Kent Conrad: “I agree with Senator Warner we ought to increase the defense allocation to the request of the Commander in Chief when…”

“I agree with Senator Warner we ought to increase the defense allocation to the request of the Commander in Chief when our troops are engaged in combat. I think that should be done. I also believe we ought to pay for it. As I understand it, under Senator Warner's amendment, the increase will be made to increase the budget allocation to the request by the President--I agree with that-- but it will not be paid for. With that I do not agree. When presented with a choice, I will vote to increase the spending to the request by the Commander in Chief because I do not think it is appropriate policy not to fully fund the Commander in Chief's request when our troops are engaged in combat half a world away. Our troops right now are engaged in direct combat in Iraq and Afghanistan and, of course, in addition to that, we are engaged globally in the war on terror. That does not mean we should not pay for these additional expenditures. Already we see record budget deficits.”