1997 Congressional Floor Debate

General Matters

• The Report of Activities of the House Committee on National Security, January 2.

• Sen. Glenn spoke on the 27th Anniversary of the NPT, March 5.

• Rep. Dellums has a defense budget plan, inserted into the Record on March 13.
• Sen. Sessions, on April 25, expressed his concerns over the Chemical Weapons Convention and thought the ABM Treaty was "outmoded."
• On May 14, Senators debated Condition 9 to the CFE (Conventional Forces in Europe) Flank Document Agreement, adopted by the Committee on Foreign Relations during consideration of the Treaty during the previous week. (See the text for Conditions 8 [regarding the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty] and 9.) Condition 9 stipulated that the President would have to seek the "advice and consent" of the Senate for the multilateralization of the ABM Treaty. Some Senators supported the CFE Flank Agreement, but still had reservations about Condition 9. For those who supported Condition 9, see the arguments of Senators Cochran, Helms, Hagel, Hutchison, Kyl, Lott, Smith, Shelby, Thurmond, and Warner.
  For those who opposed Condition 9, see the arguments of Senators Dodd, Daschle, Feinstein, Kerry, and Levin. The resolution of ratification, including Condition 9, was agreed to during Rollcall Vote #67.
• On May 19, Secretary of Defense Cohen released the QDR (Quadrennial Defense Review), outlining the Pentagon's plans for the next four years. Senator Coats had questions about financing a national missile defense and Senator Leiberman believed the Pentagon should have focused the QDR on preparing for future high-tech wars.
• DEFINING A CONSERVATIVE APPROACH TO DEFENDING THE WEST Remarks by Senator Jon Kyl at the First International Conservative Congress--September 28, 1997 (Senate - October 01, 1997)
• DASCHLE -- REDUCING THE RISK OF UNAUTHORIZED OR ACCIDENTAL LAUNCH OF BALLISTIC MISSILES (Senate - November 09, 1997)

Missile Threats

• House Speaker Gingrich, on April 9, appealed for the development of a missile defense system to protect against threats from Iran.
• Rep. Solomon, on April 23, argued for the implementation of the Gore-McCain Act in light of allegations of Chinese and Russian missile transfers to Iran. He also inserted into the Record an article by Bill Gertz on Russian missile transfers to Iran.
• On the same day, Rep. Traficant expressed a concern over the Administration's relations with China and Russia and those countries' dealings with Iran.
• Another resolution on missiles to Iran was submitted on 05 May, this time by Sen. Snowe. Senate Concurrent Resolution 25 condemned the Russian Federation for "continuing to implement a commercial agreement to provide Iran with nuclear technology that could assist that country in its development of nuclear weapons."
• Senator Levin supported the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998 because it required the examination of potential missile threats by terrorists (excerpt).
• On July 16, Sen. Glenn spoke in opposition to foreign assistance to Pakistan, citing Islamabad's desire of a nuclear arsenal.

Foreign Relations Authorization Act

• On June 4, Rep. Engel offered an amendment to the Foreign Relations Authorization Act which would level sanctions against Syria, in part, because it has loaded chemical weapons onto SCUD-type ballistic missiles.
• On June 10, Rep. Gilman expressed opposition to the Rohrabacher Amendment, which would deny assistance to Russia if it transfers to China the SSN-22, a supersonic sea skimmer missile. Gilman wanted the Amendment to include a Hyde National Security Waiver, which would allow the President to waive a restriction on aiding Russia if it is found to be in the national security interest of the US.
• Rep. Harman, on June 10, said the Rohrabacher Amendment might have the opposite of its intended effects and encourage Russia to transfer missile technology to other countries.
• Also on June 10, Rep. Rohrabacher encouraged other Representatives to support his Amendment.
• On the same day, Rep. Wexler argued against the Rohrabacher Amendment, citing its rigidness.
• On June 11, Rep. Rohrabacher urged the House to support his Amendment that would deny assistance to Russia if it transfers an SS-N-22 missile system to China. The Amendment was agreed to in Roll Call Vote No. 200 with a vote of 225 for the Amendment and 190 against it. (Later, Rep. Forbes added his vote in favor of the Amendment.)

Bennett Amendment, No. 392 Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act

• On June 17, Senator Helms hailed the introduction of the Bennett Amendment, No. 392 to the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1997. The Amendment urged, among other things, that President Clinton impose sanctions on governments that transfer missile technology to countries unfriendly toward the US.
• After Senator Helm's introduction, Senator Bennett introduced his Amendment on the same day. Read the section on Iranian missiles.
• On June 17, the Senate held Roll Call Vote No. 103, resulting in 94 "yaes" for Bennett Amendment No. 392.(Senator Johnson also would have voted "yes" to the Amendment had he been present.)
• On June 18, Senator Kyl rose in support of the Bennett Amendment to the State Department Authorization Bill, which, in part, urged the administration to enforce the Gore-McCain Iran-Iraq Nonproliferation Act of 1992.

