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INHOFE: BUDGET AMENDMENT EXPOSES UNFORTUNATE REALITY THAT SEQUESTERING THE DOD WILL NOT SAVE A DIME
Contacts: Donelle Harder 202-224-4721
Jake Heisten 202-224-4721
March 22, 2013
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of Senate Armed Services Committee, today introduced amendment #358 to the Senate Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2014 that establishes a $16 billion overseas contingency operations (OCO) fund, or emergency fund, to address irrecoverable impacts on the Department of Defense incurred as a result of sequestration:
“My amendment exposes the unfortunate reality that sequestering the Defense Department will not save a dime,” said Inhofe. “Instead, sequester will increase the costs of defense programs due to fiscal uncertainty and result in far more taxpayer money wasted than saved. The amendment would establish a $16 billion emergency fund to address irrecoverable impacts on our readiness levels and national military strategy that incur as a result of sequestration. If the amendment is accepted, Chairman Levin and I will work closely to define the appropriate mechanism for including in the Defense Authorization bill to ensure proper oversight of the funds.”
“Senior leaders at the DOD have told me their costs will rise because of sequestration. Services such as the Marine Corps will be forced to mortgage their future to pay for readiness needs today, assuming even larger future financial obligations without the resources to address them. Other branches warn of having to forgo modernization of equipment that goes to support our deployed forces. The Obama Administration has already cut more than $600 billion from defense budgets, and the Joint Chiefs have testified that the military cannot afford to give another dollar and maintain current national security capabilities. We are on the brink of a hollowed out force. This must change, as our men and women in uniform deserve better and the American people expect more.”
Emergency supplemental funding such as the OCO account are generally made for the purpose of covering emergencies deemed too urgent to be postponed until the enactment of the following year’s regular appropriations act. OCO funding does not impact the deficit.
On March 1, Inhofe and Chairman Carl Levin sent a letter to Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray and Ranking Member Jeff Sessions outlining views and estimates for the FY’14 Defense Budget. In the letter, the Senators stated that the DoD faces additional demands on the budget due to sequestration impacts and requested the Budget Committee increase the DOD base budget by up to 3 percent to address the long-term impacts. A copy of the letter is available here.
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