Political Quotes

“Last year, this body, in the FY13 Defense authorization bill, specifically prohibited the Department of Defense from using any taxpayer funds to purchase Russian-built Mi-17 helicopters for the Afghan Special Mission Wing. Our reasoning was simple: the Russian export company involved in the deal, Rosoboronexport, had an established track record for aiding our adversaries, having supplied both Iran and Syria with advanced weaponry in the years prior. However, despite our entirely reasonable objections to using taxpayer dollars to fund our enemies, the Department of Defense was intent on circumventing the will of Congress. The language of the bill prohibited the use of FY13 funding. DOD responded by using any unobligated FY12 funds, circumventing the will of Congress as expressed in a law we passed and the President signed. On June 16 of this year, DOD awarded a $553.8 million contract to Rosoboronexport for the purchase of 30 brand-new Mi-17 helicopters. Last month, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, released an audit of the Afghan Special Mission Wing, and their findings were shocking. The very first sentence of the audit reads: The Afghans lack the capacity--in both personnel numbers and expertise--to operate and maintain the existing and planned SMW fleets.…”