[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 90 (Friday, June 25, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1252]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1252]]
             DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2005

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                               speech of

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 22, 2004

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4613) making 
     appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 2005, and for other purposes.
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to this bill. 
National defense is important to all of us. This bill, however, will 
neither ensure our defense nor promote the general welfare, two of the 
central obligations of this government.
  It is truly mind-boggling, Mr. Chairman, that with just one short 
hour of debate, this House will pass a bill to spend $392 billion for 
the Pentagon's regular budget in FY 2005.
  Amazingly, that sum does not include, $25 billion for the ongoing 
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, but we all know that the 
Administration will be back for more, much more. They are misleading 
the American public about the price tag of the unnecessary war in Iraq.
  Mr. Chairman, the $392 billion this bill expends is a 7 percent 
increase over last year's bloated defense budget and comes at a time 
when federal deficit and large tax cuts have left us with scarce 
resources. I have to ask: will our education, health care and housing 
budget receive a 7 percent increase? The answer is NO.
  This is an absurd and tragic case of misplaced priorities. And our 
entire country pays the price. It simply makes no sense to spend our 
nation's scarce resources on Cold War era weapons systems. It makes no 
sense to spend another $9 billion on missile defense, a 17-percent 
increase over last year. This represents another heavy installment on 
what may be a bottomless pit of spending.
  This spending comes at real costs. To put this in perspective, last 
year, according to the National Priorities Project, the people of 
California paid $859 million in tax dollars that were spent on missile 
defense.
  That money could have paid to allow another 106,000 children to 
enroll in Head Start. It could have extended healthcare coverage to 
nearly half a million children. It could have created over 12,000 new 
units of affordable housing. Or it could have hired nearly 15,000 
elementary school teachers. And this year we are spending 17 percent 
more. That's a misplaced priority. And it is not the ticket to national 
security.

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