Mr. President, this motion represents what we have heard from the Secretary of Defense and all of our uniformed leaders in the military who are saying that we should budget appropriately, put long- term defense needs in the base budget--$534 billion--and reserve OCO for what it was intended to be--overseas operations. But because of the Budget Control Act, we are using OCO as the device to avoid real budgeting and giving the Department of Defense the real long-term resources it needs. Not only does this represent what the Department of Defense desires, but it also represents what we need to defend the American people. We need more than just the Department of Defense. We need Homeland Security. We need the State Department. We need Treasury. We need everyone to defend this country. This approach would begin the discussion and debate, I hope, to get relief from the BCA to move forward and to deal with the threats facing this country in a rational, logical way. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming.
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