Sam Brownback: “I am delighted to be here joining my colleague from Kansas and other Members, expressing support for S. 4, the…”

“I am delighted to be here joining my colleague from Kansas and other Members, expressing support for S. 4, the Soldiers', Sailors', Airmen's and Marines' Bill of Rights Act of 1999. This bill comes at a time when our services are facing increased difficulties in hiring and keeping quality personnel because of low pay, inadequate benefits, and increasingly frequent deployments. There is nobody who would say that what I just stated is untrue. Those are all true. They are all impacting our military personnel today. I join my colleague from Kansas, who serves on the Armed Services Committee, in strongly supporting this bill and saying that the first and foremost requirement of the Federal Government is to provide for the common defense and we are not providing adequately for the common defense. We have to do that. And, if we let down on that obligation because it does not show up high in the poll numbers or some other reason, we are failing our duty to this country to provide the first and foremost thing that we are required to do. Let me remind my fellow Senators that defense spending has declined in real terms every year for the last 11 years and now comprises a lower percentage of our budget than ever before. We have seen a 19-percent decline in defense spending since 1992. Is the world that much of a safer place today? We have troops scattered everywhere around the world and we have had a 19-percent decline in defense spending since 1992.”