William M. ``Mac'' Thornberry: “I yield myself 2 minutes. Mr. Chairman, in some ways I admire the gentleman from Minnesota because he states clearly…”

“I yield myself 2 minutes. Mr. Chairman, in some ways I admire the gentleman from Minnesota because he states clearly what he believes. In my opinion, his argument, however, is dangerous, and it will mean a very much more dangerous world for the United States and many of the people around the world who depend upon us. If we're going to talk numbers, we ought to just remind everybody that in 1960 the defense budget was about half of the total budget of the United States Government. Today, it's 17 percent of the budget for the United States budget. Now it's true it's most of the discretionary spending, but that completely leaves out the entitlements or the mandatory spending programs which are a vast majority of the government. In more recent history, let's think about that defense already took a reduction of $487 billion over a 10-year period. In the current fiscal year, it was cut another $55 billion. And now this amendment would take another $60 billion on top of that. Mr. Chairman, I think defense has been cut enough. If anyone has been listening to some of the debates we've been having today, you'd hear about readiness being down, about training not occurring, and about more expensive procurements because we can't buy at the most efficient rate. And this amendment would take another $60 billion on top of the other things, and would include the personnel accounts which were exempt under sequestration. But the ironic thing, Mr.…”