Oregon House Democrats reject Republican defense bill, citing its cost and some policy priorities - The Oregonian, May 18, 2012

Schrader in the News

Oregon House Democrats reject Republican defense bill, citing its cost and some policy priorities - The Oregonian, May 18, 2012

By Charles Pope

All four of Oregon’s Democratic House members voted against a massive defense bill on Friday, arguing that the $642 billion blueprint is too expensive at a time when all federal spending should be closely scrutinized.

“While nothing is more important than keeping America and our men and women in uniform safe, this legislation wastes too much money and represents another missed opportunity for greatly needed reform,” Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., said after the vote.

The bill, written by Republicans, “is an example of Congress’ inability to make hard choices on defense spending. Instead they opted for an ‘all of the above’ strategy that put the funding of an already bloated military budget ahead of any semblance of fiscal responsibility,” he said.

The bill directs the Pentagon’s spending priorities for the next fiscal year and increased overall spending by $8 billion. That total is far beyond the budget number reached last summer in a bipartisan agreement designed to restrain spending.

Despite those concerns, the bill passed 299-120, with 77 Democrats voting for it. None was from Oregon, however. Joining Blumenauer in opposing the bill were Democrats Suzanne Bonamici, Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader. Rep. Greg Walden, a Republican, was the only member from Oregon to vote for the bill.

An aide to DeFazio said he had multiple concerns with the bill, including the total coast but also that it included money for continuing operations in Afghanistan and expressly allowing the continued indefinite detention of suspected terrorists, even if they are U.S. citizens captured on American soil.

DeFazio’s largest complaint, however, was his failure to win agreement for an amendment he wrote that would require the Pentagon to submit to a full and independent financial audit. That proposal was extinguished in committee, which means the Department of the Defense remains the only federal agency exempt from audit requirements.

DeFazio expressed his frustration on the House floor Thursday.

Schrader was unhappy too. Like many critics he pointed to what he said was the bloated cost of the bill and continued funding for Afghanistan.

“The overall authorization of the bill exceeds the amount allowed by the bipartisan Budget Control Act of 2011 by over $8 billion,” he said in a statement.

“Congress needs to be building on the foundation laid by the Budget Control Act to reduce our federal deficit and create the certainty necessary for our businesses to create jobs and make investments in the United States,” he said. “Secondly, it is time for the war in Afghanistan to end. This (bill) includes an inadequately debated provision mandating at least 68,000 troops in Afghanistan through 2014 and a significant military presence thereafter.”

The divisive GOP provisions will have a short shelf life, as the Democratic-controlled Senate is likely to scrap many of them and stick to the spending level in the deficit-cutting agreement.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta met privately last week with senators to argue for the president's proposed budget, a blueprint the Pentagon says is based on a new military strategy focused on Asia, the Mideast and cyberspace as the nation emerges from two long wars. The Senate Armed Services Committee crafts its version of the budget next week.

The House bill is not only a political salvo against Obama, who nevertheless gets high marks after the killing of Osama bin Laden and success in the war on terrorism, but a reflection of the stranglehold the defense industry has on Congress. Weapons, aircraft carriers and jet fighters mean jobs back home, and lawmakers are loath to cut funds for the military, the biggest government program outside entitlements like Medicare and Social Security.

In a political shot on the House floor, Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., chairman of the Armed Services Committee, accused Democrats of "taking all of the jobs out of the military."

For the endless Washington talk of dealing with the nation's debilitating debt, the bill outlines a base defense budget of $554 billion, including nuclear weapons spending, plus $88 billion for the war in Afghanistan and counterterrorism efforts.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

ARTICLE