Sanford Bishop: “I rise reluctantly to oppose the Frank amendment. Cutting the 1995 defense budget by $2.5 billion, as proposed in the…”

“I rise reluctantly to oppose the Frank amendment. Cutting the 1995 defense budget by $2.5 billion, as proposed in the amendment, cannot be made without serious disruptions. The demands on the Department of Defense for peacekeeping, disaster relief, environmental cleanup continue to increase while defense resources decrease, exacerbating the impact of any additional cut to defense. There are no easy cuts left. The choice is either to cripple readiness or debilitate the modernization program. Maintaining readiness of our forces is the first priority, and we have got to maintain it. I submit that we must oppose the Frank amendment.”