Jeremiah Smith: “I am proud to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee that developed the Senate version of the National Defense…”

“I am proud to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee that developed the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization bill for fiscal year 2001. I am equally proud to have served as a Conferee to resolve differences between our bill and the one that passed the House of Representatives. This bill is important to our men and women who serve this Nation every day. As the explosion today in Yemen demonstrates, America's great military men and women put their lives on the line for us every day. That sacrifice demands our attention and our support. This bill is another step to help us pull the U.S. military out of the nosedive created by this Administration. The number of deployments the Clinton/Gore administration committed us to has forced the military to use its limited funds for operations vice maintaining our forces. Readiness is at an all-time low. We are cannibalizing parts of our forces to keep the other parts running. That is wrong. Our men and women in uniform deserve better. This bill is a step in the right direction, but we still need more. I will fight for more again next year. My colleagues on the Armed Services Committee have lauded the benefits of this bill, so I will not repeat them all here. However, several points I feel are very important to note for the American people. This bill authorizes $309.9 billion in military spending, $4.6 billion above the President's budget request.”