"Although the conferees had some tense moments negotiating the Depot maintenance and base closure issue, I'm glad to see they worked out a compromise so that we can pass the bill," said Smith. "The legislation provides an important pay and allowance raise for our servicemen and servicewomen, authorizes Hanford cleanup funding, and makes important progress towards leap- ahead modernization of our military."

The bill provides a 2.8 percent pay increase for 1998 and increases the family separation allowance, two changes Smith fought for throughout the committee process. It ads an additional $306 million over the President's request for construction and renovation of family and troop housing. Smith also worked to fund a new medical clinic at Fort Lewis, which is included in the legislation.

"Since we have an all-volunteer military, we must make sure that the military is an attractive career choice for young Americans," Smith said. "Towards that end, Congress must provide competitive pay, honest benefits and top-notch services for the men and women serving our country."

Smith's efforts to restore funding for critical Hanford nuclear plant cleanup projects also paid off. The Tank Waste Remediation System privatization project was not funded at all in the committee's original report, but Rep. Smith succeeding in restoring $71 million to the project. The conferees further increased the funding to a total of $224 for total privatization projects, and Hanford privatization project funding should be adequate at $110 million.

At the last minute, Smith worked with the Washington delegation to successfully reverse proposed budget cuts which would have required laying off 220 at Hanford and slowed work in demolishing old nuclear reactors along the Columbia River. Rep. Adam Smith worked to add $5 million from the DOE closure account, a fund created to accelerate the terminus of projects, that will be used to immediately rollover demolition work to another reactor, thus avoiding the planned layoffs and associated costs that are in excess of $8 million.

"Despite these successes, I'm still very concerned about this Congress's commitment to environmental cleanup projects," said Smith. "The National Security committee was not going to fund the Tank Waste Remediation System cleanup project at all, and it was a real struggle to get those dollars restored. The overall funding level for environmental management projects is $1.2 billion less than what the President requested."

The legislation also invests in leap-ahead technology and modernization, says Smith. "I am very supportive of the funding levels for tactical air programs, such as the F-22 and the Joint Strike Fighter Program," Smith said. "These are cost-effective, smart investments to modernize our military."

Smith is also supportive of the $183 million designated for the development of landmine clearing technologies. "I have worked on this issue since I was appointed to the National Security Committee, because I feel it's very important to be able to clear landmines so that innocent civilians are not killed or maimed," Smith said. 

However, Smith says he is concerned about the $18.7 million cut from the President's request for non-proliferation and arms control. "Since the Cold War ended, one of the biggest threats to our national security has been the chaotic proliferation of weapons and our uncertainty about where many of the former Soviet nuclear weapons have gone," Smith explained. "Funding for arms control and non-proliferation programs is critical to ensure that weapons do not get into the wrong hands, costing us much more in the long run."

Despite these concerns, Smith will support the conference report today. "It provides a much- deserved pay raise for the men and women serving our country, authorizes Hanford cleanup funding, provides funding for landmine clearing activities, and invests in leap-ahead technology," he said.