Jerry Lewis: “it is my privilege to rise this evening in support of an amendment that is known by some as the…”

“it is my privilege to rise this evening in support of an amendment that is known by some as the Lewis-Spence-Murtha-Skelton amendment to this appropriations bill. It is an amendment that is a reflection of the very close working relationship on both sides of the aisle between all members and the committee leadership of the national defense effort, the authorizing committee as well as the appropriations committee. It is important for the Members to know that this amendment is designed to be responsive to that list of critical high priorities given to us by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the individual chiefs, priorities that are absolute must-need items as we go forward in order to operate effectively in support of our national defense. The amendment provides for some $4 billion of additional funding in areas like military quality of life, recruiting and advertising and retention programs, military health care programs, in this instance in cases where we actually have health care obligations must be met. Further, the amendment provides broad-based support to deployed military forces throughout the world. And it is designed further to address unmet needs in equipment maintenance for a variety and mix of programs, including the repair of our ships throughout the country.”