[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 168 (Thursday, December 22, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2648]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 2863, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS 
                               ACT, 2006

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                               speech of

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Sunday, December 18, 2005

  Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, by including the legislative 
provision to drill and destroy the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 
(ANWR) in this defense appropriation conference report (H.R. 2863), the 
Republican majority has demonstrated their on-going abuse of power, 
their shameless collusion with the oil industry and a distasteful 
willingness to exploit the needs of U.S. troops at war in Iraq and 
Afghanistan in order to achieve their policy desires, regardless of the 
cost. This is a cynical strategy to pass a provision designed for the 
oil industry, a provision that has already been rejected by this House 
earlier this year. The fact that the Republican majority is using our 
brave men and women serving in the armed forces as political cover to 
ensure that the provision allowing for oil drilling in ANWR is passed 
by this House shows the majority's desperation, their deception and 
their willingness to undermine our democratic process.
  The intended purpose of this bill is to provide the resource for the 
defense of our nation. It is to ensure the men and women serving in the 
armed forces have the training, the protective gear, the equipment and 
all of the necessary support to execute their missions in Iraq, 
Afghanistan, Korea, Europe and here at home. The men and women of the 
U.S. Armed Forces comprise the greatest fighting force the world has 
ever known and they not only keep the citizens of the U.S. safe from a 
world filled with very real threats, they are serving the cause of 
peace and security around the world. I commend our troops and our 
military leadership for their service and sacrifice, as well as the 
dedication of their families.
  Of the more than $450 billion appropriated in this bill, much of the 
defense related expenditures are necessary for national security. I 
strongly support the 3.1 percent pay raise for military personnel. The 
allocation of more than $7 billion for the ballistic-missile defense 
system continues to be a waste for tax dollars since the program has 
failed many of its critical tests and by all accounts is a boondoggle.
  The language in the bill that bans torture by all U.S. personnel, 
including civilian defense and intelligence personnel, sets the 
appropriate standard by which the U.S. should conduct itself--even in a 
war against terrorism. Senator John McCain should be commended for his 
perseverance and determination not to yield to President Bush and Vice 
President Cheney's demands that torture be permitted under certain 
circumstances. Torture is an inhumane practice that is the antithesis 
of America's values and moral obligations as a defender of 
international human rights.
  In addition to allowing drilling for oil in ANWR, this bill has a 
number of nondefense provisions that are objectionable. The across-the-
board cut included in H.R. 2863 will total an additional $8 billion in 
cuts to services critical to our families. This will result in another 
$28 million cut to No Child Left Behind, bringing the total cut this 
year to $1 billion. This is in addition to the $40 billion this law has 
been under-funded by the Republicans since its passage.
  Also included in this bill are funds to prepare for a possible Avian 
Flu pandemic. While I support providing funding for this work, the 
Republicans have included a provision providing unlimited liability 
protection to the pharmaceutical industry. Instead of having an honest 
debate about the needs of health care workers, public health systems 
and local governments in the case of a pandemic, Republicans have 
chosen only to worry about another of their strong allies--the drug 
companies.
  H.R. 2863 also claims to provide new funding for Katrina relief which 
I support. However, this bill includes only $5 billion--not nearly 
enough to allow families to begin to rebuild their lives and their 
community. And it relies on a complicated scheme of possible revenues 
from drilling in ANWR and sales of spectrum to fund relief. In 
addition, Republicans used this opportunity to push through a divisive 
school voucher plan that was defeated by the Education and Workforce 
Committee. This plan will allow $645 million in taxpayer schools to go 
to private and religious schools that do not have to adhere to the 
accountability requirements of public schools.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly support our troops. Overall, this bill 
however, is an example of the shameless and abusive tactics used over 
and over again by this Republican party to force their special interest 
agenda on the American people. It shows again that the Majority does 
not represent the values of American families, but rather values their 
corporate contributors. I urge my colleagues to reject this outrageous 
bill.

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