. Because of the good work of many in this Chamber, on both
sides of the aisle, the Warner amendment is a significant improvement
on the President's initial request.
The Warner amendment ensures that $20 billion of the $25 billion
request will be spent on the operation and maintenance accounts of the
Armed Forces and that $2 billion will be dedicated solely to the
military personnel accounts. This is vastly different from the
President's request, which would have given him the authority to spend
the $25 billion in any manner in which he thought appropriate.
The Warner amendment also contains an important provision that
requires a monthly report to Congress on the use of this $25 billion
authority. With this reporting requirement, Congress can ensure that
every penny is being used for the well-being of our military men and
women who are serving this country with great honor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the vote scheduled for 6:30
this evening now occur at 6 p.m.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. WARNER. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. GREGG. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. GREGG. Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The question is on agreeing to the amendment. The clerk will call the
roll.
The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. McCONNELL. I announce that the Senator from Colorado (Mr.
Campbell) and the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Fitzgerald) are
necessarily absent.
Mr. REID. I announce that the Senator from Montana (Mr. Baucus), the
Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Edwards), and the Senator from
Massachusetts (Mr. Kerry) are necessarily absent.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Alexander). Are there any other Senators
in the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 95, nays 0, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 106 Leg.]
YEAS--95
Akaka
Alexander
Allard
Allen
Bayh
Bennett
Biden
Bingaman
Bond
Boxer
Breaux
Brownback
Bunning
Burns
Byrd
Cantwell
Carper
Chafee
[[Page S6338]]
Chambliss
Clinton
Cochran
Coleman
Collins
Conrad
Cornyn
Corzine
Craig
Crapo
Daschle
Dayton
DeWine
Dodd
Dole
Domenici
Dorgan
Durbin
Ensign
Enzi
Feingold
Feinstein
Frist
Graham (FL)
Graham (SC)
Grassley
Gregg
Hagel
Harkin
Hatch
Hollings
Hutchison
Inhofe
Inouye
Jeffords
Johnson
Kennedy
Kohl
Kyl
Landrieu
Lautenberg
Leahy
Levin
Lieberman
Lincoln
Lott
Lugar
McCain
McConnell
Mikulski
Miller
Murkowski
Murray
Nelson (FL)
Nelson (NE)
Nickles
Pryor
Reed
Reid
Roberts
Rockefeller
Santorum
Sarbanes
Schumer
Sessions
Shelby
Smith
Snowe
Specter
Stabenow
Stevens
Sununu
Talent
Thomas
Voinovich
Warner
Wyden
NOT VOTING--5
Baucus
Campbell
Edwards
Fitzgerald
Kerry
The amendment (No. 3260) was agreed to.
Mr. SHELBY. I move to reconsider the vote.
Mr. ALLEN. I move to lay that motion on the table.
The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
Mr. LEVIN. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. TALENT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________