John Spratt: “Mr. Chairman, title I of this bill professes alarm at the downward spiral of defense spending. It raises the specter of…”

“Mr. Chairman, title I of this bill professes alarm at the downward spiral of defense spending. It raises the specter of hollow forces. However, when we turn to title II of the bill, to see what it would do, we find what it wants to do is sink billions of dollars into a new national defense missile defense system. Mr. Chairman, one sure way of fulfilling the dire prophecies in title I, the preamble of this bill, is to sink huge sums into a national defense, system especially if it deploys space-based interceptors at the earliest practical date. That is why, when the bill comes up for amendment, the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Edwards], the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. Skelton], and I will offer three related amendments. We support a strong defense. I support and believe in ballistic missile defense. However, I first want to make sure that our forces, although downsized smaller, are ready to fight. I want to make sure that the equipment they fight with is second to none. I want to ensure quality of life to our troops and their families.”