[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 72 (Friday, May 18, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E866]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2013

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                               speech of

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 16, 2012

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4310) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2013 for military 
     activities of the Department of Defense, to prescribe 
     military personnel strengths for fiscal year 2013, and for 
     other purposes:

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Chair, I am in opposition to this bill.
  Let me begin by praising our ranking member, the gentleman from 
Washington, Representative Adam Smith. Ranking Member Smith brought 
forward a number of excellent proposals that would have significantly 
improved this bill, especially his effort to eliminate the indefinite 
detention provisions that were included in last year's bill. He also 
supported efforts to rein in excess Pentagon spending by supporting 
Representative Barbara Lee's amendment to trim $8 billion from the 
bill. Had the amendment passed, it would have restored the funding 
level in the bill to what Democrats and Republicans had agreed to in 
this year's Federal budget bill.
  Unfortunately, the majority chose to vote down both of those 
amendments and thus continue a misguided, counterproductive detainee 
policy and still more reckless spending. Moreover, the majority is 
attempting to interfere with the President's ability to negotiate arms 
control agreements with Russia, a potentially unconstitutional action. 
Additionally, this bill continues to fund Cold War legacy weapon 
systems like the F 35 and V 22 which we neither need nor can afford. 
Indeed, it's worth remembering that if we proceed with the procurement 
of the F 35, that program will cost taxpayers in excess of $400 
billion--$50 billion more than the entire defense budget was a decade 
ago. We need to think anew about how best to defend our country, not 
continue to buy weapons to deter a Soviet Union that ceased to exist 
over 20 years ago.
  Finally, this bill continues the deadly folly that is the war in 
Afghanistan, now the longest war in our country's history. There is no 
good reason for us still to be involved in combat operations in 
Afghanistan. We invaded Afghanistan to get Osama bin Laden and his key 
lieutenants--the men who were responsible for the 9/11 attacks on our 
Nation. Last year, President Obama authorized the operation that 
eliminated bin Laden. The chief planner of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid 
Sheik Mohammed, has been in our custody for years. The Al Qaeda we went 
to war with in 2001 effectively no longer exists, and thus the reason 
we sent our troops to Afghanistan no longer exists, which is why they 
should come home now but won't, thanks to this misguided bill. It is 
for all these reasons that I will vote against this bill.

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