Charles Skelton: “To add a little to this, when the gentleman says there are young men and women, those who are married, on food stamps…”

“To add a little to this, when the gentleman says there are young men and women, those who are married, on food stamps, that is absolutely correct. There was testimony in our Committee on Armed Services the other day wherein the former Secretary of Defense, Bill Perry, who is highly respected, regardless of the political party, testified to us that this year's budget, in addition to the budget recommended by the administration, this year's budget on modernization, which of course includes procurement, research, development, and spare parts, should be $10 to $20 billion in addition to what has been recommended. There is also a matter of health care, which I know we are all looking at. I testified before the Committee on the Budget the other day suggesting very strongly that there be an additional $10 billion for modernization and $2 billion for health care for military retirees and for the active duty and their families, which of course might very well help in the picture that the gentleman now holds. This is terribly important that we treat the young men and women fairly. It is a morale problem. We can have the finest barracks in the world, the finest places to work in the world, but if we do not have spare parts to fix the helicopters and trucks, it is a terrible morale problem.”