Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. GOSAR. Madam Chair, I rise today to offer a cost-saving amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the fiscal year 2015.

This is a straightforward amendment that will help bring defense spending priorities in line with the fiscal realities that the United States currently faces.

Specifically, this amendment would prohibit the Department of Defense from wasting precious taxpayer dollars on the purchase of more expensive fuels made out of biofuels that are not cost competitive.

When our country is more than $17 trillion in debt, and every year the Federal Government continues to spend nearly $1 trillion more than it actually has, it is incumbent upon this Congress to get this reckless spending under control and to carefully scrutinize every dollar that is spent.

The Department of Defense has been purchasing biofuels to substitute traditional petroleum-based fuels to run its ships, aircraft, and other vehicles.

The problem is that currently, these fuels are more expensive than traditional fuels.

Until a time when biofuels are cost competitive without any Federal subsidy, no Federal entity should be utilizing this fuel source.

Let me be clear: I support a true all-of-the-above energy strategy which includes renewable energy sources like wind and solar, as well as traditional resources like natural gas and clean coal.

I have nothing against biofuels that do not need significant Federal subsidies to exist in the open market.

Unfortunately, the Department of Defense and other Federal agencies continue to waste precious taxpayer dollars to prop up this industry.

Last year, the Defense Logistics Agency wanted to buy almost 15,000 gallons of biofuel. This year, the Defense Logistics Agency is seeking up to 37 million gallons of biofuel.

Biofuels without Federal subsidies are nearly 15 times more expensive than conventional jet fuel.

The biggest problem with this year's solicitation of nearly 37 million gallons is there is a $27.2 million Federal subsidy to make the biofuel blends ``cost competitive with their conventionally-derived counterparts.''

The purchase of biofuels which are not cost competitive has been so wasteful that a popular news site recently listed the practice on its list of ``Five Insanely Wasteful Projects the Pentagon is Spending Your Money On.''

I will read a brief excerpt from the article:

In a nod toward sustainability, the U.S. Navy has been attempting to create a ``green fleet'' by adopting alternative biofuels.

The catch is that the cleaner fuel costs $26 per gallon, which is much more expensive than the $2.50 the Navy pays for each gallon of petroleum.

Despite reports that there isn't a clear long-term cost benefit of adopting biofuel, the Department of Defense has spent millions on private companies that are developing alternative fuels.

And green projects aren't confined to a single branch of the military; last year, the Air Force paid for 11,000 gallons of biofuel at a rate 10 times higher than the price of regular jet fuel.

Using the military as a vehicle to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on unproven green experiments is clearly a wasteful use of taxpayer money that must be stopped. We all must understand that the number one priority of the United States military--and, indeed, the Federal Government at large--is to defend the Nation from security threats.

I would also like to bring up Admiral Mike Mullen, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He stated in July of 2010 that:

The biggest threat that we have to our national security is our debt.

Therefore, it is essential that we scrutinize every dollar we appropriate to ensure we are spending our limited resources prudently and judiciously. This amendment will help accomplish this goal.

Madam Chairman, this amendment was carried last year by our newly elected majority whip, Steve Scalise; and it was adopted by this body by unanimous consent.

As the Defense Logistics Agency is now proposing to purchase almost 2,500 times more fuel than last year, it only makes sense this agreement is agreed to yet again.

Think about it. Last year, they wanted 15,000 gallons. This year, they want 37 million gallons of Federally subsidized fuel sources, just to meet an unnecessary mandate. This defies common sense, and we should not be wasting millions of dollars of taxpayer money in this manner.

I urge my colleagues to support my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. GOSAR. Madam Chair, I rise to offer a commonsense amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act which will further hold accountable foreign terrorist organizations in addition to those foreign governments that support their efforts.

I will be brief as the cases made against these entities and governments are well-documented.

Iran is possibly the largest known state sponsor of terrorism in the world, and the Obama administration is throwing out the baby with the bathwater in its negotiations with Iran on its nuclear aspirations. Syria has been listed as a state sponsor of terrorism since the State Department list was created in 1979. The ongoing atrocities on the ground in Syria should be more than enough to prohibit foreign assistance to this nation.

Before moving forward, let me say that I recognize that these two nations are already ineligible for most forms of foreign assistance already, but we have seen the Obama administration's track record in terms of following the letter of the law. It enforces only the laws it agrees with.
Now, speaking to the prohibition of assistance to the Palestinian Authority, on June 2, the Palestinian Authority announced a new unity government, which was supported by the Islamic militant group Hamas.

To quote recent reports:

The merger also appears to skirt, barely, U.S. prohibitions on aid to a Palestinian Government that has ``undue'' Hamas presence or influence.

The Obama administration has worked behind the scenes to suggest terms for the new coalition government that would not trigger the U.S. ban, reasoning that the money helps preserve American leverage.

Republican Senators Mark Kirk and Marco Rubio have called for a suspension and review of U.S. aid, saying the Palestinian announcement shows that Israel ``does not have a viable partner for peace.''

The unity government is an ``end run'' around U.S. restrictions, they said.

I agree with those statements.

With so much blood on its hands, this newly founded coalition of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas is not worthy of U.S. assistance. Just to be clear as day, I have included the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria--again, already listed as a foreign terrorist organization--to this list, in addition to all organizations currently designated by the Secretary of State.

I understand the law, and I understand that the U.S. already has laws to prevent the transfer of assistance to these foreign terrorist organizations. It is just that I am not convinced that the President, his Attorney General, or any other member of his Cabinet Secretaries understands the laws of this Nation the way that I do or will follow those laws as U.S. citizens must. This is just one more attempt to double down on the letter of the law.

I can only hope that the President sees the dangerous ways in which he has jeopardized our Republic's system of checks and balances and that he submits to the rule of law as do all Americans. It is long past time that this Congress checks this President and balances the powers of our national government.

I urge the passage of this amendment, which will hold accountable those governments which are most hostile to the United States, Israel, and their allies.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

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