C. W. Bill Young: “Let me give you the type of question you are asking. Last year, I was chairman of this subcommittee. Last year, we had a…”

“Let me give you the type of question you are asking. Last year, I was chairman of this subcommittee. Last year, we had a request through the administration for a supplemental of $70 billion. We asked the administration, what would you like to include in that $70 billion? What did you need? We didn't get an answer. We didn't get an answer, so after repeated requests we had to go to the services who were fighting the war and say to them, what do you need? And we identified those items and we put them in that $70 billion supplemental, which most of us voted for. So I was responsible for and got credit for a $70 billion earmark. Everything is not black and white in this world. And so I say to the gentleman, I appreciate his tenacity, but I would like to have an opportunity to debate with you the many good things that have been done to defend our Nation and support our troops that have been done created by the Congress, not requested by any administration. One of the very best earmarks that I can give you an example of off the top of my head is the Predator, the Predator that the Iraqi terrorists really hate because it hunts them down and it kills them. The Predator was a congressional earmark. The administration, the Defense Department didn't ask for it, didn't give us any support. We said we need this capability, and we got the capability. And it is one of the best things we have going for us in the war against terror.”