Tony Hall: “I rise in opposition to House Resolution 83, the rule limiting debate on the National Security Revitalization Act. As my…”

“I rise in opposition to House Resolution 83, the rule limiting debate on the National Security Revitalization Act. As my colleague on the other side of the aisle well knows, the bill before us today is the most far-reaching foreign policy legislation to come before the House of Representatives in several years. In addition to radically altering the way we conduct foreign policy, the bill requires the development of a national missile defense system, like star wars, at the earliest practical date. These changes, which are enormous in magnitude, costing taxpayers up to $30 billion, are being rushed to the floor under a rule which allows only 10 hours of debate for amendments. This time cap, Mr. Speaker, is particularly disappointing when we consider the scope and breadth of this bill. The last major defense bill took 31 hours on the floor of the House. The Desert Storm legislation alone--a single peacekeeping effort--took 30 hours. All our constituents deserve more from this Congress than ramming bills through to meet an arbitrary Contract-With-America deadline. The changes outlined in this bill will have an effect on every single one of our constituents' pocketbooks. It could also affect those Americans with children who could be sent overseas to fight wars. We should slow down the process on this bill and allow major amendments on the many area of concern.”