FROM: SPEAKER'S PRESS OFFICE
UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WASHINGTON, DC 20515
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 23 MARCH 1997
CONTACT: CHRISTINA MARTIN - 202-225-2800
(Elemdorf Air Force Base, Alaska)-- House Speaker Newt Gingrich, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bob Livingston, and Congressman Chris Cox released the following joint statement today:
"President Clinton has reached an agreement with Russia that will halt the development of the most effective possible ballistic missile defense. If allowed to stand, this agreement will place the lives of our brave fighting men and women -- and ultimately millions of Americans -- in jeopardy.
"An effective missile defense is a matter of life and death. We are morally obligated to protect our troops by giving them the best technology that science has to offer. And our obligation extends across the globe -- to the Arabian peninsula, Israel, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.
"Scientists and engineers, not Washington lawyers and State Department Bureaucrats, should determine the speed and the accuracy of our missile defenses with one goal: protecting the lives of Americans and our allies. We must protect American cities from accidental or erratic use of ICBMs by other countries not bound by this bilateral agreement.
"We will stand resolute in our committment to protect our country, our people, and our global neighbors who share our values of democracy and freedom. We are truly disappointed that President Clinton has chosen the false security of diplomats and lawyers over the long-term safety of the American people.
"We cannot allow this deliberate weakening of our national defense, nor a dangerous reliance on hollow arms control agreements, to continue to threaten our men and women in uniform, our allies, and ultimately, our country."
-Congressman Newt Gingrich (R-GA)
-Speaker of the House
-Congressman Bob Livingston (R-LA)
-Congressman Chris Cox (R-CA)