Maurice Hinchey: “in spite of the best attempts of the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stump) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton)…”

“in spite of the best attempts of the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stump) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), this bill has become a political grab bag of extraneous material that has nothing to do with defense authorization and has no place in this bill. I have time to cite just one example. Article 14 is a provision which contains language that is destructive to our efforts to protect the environment in this country, particularly issues that are destructive to the 1964 Wilderness Act. That language undermines the issue of wilderness as it is practiced by the Federal Government in areas all across the country. It is a special provision. It is even a personal provision. It has no business in this bill. Furthermore, we were not given the opportunities to present amendments which could give the House the opportunity to debate this issue and to strike these unwarranted and destructive provisions from the bill. That makes this bill unworthy of the House. It ought to be withdrawn. We ought to have an opportunity to debate this issue and those things ought to be brought before us.”