[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 4168-4169]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     DEFENSE BUDGET RESTORATION ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I introduced the Defense Budget 
Restoration Act. At a time when the United States is at war, I am sorry 
to say that this bill is necessary. To use a common phrase in relation 
to pressing military needs--``The Emperor has no clothes.'' Let me 
explain:
  In the wake of the ruthless terrorist attacks that killed thousands 
of innocent civilians on September 11, the United States has undertake 
a global war on terrorism.
  This war requires the use of U.S. military capabilities on a major 
scale in multiple theaters of operation simultaneously. President Bush 
and Secretary Rumsfeld have repeatedly told the American people that 
this war will not be resolved quickly and will likely continue for a 
period of years. Already military operational tempo has increased, 
creating greater military spending and straining the ability of U.S. 
forces to meet all the demands placed on them.
  Because of this situation, the Armed Services Committee has been 
questioning the service chiefs and the commanders-in-chief of the 
combatant commands about their current and future military needs. 
Several of them have testified that they need more manpower and other 
military capabilities to do the jobs they've been asked to do--
including winning the war on terrorism. Our warfighters need more 
weapons systems, support equipment, facilities and other resources to 
fight the battles of this war now and in the future.
  The President has requested a $48 billion funding increase in Fiscal 
Year 2003 for the Department of Defense. $10 billion of this increase 
is a so called reserve fund unallocated to any specific programs. Mr. 
Speaker, I say that the emperor has no clothes because the Armed Forces 
have testified that they are facing critical shortfalls NOW that could 
be filled with funds from this $10 billion reserve. In this bill, I ask 
the Congress to take advantage of the flexibility offered by the House 
Budget Resolution to meet these shortfalls. Section 201 of that 
resolution requires chairman of the Budget Committee to increase 
funding to the Department of Defense to prosecute the war on terrorism 
if the Committees on Armed Services or Appropriations reports a bill or 
joint resolution providing that funding. My bill would do just that.
  The armed services have shown that additional funding is necessary 
through lists of their urgent unfunded priorities and through testimony 
to the Congress. Let me explain how the $10 billion should be used to 
meet these needs.
  Fully one-half of the $10 billion would be used for procurement for 
all four services. You will notice, Mr. Speaker, that I have not 
included funding for specific programs; that detail is appropriately 
provided through deliberation in the Armed Services Committee. Yet $3.4 
billion would be allocated for the Navy--hopefully to begin to address 
the shortfalls in shipbuilding that have been continually cited by the 
Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Navy, the Chief of Naval 
Operations, and the combatant commanders who rely on maritime 
capabilities. These procurement shortfalls mean not only that the 
emperor is without clothes now, he'll remain naked for a long time to 
come.

[[Page 4169]]

  Beyond procurement, this bill would provide close to $2 billion for 
research and development throughout the services. Money must be spent 
now to ensure that our military has what it needs to continue the war 
on terrorism into the future.
  This bill would also restore military construction levels to where 
they were in Fiscal Year 2002. Construction funding ensures the health 
of our military bases and the quality of life of all those who serve. 
We cannot expect to win this global war without effective support 
facilities for our warfighters and their families.
  This bill would also fund operations and maintenance requirements for 
special operations forces who have proved so critical in the current 
war. It funds Army depot maintenance as well in order to keep our war 
effort moving efficiently.
  Finally, this bill would put significant additional resources toward 
our most critical military asset--the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and 
marines who defend our nation every day. First, it matches the pay 
raises of 4.6 percent Congress approved for them last year and provides 
targeted pay increases for experienced service members we need to 
retain for this war. Second, it provides greatly needed end-strength 
increases for the services in the active duty, the reserves, and the 
National Guard components. The service chiefs have told us they need 
more people to fight this war--we should give them what they need. 
Getting enough quality people to service is the best way to ensure that 
the emperor gets his new clothes.
  Mr. Speaker, this reserve funds is designated to meet the needs of 
the global war on terrorism. We know what those needs are and we should 
act quickly to fulfill them. That's how we get the emperor some new 
clothes. And that's the best way of ensuring the continued success of 
the war on terrorism and the long-term health of our military. I urge 
my colleagues to cosponsor this important legislation.

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