Inhofe Calls President’s FY’15 Defense Budget “Totally Unacceptable”

The amount of money President Obama has spent on his climate change agenda would buy 1,400 new F-35s. – Sen. Inhofe

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today at a SASC committee hearing reiterated to witnesses, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, that the President’s announced defense budget for fiscal year 2015 is “totally unacceptable.”

During the first round of questions, Inhofe highlighted that the money the President has spent on his climate change agenda would purchase roughly 1,400 F-35s.

During the hearing, Inhofe said, “I have a CRS report that shows — and I’ve been working on this for quite some time — that in the last five years, between 2009 and 2014, the president has spent $120 billion on the environmental agenda, mostly global warming, climate and that type of thing. And I did a little bit of math – when we’re talking about the crisis that we’re in, and I’ve quoted so many people here from the intelligence community, from the defense community, saying that this is a real serious crisis that we’re in.

“And in that respect, if you’ll just take the amount that was not authorized by Congress — and I’m talking about the environmental agenda, you could actually buy 1,400 F-35s. And I think people need to understand that there’s a price we’re paying for all these agendas that have been rejected by Congress.”

Video of Inhofe’s statement during the first round of questions can be viewed here: http://youtu.be/9SemgHu_f_M

During the second round of questions, Inhofe also highlighted areas where the Administration is spending defense dollars to prioritize the President’s climate change agenda ahead of an adequate national security strategy that addresses looming global threats. A few of the examples he provided are as follows:

• $120 million for a solar farm at Fort Bliss.

• $75 million in fiscal year ’14 appropriations for alternative energy research.

• $160 million the Navy contributed towards biofuels initiatives, retrofitting and building refineries in both FY’12 and FY’13.

Inhofe continued, “Now, when you start adding all this up, you’re talking about really serious money… It’s not you guys. It’s the administration that doesn’t have the priorities that you have stated, Mr. Secretary, that they have in terms of defending America as the number one priority.”

Video of Inhofe’s statement during the second round of questions can be viewed here: http://youtu.be/KhVLUmrzR9s