Cord Byrd: “let me reiterate a few things that have already been said. This is not an across-the-board cut on an entire bill. The…”

“let me reiterate a few things that have already been said. This is not an across-the-board cut on an entire bill. The language here is taken out of section 8135 of the fiscal year 2002 Defense Appropriations Act. In other words, there is ample precedent for the way we are providing the money. Even with these cuts, the procurement and research and development accounts remain $2 billion above the President's request and $6.7 billion above fiscal year 2003. These are real budget funds. Here we have a $368 billion Defense bill. We shouldn't hesitate to reduce it by $1.1 billion to pay for a program as important as global AIDS. I know the administration says it doesn't want that much money this year. The administration prefers doing the ramped-up approach. People understand simple math. Fifteen billion dollars over 5 years is $3 billion a year. I think we should provide the full $3 billion. People understand that is certainly going to be $15 billion over a 5-year period if we do it $3 billion a year. It is easy to understand that. But by doing the ramped-up approach, it appears that the President is not fulfilling his commitment. I want to help him fulfill that commitment.”