DeLay: House Increases Defense Spending; Defense Funding Secures America's Future

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Contact: Stuart Roy or Jonathan Grella for House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, 202-225-4000

WASHINGTON, July 9 /U.S. Newswire/ -- House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) said the bipartisan spending bill funding the Department of Defense passed overwhelmingly today in the House provides our defense department with the necessary funding to secure America from emerging threats. The Department of Defense Appropriations Act for 2004 passed the House today 399 to 19.

"There's a lot of hard and dangerous work left to be done in the War on Terror but our troops and our president are ready to do it," DeLay said. "Providing for the national defense is the most important job Congress has and this bill reaffirms our commitment to win the War on Terror no matter how long it takes."

The Department of Defense Appropriations Act for 2004 provides a total of $368.7 billion in new discretionary spending authority for the Department of Defense for 2004. This is $4.3 billion more than in 2003 and includes funding for:

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"The Department of Defense Appropriations Act for 2004 provides a total of $368.7 billion in new discretionary spending authority for the Department of Defense for 2004. This is $4.3 billion more than in 2003 and includes funding for:
-- $98.3 billion for military personnel
-- $4.6 billion for special operations forces
-- $8.9 billion for ballistic missile defense
-- $1.7 billion for ground forces modernization
-- $11.5 billion for shipbuilding programs
-- Nearly $1.3 billion for chemical and biological defense initiatives
-- $115.3 billion for operation and maintenance
-- $74.7 billion for procurement
-- $64.6 for research and development

-- $15.6 billion for defense health program"

If anybody hears that this will result in Army doing any of the following, please give me a heads up:

- replacing all of its M16s with M4s, at least all infantry units

- replacing all of its AN/PVS-7A night vision with AN/PVS-7D or AN/PVS-14 or whatever the SF folks are using now

- all soldiers recieve interceptor vests with inserts and MOLLE pouches

- all infantry units recieve the shorter, heavy duty barrels for their M249s

- enough M145s and AN/PAS-13s are purchased to have one of each for every M240B and M249

- Sure-fire tac lights or an item of similar quality replaces the angle-neck flashlight

- all infantry units recieve enough AN/PEQ-2a for every M4 or M16

- all infantry units recieve enough of the rifle-mounted shotguns for every soldier carrying an M4 or M16, without a M203 attached

- a substantial increase in the allocation of live ammunition for training

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