[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 60-61]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL

  Mr. KYL. Madam President. I rise today to give my qualified support 
to the Defense Appropriations bill. I voted for this bill because the 
men and women who are, at this very moment, defending our honor and 
protecting our freedoms from the most horrific assault ever perpetrated 
against this Nation need critical items funded in the bill. I qualify 
that support because

[[Page 61]]

there are numerous programs and pork projects that will not support the 
critical needs of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines.
  Even worse, there are projects that I believe are necessary to our 
national defense which have been severely under-cut to meet the top 
line numbers while these less than mandatory projects have been added 
and given millions, if not billions, of dollars. I agree with my 
colleague from Arizona that, once again, the Appropriations Committee 
has run roughshod over the legislative process, circumventing the 
authorization process and the will of the Senate at the last minute of 
the last day of the session.
  Obviously, we must fund our current military campaign and our other 
defense needs; so I will support this bill to provide necessary 
funding. I only hope we will be able to make more efficient and 
effective use of taxpayer dollars for our national security needs in 
the future.

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