[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 128 (Friday, July 28, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1079]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018

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                               speech of

                             HON. RON KIND

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 26, 2017

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3219) making 
     appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 2018, and for other purposes:

  Mr. KIND. Mr. Chair, I will vote against H.R. 3219, the Make America 
Secure Appropriations Act, because it is not a responsible way to spend 
taxpayer money. The bill blows through the spending limits in the 
Budget Control Act. Responsible governing means making hard choices and 
spending taxpayer money wisely. This bill did not serve either of those 
goals.
   I am particularly concerned about the $1.57 billion included in this 
bill to pay for the border wall between the United States and Mexico. 
For that much money, we could pay for over 94,000 students to get their 
four-year degrees at a UW-System school. Instead, we are spending that 
money on a project that will only balloon in price and cost even more 
to maintain. We need to make smart decisions about how to spend our 
limited resources. We should be investing in ourselves.
   There are plenty of opportunities to pay for important defense 
priorities by eliminating waste in the Defense Department. In January 
of 2015, the non-partisan Defense Business Board released a report 
outlining opportunities for reform that would save $125 billion in 
defense spending. That report is now collecting dust. That is money we 
could be spending on important defense priorities like troop readiness, 
training, and equipment. This spending bill is another missed 
opportunity at reform.
   Despite voting against the bill, I was happy to see $55 million 
provided to the VA to implement the Jason Simcakoski PROMISE Act. The 
funding will assist in increasing programs to help medical 
professionals and patients understand the risks associated with pain 
medication and examine alternative treatments. This will help address 
the opioid epidemic and give veterans and their families the tools they 
need and the accountability they deserve.
   I understand how important it is to provide ample support for our 
military, which is why I recently voted in favor of the National 
Defense Authorization Act. Supporting the brave men and women who 
defend this nation is of paramount importance. We should not be 
inserting partisan riders into bills that should be bipartisan. I will 
continue to work with my colleagues to support our military and pursue 
fiscally responsible policies that invest in Americans.

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