Joe Cunningham: “I understand part of the gentleman's amendment, that when we have a lot of different programs that we have to buy, then…”

“I understand part of the gentleman's amendment, that when we have a lot of different programs that we have to buy, then there is limited dollars. But I would also tell the gentleman that that has been created not artificially but by this very body. When we keep cutting defense, procurement, about 70 percent, when we have additional BRACC rounds and that takes, base closing rounds and that takes additional dollars, when we increase the operations tempo higher, higher than during the Vietnam conflict, which wears out our equipment, then we cannot put the money in research and development. We want to take money and advance the procurement for a carrier, which would save $600 million. But if we take money out of that carrier from, say, the F-22, we take it from any of the other programs, then those costs go up. So, eventually, we override the costs and we cannot even buy smart. Those that are proponents of reducing defense, and they have that right, I disagree with that.”