[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 89 (Thursday, June 24, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7357-S7359]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2005

  Mr. STEVENS. I now ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to 
the consideration of Calendar No. 594, H.R. 4613, the Defense 
Appropriations Committee bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Graham of South Carolina). Is there 
objection?
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, and I shall 
not unduly delay the distinguished chairman, let me also thank our 
ranking member of that subcommittee, Mr. Inouye. I thank again Senator 
Stevens. He has been a great chairman of that committee, and he has 
always been fair with me. So once this bill is brought up before the 
Senate--and it will be up before the Senate very soon, within the next 
few minutes--I shall do everything I can to help to get action on this 
bill today.
  But let me say to the Senate and to the Senate leaders and to the 
Republican leaders in the House, this matter of extending and 
increasing the debt limit is a matter which should be brought before 
the American people. It should be debated; it should be voted upon. I 
shall do my best to see to it, if it is on any appropriations bill or 
any other bill, that we get a freestanding vote, and we are going to 
try to debate this issue. The American people are entitled to hear the 
debate on this bill.
  When I came to the Congress almost 52 years ago, they did not sneak 
the debt limit into an appropriations bill as the attempt might have 
been made here but for the good judgment of Senator Stevens and Senator 
Frist. They didn't sneak it into the bill. The Republicans controlled 
the House when I first came to the House of Representatives. They 
didn't do a thing like that. They laid everything on the table and they 
debated it. I hope we will get back to that point of debating the debt 
limit so the House Republicans will not be let off the hook. They have 
a responsibility to the American people to lay it on the table and to 
debate it.
  I thank the distinguished Senator from Alaska, the chairman of the 
Appropriations Committee, for yielding to me. I do not object. I remove 
my reservation.
  Mr. STEVENS. I thank the Senator and renew my request.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report.
  The senior assistant bill clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 4613) making appropriations for the Department 
     of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005, and 
     for other purposes.

  Mr. STEVENS. I ask unanimous consent all after the enacting clause be 
stricken, the text of Calendar No. 593, S. 2559, the Senate committee-
reported bill, be inserted in the Record in lieu thereof, and that 
bill, as amended, be considered as original text for the purpose of 
further amendment, provided no points of order be waived by reason of 
this agreement.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is 
so ordered.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I just filed this report. It is the 
report that

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previously was intended to accompany the Senate bill. I ask it now be 
labeled as accompanying the House bill as amended by the previous 
motion.

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, and I do not 
object, but I say this so the Republican leadership in the House, in 
particular, understands that sneaking the debt limit in an 
appropriations bill is not going to get by.
  I thank the Senator. I no longer reserve.
  Mr. STEVENS. I am happy to yield to the Senator from Nevada.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, through the Chair to the distinguished 
chairman of the committee, we have come so far in the last 12 hours. It 
would not have happened but for the Senator from Alaska and his 
advocacy, which is unparalleled. His advocacy is in a category all its 
own. The working relationship that the Senator has with Senator Inouye, 
of course, is legend. We look forward to doing what the Democratic 
leader said and finish this bill today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I am pleased to present this report and 
this bill to the Senate today. It reflects the bipartisan approach that 
my cochairman, Senator Inouye, and I have always maintained regarding 
the Department of Defense. It is a pleasure to work with him and other 
members of the committee. I thank our distinguished ranking member and 
former chairman, the Senator from West Virginia, for his cooperation in 
helping us to get to the point we are now.
  This bill was reported out of our full Appropriations Committee on 
June 22 by a unanimous vote of 29 members. No member voted against it. 
As we debate this bill today there are thousands of men and women in 
uniform deployed and serving our country in over 120 countries and 
throughout these United States. Their bravery and dedication to our 
country is extraordinary. Their sacrifices must not go unrecognized. 
They must be recognized here today.
  Each year, the Department of Defense faces the critical challenge of 
balancing the cost of maintaining high levels of readiness, being ready 
to respond to the call wherever and whenever it is necessary to defend 
the interests of this country. The costs associated with simultaneously 
and adequately investing in transforming our Department of Defense to 
be ready to meet the threats of tomorrow are also concomitant with this 
critical challenge of balancing the costs of maintaining high levels of 
readiness.
  I believe the bill Senator Inouye and I present today reflects a 
prudent balance among these challenges. It recommends $416.2 billion in 
budget authority for the Department of Defense, including $25 billion 
of contingent emergency funding for costs associated with operations in 
Iraq, Afghanistan, and the war on terror. This amount is $1.7 billion 
below the President's amended fiscal year 2005 request but, in our 
judgment, meets the Defense Subcommittee's allocation for both budget 
authority and outlays.

