If I read the amendment which is now before the Senate, and again I will read--``* * * the Secretary of Defense is authorized to transfer * * *''--you are leaving it entirely a discretionary matter with the Secretary of Defense.

on behalf of Senators DeWine and Glenn, I call up amendment 2826 which would authorize the Secretary of Transportation to convey at no cost to the Government a surplus National Defense Reserve Fleet Ship, the ex-U.S.S. Lorain County, to a…

on behalf of Senators Grams and Wellstone, I offer an amendment which would authorize the land conveyance, without consideration from the Naval Air Reserve Center in Minneapolis, MN, to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Airports…

I do not find the position difficult. I feel very strongly about the defense budget. I support the budget process. Your committee, the Veterans Committee, went through the budget process. Our committee went through the budget process. We…

on behalf of Senators McCain and Lieberman, I offer an amendment that would authorize the President to promote Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., to the rank of general on the retired list.

I will conclude just with this observation of our very able staff director, Les Brownlee, who just handed me a note which indicates that the VA increase in the Senate budget process--that is, the account for the committee on veterans here…

I certainly agree with one thing you said, and that is, the manner in which the United States treats its veterans has a direct impact on whether successive generations will offer themselves to serve proudly in the uniform of our country. I…

We place the Secretary, one of our very own for whom we have the absolute highest respect, in an awkward position that now these groups will petition him, and he is faced with the tough choice of deciding between those who once served with…

in my 19 years, I have heard that argument of inefficiency and waste in the Department of Defense. All of us recognize that, and I am sure our Secretary, our former colleague, Bill Cohen, is doing his very best to try to bring about every…

It has been a very good day, and the chairman of the committee, Mr. Thurmond, and ranking member and others, should be commended. I think we have handled the key issues that will require considerable time for debate. We had extensive…

I assure you that my very modest record of military service pales in comparison to yours, having been the only Member of the Senate to have landed on June 6, 1944, D-day. Moving on, this is a very important debate, if for only the reason…

I would certainly urge that be done because, in reality, we are not here to say who is at fault; both bear a heavy sense of culpability. Unfortunately, India initiated it. I don't know--as time goes on, perhaps there will be an…

I think it is a very responsible effort by our distinguished colleagues, the principal sponsors, and I think the Senate will endorse this... if we do not handle responsibly this crisis--we, the United States--together with our principal…

since its enactment some 26 years ago, the Survivor Benefit Plan has been a source of financial security for military retirees and their dependents. Should the military retiree pre-decease his or her spouse, the plan allows for the spouse…

In today's Washington Post, on page 23, is a brief description of the historic work that has been performed by this laboratory. I say with a great sense of humility I was asked to speak because of the fact that I am a graduate of a school…

We regret most sincerely, speaking to myself and I think many other veterans, that this caused such consternation among the veterans of the United States.

I feel a certain sense of achievement that this Senator from Georgia can go back now and say to his constituents at long last equity prevails in the distribution of our highway trust fund.

referring to the bill, we have not discussed today the important strides made in safety of the traveling public. Nearly 440,000 persons a year, regrettably, lose their lives on highways and many more suffer incredible injuries. The bill…

Equity for the donor States. ``Donor States'' is a category created by ISTEA I. We never actually heard that term prior to ISTEA I. But generally speaking, what it represented was as a consequence of ISTEA I, a group of States, about 18 to…

I hope the Senator would be agreeable to laying this amendment aside so that the Senate would proceed with other amendments, and within that period of time it would be the pending amendment, within that period of time, we will get the…

Mr. President, the world has been working in a responsible way for years to try to halt the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction-- nuclear, biological and chemical. India's decision both yesterday and today to detonate five…

during this past week, I and my colleagues have been working in committee on the defense authorization bill for the upcoming fiscal year. We have debated a host of issues of significant import to the national security of this great nation…

I want to follow along. The Senator from Oregon touched on the historical context of how nations are admitted into NATO, and there was some thought that Turkey--regrettably they are not a member of the EU, but we must remember that at the…

It is my hope--indeed, my expectation--that someday the EU will have a realization of that contribution and consider their membership. But I don't think this argument that NATO has admitted nations without EU membership carries any weight…

I was in the air part. I went up to the division, and I remember the Turkish units, and they were superb fighters.