FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 28, 2001
CONTACT: Lisette Mondello
SENATOR KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON ADDRESSES AMERICAN LEGION
SAN ANTONIO, TX -- In a place famous for the brave soldiers who fought at the Alamo, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison on Tuesday praised the men and women gathered for the American Legion's national conference and told them, "This is a city that understands where you have been and just how much you have contributed to our nation."
She called national security the No. 1 issue for which Congress has responsibility and said the military requires a national strategy and leadership from the top.
"In today's new world, we need to assess what we are doing, provide the assets to achieve our mission and know the exit strategy before we enter," Senator Hutchison said. "We also need to encourage our allies to take a broader role, allowing our forces to contribute rather than take the full responsibility."
Senator Hutchison also said the United States must immediately deploy available technology for a missile defense system.
"Missile defense is not a threat against responsible nations. Rather, it is an insurance policy that would incur doubt in the mind of a rogue state, protect our nation, help our allies and increase the options available to the president," she said.
She said since coming to the Senate in 1993, she has focused on improving quality-of-life issues for those who serve in the military, including better housing, access to quality medical care and increased support for good schools for military children. She praised President Bush's initiative to add $1.4 billion in pay and bonuses, saying the increase will help close the gap between military and civilian pay.
"There is an old saying – that we recruit the soldier, but we retain the family," Senator Hutchison said. "Especially now, we must honor this."
Senator Hutchison was appointed in July to the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. She also serves as the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee's military construction committee and serves on its defense subcommittee.
On August 2, the Veterans' Committee passed a comprehensive veterans' benefit bill (S. 1088), the "Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act." Included in it is a bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate (S. 409) by Senators Hutchison and Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) to help Desert Storm veterans suffering from Gulf War Syndrome.
The bill extends the time period Gulf War veterans suffering from chronic disabilities have to file with the Department of Veterans' Affairs and expands the definition of "undiagnosed illness" in a way that will allow more veterans to get the treatment and other support they need. She said the bill should come before the full Senate in September.
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