Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2012

Floor Speech

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Ms. McCOLLUM. Fellow Members, this amendment was adopted by voice in committee, and this amendment was not one that I lightly came up with. At a time when we are cutting back on WIC, which is supplements for children, at a time when we are cutting back on education and health care expenses, I kind of felt I had a duty as an appropriator to look at opportunities in which we could cut back on spending. And so I have come up with a few ideas, and I know that they, at times, haven't been the most popular. But one of them was cutting back on the amount of money we spend on military bands.

And I enjoy military bands. I have listened to a lot of them since birth. But the Army alone has over 100 bands, employing 4,600 professional musicians and support staff. The Air Force and Navy and Marines and the National Guard have dozens of bands with professional musicians we all take great pride in.

Congress needs to conduct oversight on this portion of the budget. It has grown substantially over the years. And I think we need to figure out what is the right note to have with military bands.

So that's why this amendment that I offer that was adopted in full committee did cut, but it also continued to provide $200 million for the Pentagon to continue this fine tradition.

As families and communities across this country see critical services being reduced or eliminated, including music in public education schools all across this country, I think it is time that we ask the Pentagon to make a small sacrifice in its musical budget. And so I would ask the committee to support the original language of the bill and to reject the Carter amendment.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

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