Boustany Column: Providing for the National Defense

Statement

Our enemies want to believe that America is in decline. Unfortunately, this President has employed a feeble and listless foreign policy, rushing from one crisis to the next without developing a strategy for threat prevention or containment. Just look at Vladimir Putin's textbook takeover of eastern Ukraine. He bet we would do nothing as he boldly strode in and annexed part of a sovereign nation with strategic and diplomatic ties to the United States. The most infuriating fact of the matter is: he was right.

Vladimir Putin is no fool. He has watched for years as America has routinely cut our national defense budget. This doesn't just mean fewer tanks, planes, and ships. This means hurting military readiness, reducing troop levels, and curbing our ability to respond quickly and forcefully across the globe where we are needed most. Teddy Roosevelt famously said: "Speak softly and carry a big stick." That uniquely American approach has worked to promote peace and security across the world for generations. Now, under President Obama's disastrous "don't do stupid stuff' foreign policy, can we truly say our relationships with our allies are in better shape than they were before he took office? Is the world more secure?

This week, the House Republican majority faced a stark choice between two competing budgetary visions: supporting a strong national defense, or endorsing President Obama's policy of withdrawal. For me, it was an easy call. The budget I supported balances the budget in less than ten years and cuts $5.5 trillion in excess spending while providing $43 billion more than the President's budgetary request. These are critical and necessary funds for the security of American families.

I recently attended a speech by former Vice President Dick Cheney, who said: "The moment we start treating national defense just like any other line item in the budget, that's when we're really asking for trouble." The world is far more unstable today than at any point in recent memory. Not only do we face an emboldened Vladimir Putin, we face the emerging Islamic State, an Iran with nuclear ambitions, and an unstable regime in North Korea. Our enemies want to believe America is in decline. President Obama hasn't shown he will prove them wrong. It's my most solemn duty as your elected representative to provide for the defense and safety of families in Louisiana and across the country. That's a duty I take seriously.

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