Dick Lugar: “prior to the Fourth of July recess, the Senate passed an amendment to the DOD authorization bill offered by Senators…”

“prior to the Fourth of July recess, the Senate passed an amendment to the DOD authorization bill offered by Senators Nunn and Domenici and myself that was entitled the ``Defense Against Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 1996.'' The vote on that amendment was 96 to 0. Last week, the Senate voted final passage of the Defense authorization bill, that contained our amendment. The amendment we are offering to the DOD appropriations bill is designed to appropriate the resources to implement the programs outlined in our amendment to the DOD authorization bill, and to provide offsetting reductions in other appropriation amounts. To refresh the memories of my colleagues, our amendment to the authorizing legislation dealt with one of the most urgent national security problems America faces. That is, the threat of attack on American cities and towns by terrorists or representatives of hostile powers using radiological, chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons. The current state of our domestic readiness to deal with these kind of attacks is woefully inadequate. Our amendment sought to begin today to prepare for what surely threatens us already.”