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Kind Calls Republican's Bluff: What about this Bill is Fiscally Responsible?

07/19/12

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Ron Kind called out his Republican colleagues for bringing a bloated Defense Appropriations bill to the House floor today. 

“For a party that preaches spending cuts, this bill is anything but fiscally responsible,” said Rep. Kind. “Not only does it exceed the President’s request by $3 billion, but it spends hundreds of millions on weapons and equipment not requested by the Pentagon.  In a time when families across Wisconsin are facing tight budgets, we should be setting the example and cutting federal budgets too.”
 
The Defense Appropriations bill appropriates $3 billion more than the requested by the President and the Pentagon, unnecessary spending Kind has been pointing out for years. These wasteful spending items include:
 
• As much as $690 million to purchase one Virigina-class sub and two Aegis destroyers that the Pentagon did not request
• $602 million to maintain Aegis cruisers that the Pentagon wants to retire
• An additional $320 million for tanks and other vehicles that the Pentagon did not ask for
• $262 million to buy and maintain drones that the Defense Department claims are unnecessary
 
“This blank check that defense contractors expect from the American taxpayer must end. We have to get this kind of unnecessary spending under control if we ever want to reduce the deficit and get our economy back on track.”