IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 428 
Recommending that Congress not provide funds for fiscal year 2005 for 
the deployment of ground-based, strategic, mid-course, ballistic missile 
defense system components that have not met operational testing require-
ments and, instead, provide needed funding for programs designed to 
keep America’s ports secure from terrorist attacks. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 17, 2004 
Ms. HARMAN submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Recommending that Congress not provide funds for fiscal 
year 2005 for the deployment of ground-based, strategic, 
mid-course, ballistic missile defense system components 
that have not met operational testing requirements and, 
instead, provide needed funding for programs designed 
to keep America’s ports secure from terrorist attacks. 
Whereas America’s maritime transportation system is the 
gateway to the global economy; 
Whereas America’s economic prosperity rests on the ability of 
millions of tons of containers and cargo arriving 
unimpeded at United States ports to support the delivery
•HCON 428 IH 
system that underpins the Nation’s manufacturing and 
retail sectors; 
Whereas America’s ports and waterways are also used to 
carry millions of citizens on cruise ships and ferries; 
Whereas America’s seaports remain vulnerable to terrorist at-
tack; 
Whereas cargo containers could be used to smuggle terrorists 
or dangerous materials into the United States or used as 
a delivery vehicle for a weapon of mass destruction; 
Whereas the Intelligence Community has warned that the 
United States is more likely to be attacked with a weapon 
of mass destruction delivered by ship, truck, or airplane 
than by a ballistic missile; 
Whereas the Department of Defense has waived the oper-
ational testing requirements that are essential to deter-
mining the effectiveness and sustainability of a ground- 
based, strategic, mid-course, ballistic missile defense sys-
tem; 
Whereas the General Accounting Office has issued a report 
stating that only two of the ten critical technologies of 
the ground-based, strategic, mid-course, ballistic missile 
defense system components have been verified as work-
able by adequate developmental testing; 
Whereas deploying a highly complex weapons system prior to 
adequately testing it can increase the long-term costs of 
the system significantly; 
Whereas United States technology already deployed can pin-
point the source of a ballistic missile launch; 
Whereas it is therefore highly unlikely that any state would 
attack the United States or allow terrorists to do so from
•HCON 428 IH 
its territory with a weapon of mass destruction, thereby 
risking annihilation from a United States retaliatory 
strike; and 
Whereas 49 retired generals and admirals have called on the 
President to postpone operational deployment of a 
ground-based, strategic, mid-course, ballistic missile de-
fense system and requested that the associated funding 
be transferred to accelerated programs to secure the Na-
tion’s facilities containing nuclear weapons and to protect 
the Nation’s ports and borders against terrorists who 
may attempt to smuggle a weapon of mass destruction 
into the United States: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) recommends that the amount of funds ap-
propriated for ballistic missile defense programs for 
fiscal year 2005 should not be greater than the 
amount of funds appropriated for those programs 
for fiscal year 2004; 
(2) recommends that any funds appropriated 
for ballistic missile defense programs for fiscal year 
2005 should not be used to deploy a ground-based, 
strategic, mid-course, ballistic missile defense system 
that has not met operational testing requirements 
that demonstrate the maturity of all of the critical 
technologies; and 
(3) recommends that funds appropriated for 
port security programs within the Department of
•HCON 428 IH 
Homeland Security for fiscal year 2005 should be 
increased by $500,000,000 over the amounts appro-
priated for those programs for fiscal year 2004. 
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