Tony Thurmond: “Mr. President, before I discuss the conference report on the Defense authorization bill, I want to join my colleagues in…”

“Mr. President, before I discuss the conference report on the Defense authorization bill, I want to join my colleagues in expressing my condolences to the families of the sailors killed and wounded in this morning's attack on the U.S.S. Cole. This heinous attack again demonstrates the constant peril faced by our military personnel and reinforces the need for this Nation to maintain its vigilance at all times. Mr. President, I join Chairman Warner and Senator Levin, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, in urging my Senate colleagues to support the conference report to accompany the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001. The report, which is the culmination of hundreds of hours of work by the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, is a continuation of the Congress' efforts to reverse the decline in the readiness of our armed forces. It increases the President's budget request by more than $4 billion. More important, it directs the additional resources to the critical areas of procurement, research and development, and improving the quality of life for our military personnel and their families.”