Statement on B-1 Bomber Amendment

Statement

Representative Randy Neugebauer (R-TX) issued the following statement today regarding his amendment (H.R. 2219) to the Defense Appropriations bill:

"Last night, the House of Representatives approved an amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill that prevents any funds in the bill from being used to retire any B-1 bombers this year, so that we can make cuts to the bomber fleet comprehensively rather than piecemeal.

I am grateful for the support of my House colleagues in approving this amendment, especially Reps. Thornberry, Conaway and Noem. Congresswoman Noem and I have been able to attract substantial support for this amendment because we have a very strong policy argument behind it. Currently, two-thirds of the bomber fleet is under review as a result of the new START Treaty limitations on nuclear delivery vehicles. At this time, we do not know what those cuts will look like, and there is no way to predict their impact on the capabilities of the overall bomber fleet. With just 162 aircraft, the bombers are a mere 3 percent of the Air Force's manned aircraft fleet. After seeing the retirement of over 700 bombers during the last several decades, it is in the best interests of our national security to make the right decisions with this scarce asset.

While the passage of this amendment is a first step in a long and complicated legislative process, I am hopeful my colleagues in the Senate will share my belief that no B-1's should be retired during this time of war against our enemies."

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