“Madam Speaker,

 

I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 5136, the “National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011.”  As with most omnibus pieces of legislation, there are many provisions I support, as well as those I do not.  Unfortunately, the improvements to our military policy do little to blunt the effect of the wasteful billions authorized for military spending, which continue to feed the military-industrial complex and the ever-growing imperial overstretch of our military around the world.

 

I do want to briefly acknowledge a few of the provisions I supported in this bill.  First, I am heartened that an amendment I offered with my colleague, Representative Geoff Davis of Kentucky, was adopted by the House.  Our amendment builds on our bipartisan resolution, H. Con. Res. 94, and would instruct the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of State, to submit a report to Congress assessing the strategic benefits of the successful negotiation of a “rules of the road” Incidents At Sea naval agreement including the United States and Iran.  I believe such an agreement would reduce tensions in the region and help prevent accidental war.  I am heartened that the Defense Department and State Department will officially address this critical issue. 

 

Additionally, I want to acknowledge the good work of Representatives Schakowsky, McGovern, Hinchey, and Moran.  Together, we successfully offered an amendment that would empower the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction to improve its oversight and take steps to deny federal funding to private security contractors responsible for the deaths of Afghan civilians.  For far too long, mercenaries like Blackwater have acted with impunity in the theaters of war, committing human rights atrocities and soiling the good name of the American people.  With the adoption of this amendment, we are hopefully moving closer to finally putting these reckless soldiers of fortune out of business.

 

Unfortunately, this authorization does not do nearly enough to properly reorient our national security posture to earn my vote.  As with past defense budgets, it spends too much on war, outdated Cold War weapons systems, and nuclear weaponry. 

 

The American people cannot afford the $159.3 billion provided in this bill to fund our “overseas contingency operations” – the Orwellian term for our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq – with our economy struggling to escape recession and with so many families torn apart by long deployments, debilitating battlefield wounds, and heart-wrenching premature deaths.  Continuing to fund our wars simply continues to compound the mistakes of the previous administration and I, in good conscience, cannot support a bill that continues us down this path of folly which has, to date, cost us the lives of 1,000 young men and women in Afghanistan and nearly $1 trillion in war spending since 2001.    

 

I was inspired by a passage in the President’s new National Security Strategy, which was released today.  It spoke of another path towards securing our homeland and brokering peace around the world.    It simply and eloquently stated:

 

 

Those are powerful words and they speak to a universal truth: When we love and care for one another, we do not need to rely on nuclear weapons, Virginia-class submarines, or other tools of destruction to secure ourselves and our families.  We don’t need to invest 26.5 million in “counter-ideology initiatives,” when our national policy is to export hope and dignity instead of Predator drone missiles.  The death of a family member and the humiliation associated with a night raid is what radicalizes someone to the point where they seek to harm the American people.  We can and we must stop these destructive practices if we hope to win over our brothers and sisters in the Muslim World.       

   

I have unending faith in the ability of the American people to change our country’s course when needed.  I believe that they can stand up and say NO to our nation being perpetually at war.  I believe that they can say NO to spending more on defense than all the other nations of the world combined, especially when people in Detroit and Hamtramck and Dearborn still need a job that pays a decent wage.  I hope my fellow Members will join me in opposing this bill, so that we can inspire the American people to pursue another, better path. 

 

Thank You.”      

 

###05-27-2010###