[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 92 (Friday, June 24, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1211]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2012

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                               speech of

                     HON. HOWARD P. ``BUCK'' McKEON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 23, 2011

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2219) making 
     appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 2012, and for other purposes:

  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the Fiscal Year 2012 
Defense Appropriations bill. Ensuring that our military receives 
funding for the coming fiscal year is an essential duty of this 
Congress and key to maintaining the capabilities of our Armed Forces. I 
applaud the work of the subcommittee and full committee for considering 
this legislation in regular order. I also give credit to my colleagues 
on the Rules Committee for ensuring that the House has once again 
returned to the days of open rules on appropriations bills, so every 
Member's voice can be heard.
  Furthermore, it is with the utmost appreciation that I commend the 
Appropriations Committee for working in partnership with the Armed 
Services Committee on matters relating to our military. As Chairman of 
the Armed Services Committee, I remain fully committed to providing our 
troops with the resources needed to fulfill their missions. To that 
end, I am pleased to see that this bill provides the full amount of 
funding requested by the President for fiscal year 2012 to fund 
Overseas Contingency Operations, which is essential to achieving 
victory in ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  However, I do have reservations about the cut to the defense base 
budget during a time when we are engaged in several overseas conflicts 
and facing an abundance of emerging threats to our security. Despite 
the fact that our nation's heroes got Osama bin Laden, we are still a 
nation at war--a war that we did not start. Al Qaeda has named bin 
Laden's successor and there is no doubt in anyone's mind that their 
primary goal is to kill Americans.
  I recognize that on a percentage basis, an $8.9 billion cut may not 
seem significant--less than two percent. But two percent is the same 
amount Secretary Gates has been trying desperately to find through 
efficiencies to reinvest in our force structure and modernization 
accounts. We have applauded his efforts and supported his goal. Now, 
unfortunately, this bill would take those dollars away.
  Nevertheless, it is clear that we are experiencing a fiscal crisis 
due to excessive government spending. I fully support ongoing efforts 
to responsibly cut excess spending to put our nation on the path to 
economic recovery and lasting prosperity. There are larger battles 
looming in the days ahead, in which we must tackle monumental issues 
such as the nation's debt ceiling. This is where our focus must be. I 
urge my colleagues to stand united as we move forward to ensure that we 
do not lower military spending to a level which threatens the safety of 
American citizens. To do so would be an investment in the decline of 
our national security.
  Once again, I thank my colleagues for bringing this bill to the 
floor. I believe this bill strikes a reasonable balance of fiscal 
responsibility and providing for our armed services, and will therefore 
oppose amendments that would further reduce the resources available for 
our men and women in uniform and their families. I urge my colleagues 
to join me in supporting the passage of this bill.

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