Defense Authorization

Floor Speech

DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, this is now day 14 of debate on the Defense authorization bill. It is day 14 of the current debate. We have all been on this bill for a good number of days previously earlier this year. During the same time that we have been debating this for the past 14 days and over the course of the several months that have languished in between our last debate on Defense authorization, we have commanders and troops in the field who have been fighting bravely our terrorist enemies and fulfilling their mission with courage and professionalism.

By contrast, we in the Senate are redebating old arguments and revoting on amendments that have previously been rejected. In fact, last week most of the amendments offered by our colleagues on the Democratic side had previously been voted on, and the result this time around was essentially the same as the result when we voted on these amendments previously. In fact, we voted now for the second and third time on arbitrary withdrawal dates, on cutting off funding for our war efforts, on changing the mission from that recommended by our commanders, and on other attempts to micromanage our war efforts from the floor of the Senate. Now we may be forced to vote on hate crimes legislation which has no relevance to or place in the Defense authorization bill.

Congress should not and Congress cannot legislate our war strategy, nor do we have the expertise or constitutional authority to micromanage the war. American generals in Iraq, not politicians in Washington, should decide how to fight this war.

I don't condemn my colleagues for a minute for their legitimate Iraq policy positions. As Senators, we have the right to offer amendments. But again, this is not the time to abandon our military efforts in Iraq or to attempt to micromanage our military strategy from thousands of miles away. The current Iraq policy debate taking place on the Defense authorization bill has already dangerously delayed this critical legislation. We all support our troops. This bill contains critical provisions that directly support our men and women in uniform.

Specifically, while we have been redebating and revoting on amendments for the second and third time, the Defense authorization bill waits for final action. What does it do? This bill directly supports our men and women in uniform. It increases the size of the Army and the Marine Corps. It provides increased authorization to purchase more Mine Resistant Ambush Protected armored vehicles, otherwise known as MRAPs, which will save more lives. It provides a much needed 3.5-percent pay raise for our troops. It further empowers the Army and Air Force National Guard as they continue their critical role in our warfighting efforts. And it includes the badly needed Wounded Warrior legislation that will address the broader issues of patient care which we saw manifested at Walter Reed.

As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I am committed to seeing this bill pass the floor of the Senate. It would be a complete failure of leadership on our part if we failed to pass this vital measure while our men and women are engaged in conflict. Unfortunately, this bill has been bogged down by politically motivated Iraq votes the Senate has taken many times before. Again, I understand the legitimate differences of opinion others may have on our strategy in Iraq, but it demonstrates a lack of seriousness about the enemy we face and the needs of our men and women in uniform to be here after 14 days of debate and not to have passed this critical legislation, particularly as we come up against the end of the fiscal year on September 30.

It is time to put the politics aside. It is time to put aside the nondefense related amendments. Every day, our men and women in uniform are out there making us proud with their courage and dedication to their mission. We should be here doing our job making sure we are supporting them by passing this critical legislation.

There are some legitimate amendments related to the underlying bill that we have debated at length, but there are also a lot of amendments that are unrelated to the underlying bill. Switching gears and moving to hate crimes legislation or to restart the immigration debate on the Defense authorization bill, in my view, would be a mistake. It would demonstrate a lack of leadership and a lack of good judgment on our part when we have men and women in the field who are fighting every single day. We need to make sure we get them a Defense authorization bill that gives them the pay raise they deserve, that addresses the equipment needs they have, that deals with the Wounded Warrior legislation, and that cares for our veterans when they come back from that conflict. There are so many important things in this underlying bill that we need to deal with, and we need to deal with them in a timely way.

I would hope that as the debate gets underway again tomorrow, we will be able to come to some final conclusion about this bill and get it passed into law without having to get bogged down in what are ancillary and unrelated issues, many of which are now, at this late juncture, being brought forward.

I urge my colleagues on both sides to do what is in the national interest, the right thing for our men and women in uniform; that is, to pass a Defense authorization bill that addresses their fundamental needs to make sure they have the funding and support, training and equipment they need to do their jobs and complete their mission.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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