Maxwell Frost: “Mr. Speaker, the speakers on the other side, several of them have engaged in what I have referred to as triple-speak…”

“Mr. Speaker, the speakers on the other side, several of them have engaged in what I have referred to as triple-speak, not double-speak but triple-speak. They said, oh, well, the President only requested X for defense, and Congress voted more than the President requested for defense. Now they are cutting back across-the-board 1 percent, and the figure is still more than the President requested for defense. Therefore, defense is just hunky-dory. What the gentlemen on the other side really did was to appropriate more than the President requested for weapons systems, for pet weapons systems for particular Members of Congress, money that was not even requested by the President. Now they want to cut below what the President requested for operations and maintenance and for personnel. This is not double-speak, this is triple-speak. In fact, the Defense Department, under their 1 percent cut, will now get less than what the President asked for to be able to deploy people around the world, less for operations and maintenance, and will in fact have to reduce the size of the armed forces. They should not be permitted to get away with this kind of charade. The American people deserve to be spoken to honestly and directly when we are talking about what we are doing with their money. Mr. Speaker, this is a charade. We will vote ``no'' against the rule. If the rule is passed, we will vote no against the conference report.”