Concurrent Resolution On The Budget, Fiscal Year 2016 -- Continued
Floor Speech
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Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, budgets are all about priorities. It is about living within your means and not mortgaging our children's future by overspending money we do not have that we are going to have to ask them to repay. When it comes to priorities, I cannot think of a higher priority for the Federal Government--I am not talking about State or local government, I am talking about the Federal Government--I cannot think of a higher priority for the Federal Government than national security.
That was one of the basic reasons the United States of America was originally created--for mutual defense and national security. This budget, importantly, helps set the course for the future security of not only this country but also of the world, by funding our military services. It is no secret--because we see it in the headlines every day, we see it on television, we see it online--we are living in an increasingly dangerous world. We would prefer that it be otherwise, but the truth is different.
All we need to do is take a look at the stories from--well, let's pick last week. Russia is threatening to point nuclear weapons at Danish military ships, trying to bully another European country into not playing a role in NATO and its missile defense shield, in particular.
In the Middle East, Yemen is on the brink of a civil war that would bring even more instability to an already unstable region.
Then there is Iran. Just this last weekend, the Supreme Leader of the regime that the Obama administration is so committed to working out a nuclear deal with called for ``death to America.''
The American people understand this is an increasingly dangerous world and we are not safer today than we were when this administration started. In fact, things are more tenuous, less stable.
Last month, the Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, testified before Congress that after the final analysis is complete, the year 2014 is likely to go down as ``the most lethal year for global terrorism in the 45 years such data has been compiled.'' That is a quote--``the most lethal year for global terrorism in the 45 years such data has been compiled.''
Preliminary data for the first 9 months of 2014 shows nearly 13,000 terrorist attacks across the world that have taken the lives of 31,000 people. That is just the first 9 months of 2014. With so many different threats out there, and untold twists and turns in global security in the coming months and years, we need a national defense that ensures our armed services are prepared not just to respond to today's threats but tomorrow's threats, whenever and wherever they occur.
The brave men and women who serve in the Armed Forces are, without a doubt, the best in the world. But they cannot fight wars and they cannot keep us safe, they cannot maintain the peace, without the backing from Congress to ensure they have the resources they need. This budget we will pass this week does just that. It keeps that sacred bond and commitment to our men and women in uniform, and it, in effect, says to them: If you are brave enough and you are patriotic enough to serve in the U.S. military, we will make sure you have the resources necessary to do your job.
The budget we are debating today provides $612 billion in defense spending for this year. Some people may say: That is too much money. Well, the fact is we know that the United States is the one irreplaceable national security force in the world, not just for us but also for our friends and allies.
A strong America, as Ronald Reagan demonstrated, means a more peaceful world. Ironically, those who want to slash our defense spending and say, we cannot afford it, are sending a signal that America is retreating from the world stage. When America retreats and its leadership recedes, then the bullies and thugs and pirates fill that gap. It is a law of nature.
This budget will provide certainty and stability in funding for our armed services, as they will not be required to make across-the-board spending cuts this year. In fact, under our budget, defense spending increases every year after fiscal year 2016. But the truth is, we do not have a crystal ball. We cannot forecast future world events that our armed services will need to respond to. That is why this budget also includes a deficit-neutral reserve fund to allow our military to react to a changing threat situation and make additional investments as necessary throughout the 10-year budget window. This fund could be used to further invest in world-class training for our armed services or otherwise enhance military readiness, or even modernize critical military platforms.
In other words, this fund will help Congress work together to increase defense spending further and to keep our commitment, not just to the brave volunteers who wear the uniform of the U.S. military, but our commitment as Members of Congress to do our job and to make sure the Federal Government does its job when it comes to national security. It does so while maintaining fiscal discipline.
I am committed to working with my colleagues to achieve both of these goals. It is so important for our military to stay prepared, because the problems facing our country have rarely been more significant. That is not just my assessment, that is the assessment of Dr. Henry Kissinger, the former Secretary of State.
Earlier this year at the Senate Armed Services Committee, Dr. Kissinger said, ``The United States has not faced a more diverse and complex array of crises since the end of the Second World War.''
Let me say that again. ``The United States has not faced a more diverse and complex array of crises since the end of the Second World War.''
The scale of the challenges we face is matched by the consequences of us handling these challenges poorly and failing to meet our responsibilities as Members of Congress to make sure our men and women in uniform have the resources they need to do the job we have asked them to do and which they have volunteered to do.
That is why it is so vitally important that we continue our commitment to our armed services, that we fund them fully and we give them the flexibility to react to changing conditions around the world. This budget does all of that. As threats continue to mount, this budget will ensure the U.S. military remains unrivaled and that it has the tools it needs to keep our country and the rest of the world peaceful and safe.
Mr. President, later on this afternoon, we are going to give all Members of the Senate a chance to vote on the President's proposed budget. I will vote no. That is probably no surprise to anyone, but I think everyone in this Chamber deserves the opportunity to express themselves by voting on the President's proposed budget.
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Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, before the Senators from Arizona and South Carolina leave the floor, I want to say a couple of words about their contribution to our collective efforts on the budget.
As I said a moment ago, the No. 1 priority for the Federal Government is national security. And while we are all concerned about runaway spending--and the chairman of the Committee on the Budget has been quite determined to rein that in by producing a balanced budget over the next 10 years--it is due to the leadership of the Senator from Arizona and the Senator from South Carolina, along with our other colleagues on the Committee on the Budget, who also happen to serve on the Committee on Armed Services, who I think have led us to a much better place--a place where we can all feel better that we are closer to making sure our military has the resources they need in order to meet the commitments we have asked them to make.
We maybe have a few things we need to still talk about, and we will keep talking until we get it right, but the fact is, without the leadership of the Senators from Arizona and South Carolina and others on the Committee on the Budget, we wouldn't be where we are today and able to hold our heads up high and say we believe in our duty to our men and women in uniform, we believe in America's leadership role in the world, and we will not shrink from that.
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Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, President Obama's budget has gotten some pretty rough coverage in the media recently. For example, the Los Angeles Times called the President's annual budget ``..... a strange, almost fictional document.''
An article in Politico said, ``As he prepares to deliver his budget on Monday, President Barack Obama is lurching to the left.''
Another Politico article said, ``It's a progressive's dream version of Obama, untethered from earlier centrist leanings. .....''
The President's budget has not had a great voting history in the Senate. Since 2011, there were only 2 votes for the President's proposed budget and 1,023 votes against it. This is an opportunity for all Members of the Senate to express their views on President Obama's proposed budget.
I recommend and ask that my colleagues vote no on this budget.
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