Jerry Lewis: “Mr. Chairman, let me say this: Beginning with an important point to me, it is my privilege now serving on the Committee…”

“Mr. Chairman, let me say this: Beginning with an important point to me, it is my privilege now serving on the Committee on Appropriations, to serve on the Subcommittee on National Security that is before us today. But I also serve with my chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security as a colleague on the Select Committee on Intelligence as well. To combine those two responsibilities gives one a much different picture of the world than I had preceding that service. Mr. Chairman, there is little question that all of us are very hopeful about the future in terms of the prospects of peace for the world. The hopeful elimination of the East-West confrontation is encouraging to each and every one of us who care about our future. Because of that, many in the House have automatically assumed that we can afford to lightly, almost radically readjust our defense spending. As a result of that, as has been discussed, we have readjusted downward over the last several years in this Nation, causing us today to be spending $100 billion less than we were before.”