Overseas Contingency Operations

Floor Speech

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Ms. DUCKWORTH. Mr. Speaker, this year's Defense Appropriations bill relies on adding an additional $38 billion into the overseas contingency operations account, the OCO account. This budgeting gimmick is an end around to sequestration. It avoids the hard work that is required to reach a budget agreement and repeal sequestration once and for all. OCO funds are supposed to be used for war operations, and their use in the legislation misleads the American people.

The sequester cuts continue to have devastating impact on our schools, our Nation's infrastructure, and our investments in scientific research. Now is the time to fix this sequester, not deceive the American people about defense spending.

Our servicemembers and their families deserve to know their future more than just 1 year at a time. As a nation, we need to base our military strategy on an appropriate, long-term defense spending plan, not a budgetary gimmick.

Mr. Speaker, I voted for this legislation because we cannot leave our troops who are currently in harm's way without funding. As the appropriations process moves forward, I urge my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to provide our military with the long-term support it needs and the American people with the transparency that they deserve.

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