Today during House consideration of H.R. 2637—the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010—House Republicans, led by Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R-VA), intend to offer a Motion to Recommit that will provide funding for critical equipment required to support and protect America’s warfighters and homeland.
Specifically, the Forbes Motion to Recommit would:
- Restore funding for key force protection equipment that was stripped out of the 2009 supplemental in conference with the Senate. The House has already voted and approved this funding in the 2009 Supplemental—but the money was removed in order to pay for global stimulus—the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- The Forbes Motion to Recommit wouldn’t be necessary if Congressional Democrats would have made funding for our troops a higher priority than funding for the IMF.
- The Forbes Motion to Recommit would provide the following for our brave men and women in uniforms (both Active and the National Guard):
- Approximately 250 MRAPs (lighter version for Afghanistan)
- 2 UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters
- 2 CH-47 Chinook helicopters
- Approximately 35 Stryker vehicles
- Approximately 800 HUMMWVs
- Approximately 800 Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles
- 6 Reaper Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
- 4 C-130 J aircraft
- Restore $1.2 billion in funding for national missile defense. North Korea and Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities are a grave threat to the security of the United States. Despite this increasing threat, the Administration and Congressional Democrats stripped $1.2 billion from missile defense. This includes a 35-percent reduction to a vital missile defense system in Alaska and California designed to protect the United States homeland. These cuts lack supporting analysis and challenge common sense.
The Forbes Motion to Recommit would fund these critical programs by shifting money from the Department of Energy’s environmental cleanup fund. The Department of Energy requested $5.5 billion in Fiscal Year 2010 for its Environmental Cleanup program. This is in addition to the $5.1 billion it received in the Economic Stimulus bill. $2.6 billion of these Stimulus funds are unobligated.
- Republicans view this vote as a matter of priorities. Cleanup is important, but by the Department of Energy’s own admission, the Stimulus funds are focused on the lowest priority cleanup activities. We have a real, near-term threat posed by North Korea. These funds could be immediately applied to real capabilities to protect the U.S. homeland.
- The committee has already determined that certain national security priorities and certain circumstances warrant use of these funds, specifically the national nuclear security complex and sustainment of F-22 production capabilities. Funding necessary equipment for our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq that the supplemental failed to address, and defending the United States against North Korean long-range ballistic missiles are such priorities.
- The Stimulus is estimated to temporarily create 12,988 jobs. However, if the Administration’s missile defense cuts are sustained, America stands to lose over 11,000 jobs across the country.
- Because baseline cleanup funds do not expire and Stimulus funds can be used through 2015, the Department of Energy has the flexibility to move Stimulus funds and rollover unspent funds to cover this offset.