S. 495 Chemical and Biological Threat Reductions Act of 1997

• Updates on ballistic missile defense programs were requested in the Chemical and Biological Threat Reductions Act of 1997 (S. 495), which passed in the Senate (53 to 44) on April 17. See the missile defense excerpts of this Bill, sponsored by Sen. Kyl.

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998 - House

• As part of consideration for the Defense Authorization Act, the sense of Congress was expressed regarding the Yamantau Mountain project in Russia. Some members of Congress believe the project could be a new strategic missile command. Consequently, the issue has been used to bolster arguments for a national missile defense in the US.
• Section 1203 of the Defense Authorization Act calls for a report on Chinese military developments, with close attention paid to missile developments in that country.
• On June 19, Rep. Dellums expressed his support for the Nunn-Lugar funds that helped dismantle Russian missiles but expressed his disapproval of the push for more spending on missile defenses in the US (excerpt).
• Rep. Goss, on June 19, discussed his reasons for putting tighter controls on technology transfer to China and Russia.
• Also on June 19. Rep. Spence discussed the previous transfers of US supercomputers to China and how those computers could be used for nuclear warheads research. Spence wants to ensure that the US government would be able to restrict such transfers if they contribute to security threats.
• On June 19, Rep. Vento took issue with the House Defense Authorization Bill, arguing that it allocated too much money for missile defense and yet decreased spending for the Nunn-Lugar program that funds Russia to dismantle its missiles.
• On June 20, Rep. Luther along with Rep. Ramstad, offered an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill to terminate further production of the Trident D-5 submarine launched ballistic missile, and instead rely on the C-4 missile to save money.
• On June 20, Rep. Dicks opposed the Luther-Ramstad Amendment, saying that D-5 missiles must be produced to replace the C-4s to ensure US security and Russia's incentives to ratify START II.
• On the same day, Rep Dellums rose in support of the Luther-Ramstad Amendment.
• Rep. Hunter, on June 20, said the Luther-Ramstad Amendment would not save money and the Amendment could harm Russia's approval of START II.
• Rep. Hansen also opposed the Luther-Ramstad Amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill.
• Rep. Rivers, however, supported cutting the D-5 program.
• Later on June 20, Rep. Luther again summed up his reasons for submitting his Amendment on the D-5 ballistic missile.
• Rep. Weldon submitted a list of quotes by Clinton Administration officials regarding nuclear missile threats- - "One Hundred Thirty And Counting: President Clinton Assures Us No Nuclear Missile Threat Exists." Weldon submitted an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill, forcing the President to verify that no Russian missiles are pointed at the US. The House passed the Amendment. See Roll Call Vote No. 223.

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998 - Senate

COOPERATIVE THREAT REDUCTION

• Sen. Lugar proposed an amendment on July 7 to restore full funding to the Cooperative Threat Reduction programs.
• On that same day, Sen. Domenici spoke in support of restoring funds to the Cooperative Threat Reduction programs.
• AMENDMENT NO. 658 TO INCREASE (WITH OFFSETS) THE FUNDING, AND TO IMPROVE THE AUTHORITY, FOR COOPERATIVE THREAT REDUCTION PROGRAMS AND RELATED DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY PROGRAMS (Senate - July 07, 1997)
• LEVIN AMENDMENT NO. 658 to restore $60 million to the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program (Senate - July 09, 1997)
• Amendment No. 607 LIMITATION ON USE OF COOPERATIVE THREAT REDUCTION FUNDS FOR DESTRUCTION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS (Senate - July 09, 1997)

