[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9605-9606]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, for the past several weeks, there has been 
a lot of debate and discussion about the emergency supplemental 
appropriations bill that has been pending now before Congress for more 
than 2 months. Completion of this emergency supplemental is critical 
for our troops serving on the front lines and for their families here 
at home.
  The President has requested, and Congress should be prepared to send 
immediately to the White House, a clean bill that meets our obligations 
to the troops. This legislation should not be used as a vehicle to pass 
billions of dollars of unrelated Federal spending or impose artificial 
deadlines on our commanders in the field. We have to move forward with 
this important military funding legislation because our troops deserve 
nothing less.
  I want to highlight a few of the items that are included in this 
supplemental appropriations bill so our colleagues can appreciate how 
essential it is to get these funds to our troops as soon as possible.
  This funding will ensure that our forces who are engaged in 
operations overseas have the very best force protection equipment 
available, as well as the most effective weaponry, communications gear, 
munitions, and other essential items.
  For example, high priority items in the supplemental for our forces 
in Iraq and Afghanistan include: funding for body armor and other 
personal protection items; aircraft survivability components, radios, 
night vision equipment, armored vehicles, and high mobility, 
multipurpose vehicle Fragmentation Kits; funding for Improvised 
Explosive Device Defeat Systems, at $2.4 billion.
  Yes, that Improvised Explosive Device Defeat System is the very type 
of technology we need to protect our troops from the type of weapon 
that has been more responsible than virtually any other for injuring 
our soldiers.
  In the supplemental, more than $5 billion in funding is designed for 
the ongoing surge of U.S. forces to support General Petraeus's revised 
strategy in Baghdad. Nearly $4 billion in funding is to accelerate the 
transition of two Army brigade combat teams and establish a new Marine 
Corps regimental combat team. Nearly $2 billion is to increase the size 
of the Army and Marine Corps to build combat capability, and lengthen 
the time soldiers and marines have between deployments.
  There is some very important equipment our troops are being denied 
while we linger in passing this important supplemental. As I mentioned 
a moment ago, IEDs, or improvised explosive devices, continue to strike 
our troops during ambushes, and IEDs are responsible for a substantial 
number of the casualties.
  The Marines and the Army have responded to enemy tactics with the 
acquisition of substantial numbers of up-armored HMMWVs and advanced 
armor kits for other vehicles. But the Army and Marines must continue 
to develop and field a mine-resistant ambush protected, MRAP, combat 
vehicle fleet capable of sustained operations on an IED-heavy 
battlefield.
  A type of the so-called MRAP is depicted on this chart I have in the 
Chamber. I believe this particular one shown here is known as the 
Cougar. What is distinctive about this vehicle, which is so important 
to get to our troops, is it represents a change in technology, with a 
V-shaped hull underlying this vehicle, which actually will disperse the 
energy from an improvised explosive device away from the troops located 
inside the vehicle.
  I had occasion to visit a manufacturing facility located in Sealy, 
TX, owned by Armor Holdings, which is constructing these very same 
vehicles, which are the subject of some of the funds contained in the 
supplemental.
  The President's fiscal year 2007 supplemental request asked for $1.83 
billion for mine-resistant ambush protected, or MRAP, vehicles like 
this one shown in the picture. In addition, Senator Biden offered an 
amendment, which passed the Senate 98 to 0, that provided an additional 
$1.5 billion in funding for these critical MRAP vehicles. The total 
MRAP funding in the supplemental is now almost $4 billion.
  From what I saw in Sealy at the Armor Holdings facility, and from 
what I have heard from our troops, this is exactly the kind of 
equipment they need but which is now being delayed as

[[Page 9606]]

Congress continues to debate this supplemental appropriations bill.
  The mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle is an armored combat 
vehicle capable of providing superior protection to our warfighters 
against these kinds of IEDs.
  According to Marine Corps BG John Allen, Deputy Commander of 
Coalition Forces in Anbar Province, in more than 300 attacks since last 
year, no marines have died while riding in a new fortified MRAP armed 
vehicle. There has been an average of less than one injured marine per 
attack on the vehicles, while attacks on other types of vehicles caused 
more than two casualties per attack, including deaths, according to 
Brigadier General Allen.
  Our deployed servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan deserve this 
latest class of armored protection to protect them against the ever-
present IED threat, and they do not need funding for this important 
vehicle to be held up.
  Let me close by highlighting the effect of delayed supplemental 
funding on our military.
  The Army announced on April 16 that because of the lack of passage of 
this supplemental, it will materially slow spending to various places. 
In order to stretch the money it has, the Army will tell commanders to 
slow spending in certain areas so war-related activities and support to 
families can continue. The Department of Defense will also request that 
Congress approve the temporary reprogramming of $1.6 billion from Navy 
and Air Force pay accounts to the Army's operating account.
  Beginning in mid-April--about this time--the Army has begun to slow 
the purchase of repair parts and other supplies, relying instead on 
existing inventory to keep equipment operational. Priority will be 
given to repair and refurbishment of immediately needed war-fighting 
equipment, while training and other nonmission critical equipment 
repair will be deferred.
  In addition, the purchase of day-to-day supplies with governmental 
charge cards will be restricted, nonessential travel will be postponed 
or canceled, and shipment of equipment and supplies will be restricted 
or deferred altogether, unless needed immediately for war efforts. The 
Army has added it will also delay the repair of facilities and 
environmental programs unless the work is for safety or health reasons, 
or has effects on family support.
  These actions carry significant consequences, including substantial 
disruption to installation functions, decreasing efficiency, and 
potentially further degrading the readiness of nondeployed units.
  These decisions may actually add to the Army's costs over time. Just 
as importantly, as Army Deputy Budget Director William Campbell said in 
the New York Times:

       Frankly, what I worry about is that second- or third-order 
     effect that might affect a soldier or a soldier's safety or 
     his ability to do a mission.

  Mr. Campbell said:

       As we put these brakes on, I do worry about the impact that 
     we don't know about, that someone will take some action 
     trying to do the right thing, but it will have a negative 
     impact on the ability of a soldier to do his or her job.

  The New York Times also reported that unless the budget standoff is 
resolved by the end of June, Pentagon officials have warned that units 
preparing to go to Iraq may not have enough money to undertake all of 
their required training.
  It should go without saying, but apparently it needs to be said 
again, our troops need this funding, and they need it soon. Without it, 
it is simply a fact that our troops will be put at increased risk. We 
have been ready for weeks to work in good faith to pass a clean 
supplemental funding bill the President can sign as soon as possible. 
But every day we do not fund our troops is a day their ability to fight 
this war is weakened and they are exposed to additional danger.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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