Haley Stevens: “It also provides $141 million for increased fuel costs, $3.7 billion to continue to enhance our intelligence activities…”

“It also provides $141 million for increased fuel costs, $3.7 billion to continue to enhance our intelligence activities in the theater, $600 million for the Defense Health Program to provide for the care and recovery of our wounded servicemembers, and $193 million for counterdrug activities to curb production of opium in Afghanistan. Without these funds, the Department of Defense would be forced to pay for the cost of war out of the regular DOD moneys we have already appropriated. This cost of this war is approaching $15 billion a month, with the Army spending $4.2 billion of that every month. Without relief, the Army will totally deplete their 2008 operations and maintenance funding by mid-February. I urge the Senate not to take the risk that our troops in the field will not have those resources they need in time to complete the mission they have been assigned. I urge the Senate to support the McConnell- Lieberman amendment.”