|
National
Missile Defense's Third Time Should NOT Be A Charm!
Taxpayers
Urge Another Defeat For Misguided Senate Legislation
Washington
D.C. - On May 13 and again earlier this week, the U.S. Senate
rightfully rejected legislation, Senate Bill 1873, that would
throw good money after bad in the search for national missile
defense.
The legislation,
sponsored by Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), is similar to another
bill that was projected by the Congressional Budget Office to
take decades to develop while costing taxpayers more than $150
billion. With the deadline looming for Congress to complete
essential spending legislation, Senate Majority Leader Trent
Lott (R-MS) has promised to consider the twice-defeated bill
again as early as tomorrow.
Ralph DeGennaro,
Executive Director of Taxpayers for Common Sense, said, "The
nation would be better served if Senator Lott would forget this
license to waste and complete the important appropriations process
already at hand." He continued, "The National Missile
Defense program is a failure and will cost billions of taxpayer
dollars before we even know if it can work. This development
process is fatally flawed since it will still leave Americans
at risk from international terrorists and rouge nations."
Military
experts - including the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation's
highest-ranking military officials - have argued that this legislation
should be defeated. It would add to the tens of billions already
squandered on failed systems like THAAD. The THAAD program (Theater
High Altitude Area Defense) has been plagued by high profile
failures that have proven it ineffective. In its last five test
launches alone, the missile defense system has not been able
to destroy its intended target.
Taxpayers
for Common Sense urges a reasoned approach that uses sound research
and analysis to determine what would produce the best results
for defending America. Such an approach should include a more
efficient and effective intelligence gathering system for accurate
threat assessments and long-term diplomatic programs to control
the proliferation of weapons around the globe. |
