Sherrod Brown on National Security - North Korean Threat

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.

Brown Missed 92% Of His Subcommittee’s Hearings On North Korea Over The Last Nine Years

Brown Is On The Subcommittee On Asia And The Pacific Of The House Committee On International Relations. (“Subcommittee On Asia And The Pacific,” House Committee On International Relations Website, www.internationalrelations.house.gov/members.asp?committee=asia, Accessed October 13, 2006; Michael Barone and Richard E. Cohen, The Almanac Of American Politics: 2004, 2003, p. 1284; Michael Barone and Richard E. Cohen, The Almanac Of American Politics: 2002, 2001, p. 1223; Michael Barone and Grant Ujifusa, The Almanac Of American Politics: 2000, 1999, p. 1284; Philip D. Duncan and Christine C. Lawrence, Congressional Quarterly’s Politics In America !998, 1997, p. 1146)

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. Brown did not attend hearings or markups of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific on February 26, 1997, July 24, 1997, July 26, 2001, May 2, 2002, April 28, 2004, February 17, 2005, Match 10, 2005, April 28, 2005, July 14, 2005, October 27, 2005, April 27, 2006, and June 29, 2006. Transcripts show Brown did attend a February 13, 2003 subcommittee hearing on North Korea. (“Hearings/Meetings,” House Committee On International Relations Website, wwwc.house.gov/international_relations/hearings.htm, Accessed October 10, 2006; Subcommittee On Asia And the Pacific Records)

Brown Missed 92% Of The Subcommittee Meetings That Were Held On North Korea Since 1997. (“Hearings/Meetings,” House Committee On International Relations Website, wwwc.house.gov/international_relations/hearings.htm, Accessed October 10, 2006; Subcommittee On Asia And The Pacific Records)

Among The Hearings Brown Didn’t Find Important Enough To Attend:

“Engaging The Hermit Kingdom: U.S. Policy Toward North Korea.” (Hearing Before The House Subcommittee On Asia And The Pacific, February 27, 1997)

“North Korea: Humanitarian and Human Rights Concerns.” (Hearing Before The House Subcommittee On Asia And The Pacific, May 2, 2002)

“The North Korean Nuclear Challenge: Is There A Way Forward?” (Hearing Before The House Subcommittee On Asia And The Pacific, February 17, 2005)

“The Korean Peninsula: Six-Party Talks And The Nuclear Issue.” (Hearing Before The House Subcommittee On Asia And The Pacific, March 10, 2005)

“North Korean Nuclear Negotiations: Strategies and Prospects for Success.” (Hearing Before The House Subcommittee On Asia And The Pacific, July 14, 2005)

And The Most Recent Hearing, “North Korean Brinkmanship: Is U.S. Policy Up To The Challenge?” (Hearing Before The House Subcommittee On Asia And The Pacific, June 29, 2006)

Can Sherrod Brown Be Trusted To Face This Emerging Threat? He Didn't Bother To Attend The Meetings, But Voted Against The Missile Defense Programs That Would Improve Our Security...