[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8237-8238]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          PARITY IN THE BUDGET

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I just left my ``Welcome to Washington,'' 
which I have been having for many years. I had about 85 people from 
Nevada, my constituents--our constituents--and they asked me what I had 
done in the Senate that I remember. So I told them a few things. They 
also asked me if I have a regret, and I do.
  It takes a lot of gall for my friend the Republican leader to talk 
about foreign policy. My biggest regret is having voted for the Iraq 
war. I was misled, as a number of people were, but it didn't take me 
long to figure that out. So I became convinced it was a mistake, and I 
spoke out loud and clear.
  Why was it a mistake? It was the worst foreign policy decision made 
in the history of our country. That invasion has caused the death of--
no one knows for sure but about one-half million Iraqis--500,000 dead 
men, women, and children. At this stage, because of the invasion, we 
have now complete instability in Syria. About 300,000 are

[[Page 8238]]

dead there. Millions have been displaced, driven into Europe and other 
places. Iran is stronger than they would have been but for the war. The 
whole Middle East is destabilized.
  When President Bush took office, because of the work done in the 
Clinton administration, we had a balanced budget. Can you imagine that? 
A balanced budget. We were spending less than we were taking in as a 
country. When Bush took office, we had a surplus of, over 10 years, $7 
trillion. Where is that money now? It has been used with a credit 
card--a credit card that paid for two wars. I repeat, unpaid for and 
tax cuts unpaid for. We are now upside down.
  So for my friend to talk about failed foreign policy takes a 
tremendous amount of mental gymnastics. We have been clear from the 
start, enough on the war in Iraq. It is a disaster that will be written 
about for centuries because the full impact of it is not over yet. We 
have been clear from the start of this Congress, the appropriations 
process needs to stick to last year's budget agreement. It is the law, 
which maintains parity between the Pentagon and the middle class, and 
avoid poison-pill riders.
  Today, we vote on Senator McCain's amendment to add $18 billion in 
Pentagon spending beyond what Congress agreed to in last year's 
bipartisan agreement. In response, Senator Reed of Rhode Island and 
Senator Mikulski of Maryland have offered an amendment that would add 
security and other funding in America to maintain the parity to which 
both parties agreed in the budget law passed last year.
  Our amendment would increase funding to combat Zika. By the way, we 
had a briefing yesterday by the head of the Centers for Disease 
Control. The man who is in charge of NIH, with this terrible virus that 
is sweeping this part of the world, told us they are desperate for 
money. They are desperate for money to do their research to prepare 
vaccines.
  Our amendment would also increase money for local police to fight the 
opioid scourge, to improve our infrastructure around the country, and 
to do something about the money that has never been provided to take 
care of the devastation that hit Flint, MI, with the lead in the water. 
The security of our great country depends on more than bombs and 
bullets. I support the military. I have my entire career. I know how 
gallantly they fight.
  In my ``Welcome to Washington'' today, there was a young cadet there. 
I brought him up first thing to show him off. This young man is one of 
the finest students in America. He could have gone to school anyplace. 
Not only was he a good student, he was a good athlete. He chose the 
Military Academy. He believes in serving his country.
  I do everything I can to support the military, but our security 
depends on more than bombs and bullets. It depends on the FBI, Homeland 
Security, Drug Enforcement Administration, and these many other myriad 
things that take place in our country that need our attention.
  If Republicans pass this amendment of Senator McCain's to block a 
similar increase for the middle class--Senator Reed's and Senator 
Mikulski's amendment--they will have a broken budget agreement, and 
they will grind the Defense appropriations bill to a halt. We have put 
everyone on notice. We have done it before, but let me reiterate. If 
they break the budget agreement with the McCain amendment, the 
Republicans will be stopping the appropriations process on the Defense 
appropriations bill. We will not get to the appropriations bill. That 
is not a threat. It is a fact.
  The solution this year is the same as last year's: stick by the 
budget agreement and give fair treatment to the Pentagon and nondefense 
spending. They should be on equal grounds.
  Mr. President, I see no one on the floor. I yield the floor and ask 
the Chair to announce the business of the day.

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