Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I thank Senator Stevens and Senator Inouye for the hard work they did on this bill. Since this bill was left to be the…”

“I thank Senator Stevens and Senator Inouye for the hard work they did on this bill. Since this bill was left to be the last appropriations bill passed this year, it had many difficulties. During this time, our Armed Forces were prosecuting a war on last year's budget. That is very serious and it is unacceptable. We must pass this bill today. It is a good bill. Our armed services need the extra help that is in this bill. It provides $26 billion more in spending for the Department of Defense than was appropriated last year. That gives us the added equipment we need to be in Afghanistan and throughout the world, as we are today. It also reduces the military/civilian paygap by funding a pay raise of 5 percent across the board and up to 10 percent for targeted ranks with low-retention rates. Thank goodness we are trying to address people who are leaving the armed services because we just can't compete with the private sector. Also, I want to mention the TRICARE For Life; $3.9 billion in this bill implements TRICARE For Life. This is something I worked on for a long time to make sure that those who have served in our military, who have done what we asked them to do for our country, will never be left without full medical care. That is something they deserve, it is something we promised, and it is a promise we must keep.”