May 13, 1977
Page 14687
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I speak today in support of the military construction authorization bill which the Committee on Armed Services has reported.
First, I extend my congratulations to my friend, the distinguished Senator from Colorado (Mr. HART) , for the effort he has devoted to this important legislative measure. He has brought his first military construction bill before the Senate; he is serving the interests of the Senate and the country well in developing this initial piece of legislation.
S. 1474 proposes an authorization level of $3.7 billion in budget authority. Associated with the bill are a few technical financial adjustments whereby the fiscal year 1978 authorization for new appropriations totals $3.5 billion, or approximately $0.1 billion under the administration's request. Fiscal year 1978 outlays resulting from the bill are slightly above $1.0 billion and less than $30 million over the administration's request.
Mr. President, the Senate has adopted the conference report of the First Budget Resolution for fiscal year 1978. The effect of the military construction authorization, if appropriated at the levels discussed here, would be under the budget request in budget authority, a first step toward achieving the national defense targets accepted by this body in the budget resolution.