[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 18]
[House]
[Pages 25007-25008]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 BUREAUCRATIC INCOMPETENCE, INDIFFERENCE AND INTRANSIGENCE AT PENTAGON

  (Mr. DeFAZIO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, today the House will vote to borrow $87 
billion to continue the conflict in Iraq

[[Page 25008]]

and build and revitalize the Iraqi economy. They say it is necessary to 
support the troops. It is not for dearth of funds that our troops lack 
ceramic body armor or armored Humvees and other essentials. There are 
ample, unspent funds, billions from the $79 billion we borrowed for 
this war last April, but it is bureaucratic incompetence, indifference 
and intransigence at the Pentagon. Secretary Rumsfeld and his advisors 
did not order armor because they did not think that we would need it, 
and they could never admit they were wrong. It did not fit their 
scenario.
  They say it is necessary for the security of the American people that 
we are going to borrow $20 billion in the name of working Americans to 
invest and stimulate the Iraqi economy, to build their infrastructure, 
roads, bridges, highways, state of the art telecommunications, sewer 
and electric.
  Well, it is not going to boost our economy here at home, and that is 
the security that my constituents and most Members' constituents are 
worried about. If we invest in the economy as the Democrats have 
advised, it would provide 1 million jobs for Americans.

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