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Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2007

Date: June 20, 2006
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Defense Budget, Spending and Taxes Government Budget and Spending


DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2007 -- (House of Representatives - June 20, 2006)

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Mr. STARK. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to yet another bloated Defense Appropriations bill. H.R. 5631 provides billions more for missile defense systems that are nothing but a pipe dream and a War in Iraq that has turned into an international nightmare.

Republicans in Congress should wake up and smell the coffee. Another $9 billion for development of ineffective and outdated weapons systems may boost the bottom lines of their well-connected sugar daddies in the defense industry. But throwing good money after bad will do little to make Ronald Reagan's Cold War fantasy a reality. Despite nearly $100 billion in research, these systems have yet to demonstrate even a basic ability to intercept incoming missiles. Even if they could, they'd do little to make us secure from the much more likely and contemporary threat of a weapon delivered by suitcase or cargo container.

Republicans have irresponsibly funded the majority of their misguided Iraqi adventure through supplementals. But they couldn't resist also including tens of billions more in today's Defense Appropriations bill. In H.R. 5631, taxpayer money is appropriated as a so-called ``bridge fund'' for the first six months of war operations during fiscal year 2007. But our troops should be brought home immediately. The bill's billions are, in reality, a bridge to more death and destruction. The United States' continued occupation encourages Iraqi civil war and feeds the insurgency, providing terrorists with refuge and recruits.

Once upon a time, Congress took its oversight role seriously. Not today. Despite a recent Pentagon report that found significant cost overruns in 36 major weapons systems, this bill increases defense spending by a whopping $19.1 billion. As a result, defense spending will now total more than half of the entire federal discretionary budget!

Instead, we should provide quality education and health care to all Americans. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting no to additional spending on ineffective missile systems and a counterproductive war.

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