Effort to boost weapons money fails in Senate

[CommunityEditor]

While some people are complaining that a pending economic recovery bill spends too much money, a key senator is trying to make sure the Defense Department gets a substantial slice of the pie.

Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wants $5.2 billion set aside in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to restore military capabilities.

Money would be spent on restoring readiness levels of military units and restocking war reserves and prepositioned equipment. Exactly where the money would go would be left to the White House, but it would have to be spent on weapons systems.

“This funding will go to procurement of aircraft, tracked and nontracked combat vehicles, missiles, weapons, ammunition, communications equipment, maintenance equipment, naval coastal warfare boats, salvage equipment, riverine equipment, expeditionary material handling equipment and other expeditionary items,” Inhofe said.

Inhofe argues that defense spending would boost the economy, which is the purpose of the stimulus bill.

“Investing in our nation’s defense provides thousands of sustainable American jobs and provides for our nation’s security,” he said. “Major defense procurement programs are all manufactured in the U.S., with our aerospace industry alone employing more than 655,000 workers spread across over most of the U.S.”

Inhofe said he thinks defense spending can do more for the economy that some other ideas in the bill, and proposes to find the $5.2 billion by cutting what he described as “frivolous spending” approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee in the version of the bill brought to the Senate floor.

“It is clear that infrastructure investment, along with defense spending and tax cuts, has a greater stimulative impact on the economy than anything else the government can do,” he said.

Among the programs Inhofe targets are the purchase of energy efficient vehicles for the federal motor pool, the construction of trails and habitat restoration by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, $1 billion in funding for the next national census and $650 million to provide digital converter coupons for televisions.

Inhofe’s proposal is one of about 200 pending amendments on the recovery bill, HR 1.

The House of Representatives passed its version of the bill last week. Senate leaders had hoped to complete work on the Senate version by Thursday night, although some aides now predict a final Senate vote won’t come before early next week.


Article: http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2009/02/military_defense_stimulusspending_020409w/

[CommunityEditor]

The Senate rejected an attempt to divert $5.2 billion of more than $900 billion in economic recovery money to pay for defense weapons purchases.

By 59-38 vote Wednesday night, the Senate blocked an amendment sponsored by Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., to use money in HR 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to restore combat readiness and replace war reserves and prepositioned stockpiles.

The vote came on a procedural motion on which Inhofe needed 60 votes for his amendment to be considered. The vote came in a blizzard of action during which the Senate disposed of about 28 of the more than 300 amendments pending on the recovery bill.

Senate leaders said Thursday morning that they hope to complete work on the bill before the weekend but Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who is pushing an alternative economic recovery plan that would spend $4 billion on defense-related programs, said it may take until early next week for the Senate to pass its version of the bill. The House passed its version of HR 1 on Jan. 28 and is waiting for the Senate to act so negotiations can begin on a final compromise bill.

Inhofe argued, unsuccessfully, that spending money on military weapons was a good way to stimulate the economy.

“Major defense procurement programs are all manufactured in the United States, with our aerospace industry alone employing more than 655,000 workers spread across the United States,” he said.

In addition to providing jobs, Inhofe said his amendment would help rebuild a military that is suffering from the high pace of ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Inhofe noted that he was not asking for extra money for defense, but simply proposing to take money in the bill intended for other purposes and apply it to military weapons procurement.

“You have a decision,” Inhofe said in an appeal for votes. “Do you want to spend $20 million for fish passage barrier removal, $34 million to renovate the Department of Commerce, or have a strong national defense? Do you want to spend $13 million to research volunteer activities or have a strong national defense?”

No one spoke against Inhofe’s amendment. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the Senate Finance Committee chairman responsible for many provisions in the economy recovery bill, raised a budgetary point of order because passage of the amendment would allow defense spending to exceed budget caps.

Such procedural votes are a way of blocking legislation without having to vote directly on the issue.


Article: http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2009/02/military_inhofe_defensebudget_020509w/