National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014
Floor Speech
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Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Chairman, I yield myself 1 minute.
I'm very pleased to offer this bipartisan amendment along with my colleagues, Mr. Mulvaney, Mr. Moran, and Mr. Woodall. I'm very pleased that it has the support of the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, Mr. Smith.
This amendment is about truth in budgeting and making sure our military has the resources it needs to prosecute the war in Afghanistan and overseas contingency operations. The Defense Department budget is split into two parts: the base budget for ongoing operations and the part of the budget for the war and overseas contingency operations.
What this budget does is provide the military with exactly the resources they say they need in fiscal year 2014 for the overseas contingency account. In fact, on Wednesday, Secretary of Defense Hagel and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dempsey, General Dempsey, said that what they needed was what would be provided as a result of this amendment. The problem is the underlying bill added another $5 billion, and this is becoming a slush fund, Madam Chairman.
I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Chairman, I find it interesting that the gentleman would suggest that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense are not asking for the resources needed to protect our men and women in battle.
I now yield 1 1/2 minutes to Mr. Mulvaney.
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Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Chairman, I would just urge all Members to read the amendment itself. There is nothing in here that says we will reduce one penny from the National Guard and Reserve. This is an across-the-board provision and it will be disproportionate.
At this time, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran).
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Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Chairman, I find it interesting that the gen tle lady would suggest that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dempsey, would ask for an amount of money for our warfighters that is immoral. What is cynical is to use the Afghan and overseas contingency account as a slush fund to fund operations that are part of the base budget.
This is about truth in budgeting. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan amendment.
I yield back the balance of my time.
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