Ken Calvert: “Since defense was brought up, I'm happy to defend our national defense. I rise in strong support of the FY 13 Republican…”

“Since defense was brought up, I'm happy to defend our national defense. I rise in strong support of the FY 13 Republican budget. It's a responsible budget that recognizes that we cannot continue on our current fiscal trajectory. It also acknowledges the importance of a strong defense. Let's not forget: we're still a Nation at war. We have 90,000 combat forces deployed in Afghanistan as we're sitting here, and while we have no intention of staying there indefinitely, we must ensure that our troops have the equipment and support they need to accomplish the mission. We must also ensure that promises made to our veterans are kept. We have emerging threats and turmoil across the globe. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dempsey told us during a hearing on the defense budget that this is the most dangerous time that he has experienced in his long, decorated career, which is 38 years. This is not a time for further cuts, which can fundamentally destabilize and increase the risk to our forces and the ability to secure the homeland. The President's budget provides the bare minimum for our forces for FY 2013, and would devastate them in latter years, with a planned $487 billion in cuts over 10 years. The GOP budget ensures that Congress fulfills the constitutional requirement for a strong national defense.…”