Hearing of the Defense Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee - United States Army Fiscal Year 2012 Budget
Statement
Thank you, Chairman Young for yielding. Secretary McHugh and General Casey, thank you for appearing before the subcommittee today. I know you come representing thousands of our troops and their families. We must begin by acknowledging their fine service, dedication, and sacrifice.
This is a truly historic time, and I don't have to tell you that our nation has found itself at a crossroads. Including stimulus funding, we have increased discretionary spending by 84% over the last two years. We are borrowing 40 cents on the dollar. It's time to get serious about reducing spending and putting a dent in our record-setting deficit. We need to do this not only to return our nation to economic prosperity, but also because of the very real national security threat posed by our spending habits. I know our caucus is committed to working toward a sustainable financial path- one that will allow our economy to thrive, our businesses to create jobs, and our national security to be strengthened.
While national security and supplying our soldiers with the equipment they need remains a top priority, the Army is not immune to the difficult budget challenges we face. There is simply no room for poor performing initiatives, continued cost overruns, bungled contracting procedures, and program promises never delivered on. This country is demanding results in the form of doing more with valuable taxpayer dollars. Toward that end, I look forward to hearing how the Army plans to correct potential budget shortfalls, address dwell time and suicides, and move forward with troubled programs such as the Ground Combat Vehicle.
We've got some tough choices ahead of us, and I look forward to hearing from you today about the Army's priorities. As I've said many times, when it comes to the security of our nation, we should spend all the money we can -- but not a penny more. That adage has never been more salient than today when considering the fiscal and security challenges confronting our nation.
Thank you.
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