WASHINGTON, D.C. -- With Congressman David Wu's support, the U.S. House of Representatives today passed the largest spending plan for the Department of Defense since World War II. Congressman Wu voted for the bill because it places a greater focus on badly needed equipment, training, healthcare and salaries for our troops currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Congressman Wu particularly is concerned about how extended deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan have strained National Guard units and the equipment they rely on to respond to state-led homeland emergencies. More worrisome is whether or not states could respond effectively to a multi-state man-made or natural disaster such as an earthquake and subsequent tsunami off Oregon's coast.

"We can and we must provide the best training, equipment, and deployment conditions for the men and women in uniform," stated Congressman Wu. "It is also our responsibility to ensure that our domestic emergencies can be addressed effectively. I fear for another Hurricane Katrina given our man power and equipment is half way around the world."

Because many in the U.S. House share Congressman Wu's concerns, the bill includes $1 billion for National Guard and Reserve equipment and requires an evaluation and report on the preparedness of the National Guard for homeland emergencies. These quarterly reports would go to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, as well as to every Governor.

The Government Accountability Office released a report in January that found states and territories, on average, had about 50% of their authorized inventory of dual-use equipment available for domestic missions. At that time, Oregon's available dual-use inventory level was 48.8%. [GAO, “Reserve Forces: Actions Needed to Identify National Guard Domestic Equipment Requirements and Readiness,” January 2007]

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