Russ Feingold: “I will once again oppose the Department of Defense authorization bill, as I have done each year I have been a Member of…”

“I will once again oppose the Department of Defense authorization bill, as I have done each year I have been a Member of this body. As I stated earlier this year when the Senate passed the fiscal year 2001 Department of Defense appropriations bill, my opposition to this conference report should not be interpreted as a lack of support for our men and women in uniform. Rather, what I cannot support is the cold war mentality that continues to permeate the United States defense establishment. I strongly support our Armed Forces and the excellent work they are doing to combat the new threats of the 21st century and beyond. However, I am concerned that we are not giving our forces the tools they need to combat these emerging threats. Instead, this conference report, like the corresponding defense appropriations bill that has already been enacted, clings to the strategies and weapons that we used to fight--and win--the cold war. The cold war is over. It is past time that we undertake a comprehensive review of the threats currently facing the United States and formulate a strategy on how best to combat them before we continue to commit billions of dollars to programs that were created to fight an enemy that no longer exists.”