Mike Coffman

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Madam Chairman, I am proud to be joined by Representatives Polis, Griffith, and Blumenauer in offering an amendment to move away from our Cold War posture to meet the challenges of the future. This bipartisan amendment will end the permanent basing of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Germany and return that brigade combat team to the United States, without permanent replacement. There is no longer a strategic reason to maintain our current troop numbers in Europe. This action will still leave one brigade combat team and one combat aviation brigade in Europe. Nothing in this amendment demands the removal of our European medical facilities or rapid response forces. Should a crisis occur, it is not the BCTs that will be called to respond. In fact, just last month, the U.S. moved marines from a crisis-response force to Italy in anticipation that it could be needed to respond to growing unrest in Libya. In an emergency, expeditionary forces, such as the Marine Corp Special MAG Task Force and FAST teams, or even the Army's 82nd Airborne, would be called to action, not the BCTs in Germany. Only 4 out of 28 NATO allies spend even the required 2 percent of their GDP on defense. The U.S. spends 4.7 percent. Our allies keep defense spending low because they take for granted that we will guarantee their security. This is an unfair burden to U.S. taxpayers. We should reprioritize our commitments while meeting our security obligations to our NATO allies by utilizing rotational forces. I ask my colleagues to join in supporting this amendment to better deal with the strategic challenges of the future. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Chairman, the question before us, in an environment of limited resources, is whether we fund an economic development program for small business. And as a former small business owner, I certainly would think under normal circumstances that would be important. But we're doing it out of the Department of Defense budget, and we're doing it at the expense of priorities within the Department of Defense. The Department of Defense is not asking for this program. What the Department of Defense is saying is that there are shortages in funding operations and maintenance. So I believe that it's critically important to take this $250 million that the Department of Defense is now requesting and put it into an area where they are requesting. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COFFMAN. Madam Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding and for bringing up this critical issue. My father was a veteran of both World War II and Korea, and he taught me, growing up, that there's no greater demonstration of American citizenship than serving one's country in the military. And in my congressional district, there are a lot of young people who came to this country by their parents illegally, who grew up in the United States, who went to school here, and who want to serve this country in the military. It is the only country that they've known, and so they ought to be afforded the right to do that and to demonstrate what is the greatest, I think, form of citizenship, and that is service in the United States military. So I think that this is something that we've got to accomplish as a part of comprehensive immigration reform and something, certainly, that will make our country a better place.

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Chairman, over the past few years, the prevailing trend within the Department of Defense has been an overreliance on Federal employees to perform commercial services. Given our Nation's need for fiscal austerity, a problem made more acute by mandated sequester cuts, it is important that Congress provide the Pentagon with the necessary tools to drive efficiencies and cost savings. Public- private competitions are one such tool. Public-private competitions are an effective way of injecting performance and accountability into government operations. The private sector constantly competes for new business opportunities. When the Federal Government performs commercial functions, they, too, should be required to compete. Unfortunately, Congress has placed a moratorium on public-private cost competitions, effectively granting monopoly power to the Federal Government when it comes to providing commercially available goods and services. We all know that without competition, both innovation and quality suffer. The amendment does not mandate the use of public-private competitions. It simply unlocks an essential tool that the Defense Department can use to drive cost effectiveness and efficiencies, and save valuable taxpayer dollars.

