John Spratt: “Mr. Chairman, this authorization bill may be the last of the big time spenders. It does plus up the President's request…”

“Mr. Chairman, this authorization bill may be the last of the big time spenders. It does plus up the President's request by a substantial amount, $12.9 billion, but it takes up defense spending next year by only $2.6 billion over the current fiscal year. From next year onward, defense spending, according to the budget program, does not go up in any year more than $2 to $3 billion. We are going into a future of very constrained defense budgets after this year. So the question that should concern us greatly in this debate as we add $12.9 billion to the Pentagon's request, is whether we can sustain, finish, in the out years what we are starting beefing up and speeding up next year. This question looms in particular over ballistic missile defense, national and theater, which was increased by $940 million in this bill. There are, as a consequence, out-year funding requirements which we simply may not be able to meet in a defense budget programmed to go up by no more than $2 to 3 billion a year.”