Posted on 03/12/2004 5:58:44 PM PST by PhiKapMom
Friday, March 12, 2004
IN 1994, PROPOSED ACROSS THE BOARD
INTELLIGENCE CUT OF $6 BILLION
Proposed Immediate $1 Billion Cut And Five Year Freeze In Spending Level
In 1994, Kerry Proposed Amendment To Gut Intelligence Budget By $6 Billion Across The Board. The amendment cut $1 billion from FY 1994 and $5 billion for FY 1995 through 1998. 75 Senators, including Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) voted against Kerry’s amendment. (Amdt. To H.R. 3759, CQ Vote #39: Rejected 20-75: R 3-37; D 17-38, 2/10/94, Kerry Voted Yea; Kennedy Voted Nay)
When He First Introduced Proposal, Kerry Said, “The Madness Must End. And To End It, We Each Must Be Willing To Vote To Eliminate Programs That We Know Are Not In The National Interest.” (Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 2/3/94, p. S807)
Kerry’s Own Democrat Colleagues Warned Him Proposal Was Dangerous
Then-Senate Intel Chair Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ) Said Previous Cuts Were “As Deep As The Intelligence Community Can Withstand,” And Kerry’s Proposal Ignored Terrorism, Imperiled National Security. “[L]ast year’s intelligence cut was as deep as the intelligence community can withstand during its post-cold-war transition. … We no longer seem immune from acts of terrorism in the United States and the scourge of narcotics has hardly abated. … It makes no sense for us to close our eyes and ears to developments around the world …” (Sen. Dennis DeConcini, Congressional Record, 2/10/94, p. S1360)
Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI) Warned Kerry’s Cut “Would Severely Hamper” Intel Efforts And Ignored Threats Of North Korean Nukes And Terrorism. “[T]he intelligence budget has already been cut by almost 18 percent over the past 2 years. An additional reduction of $1 billion would severely hamper the intelligence community’s ability to provide decision makers and policymakers with information on matters of vital concern to this country. … These issues include nuclear proliferation by North Korea … as well as terrorist threats against American citizens and property.” (Sen. Daniel Inouye, Congressional Record, 2/10/94, pp. S1330-S1332)
IN 1995, PROPOSED ACROSS THE BOARD
INTELLIGENCE CUT OF $1.5 BILLION
Kerry’s Proposed Bill Cut Intelligence Across The Board. Kerry’s bill read, in its entirety, “Reduce the intelligence budget by $300 million in each of fiscal years 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000.” The bill had no co-sponsors and never came to vote on the Senate floor. (S. 1290, Introduced 9/29/95, Never Came To Vote)
Kerry Said His Proposal Cut “Programs Which I Consider To Be Pointless, Wasteful, Antiquated, Or Just Plain Silly.” (Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 9/29/95, p. S14741)
IN 2004, PROPOSES TO REVISE THE RECORD
Apparently Kerry Was Only Slowing Rate Of Growth? “Bush reached back nine years to a bill introduced by Kerry to slow the rate of spending on intelligence gathering …” (Mike Allen, “Bush, Cheney Attack Kerry As Indecisive,” The Washington Post, 3/9/04)
ü Kerry’s 1995 Bill Explicitly Called For Cut Of “$300 Million In Each Of Fiscal Years 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, And 2000.” (S. 1290, Introduced 9/29/95)
ü Kerry’s 1995 Bill Would Have Made Real Cuts To Intelligence Budget. For example, if this bill had passed and become law, the FY1998 budget would have been $26.4 billion, instead of $26.8 billion. This is $200 million less than FY1997, which was $26.6. billion. (U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, “Statement By The Director Of Central Intelligence Regarding The Disclosure Of The Aggregate Intelligence Budget For Fiscal Year 1998,” Press Release, 3/20/98)
Only A Targeted Cut? Kerry’s Campaign Is Claiming S. 1290 Was Meant To Take Money Away From National Reconnaissance Office, Which Had Been Previously Over Funded. (Mike Allen, “Bush, Cheney Attack Kerry As Indecisive,” The Washington Post, 3/9/04; Maura Reynolds and Matea Gold, “Bush Blasts Kerry On Swing Through Texas,” Los Angeles Times, 3/9/04; Walter Pincus and Dana Milbank, “Bush Exaggerates Kerry's Position On Intelligence Budget,” The Washington Post, 3/12/04)
üS. 1290 Doesn’t Mention National Reconnaissance Office. Kerry’s cut was across the board. The entire text relevant to Intelligence funding in the bill reads: “Reduce the Intelligence budget by $300 million in each of fiscal years 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000.” (S. 1290, Introduced 9/29/95)
ü No Evidence To Support Campaign Claim. “Kerry campaign officials said yesterday that the $1.5 billion in cuts he proposed were meant to take back the $1 billion to $1.7 billion the NRO had salted away – but the legislation and Kerry's floor statement, inserted in the Congressional Record that day, did not specify the reason for the proposed cuts.” (Walter Pincus and Dana Milbank, “Bush Exaggerates Kerry's Position On Intelligence Budget,” The Washington Post, 3/12/04)
ü Kerry Claims His Bill Cut NRO Funding And Was Similar To Amendment Proposed By Senators Specter, Kerrey And Coats, But The Two Bills Had Nothing In Common! While Kerry’s Bill Made Across The Board Cuts, Senator Specter’s Amendment Specifically Addressed NRO, Stating: “The total amount authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 1996 for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) shall be reduced by an amount equal to the amount by which appropriations for the Department of Defense for fiscal year 1996 are reduced to reflect the availability of funds appropriated prior to fiscal year 1996 that have accumulated in the carry forward accounts for that Office.” (John Kerry For President, “Statement From Kerry Spokesperson On Bush Attacks On Kerry Record On Intelligence,” Press Release, 3/8/04; S. 1290, Introduced 9/29/95; S. Amdt. 2881, Introduced 9/29/95, Agreed To In Senate By Voice Vote 9/29/03)
The 1% Calculation Ignores Other Kerry Proposals. “But Bush appears to be wrong when he said the proposed Kerry cut – about 1 percent of the overall intelligence budget for those years – would have ‘gutted’ intelligence.” (Walter Pincus and Dana Milbank, “Bush Exaggerates Kerry's Position On Intelligence Budget,” The Washington Post, 3/12/04)
If You Total All Of Kerry’s Proposed Cuts That Would Have Been In Effect For That Fiscal Year, 1996, They Total At Least 5% Of Intelligence Budget. (S. Amdt. 1452, Introduced 2/9/94; Sen. Dennis DeConcini [D-AZ], Congressional Record, 2/10/94, p. S1360; S. 1290, Introduced 9/29/95; U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, “Statement By The Director Of Central Intelligence Regarding The Disclosure Of The Aggregate Intelligence Budget For Fiscal Year 1998,” Press Release, 3/20/98; “Intelligence Funding Remains Intact,” CQ Almanac, 1996, p. 9-19)
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Cool Beans. I'd love to be able to send out our message without being an HTML expert.
Count me in! My e-mail address is DavisMarkS@aol.com.
Yes, it is pathetic in the extreme. Thank goodness the internet isn't partisan, and we, here, can pass it on, not to mention all of the other people on the RNC's very extensive email list.
Thank you so much for posting all of the information you receive.
Everything John Kerry says is deplorable.
Wonder what the Spaniards think of Kerry now?I'm sure they are impressed ! .... (NOT !)
We are winning ~ the bad guys are losing ~ trolls, terrorists, democrats and the mainstream media are sad ~ very sad!
WFTR
Bill
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