Politics

President Pushes Defense Budget

April 28, 2001 / 12:45 PM EDT / AP

President George W. Bush appealed Saturday for congressional passage of his 2002 defense budget, adding a dash of Independence Day patriotism to his argument that lawmakers must not neglect “the outstanding people who serve and protect us all” in the military.

In his weekly radio address, Bush said the $32.6 billion increase he is seeking for the Defense Department is sorely needed to improve training, readiness and quality of life for U.S. troops. “For too many years, our strength has dwindled,” he said.

Noting the July Fourth holiday in honor of American independence, Bush said the soldiers of today are sorely underpaid for holding up the same principles as those who gave or risked their lives more than 200 years ago in Revolutionary War battles.

“We owe them the same appreciation that we feel for the soldiers of Bunker Hill, Valley Forge and Yorktown,” Bush said. “We owe them fair salaries, first-class health benefits and decent housing.”

Bush's proposal has met skepticism on Capitol Hill. Many lawmakers say it lacks support for grand-scale modernization efforts the president has promised, and that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld blindsided them with some of his proposed cuts — in B-1B bombers flown by Air National Guard units, in MX nuclear missiles and in military bases.

Bush didn't provide details on his priorities Saturday, beyond “better pay, better housing and better health care for our armed forces.” The rest, he said, must await completion of Rumsfeld's top-to-bottom review of the armed forces.

“It's time for fresh thinking and rapid change in our national defense, to prepare for challenges that are changing just as quickly,” Bush said. “One thing will never change: The quality and dedication of the men and women who wear America's uniform. ... My budget priorities reflect the pride I feel in the outstanding people who serve and protect us all.”

The administration has proposed a $328.9 billion Pentagon budget for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1. It represents a $32.6 billion increase over this year's budget and is $18.4 billion more than Bush had proposed in February.

Rumsfeld told a congressional committee Friday that the extra billions will go almost entirely to fixing problems of the past rather than investing in a military of the future.