Amendment No. 1521

Floor Speech

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Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, I rise today to support amendment No. 1521, which would limit the use of overseas contingency operations, or OCO, funds. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this amendment, which was filed by the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Jack Reed.

I wish to start by thanking Senator McCain and Senator Reed for their leadership in producing the underlining bill. Drafting the National Defense Authorization Act, NDAA, is no small task, and I support many important provisions included in the bill. As Ranking Member of the Seapower Subcommittee, I worked with Chairman Wicker to include provisions that will strengthen and support our Navy and Marine Corps.

Every Defense bill presents challenges and tradeoffs. There are competing priorities and compromises. For 52 consecutive years, both Chambers have debated the details and come up with a product that supports and enhances our national security. However, this year's bill presents more than just a difference over details. The overall framework of this bill is a problem. Before us is a bill that presents a serious question about our national values--a question that the Reed amendment would help to answer.

Earlier this year, the Republicans pushed through a budget resolution. That resolution clearly set forth the framework that Chairman McCain had to work within. That framework basically said: We are not going to address sequestration in a meaningful way. Instead, we are only going to provide sequester relief for the defense budget. I note that this budget resolution passed the Senate without a single Democratic vote. I ask my colleagues to join me in objecting to an approach that bifurcates sequester relief as though our country's national security lies only with the Department of Defense, because that is what this NDAA bill does. How? The bill before us takes $38 billion out of the base budget at the Department of Defense and moves it into the OCO budget. The OCO budget is not subject to Budget Control Act caps. The reason for this is that OCO funds are intended to support the unknown unknowns that arise during our security operations abroad. Using the OCO account to fund noncontingency items is irresponsible. It is a 1-year fix, and it adds to our budget deficit. It is not fair to our commanders on the ground, who have told us that we need to fix sequester permanently so they can prepare for the long term. Using the OCO account to shield the DOD from sequester has been called a gimmick by many.

I am for a strong national defense. However, the foundation of our military strength is the strength of our economy. It is the strength of our communities. It is the strength of our future. Failing to fix sequestration for both defense and nondefense will undermine the strength of our national defense. Again, our national security is not just tied to our military strength. There are other national security initiatives that are not funded by the Department of Defense. For example, we have the State Department, the FBI, Homeland Security, the Coast Guard, and other law enforcement agencies and programs that are all important components of our national security. None of these programs is funded by the Department of Defense.

In addition, the Department of Defense has said that fewer than one in four Americans in the eligible age range are qualified to enlist in the Armed Services. This is due to a variety of reasons, including health, obesity, fitness, mental aptitude, et cetera. Cutting funding to nutrition programs, education initiatives, preventative health measures, and fitness programs will result in even fewer individuals qualifying for our Armed Services. By not fixing both the military and domestic sides of the budget, we are undermining the foundation of our security and our future.

America is one country, and the decisions we make in Congress should reflect that reality. We need to eliminate the sequester because these across-the-board cuts hurt our middle-class families, our small businesses, our military, and our national security. We need to eliminate the sequester--period. To continue to be bound by mindless, across-the-board cuts to both our defense and domestic budgets--cuts that were never supposed to become reality--is pure folly. Congress should come together in a spirit of bipartisan cooperation to fix sequester.

This proposal by Senator Reed just fences the $38 billion in OCO funds until Congress comes together to do just that. It doesn't take the funding out of the budget. But it does prevent spending it before relief from Budget Control Act cuts are achieved on both the defense and domestic sides.

I urge my colleagues to support the Reed amendment to provide for a responsible defense budget.

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