Speaker appoints Thornberry to defense committee

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) was appointed last week as a Conference Committee Member for the FY 2002 Defense Authorization Act.

This marks the fourth year in a row that Thornberry has been named to the Conference Committee. He was appointed by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert.

The Conference Committee is comprised of a select group of members from the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. The purpose of the Committee is to resolve differences in the House and Senate versions of the FY 2002 Defense Authorization Act, which passed each chamber earlier this year.

The final version that is ultimately agreed to by members of the Conference Committee will be voted on by both houses of Congress and, if approved, sent to the President for his signature.

“Providing a defense bill with the proper resources, facilities, pay, and benefits for our Nation’s military men and women is vitally important,” Thornberry said.

“It has been made even more important this year since the September 11 attacks. As a member of this Committee, I will work to ensure that our military’s needs are met while pushing for important investments in our area, as well.

“As we wage the war against terrorism, it is critical that we provide our troops with the tools, training, and resources to get the job done. We have the strongest and smartest military in the history of the world. We’ve got to keep it that way, which, in my mind, is one of the top goals of this bill.”

The House passed its version of the 2002 Defense Authorization Act on September 25. The bill included a number of proposals pushed for by Thornberry including $45.2 million for construction of three new facilities at Sheppard Air Force Base, an extra $40 million for infrastructure improvements at Pantex, and $1.5 billion for the purchase of 12 V-22 Ospreys and related research and development.

It also included increases in military pay, steps to help strengthen the security of our satellites and other assets in space, and $400 million in new funding for the Defense Department to combat terrorists.

Additionally, the bill makes fighting terrorism a national security mission.

The final version of the FY 2002 Defense Authorization Act is expected to be voted on this month.