[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 18 (Thursday, February 17, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H722]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




NO FURTHER SUPPLEMENTAL WITHOUT GUARANTEES FOR MEETING THE NEEDS OF OUR 
                                SOLDIERS

  (Mr. BLUMENAUER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, I, like most of my colleagues on the 
floor, was horrified that our soldiers in Iraq had to scavenge junk 
yards of former Iraqi military equipment for metal and sheet armor to 
improve their own vehicles. My constituents in the Oregon National 
Guard were doing this and supplementing it with plywood and sandbags.
  We were promised ``up-armoring'' by the administration, but this is 
still woefully inadequate. The additional weight puts increased stress 
on the suspension and drive-train of the vehicles, hampering their 
operational efficiency and making them slower. But, even worse, the 
fact that the floor is not protected means that the insurgents are now 
targeting these up-armored vehicles. Just a couple of weeks ago, I had 
one of my constituents lose a foot because of such an attack.
  Two years later, and after over $200 billion that Congress has given 
the administration for the war in Iraq, we should not approve another 
supplemental budget request without adequate guarantees that, finally, 
the needs of our soldiers will be met.

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