U.S. Senator Ken Salazar Member: Agriculture, Energy, Veterans' Affairs, Ethics and Aging Committees 2300 15^th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
For Immediate Release May 4, 2006		CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Comm. Director 303-455-7600 Andrew Nannis – Press Secretary 202-224-5852
Sen. Salazar Votes to Protect US Troops and Address National Emergencies Emergency Supplemental Includes Multiple Amendments by Sen. Salazar Washington, D.C. – Today, United States Senator Ken Salazar voted for the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill. The Emergency Supplemental, totaling $109 billion, includes funds for Katrina relief, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other emergencies. “Our troops deserve adequate training before they go into combat, our bark beetle infested areas deserve emergency attention before they rage with fires that devastate local communities, and our nation’s farmers and ranchers face disaster from high gas prices and years of drought,” Sen. Salazar said. “These needs are immediate and I am relieved they could be addressed in this bill along with our obvious funding needs for Katrina relief efforts and the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.” Senator Salazar successfully pushed for the following amendments in the final version of the bill: A requirement that the Department of Defense report on the progress of their efforts to provide counter-IED (Improvised Explosive Device) training to U.S. troops before they are deployed into Iraq; $30 million in additional funding to reduce the risk of fire danger from widespread insect infestation; and $3.9 billion in emergency agriculture disaster relief funding to farmers and ranchers who have suffered smaller harvests as a result of drought and other natural disasters, lower prices, and higher costs for fuel. Click here to access the statement prepared by Senator Salazar in support of the final passage of the Emergency Supplemental. The Senate’s Emergency Supplemental now heads to conference committee where a compromise will be sought between this bill and the House’s version. ###