On the recordFebruary 15, 2011
Let me begin by thanking Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Dicks for the hard work that they did on the Defense appropriations bill. It was yeoman's work in difficult and challenging fiscal times to present a defense budget that makes sense for America. And there is no one who's come to Congress as a Member of this new freshman class who believes more strongly in making sure we have a strong national defense. It's for that reason that I move to reduce spending in that budget by $502 million with the amendment that I am proposing. This $502 million is spread among various procurement and research and innovation programs, and it is money that was not requested by the Department of Defense. This $502 million could certainly go to some program that they had asked for, but it's in a place that used to be reserved for earmarks. There is no particular program to which this $502 million is attributed. It goes assertedly for innovation. But we all know that innovation occurs in the private sector. And that's what this new majority is about. It's wrong to add $500 million to our deficit for a series of programs with no particular purpose except for the needs of businesses that once survived on those very earmarks.
