Norman D. Dicks: “if we all remember last year, the supplemental was delayed and delayed and delayed; and finally it got up here very…”

“if we all remember last year, the supplemental was delayed and delayed and delayed; and finally it got up here very, very late. In fact, I introduced a supplemental to try to encourage one to be set up by the administration. It is my understanding that this supplemental this year was delayed for 2 weeks because of the battle between the Department of Defense and OMB over this funding for the Guard and Reserve. So I would just say that the delay has been more on the side of the administration, its inability to get the supplemental up here on time. I think Congress has a right to debate this issue fully, particularly because of the extraneous matters that were added into this bill which should not have been here and were not here when it left the Committee on Appropriations. But to try and say that somehow we have delayed this unreasonably is just flat out wrong.”