Chuck Grassley: “I will address the issue of defense expenditures and the rapidly rising appropriations for defense, particularly for the…”

“I will address the issue of defense expenditures and the rapidly rising appropriations for defense, particularly for the war on terrorism, and do it in light of the fact that probably within the next couple of weeks the budget will be before the Senate. The 9-11 attack wiped out any lingering doubts I or anybody else had about the intention of terrorists. Their intentions are now crystal clear: Kill as many Americans as possible and bring a lot of psychological trauma on the American people. I do not doubt for a second they will strike again when they think the time is right. If they do not, we will be lucky, but if we do not plan on it, we will be stupid. We must not allow American citizens to live with constant fear that moment will come again. This is a threat to our way of life. As Americans, we cannot accept that threat to our way of life. The terrorist threat must be eliminated. President Bush is doing everything possible to restore and maintain our security at home and to win the war on terrorism abroad. The war on terrorism will not come cheaply. We must all accept that. Right now we have no choice. So I am not going to quibble with the details of the Department of Defense budget and the recommendations from the Senate Budget Committee. Secretary Rumsfeld and the President have my support in the war against terror.”