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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 1, 2007
CONTACT: Geoff Embler or Matt Mackowiak

Sen. Hutchison: Defense Bill Gives Troops Well-Deserved Pay Raise


WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, today applauded the passage of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Defense Authorization bill, H.R.1585, which passed the Senate today by a vote of 92-3.

“This is a first step to give our troops a well-deserved pay raise,” Sen. Hutchison said. “It also provides funding for the training and equipment vital to carrying out their mission.”

The bill authorizes:

• $648.3 billion in defense funding, including a 3.5% pay raise for military personnel

• $12.3 billion to pay, train and equip additional troops added to the services through the end of FY 2008 as a part of the Grow the Force initiative to add 92,000 active-duty personnel to the Army and Marine Corps

• $128.5 billion dedicated to operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Global War on Terrorism.

• $4.8 billion to upgrade Bradley Fighting Vehicles, M-1 tanks and Strykers

• $3.8 billion for the Army’s Future Combat Systems program

The bill also orders a study to determine the feasibility of establishing a Border State Aviation Training Center that would take advantage of existing RC-26 training components nationwide. The study would identify where a new training center could best be located to prepare for missions in support of local, state and federal drug enforcement activities.

The legislation will now be conferenced with the version passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Sen. Hutchison is a member of Senate Leadership as Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee and is also a member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

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