  The measure we present is consistent with both the objectives of the 
administration and the Senate National Defense authorization bill for 
2005, which we passed last evening.
  We sought to recommend a balanced approach, and we do recommend a 
balanced bill to the Senate. We believe it addresses the key 
requirements for readiness, quality of life, and transformation of our 
total force. It honors the commitment we have to our Armed Forces. It 
helps ensure that they will continue to have first-rate training, 
modernized equipment and quality infrastructure, and maintain their 
quality of life. It fully funds key readiness programs critical to the 
global war on terrorism. It makes continued progress in supporting our 
military personnel and their families.
  Key initiatives included in this bill are these: First, an average 
military pay increase of 3.5 percent and full funding for benefit and 
medical programs; additional funding to pay for the increase of 20,000 
to our Army end strength and TRICARE for Guard and Reserves. Both of 
these initiatives were included in the Senate version of the 2005 
Defense authorization bill, and this bill funds both programs: For the 
Army, $3 billion for their ongoing transformation initiative, the 
future combat system, and the Stryker Brigade combat teams; for the 
Navy, $10.2 billion for shipbuilding, providing additional funding for 
the DD(X) destroyer and the Marine Corps' amphibious assault ship, 
LHA(R); for the Air Force, full funding for the acquisition of 14 C-17 
aircraft and 24 F-22 Raptor aircraft; $10.2 billion is included for 
missile defense programs.
  In light of the contributions of the Guard and Reserve, this bill 
adds $500 million in nondesignated equipment funding for modernization 
shortfall.
  Again, I thank my cochairman Senator Inouye for support, and for the 
support of the whole committee and the invaluable counsel we have 
received on this bill.
  I yield for any statements he may wish to make.
  I point out the contingent reserve in this bill funds a 5-month 
period. We fully anticipate there will be a supplemental again next 
year. We are talking about the last quarter of this calendar year which 
is the first quarter of fiscal year 2005 and an additional month beyond 
that after we are back in session and ready to receive the supplemental 
for that, if necessary.
  Mr. President, we have a conflict because of Senator Inouye's noon 
event, which I wish to also attend. It is my hope we will be back on 
the floor and start considering amendments at 2 p.m. today.
  Does the Senator wish to comment?
  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I fully support the measure before us. I 
would like to say how proud I am to serve with my colleague from 
Alaska.
  Once again, he has demonstrated to all of us his extraordinary 
legislative skill in pressing his case. I can assure my colleagues in 
the Senate, as I assure my chairman, that I will do my very best to see 
that his decision is carried out.
   This bill provides $383.8 billion in new discretionary budget 
authority, consistent with the subcommittee's target, and another $25 
billion in emergency budget authority to cover a portion of the 
anticipated costs for the on-going wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
   The bill provides the necessary funds to support our men and women 
in uniform and their families--to include our Guard and Reserves. It 
recommends funding for a 3.5 percent pay raise for all service members 
and a 20,000 increase in army end strength as authorized by the Senate.
   The bill supports the critical modernization programs requested by 
the Defense Department including the Navy's DDX Destroyer, the Army's 
Stryker vehicles and the Air Force's F-22 fighter. It scales back those 
programs that DoD is trying to advance before the technology is mature 
and those that are experiencing delays or technical problems.
   The bill increases spending on research and development by nearly $1 
billion with significant growth in medical programs, particularly those 
that directly impact warfighters in the current conflict. These include 
increased spending on amputee care, new technology bandages, and 
leishmaniasis.
   Health care programs are fully funded in this measure. In addition, 
the committee recommends increases for Walter Reed, Madigan, Tripler, 
and other military hospitals and research facilities.
   The Committee has made a significant effort to see that this bill is 
consistent with the decisions which have been made by the Senate on the 
Defense authorization bill. Many of my colleagues' amendments that have 
been adopted on the floor receive funding in this bill, such as the end 
strength increase which I already addressed. The committee has also 
included enhanced Guard and Reserve benefits as authorized and other 
proposals approved by the Senate.
   This bill provides the support essential for the coming year and 
also provides $25 billion which DoD will require to cover its costs 
next fall and winter for its on-going efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
I am pleased to report to the Senate that the committee has very 
carefully earmarked the funding for Iraq and Afghanistan to direct 
funding for the priorities of the military departments. We have also 
restricted the authorities sought by the administration to ensure 
proper congressional oversight of executive actions.
   In recent years, the executive Branch has often argued that, as 
Commander

[[Page S7359]]

in Chief, the President has almost unlimited powers in the conduct of 
day-to-day defense matters. It is clear that the Constitution provided 
the Congress the power of the purse. In drafting this measure the 
Committee has safeguarded its responsibilities and expects that the 
Defense Department will recognize the constitutional authority of the 
Congress to determine how funding will be utilized in executing this 
budget. We fully expect that the Defense Department will only fund 
activities that have been approved by the Congress, and in no case will 
funding be used to support programs which have been rejected by the 
legislative branch.
   I am pleased to have worked with my good friend, our Chairman, 
Senator Stevens on crafting this legislation. It is a very good bill 
and I would encourage all my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, does the Senator wish the floor?
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I will not take the floor if the Senator 
from Alaska has more to say. I was going to speak about one of the 
nominations which is coming up this afternoon.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, it is my understanding there will be 
other matters considered.
  I ask unanimous consent that our bill be set aside until the hour of 
2 p.m.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senator from Vermont.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished Senator from 
Alaska and the distinguished Senator from Hawaii.
  I am going to shortly speak for about 20 minutes on one of these 
nominees. First, if I might, I am going to ask that we go into a quorum 
call. It will be a matter of a minute or two. When we come out of the 
quorum call, I ask unanimous consent that I be recognized to speak 
regarding the nomination of Peter Hall.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, 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. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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