[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 25315]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                              {time}  1030

PRAISING SENATE REPUBLICANS FOR VOTING TO TURN DOWN THE TEST BAN TREATY

  (Mr. SMITH of Michigan asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, we have heard this morning 
individuals from the other side of the aisle criticize turning down the 
nuclear test ban treaty over in the Senate.
  I am disappointed that there was partisanship on the part of the 
Democrats, that all those Democrats in the Senate voted for that test 
ban treaty, despite the fact that six former Secretaries of Defense 
urged the Senate to vote it down, four former Secretaries of Energy 
urged the Senate to vote it down, four former CIA directors urged the 
Senate to turn it down; (that includes two of the directors in the CIA 
appointed by President Clinton, Jim Woolsey and John Deutch), two 
former national security advisers, urged the Senate to turn it down; 
four former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and former Secretary 
of State Henry Kissinger called the Senate saying it was going to 
tremendously jeopardize the security of this country if they voted for 
it.
  I think, Mr. Speaker, it is important that as we look at all this 
expert advice and all of the additional retired generals and admirals 
that have come forward urging a ``no'' vote, there is no question in my 
mind, we have done this country a security favor by turning down this 
particular test ban treaty. Good going, Senate Republicans, for doing 
what is right.

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