Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005

EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT FOR DEFENSE, THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR, AND TSUNAMI RELIEF, 2005 -- (House of Representatives - March 15, 2005)

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Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the bipartisan amendment offered by the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney) and the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach). I support this amendment because it will address an issue that is of paramount importance to the people in my district and I think across the country, supporting our troops while being fiscally responsible.

I recently returned from Iraq and a bipartisan delegation led by the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole). My visit convinced me that the reestablishment of the Truman committee is the right thing for our troops, for the taxpayers and for our country. The original Truman committee was a special committee formed on March 1, 1941 to investigate the national defense program. It was chaired by Missouri's U.S. Senator at that time, Harry Truman.

Its specific directive was to investigate the terms of defense-related contracts, the methods of awarding them, the effect on labor and the geographic distribution of contracts and facilities. During World War II, the committee's principal concern was to monitor and improve production programs and contract procedures.

Its work resulted in the discovery and exposure of waste and mismanagement in the wartime production program. By convening public hearings at that time and receiving testimony and studying this issue, the Truman commission is estimated to have saved American taxpayers $15 billion.

Similarly today, we owe it to our troops to carefully watch how we are funding the Iraq initiative. It is our responsibility to ensure that every man and woman in uniform has the necessary equipment to do the job with the best possible support.

We have an obligation to every troop that no appropriated money is misspent or wasted. While the morale of our troops is high and their optimism apparent after the recent elections in Iraq, it is imperative that we do everything in our power to ensure that they are brought home as quickly as possible. Ensuring that there is no waste or mismanagement in any of our funding, I have no doubt that a modern day Truman committee will help bring our troops home quickly, safely and in a fiscally responsible way. I believe we can support our troops, give them what they need, and help them return home soon. I strongly support this amendment for the funding of the Truman committee.

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