C. W. Bill Young: “We are pleased to bring before the committee today what I think is an outstanding bipartisan national defense…”

“We are pleased to bring before the committee today what I think is an outstanding bipartisan national defense appropriations bill. The security of our Nation and the protection of our troops and those who serve in uniform should be nonpolitical. It should be bipartisan. This bill reflects that. This is a bipartisan bill. It was put together with the strong cooperation of the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Murtha], the ranking member on the subcommittee, and all of the members of the subcommittee and the staff who worked with us. We have presented a bill that is reflective of the needs of the military, reflective of the various threats that exist and potential threats that exist in the world, and it has been done in a very bipartisan fashion. This bill today, Mr. Chairman, is within the constraints and the agreements on the part of the President, on the part of the House, and on the part of the Senate as we dealt with our budget agreement. This bill includes some $4.4 billion over the request of the President but, as I said, with the budget agreement that he has agreed to, that obviously is acceptable. This bill goes directly to the heart of our national security requirements.”