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Since joining the Senate in 1993, I have
been committed to modernizing our Armed Forces to combat emerging
threats. I strongly support our Armed Forces and the excellent
work they are doing to meet these threats head-on. I am particularly
proud of how our men and women in uniform have responded to
the terrible events of September 11, 2001, as our nation and
our allies have engaged in a global fight against terrorists
and those who would shelter, support, and finance them. There
can be no doubt that Congress should provide the resources
necessary to prevail in this struggle.
The fight against terrorism and the conflict in Iraq should
not be used, however, as an excuse to drastically increase
spending, particularly without efforts to cut the wasteful
spending that already exists in the defense budget. There
are astronomical economic costs associated with the U.S. occupation
of Iraq. Despite my serious doubts about the wisdom of the
Administration's Iraq policy, I firmly believe that the country
must budget realistically for the conflict and for the reconstruction
that it has committed to.
That is why, on March 2003, I offered an amendment to the
Senate's fiscal year 2004 budget resolution that would have
created a reserve fund of up to $100 billion to pay for military
action and reconstruction in Iraq by reducing the amount that
the budget resolution provided for tax cuts. While my amendment
was included in the Senate version of the fiscal year 2004
budget resolution, unfortunately it was not included in the
final version of this bill. I also supported S. 1689, the
Iraq and Afghanistan emergency supplemental appropriations
bill, which included $87 billion in additional, emergency
spending to continue paying for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
On November 6, 2003, the President signed S. 1689 into law
(Public Law 108-106). I will continue to work to ensure that
ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are responsibily
budgeted for so as to reduce the burden on the American taxpayer.
Throughout my service in the Senate, I have expressed concern
about the priorities of the Pentagon and about the process
by which the Senate considers the Department of Defense authorization
and appropriations bills. It is unfortunate that the Department
of Defense does not receive the same scrutiny as other parts
of our federal budget. This time of unprecedented federal
budget deficits underscores the need for the Congress and
the Administration to take a hard look at the Pentagon's budget
to ensure that scarce taxpayer dollars are targeted to those
programs that are necessary to defend our country in the post-Cold
War world and to ensure that our Armed Forces have the resources
that they need for the battles ahead and that they are adequately
compensated for their service and sacrifice.
I will continue to scrutinize carefully the Pentagon's procurement
budget. I am concerned about the utility of continuing to
fund Cold War-era weapons systems such as the Trident II submarine
and the Navy's Extremely Low Frequency Communications System
(Project ELF). Congress should work to ensure that no weapons
system enters full production before it has been fully tested
so that we know that it will perform its intended mission
in a safe and cost-effective manner and that it does not duplicate
the mission of existing weapons systems.
I will continue to work to ensure that scarce taxpayer dollars
are directed toward defense programs that will meet the challenges
of the 21st century, particularly the fight against terrorism,
and to support a good quality of life for our men and women
in uniform and their families.
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