Joseph Knollenberg: “Yesterday Republicans kept another promise we made to the American people in our Contract With America. We passed a…”

“Yesterday Republicans kept another promise we made to the American people in our Contract With America. We passed a crime package that provides State and local governments the resources and flexibility to effectively fight crime in their communities and take violent criminals off the street. Today, we bring H.R. 7, the National Security Revitalization Act, to the floor which addresses the military and defense policies of this Nation. Under President Clinton, we have seen a drift in our foreign policy coupled with a dangerous decline in our military capability. And while the buck used to stop at the Oval Office, we have seen it passed more and more frequently to foreign command. A tragic example of this leadership void ended in the death of American soldiers on the streets of Mogadishu. Today, we offer a bill that will put limits on placing U.S. troops under U.N. command and it will require prior authorization by Congress, before American troops are used in U.N.-organized nation building operations. Mr. Speaker, while the President continues to pass the buck, our young men and women of the armed services end up paying the price. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.”