Defense Appropriations Bill "Step in the Right Direction' But Larger Cuts Needed

Press Release

Today Rep. Todd Rokita voted for the 2012 Department of Defense Appropriations Act. Afterwards Rokita explained his decision to support the legislation despite the fact larger cuts remain to be made to the Department of Defense's $700 billion dollar budget:

"While far from perfect, I supported this legislation because it is a step in the right direction. It spends two percent less than the President requested and makes significant progress in reducing bureaucratic overhead and red tape in the Department of Defense. It also prohibits these funds from being dedicated to combat action in Libya.

Anytime a department has a nearly $700 billion dollar budget, there will be billions in waste and fraud that can be eliminated without jeopardizing our national security or the safety of our men and women in uniform.

The greatest threat to our country is not Al Qaeda, Iraq, Afghanistan or Libya. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs has called our debt the greatest threat to national security. We must find savings across the board. I will continue to advocate for significant cuts to all federal agencies, and to remove American forces from Libya and other missions that address no threat to national security but add to our skyrocketing debt. The last thing we need right now is a war of choice that we cannot afford and the hundreds of millions being borrowed to wage it."

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