Date: 1981-12-04
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

I thank the Chair and I thaink the distinguished majority leader. Madam President. I want to compliment the managers of the bill that has Just been enacted. Mr. STENNIS and Mr. STEVENS. They have perfurined admirably and with a high sense of dedicationi and purpose. I personally commend and thank them I also. however. take this moment to make a few observations in consonanco with the remarks of the able minority whip. Mr. CRANSTON. The actions of the majority Republican party In the Senate over the last 2 days on the Defense appropriations bill concern me that the program to rebuild Americas defenses is in danger of being stillborn. The early months of the present Congress witnessed a flood of rhetoric about how past Defense programs of the 1070s had been seriously underfunded. how the Soviets were outstripping us in every category. More was urgently needed virtually across the boardfrom beans to bullets to battleships to bailisctic missiles and bombers. There was widespread bipatisan agreement with this proposition. and we believe a broad national consensus to support it. The first authorization bill for defense was passed In May and overwhelmingly endorsed the administrations funding levels. We were concerned at that time that the necessary details of the programswhat kinds of btrategic weapons systems. how lurge and what kind of Navy. what kind of a presence in the Persian Gulf. for instancewould be filled in in timne. Now. It seems that we are being delivered a defense program which is not as advertised. The strategic decisionsfrom early retirements of B52s and Titan missiles. to deferring decisions on an MIX basing mode. to an inadequate Stealth bomber programare such as to lead one to believe the window of vulnerability is being opened earlier and that the current strategic program Is fundamentally weak. It may well be weaker than the program proposed by the last administration. In conventional forces. the original administration budget submission has been scaled down. We are reducing our presence in the Persian Gulf. our Navy may now never reach an adequate size. we have crimped down the readiness of the armed services. We will even he withdrawing troops from Europe. It is unclear to me how this administration can say it will only negotiate with the Soviets from a position of strength. and allow this Inadequate defense bill to become law. We have attempted. by means of a series of amendments to bring this bill back up to a level closer to what the President originally proposed and the Congress endorsed In May. We have attempted to: Increase our ability to project forces into the Persian Gulf by adding four new KC10 tanker aircraft. Maintain our naval forces at least at the level they were at last summer by insuring that enough money is available for Navy steaming hours. Insure the major new technological breakthioughs represented in the Stealth Mrcraft program become reality by Increasing the funding for that program up to the level recommended by the program managers. Reject the diminution In our Army and withdrawal of American troops from Europe Just at the moment that sensitive negotiations have begun with Soviets In Geneva. Add back the necessary money for various readiness functions. for example. ammunition. for the Armyat least closer to the level we endorsed last May. Adequately fund the B52 program. All these amendments were rejected by the Republican majority In a display of complete partisanship. The Nations defenses are being whipsawed by economic considerations rather than our siccurity needs. Our defense program is being made to pay for the mistakes of this administrations economic program. We will continue to try to reverse this trend and put Into place a strong defense program which more adequately fills the national need.