COMPUTER EXPORT CONTROLS

• Cochran/Durbin AMENDMENT NO. 420 to require a license to export computers with composite theoretical performance equal to or greater than 2,000 million theoretical operations per second (Senate - June 19, 1997)
• Cochran/Durbin AMENDMENT NO. 420 (Senate - June 20, 1997)
• Grams AMENDMENT NO. 422 substitute for the Cochran amendment, to require the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on the availability and potential risks relating to the sale of certain computers (Senate - June 20, 1997)
• Also on July 7, Sen. Cochran argued in support of his amendment to restrict the exporting of high-performance computers which could be utilized in weapons production. To reinforce his argument, Cochran requested that three reviews be placed in the Congressional Record: a chart of countries which have supercomputers, a DCI report outlining weapon technology acquisition by country, and a St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial.
• AMENDMENT NO. 420 (Senate - July 07, 1997)
• AMENDMENT NO. 420 (Senate - July 09, 1997)
• Grams amendment No. 422 The amendment (No. 422) was agreed to. The amendment (No. 420), as amended, was agreed to. (Senate - July 10, 1997)
• On July 10, Sen. Cochran and Sen. Grams debated the Grams/Boxer amendment No. 422 which is a less restrictive alternative to the Cochran amendment to ban the sale of selected dual-use supercomputers. Letters by Secretary of Defense Cohen, National Security Advisor Berger, and Secretary of Commerce Daley were entered into the Congressional Record. For results on the amendment, see the Roll Call vote.

• On July 11, Sen. Thurmond spoke on behalf of the Bingaman amendment which requires that by March 31, 1998, the President submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the Helsinki joint statement on future reductions in nuclear forces.
• GRAMS - DOD AUTHORIZATION BILL CONFERENCE REPORT (Senate - October 30, 1997)

S. Res. 82 C-802 CRUISE MISSILES

• On May 5, Sen. Bennett (for himself, and on behalf of Senators D'Amato, Helms, Dodd, Ashcroft, Hutchison, and Brownback) submitted Resolution 82 to "urge the Clinton Administration to enforce the provisions of the Iran-Iraq Arms Non-Proliferation Act of 1992 with respect to the acquisition by Iran of C-802 cruise missiles." Sen. Bennett included a letter he sent to Secretary of State Albright on April 17. The Resolution was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
• On May 12, Senator Smith requested that his name be added as a cosponsor of Senate Resolution 82.
• On May 23, Senator Bennett requested that the names of Senators Graham, Thompson, DeWine, Hutchinson, McConnell, and Inhofe be added as cosponsors to Senate Resolution 82. This Resolution urged the President to enforce the Iran-Iraq Arms Non-Proliferation Act of 1992.

H. Res. 188 Regarding the Acquisition by Iran of C-802 Cruise Missiles

• Rep. Gilman introduced House Resolution 188, which requires the Executive Branch to take action against China for providing Iran with C-802 cruise missiles.
• GILMAN -- INTRODUCING HOUSE RESOLUTION 188 URGING THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH TO TAKE ACTION REGARDING THE ACQUISITION BY IRAN OF C-802 CRUISE MISSILES (Extension of Remarks - July 17, 1997)
• URGING EXECUTIVE BRANCH TO TAKE ACTION REGARDING ACQUISITION BY IRAN OF C-802 CRUISE MISSILES (House of Representatives - November 06, 1997)

H.R. 2709 Iran Missile Proliferation Sanctions Act of 1997

• Also on June 17, Senator Bennett entered four articles into the Record, all of which warned of the Iranian missile threat and China's transfer of missile technology to the country.
  • "Cohen Says Iran Testing Missile," Associated Press
  • "Iran Tests Air-Launched Cruise Missile," United Press International US & World
  • "Cohen: Iran Has Tested Air-Launched Cruise Missile," COMTEX Newswire
  • "US Says Not Headed Toward Clash with Iran," Reuters World Report
• JANE HARMAN -- SANCTIONS ON RUSSIAN ENTITIES (Extension of Remarks - July 22, 1997)
• STRICKLAND -- SUPPORT HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 121, REGARDING PROLIFERATION OF MISSILE TECHNOLOGY FROM RUSSIA TO IRAN (House of Representatives - July 31, 1997)
• GILMAN -- IRAN MISSILE PROLIFERATION SANCTIONS ACT, H.R. 2709 (Extension of Remarks - October 23, 1997)
• H.R. 2709, THE IRAN MISSILE PROLIFERATION SANCTIONS ACT OF 1997 (Markup before the House International Relations Committee - October 24, 1997)
• WELDON -- INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 2786 (House of Representatives - October 31, 1997)
• GILMAN -- H.R. 2709, THE IRAN MISSILE PROLIFERATION SANCTION ACT OF 1997 (Extension of Remarks - November 07, 1997)
• IRAN MISSILE PROLIFERATION SANCTIONS ACT OF 1997 (House of Representatives - November 12, 1997)
• OMITTED FROM THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD OF WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1997, DURING CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2709 (House of Representatives - November 13, 1997)
• JANE HARMAN -- IRAN MISSILE PROLIFERATION SANCTIONS ACT OF 1997 (Extension of Remarks - November 13, 1997)

S. 1311, the Iran Missile Proliferation Sanctions Act of 1997
S. Con. Res. 48 Proliferation of Missile Technology from Russia to Iran

