Defense Acquisition Passes House With Heinrich

Press Release

Heinrich Votes To Cut Billions of Dollars of Waste in Military Purchasing

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved H.R. 2101, the Weapons Acquisition System Reform Through Enhancing Technical Knowledge and Oversight Act of 2009, which included an amendment successfully offered by Representative Martin Heinrich. H.R. 2101 revolutionizes the way the country selects and oversees major purchases and takes significant strides toward giving the American people confidence in how their tax dollars are being spent.

"With these reforms we are taking bold steps to save taxpayers billions of dollars and restore integrity to our procurement process," said Rep. Heinrich. "We are protecting the American people and keeping our military strong while reining in out of control costs and abusive practices."

The Heinrich Amendment, which was adopted last week as part of the House Armed Service Committee's review of the bill, requires that standard tools and systems engineering processes are in place during the earliest stages of development to minimize cost increases and avoid unnecessary time delays. The amendment will also help reduce development risk and cost growth, reduce the time and system development to development, establish a clear process to measure acquisition progress, and ensure that the largest number of programs start with a solid planning foundation.

"This Congress and President Obama have made transparency and accountability in Washington a priority," said Rep. Heinrich. "In these times of economic distress, American families are tightening their belts and saving money where they can. We must do the same here in Washington."

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