FYI!
February 3, 2012
Dear Fellow Eastern North Carolinian,
This is a critical time for
Eastern North Carolina, our nation, and our armed forces. As we begin this new session of the 112th Congress, I wanted to quickly brief you on what
President Barack Obama is proposing, why I think he is badly off the mark, and ways that I believe we can responsibly address the deficit while still preserving and modernizing our military strength.
I don’t need to remind you that America is
$15 trillion in debt and running annual
deficits of over $1 trillion. Last week the Obama Administration rolled out a new budget proposal to
cut military spending by $487 billion over 10 years. Meanwhile, last year’s compromise bill to raise the debt ceiling – which I strongly opposed and voted against – requires an additional
$500 billion in military “sequestration” cuts over 10 years starting in 2013.
While there is no doubt that there are billions of dollars of wasteful spending in the Defense Department (DOD), and that taxpayers’ money must be spent much more efficiently, I oppose both the President’s defense cut proposal and the ‘military’ sequestration cuts, and I’d like you to know the reasons why.
I make no apologies for being a leader in the fight to cut wasteful federal spending and eliminate the debt. Among other things, I have been a champion of and always voted for a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution; I voted against the President’s $1 trillion ‘stimulus’; I voted against the bailouts for Wall Street and Detroit; I voted against every foreign aid bill in the last 16 years; I was one of only 8 members to vote against the pork-filled Highway Bill that included the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere”; I voted against Obamacare; and I am proud to be the only member of the House of Representatives to have voted against every single increase in the debt limit in the past 8 years.
Going forward, I believe there are many steps we should be taking to eradicate deficit spending and the debt. Those steps include eliminating foreign aid, the Department of Education, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the taxpayer bailouts of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and profligate European governments; repealing Obamacare; and downsizing many other federal agencies. But attempting to balance the budget through devastating, disproportionate cuts to our military is not the way to go.
Before the Obama Administration even thinks about proposing to take jobs, services and benefits away from our troops and veterans, or about slashing crucial programs like the F-35B fighter jet – two cost reduction proposals which I have strongly opposed throughout my career in Congress – they need to eliminate the waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars in the Pentagon.
For instance, did you know that DOD has never audited its own books even though it was statutorily required to do so over 20 years ago? As a result, a recent DOD Inspector General (IG) report demonstrated that wasteful spending at the Pentagon is out of control. In some cases taxpayers are paying nearly $1700 for items that cost $7. That’s ridiculous! Finalizing the audit of DOD and reforming the defense procurement process to cut wasteful spending and give taxpayers more bang for their buck should be this Administration’s top priority – reducing pay, benefits and services for our troops and veterans and making major cuts to the F-35B should be off the table.
I also oppose the Administration’s request for another round of
domestic military base closures (BRAC). Amazingly, right now, President Obama is opening a new base in Australia and increasing our military presence in the Philippines – while at the same time threatening to close bases in the United States. The fact is that DOD already has 622 overseas sites. Before anyone talks about closing bases here at home, we need to evaluate and eliminate any overseas sites that are no longer in our national security interest.
Finally, it is no secret that I disagree with President Obama’s decision to keep our troops in Afghanistan through 2014. America is borrowing $10 billion a month from the Chinese and other foreigners – over $120 billion a year – and then sending that money back overseas to spend on that operation. At a time when this nation is over $15 trillion in debt, we simply can’t afford it. The reality is that if the President weren’t spending that money in Afghanistan, military spending reductions of any kind would be much, much less necessary.
Since being elected to Congress in 1994, I have taken my responsibility to represent Eastern North Carolina’s values seriously. As one of the most senior members of the House Armed Services Committee, I fully understand how critical our military facilities are to our economy and way of life. During the last BRAC round in 2005, I was able to use that seniority to successfully protect Camp Lejeune Marine Base, Cherry Point Marine Air Station, the Naval Air Depot at Cherry Point (NADEP) and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. And with this seniority I will have significant input into how the recent defense cut proposals play out. Please rest assured that I will use my position to continue to do everything in my power to fight for Eastern North Carolina’s military installations and for the courageous men and women – past, present and future – who protect our freedom.
Please know that I will never forget what an honor it is to represent you. If I can be of service to you and your family, please don’t hesitate to contact me at any time. Thanks for all you do to make America the greatest nation the world has ever known.
Sincerely,
Walter B. Jones
Member of Congress (NC-03)
