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Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash) supported passage of H.R. 4546, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003. The bill, which provides approximately $393 billion for the nation's defense programs, was approved by voice vote. It now awaits Senate action before being sent to the president for his approval.

On Sunday November 10, Congressman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Senator John Kerry (D-Mass) will join veterans from across the Puget Sound region in demanding that the president fulfill his promise to America's veterans and see concurrent receipt fully funded.

We also need a system that doesn't simply create vast fields of opportunity for foreign investors, but creates better societies for the people who live there. The reality is that education and health care are central to improving the quality of life for citizens whether they live in Mexico, Thailand or Somalia, and the current international market prescription of low taxes and almost no social spending almost guarantees that people's quality of life will not improve.

Today, the Bush administration announced that the final federal budget deficit for fiscal year 2002 was $159 billion. Excluding the Social Security surplus, the deficit exceeded $300 billion. Just two short years ago, the federal budget had a surplus of over $200 billion. The turnaround under President Bush represents the largest reversal in over 50 years, and means that the federal government will need to borrow over $2 trillion from the Social Security trust funds over the next decade. Rep. Adam Smith issued the following statement on the current state of the American economy:

On Monday November 11, Congressman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) will participate in a panel discussion with distinguished members of the Washington state legal community. Harvard Law Professor Arthur Miller will moderate the discussion presented by the Washington chapter of the American Corporate Counsel Association and the Corporate Law Department Section of the Washington State Bar Association.

This week Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), joined by Rep. George Gekas (R-Pa.), introduced H.R. 5588, the Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act of 2002, to increase penalties on identity theft crimes. The legislation mirrors S. 2541, introduced by Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.), which was developed in coordination with the Justice Department to help law enforcement capture and prosecute serious identity thieves.

Last night, Rep. Adam Smith, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, voted to instruct conferees on the Department of Defense authorization bill to agree to Senate language providing full concurrent receipt for veterans. The Senate approved its version of the defense authorization bill with a provision that would completely eliminate the current offset between military retired pay and VA disability compensation. The House-passed version included partial repeal of the current, unfair policy.

Congressman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) spoke on the House floor today regarding the resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq. The following is a transcription of his remarks:

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of this resolution because I believe that the threat of force is required if we are to have any hope of disarming Saddam Hussein and removing the threat that he presents to our nation and to the world.