"With so many Minnesotans from the Sixth Congressional District serving in the armed forces to protect our country from terrorism, it is irresponsible for Michele Bachmann to turn her back on our troops and their families," said Jason Isaacson, Campaign Manager of Maureen Reed's Congressional Campaign. "It's clear that Michele Bachmann has spent too much time away from her district and has chosen to serve the will of Phyllis Schlafly and Bill O'Reilly rather than to make sure our troops are properly equipped to fight Al-Qaeda and the Taliban."
The Defense Bill also included the passage of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Act of 2009 which provides federal assistance to states, local jurisdictions and Indian Tribes to prosecute hate crimes. In 2006, according to the FBI, St. Cloud had reported the largest amount of hate crimes of any city in Minnesota.
"For Michele Bachmann to use ideology as a reason not to support equal opportunity and protections for all citizens shows she is losing touch with her district," said Isaacson. "With cuts in local government aid on top of tough economic times, it makes sense to support measures to keep our communities safe."
Background
•The Conference Report accompanying H.R. 2647, The National Defense Authorization Act of FY2010, will provide significant force protection and troop support measures for the men and women of our Armed Services. [H.R. 2647. #770, 10/8/09].
The measure provides increased funding for Force Protection, including:
•$6.7 billion for mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles;
•$1.3 billion to upgrade Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles; and
•$2.0 billion for improvised explosive device jammers.
•It also provides $28 billion for defense health-care programs and a 3.4% pay increase for military personnel. |
