Defense Authorization
Floor Speech
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
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Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I rise to express my grave concern about the misplaced agenda we appear to be pursuing in the Senate: Taking us off of a Defense authorization bill that we have spent 15 days on--more than 2 weeks--to take up special interest legislation that has nothing to do with providing the equipment and the pay raises and the dignified treatment to our wounded warriors that the Defense authorization bill is designed to provide.
Unfortunately, we see the distinguished majority leader has now introduced an amendment relating to hate crimes on a Defense authorization bill. We are told the majority whip now plans to introduce a bill with regard to immigration, the so-called DREAM Act.
I would submit there is a time and a place for everything. This is a deliberative body, where we are happy to talk about and debate and air our differences on any piece of legislation any Senator might want to propose that comes to the floor, but there is a time and a place for everything. This is not the time and not the place to divert our attention from the important provision of pay raises, the important provision of equipment, and the important public policy changes with regard to how we treat our wounded warriors.
One of the Hill newspapers has reported that today, a Government report is being released that concludes the wounded warriors from Iraq and Afghanistan are still getting the runaround from the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs, despite big promises of change made after last February's revelations about the scandalous conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I am proud of the work we have been able to do on a bipartisan basis to move legislation forward that would address the causes for concern first uncovered as a result of those sad and embarrassing revelations at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Today, it is reported the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, says that delays for disability payments for veterans still average 177 days--nearly 6 months--with no indication that any dramatic improvement is in the offing. The General Accounting Office also found continuing frustrations and shortfalls in care for the increasing number of military returnees from Iraq. Delayed decisions, confusing policies, and the perception that the Department of Defense and Veterans' Administration disability ratings result in inequitable outcomes and have eroded the credibility of the system, according to the General Accounting Office. Thus, it is imperative, the GAO concludes, that the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs take prompt steps to address fundamental system weaknesses.
Well, I agree. This is intolerable. That is the reason why we need to pass the Defense authorization bill, which has previously been pulled from the floor for consideration and has returned and now is being hijacked for special interest legislation that has nothing to do with providing help to our men and women in uniform during a time of war.
Let me talk briefly about what the Defense authorization bill would do if we ever get it passed. It would authorize increases in end strengths to the Army and U.S. Marine Corps. As my distinguished colleague from Arkansas knows, that has been one of the major concerns we have all had about the stress and strain on our military that is too small for the challenges we have today, resulting in lengthy deployments and absences away from family members. This bill would authorize an increase of 13,000 in end strength for the Army and 9,000 for the Marine Corps. But what do we do instead of passing the legislation that would provide that additional authorization? We hijack this Defense authorization bill to talk about hate crimes and perhaps immigration and other unrelated issues. This bill authorizes a pay increase of $135 billion for our men and women in uniform, people who deserve everything we can do for them when it comes to providing for them or reducing some of their financial burdens. This bill authorizes $135 billion in additional pay.
But what does the majority leader do? He says we are going to take another timeout after 15 days and we are going to talk about hate crimes, potentially immigration, and who knows what else, further burdening this bill with amendments which may jeopardize our ability to pass it in the end.
This bill also provides for a 3.5-percent increase in pay for all our troops. To the point of the GAO report, which I cited that has been reported in one of the Hill newspapers today, this bill would authorize $24.6 billion for the Defense health program, including a $1.9 billion adjustment to fund TRICARE benefits for fiscal year 2008.
That is exactly what we ought to be doing. I, similar to my other colleagues, have visited our wounded warriors at Walter Reed and Bethesda, places such as the Brooks Army Medical Center in San Antonio, and places such as Darnall Medical Center at Fort Hood and Killeen. We need to make sure we do everything in our power to take care of our wounded warriors. But what are we doing? We are apparently taking a timeout from that important work that is urgently needed and diverting our attention to other matters that have nothing to do with taking care of our troops.
What else would this Defense authorization bill do? Well, it would authorize $4 billion for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles. As my colleagues know, these are the V-shaped hull vehicles that have a way of dispersing improvised explosive device attacks in a way that will save lives and protect our troops from further injury as a result of improvised explosive devices. But what do we do? We dillydally around after 15 days of not taking care of our business and divert our attention to other unrelated matters that have nothing to do with protecting our troops. I think it is shameful.
Further evidence the agenda is misplaced in the Senate is the fact that we will, this week, have to consider a continuing resolution. That means passing legislation to keep the doors of Government open until November 16 because this Congress has not passed, nor has the President signed, appropriations bills to pay Congress's bills. Now, this is not a surprise. September 30 we know is the end of the fiscal year. What would happen if we were a small business--or a big business, for that matter--that didn't take care of its affairs and didn't pay its bills? Well, it would shut down. But not the Federal Government, because we have the power to wave a magic wand and pass a continuing resolution. But 13 appropriations bills affecting the lives of each and every one of 300 million Americans in this country has simply been neglected, pushed to the back burner, because we are diverting our attention to matters that we should leave for a later date.
So I implore the majority leader, I implore the new management of this Senate that was elected to the majority status after the last election, let's take care of business. Let's take care of our troops. Let's take care of our military families that, in an all-volunteer military, are absolutely essential to our ability to protect and defend the United States. I think it is shameful we are changing the subject to take care of special interest legislation at a time such as this, when it is so critical, at a time of war. I implore the majority leader to reconsider his misguided agenda for the Senate.
I yield the floor.
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