DEFENSE BILL INCLUDES MISSOURI PROJECTS, SAYS SKELTON
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Ike Skelton (D-MO) announced that the
Fiscal Year 2007 National Defense Authorization bill conference report includes $33
million for projects at Fort Leonard Wood, Whiteman Air Force Base, and for the
Missouri National Guard.
The Missouri projects included in the bill are:
$10.6 million to build a vehicle maintenance facility at Fort Leonard Wood;
$3.8 million to build a Military Working Dog (MWD) kennel and animal clinic
complex at Whiteman Air Force Base;
$9.3 million for M915A3 tractor trailer trucks for the Missouri National Guard; and
$9.3 million for an air traffic control system for the Missouri National Guard.
“The new vehicle maintenance facility at Fort Leonard Wood will play a vital role
in supporting the maintenance requirements of training vehicles, which will assist our
military readiness,” Skelton said. “In addition, by providing this equipment to the
Missouri National Guard, we continue the effort to modernize and replace equipment
that is worn out or has been left behind in Iraq. Our Guardsmen are the first line of
defense here at home, and they deserve reliable equipment,” continued Skelton.
Overall, the defense bill conference report authorizes $462.9 billion for defense
programs for Fiscal Year 2007. The bill also includes a supplemental authorization of
$70 billion, an increase of $20 billion over the administration’s request, for activities
associated with Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, including
$23.7 billion to replace and reset equipment lost or damaged in operations. The
supplemental authorization also increases Army end strength by 30,000 personnel and
increases Marine Corps end strength by 5,000 personnel.
Other provisions of the defense authorization bill address quality of life issues for
service members and their families, such as a 2.2 percent pay raise for active duty
members effective on January 1, 2007, and a targeted pay raise for mid-grade and
senior NCOs and warrant officers effective on April 1, 2007. The conference report
also addresses important military health care concerns by setting a one-year
moratorium on any increases in retail pharmaceutical prices under the TRICARE
system and expanding TRICARE Standard eligibility for all Selected Reservists.
“The brave servicemen and women who put their lives on the line for our country
deserve our respect and gratitude. By approving a pay raise and improving TRICARE,
we show them how grateful we are for their sacrifices,” said Skelton.
On September 29, 2006, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the
conference report to H.R. 5122, the Fiscal Year 2007 National Defense Authorization
Act, by a vote of 328 to 23. The conference report must be approved by the House and
the Senate before the legislation is forwarded to the President to be signed into law.
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Congressman Ike Skelton (D-MO) serves as Ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. For further information, please contact Lara Battles or Whitney Frost at (202)225-2876, or check Congressman Skelton's web site at http://www.house.gov/skelton.