Lynn C. Woolsey: “In the current budget debate, I often hear from my Republican colleagues that everything should be on the table. By that…”

“In the current budget debate, I often hear from my Republican colleagues that everything should be on the table. By that they usually mean every domestic program that helps working families make ends meet should be on the table. But if everything is really on the table, that has to include expensive weapons systems that have failed to contribute to our national security, like the V-22 Osprey aircraft. That's why I'm offering this amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which will eliminate funding for the V-22 Osprey aircraft. The Osprey's mishaps have become practically the stuff of legend. It's a poster child for the excesses and inefficiencies of the military industrial complex. Its safety record is abysmal. Thirty Americans have been killed during V-22 training exercises. Most recently, Madam Chair, during a public demonstration in New York last spring, its prop rotors knocked down tree limbs and injured 10 civilian bystanders. The Marine Corps itself has even concluded that leaving the engine idling could generate such high temperatures that the entire flight deck could melt in 10 minutes. In 2009, a GAO report gave the Osprey mediocre marks and questioned its ability to perform all of the functions of the helicopter it's supposed to replace. From its ability to operate in high-threat environments to carrying troops and transporting cargo, the Osprey underperformed across the board.…”