Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Lee-Pocan amendment No. 13 to cut $100 billion from the fiscal 2023 Defense Authorization Act. The amendment is structured so that this cut would not reduce pay or benefits for uniformed and civilian personnel or their families. I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Pocan), my cosponsor and co-chair of the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus. I also thank Chairman Smith and Chairman McGovern for their support to permit us to bring this amendment to the floor. Mr. Speaker, this House again stands poised to pour over $800 billion into a defense establishment that is unauditable, unaccountable, and does little to answer the biggest threats to the safety and the welfare of our people. The Pentagon is the only--mind you, the only--Federal department that has never passed an audit. And, yes, I worked to get a requirement that DOD pass an audit written into permanent law a couple of years ago with the help of my friend and colleague, Chairman Smith, and also our colleague, Dr. Burgess. And yet, still, the Pentagon says it won't be able to pass an audit for almost another decade. What is this about? It is really a shame and disgrace. It is not hard to find places to cut at the Pentagon. In fact, last year, Senator Sanders commissioned a Congressional Budget Office study that detailed various scenarios for how we could save $100 billion per year without compromising American security.…”