Neil Abercrombie Statement on the 2008 National Defense Authorization Bill

Washington, D.C. -- "It is our Constitutional obligation to provide for the military of the United States  (Article 1, Section 8).  We must not confuse that annual duty embodied in the Defense Authorization Bill (H.R. 1585) with policy implications of any deployment for military action that is at issue.

• The Defense Authorization Bill authorizes $189.4 billion in supplemental funds for FY08.
  
• This defense authorization bill should not be confused with the emergency supplemental bills that have been used to fund the operational costs of the war in Iraq. This bill is meant to set the stage for future debates over war spending, while making policy changes that benefit our troops and their families.
  
• 77% of the supplemental funding supports the effort in Afghanistan, goes to repair damage to our military forces caused by the war in Iraq, and helps reduce the strategic risk caused by having a military tied down in Iraq.
  
• 23 % ($41 billion) supports ongoing operations in Iraq.
  
• Restoring the readiness of our forces, repairing equipment, providing adequate force protection, enhancing ground forces and improving military pay and benefits is a priority for this Democratic Congress.
  
• The authorization bill is addressed once a year, and authorizes all aspects of defense funding in that one bill.  In contrast, there are several appropriations bills each year that fund all aspects of defense—one for the regular defense budget and one or more to deal with the additional cost of the wars."

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