I believe that we can rationally evaluate our national security strategy, our defense expenditures, and the current mission sets we ask the military to undertake and come up with a strategy that requires less funding.

It is wrong to think the defense budget has somehow been held apart from our debt and deficit problems.

It is also important that we address the revenue side of our budget problem. We must consider raising additional revenue.

How can we make sure the military is a good steward of the taxpayers' dollar, without increasing the risk to our Armed Forces?

Like many, if not most, of our members here, I share the view that large, immediate cuts to the defense budget would have substantially negative impacts on the ability of the U.S. military to carry out its missions.

Access to overseas markets is critical to our economic growth.

It is critically important that we make smart choices in this difficult budget environment.

We are not going to have more economic opportunity in this country if we have less influence in the world.

If we want to be a global power, we have got to be out and about.

You cannot look at a budget that is almost 40 percent out of whack in terms of our deficit and say that 20 percent of the budget has absolutely nothing to do with that.

I appreciate you holding this hearing and this series of hearings that we have had to discuss the impact of defense cuts.