[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 76 (Wednesday, June 14, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1153-E1154]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 4939, EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS 
ACT FOR DEFENSE, THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR, AND HURRICANE RECOVERY, 2006

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. RON PAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 12, 2006

  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Conference Report 
of the ``Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the 
Global War on Terror, and Hurricane Recovery, 2006.'' This is the 
largest supplemental spending bill in the history of the United 
States--and all of this spending is off the books. All supplemental 
bills by definition are deemed ``off-budget'' and thus the dollars 
spent are not counted by the General Accounting Office when compiling 
annual deficit figures, nor are they included in annual budget figures. 
They thus obscure the true levels of spending and debt, and much of the 
``emergency'' spending is not at all in response to any emergency.
  When this bill was first before the House, I offered an amendment to 
redirect to Texas for Hurricane Rita recovery some $546 million from 
such non-emergency ``emergency'' items funded in this bill as the State 
Department ``Democracy Fund,'' aid to foreign military forces, 
international broadcasting funds, and others. This spending was not in 
any way a response to legitimate emergencies and therefore I believed 
it would be better spent helping the Texas victims of Hurricane Rita. I 
also redirected some of this nonemergency spending to go toward our 
crippling deficit. Unfortunately this amendment was not allowed. Thus, 
recovery from true emergencies that have caused terrible destruction to 
the lives and property of American citizens is woefully underfunded 
while pork-barrel projects and wasteful foreign aid are funded most 
generously.
  Mr. Speaker, our priorities in this are really backward. We need to 
look seriously at this incredible--unimaginable--level of spending. We 
are driving this country toward bankruptcy and it is bills like this 
that put us in the fast lane.

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