MEASURE ALSO INCLUDES FUNDING FOR NON-DEFENSE, NON-ESSENTIAL PROGRAMS

Washington, Jun 16, 2009 - “It is critical that we provide our troops and our commanders with the funding they need to complete their missions, and I supported the House version of the Supplemental Appropriations Act that would fund our military operations,” stated Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Sixth). “However, this House and Senate compromise measure would reduce funding for our troops and contains funding for extraneous programs.”

The House today approved H.R. 2346, the Senate and House agreement on the Fiscal Year 2009 Supplemental Appropriations Act. This measure provides $106 billion, $16 billion more than the President requested and $9 billion more than the House version. In addition, while the measure increases funding for most of the programs included, it reduces defense emergency supplemental funding by 22 percent from last year’s level.

“This supplemental funding bill reduces funding for vital defense programs by $4.6 billion, yet provides funding to implement President Obama’s $108-billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) proposal,” added Stearns. “In addition, it lacks the stronger restrictions on the transfer or release of detainees held at the Guantanamo Bay facility and fails to prevent the release of detainee photographic records. This measure does not provide the troops the support they deserve and does not include the language required to safeguard our national security.”