Tony Thurmond: “finally, I want to express my appreciation to Senator Stevens and Senator Inouye, the chairman and ranking member of the…”

“finally, I want to express my appreciation to Senator Stevens and Senator Inouye, the chairman and ranking member of the Defense Subcommittee on Appropriations, for their willingness to work with us in a spirit of unprecedented cooperation through our process this year. I believe that both of our committee's bills have benefitted from this relationship. With the attacks against Iraq this week, we are reminded again of the vital role our military is fulfilling around the world. Many of the Senators who have expressed concern about the funding levels in this bill have also gone on record in support of the President's recent actions in Iraq as well as his earlier decision to send our troops to Bosnia. These deployments are costly. They require continuing investments in weapons modernization, spare parts support, and training in order to ensure that our men and women in uniform are well led and can perform such operations efficiently and with a minimum of risk. As Senators consider their votes on this vital legislation, they should be mindful of our obligation to support the men and women in our Armed Forces and the need to maintain an adequate level of funding for these forces that we so frequently call upon to go into harm's way. It is my hope that this conference agreement will receive the resounding support of the Senate. The agreement is supported by a bipartisan consensus and represents a responsible and sustainable approach to national security.”