Sherrod Brown on National Security - Missile Defense

The Brown Record on National Security:

Brown Has Voted At Least FORTY-ONE TIMES Against Defense Spending Bills During His Time In Congress. (Initial Passage + Conference Reports)

Brown Voted Against Conference Reports On Defense Bills At Least 15 Times Since 1993.

Brown Was In the Minority Of His Own Party On Six Of These Fifteen Votes

Brown Missed Votes on Four Defense Conference Reports Since 1993.

In Addition, Brown Voted Against EVERY Major Defense Spending Bill For Fiscal Year 1998.

Brown Voted At Least TEN Times To Cut Funding For Intelligence During The Time Between The First Attack On The World Trade Center And September 11th, 2001.

Brown Also Voted Against At Least TWO Times Against Final Conference Reports on Intelligence Budgets Since 1993, And Against At Least FOUR Defense Appropriations Conference Reports Containing Intelligence Funding.

Brown Voted At Least TWELVE Times To Cut Funding For Ballistic Missile Defense, Beginning In 1993.

Brown Voted At Least SIX Times Against Policies To Deploy Ballistic Missile Defense Systems.

Brown Voted At Least THREE Other Times Against Ballistic Missile Defense Programs

Brown Would Not Even Congratulate The U.S. Military And Defense Contractors For A Successful Missile Interception Test In 2001

Over The Last Nine Years, The Subcommittee On Asia And The Pacific Has Held At Least Thirteen Meetings Or Markups On North Korea But Brown Skipped ALL Of Them Except ONE.

In Light of the North Korean Threat...

The News That North Korea Will Test A Nuclear Weapon Is A Stark Reminder Of The Threats Facing The United States Today

North Korea Announced That It Would Conduct Its First Nuclear Test, Which Would Confirm To The World That It Possesses Nuclear Weapons. “North Korea declared Tuesday that it would conduct a nuclear test to bolster its defenses against the United States, raising tensions in the region and marking the communist government’s first unambiguous pledge to prove it has become a nuclear power. . . . A test would be a ‘very provocative act,’ Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said during a visit to Cairo. It would create a ‘qualitatively different situation on the Korean Peninsula’ that would spill over into the entire region, she said.” (Anthony Faiola and Dafna Linzer, “N. Korea Pledges Nuclear Test,” The Washington Post, October 4, 2006)

The North Korean Test Followed The Rouge Country’s Defiant Test Of A Long-Range Missile In July. “North Korea announced Tuesday that it would conduct a nuclear test in the face of what it claimed was ‘the U.S. extreme threat of a nuclear war.’. . . The North regularly uses the United States as a foil, and has used similar language in the past. The latest threat may carry more weight, however, because it follows the test-firing of seven missiles in July, including one believed to be capable of reaching the United States.” (Anne Gearan, “Rice: Nuclear Test A ‘Provocative Act,’” The Associated Press, October 3, 2006)

But Sherrod Brown Has Consistently Opposed Missile Defense Systems That Would Help Protect The U.S. From North Korean Aggression

Missile Defense Votes

Brown Voted At Least TWELVE Times To Cut Funding For Ballistic Missile Defense, Beginning In 1993. (H. Con. Res. 95, CQ Vote #85: Rejected 134-292: R 1-225; D 132-67; I 1-0, March 17, 2005, Brown voted Yea; H. Con. Res. 393, CQ Vote #88: Rejected 119-302: R 0-220; D 118-82; I 0-1, March 25, 2004, Brown voted Yea; H.R. 4546, CQ Vote #157: Motion rejected 193-223: R 2-210; D 190-12; I 1-1, May 10, 2002, Brown voted Yea; H.R. 4546, CQ Vote # 145: Rejected 159-253: R 2-206; D 156-46; I 1-1, May 9, 2002, Brown voted Yea; H.R. 3610, CQ Vote #246, Rejected 190-208: R 30-189; D 159-19; I 1-0, June 13, 1996, Brown voted Yea; H.R. 3230, CQ Vote #173: Motion rejected 185-240: R 2-228; D 182-12; I 1-0, May 15, 1996, Brown voted Yea; H.R. 1530, CQ Vote #384: Motion rejected 188-239: R 2-227; D 185-12; I 1-0, June 15, 1995, Brown voted Yea; H.R. 1530, CQ Vote #374: Rejected 178-250: R 9-220; D 168-30; I 1-0, June 14, 1995, Brown voted Yea; H.R. 4301, CQ Vote #179: Rejected in the Committee of the Whole 155-271: R 15-160; D 139-111; I 1-0, May 18, 1994, Brown voted Yea; H.R. 3400, CQ Vote #610: Rejected in the Committee of the Whole 184-248: R 33-139; D 150-109; I 1-0, November 22, 1993, Brown voted Yea; H.R. 2401, CQ Vote #414: Rejected in the Committee of the Whole 202-227: R 16-156; D 185-71; I 1-0, September 8, 1993, Brown voted Yea; H.R. 2401, CQ Vote #412: Rejected in the Committee of the Whole 160-272: R 6-167; D 153-105; I 1-0, September 8, 1993, Brown voted Yea)

Brown Voted At Least SIX Times Against Policies To Deploy Ballistic Missile Defense Systems. (H.R. 4, CQ Vote #144: Motion agreed to (thus clearing the bill for the president) 345-71: R 213-1; D 132-69; I 0-1, May 20, 1999, Brown voted Nay; H.R. 4, CQ Vote #59: Passed 317-105: R 214-2; D 103-102; I 0-1, March 18, 1999, Brown voted Nay; H.R. 4276, CQ Vote #400: Adopted 240-188: R 220-4; D 20-183; I 0-1, August 5, 1998, Brown voted Nay; H.R. 1530, CQ Vote #865: Adopted 267-149: R 209-17; D 58-131; I 0-1, December 15, 1995, Brown voted Nay; H.R. 7, CQ Vote #138: Adopted 221-204: R 218-10; D 3-193; I 0-1, February 15, 1995, Brown voted Nay; H.R. 7, CQ Vote #135: Adopted 320-110: R 227-1; D 93-108; I 0-1, February 15, 1995, Brown voted Nay)

Brown Voted At Least THREE Other Times Against Ballistic Missile Defense Programs (H.R. 5122, CQ Vote #142: Rejected 124-301: R 6-221; D 117-80; I 1-0, May 11, 2006, Brown voted Yea; H.R. 7, CQ Vote #137: Rejected 206-223: R 12-216; D 193-7; I 1-0, February 15, 1995, Brown voted Yea; H.R. 7, CQ Vote #136: Adopted 218-212: R 24-205; D 193-7; I 1-0, February 15, 1995, Brown voted Yea)

Brown Would Not Even Congratulate The U.S. Military And Defense Contractors For A Successful Missile Interception Test In 2001:

Missile Test – Adoption. “Hunter, R-Calif., motion to suspend the rules and adopt the resolution (H Res 195) that would honor the U.S. military and defense contractors for its successful July 14, 2001, missile interceptor test. Note: A two-thirds majority of those present and voting (266 in this case) is required for adoption under suspension of the rules.” (H. Res. 195, CQ Vote #230: Motion agreed to 321-77: R 207-2; D 113-75; I 1-0, July 17, 2001, Brown voted Nay)