[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18161]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              SUPPORT NATO

  (Mr. KIRK asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, our country rises to its potential when we 
support NATO, especially when an ally asks for help.
  In August, the missile threat to our allies grew. Russia invaded 
Georgia and fired over a dozen ballistic missiles at her people. And 
Iran also tested its first space-launched rocket. In response, our 
Polish allies signed an agreement calling for a U.S. missile defense 
base. It will not only defend Europe, but also us.
  Poland is a good ally, having sent 18,000 troops to Iraq, covering 
five provinces, and now surging support for U.S. troops in Afghanistan. 
But in July, the House gutted funding for the base in Poland. Without a 
Polish agreement, the House cut $400 million. But now that agreement 
has been signed. Poland's foreign minister has asked for U.S. support, 
especially after Russia's President Putin threatened both Poland and 
Ukraine.
  Tomorrow I will offer a defense appropriations amendment to refund 
the cuts made against Poland. If the lessons of the last century are 
clear, we know that America has fewer problems later if we support a 
friend like Poland now.

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