• KYL -- SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 48--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING THE PROLIFERATION OF MISSILE TECHNOLOGY FROM RUSSIA TO IRAN (Senate - July 31, 1997)
• DASCHLE -- THE IRAN MISSILE PROLIFERATION SANCTIONS ACT OF 1997 (Senate - October 28, 1997)
• SENSE OF THE CONGRESS REGARDING PROLIFERATION OF MISSILE TECHNOLOGY FROM RUSSIA TO IRAN (Senate - November 04, 1997)
• REGARDING PROLIFERATION OF MISSILE TECHNOLOGY FROM RUSSIA TO IRAN (Senate - November 07, 1997)

US-China Relations

• On April 24, Rep. Traficant was angry with the White House because it has continued to deal with China even though China has sold missiles to Iran.
• Rep. Solomon was leery of the Administration's behavior regarding support for the sale of machine equipment to China that was later used by China for weapons manufacturing. Solomon inserted a relevant article by Jeff Gerth into the Record on April 29.
• On June 3, Rep. Solomon wanted to deny Most-Favored Nation (MFN) trading status to China, in part, because of its alleged missile technology transfers to Pakistan and Iran.
• Senator Torricelli, on June 12, joined the crowd and warned of China's missile-related activities (excerpt).
• On June 16, Rep. Hamilton expressed his support for continuing to grant MFN status to China, despite its missile activities (excerpt).
• Senator Hutchinson, on June 5, rose in opposition to approving MFN trading status to China. See the excerpt that refers to China's missile activities.
• On June 10, Rep. Gilman entered into the Record a paper by Frank Gaffney with the William J. Casey Institute of the Center for Security Policy. Gilman said, "The paper makes the excellent point that: `While MFN is a blunt instrument...it is also the only measure currently on the table that is remotely proportionate to the magnitude of the danger Beijing is creating.'"
• Rep. Solomon, on June 18, entered into the Record a Washington Times article on President Clinton's policy toward China and China's alleged missile technology transfers to other countries.
• Also on June 18, Rep. Pelosi argued against approving MFN for China because of its sales of missiles to Iran.
• On June 19, Rep. Pascrell argued against renewing China's MFN status, citing, among other reasons, China's cooperation with Iran on missile programs (excerpt).
• On June 24, Rep. Delahunt announced his disapproval for MFN status for China, indicating, as one of his reasons, Beijing's illicit weapons sales to Iran, Libya, and Syria.
• Rep. Fowler requested an article by Dr. Steven Breyen and Michael Ledeen about supercomputers and Chinese weapons manufacturing be placed in the Conressional Record.
• Senator Ashcroft offers a testimony about the possible implications that the expansion of the Chinese military places on U.S. security interests.
• DeWINE -- MFN STATUS WITH CHINA (Senate - July 16, 1997)
• BIDEN -- THE CHINA SUMMIT: WHAT KIND OF ENGAGEMENT? (Senate - September 17, 1997)
• BAUCUS -- CHINA TRIP REPORT (Senate - July 30, 1997) Asia Trip Report--Covering Visits to South Korea, Japan, North Korea, Beijing, and Hong Kong, May 24-31, 1997
• PALLONE -- TRANSFER OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY TO CHINA (House of Representatives - October 07, 1997)
• SOLOMON -- CHINA NUCLEAR CERTIFICATION THREATENS UNITED STATES TROOPS (Extension of Remarks - October 08, 1997)
• ASHCROFT -- UNITED STATES-CHINA NUCLEAR COOPERATION (Senate - October 21, 1997)
• ABRAHAM -- UNITED STATES-CHINA RELATIONS (Senate - October 23, 1997)
• SHELBY -- UNITED STATES-CHINA SUMMIT (Senate - October 23, 1997)
• ASHCROFT -- UNITED STATES-CHINA RELATIONS (Senate - October 24, 1997)
• SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 57--EXPRESSING THE POLICY OF CONGRESS (Senate - October 27, 1997)
• HUTCHINSON -- PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN'S STATE VISIT (Senate - October 27, 1997)
• SOLOMON --- JIANG ZEMIN CONQUERS AMERICA -- (BY A.M. ROSENTHAL) (Extension of Remarks - October 29, 1997)
• CHINA'S NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION POLICY -- (BY EDWARD J. MARKEY, BENJAMIN A. GILMAN AND CHRISTOPHER COX) (Extension of Remarks - October 30, 1997)
• ENSURING THAT COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES OF PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY OF CHINA ARE MONITORED (House of Representatives - November 07, 1997)
• SENATE RESOLUTION 149--REGARDING THE STATE VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (Senate - November 08, 1997)