Mr. COFFMAN. I reclaim my time. There is nothing in the NATO charter that says we have to maintain permanent bases in Europe. I certainly support rotational forces. I support our involvement and our obligations to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, but it doesn't say we need to have a unit that is not an expeditionary force in the middle of Europe protecting a border that no longer exists. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,738,715,835,680.58. We've added $6,111,838,786,767.50 to our debt in 4 and a half years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,738,726,834,732.35. We've added $6,111,849,785,819.27 to our debt in 4 and a half years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, the United States military is the most capable and most professional fighting force in history. But while our military is adept at meeting external threats, it has had a more difficult time combatting the epidemic of sexual assault and sexual misconduct in its ranks. Earlier today, the Armed Services Committee passed this year's defense bill. I am proud to have supported provisions that will help us tackle the problem of sexual assault in the military by holding perpetrators accountable, protecting victims, and maintaining good order and discipline. I'm particularly pleased that Representative Speier and I were able to add whistleblower protection enhancements. Our men and women in uniform must be able to depend on one another and trust their command will protect them from sexual predators. These crimes inflict lasting damage on individuals and compromise the effectiveness of our military. I am committed to solving this terrible problem once and for all.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,738,767,256,596.67. We've added $6,111,890,207,683.59 to our debt in 4 and a half years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,738,778,336,691.59. We've added $6,111,901,787,778.51 to our debt in 4 and a half years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,738,788,832,145.30. We've added $6,111,911,783,232.22 to our debt in 4 and a half years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,738,821,943,986.12. We've added $6,111,944,895,073.10 to our debt in 4 years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,787,282,992,090.73. We've added $6,160,405,943,177.65 to our debt in 4 years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,734,032,974,210.27. We've added $6,107,155,925,297.19 to our debt in 4 years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,737,294,304,715.52. We've added $6,110,417,255,802.44 to our debt in 4 years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Miller and Ranking Member Michaud for their leadership on the committee. Their efforts to advance this important bill will help veterans who are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan find jobs. As a member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and as a Marine Corps combat veteran myself, it is important to me and to our country that we take care of those who have served this Nation after they come home from war. Our veterans have great skills when it comes to working as a member of a team and getting the job done; but, unfortunately, in many instances, their technical skills aren't readily transferable to civilian occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics stated that the unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans between the ages of 20 and 24 was 19 percent in April. This is why I am happy to have my legislation, H.R. 1412, the Improving Job Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2013, on the floor today for a vote. This legislation seeks to increase the availability of on-the-job training and apprenticeship programs to help veterans make the transition into the civilian workforce. This legislation will build on an existing, yet little known and underutilized, on-the-job training program that allows veterans to use their educational benefits they earned through their military service to learn a trade or skill by participating in an approved apprenticeship or on-the-job training program. There are two pillars of this legislation. The first is it will decrease the final percentage of the veteran's salary paid by the employer from 85 to 75 percent as a means to further incentivize employers to participate. Secondly, the legislation will expand this training program by requiring the VA to enter into agreements with other Federal agencies to expand on-the-job training opportunities throughout the Federal Government. This legislation will be a great tool for both private sector and Federal employers to hire our veterans who are struggling to make that transition from the military to the civilian workforce. Employers in Colorado have already explained to me how beneficial this legislation can be for their operations because they know that hiring veterans is a proven bonus. They know that veterans are hardworking, team-oriented, and quick learners who are capable of gaining highly technical skills that are prevalent in many industries today. For example, the CEO of Tri-State Generation in Colorado, based in my home district, told me that the Improving Job Opportunities for Veterans Act will add to his company's existing outreach to our veterans. Currently, they employ 150 veterans. Now they will do even more. I applaud their efforts and of other companies who want to hire vets. I hope this bill helps employers connect to the great pool of talent of those returning from military service.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,734,808,644,648.07. We've added $6,110,451,189,734,235.05 to our debt in 4 years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to join my colleagues today to affirm our collective effort to put aside partisanship wherever possible and seek the solutions our country needs. As I meet with constituents across Colorado's Sixth Congressional District, I constantly hear the refrain, What is Congress doing to help our country? The people of Aurora, Colorado, and the surrounding communities in my district want to know what is being done to fix the economy, to generate jobs, to care for our veterans, and to defend our Nation. They don't ask about the current beltway infighting. They want to know what is being done about our debt and to help with their children's schools. I'm glad to stand here today and repeat the message that Members of Congress need to put aside partisan agendas and seek solutions together.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, in a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee on April 25, I asked the Secretary of the Army, John McHugh, if he could give me an idea of what the excess capacity is for Army installations in the United States. The Secretary informed me that the last study was done in 2004, and it found that the excess capacity was at 20 percent. He stated that the number would probably be much higher today but that he had no way of knowing since Congress had prohibited him from using any funds to study the issue further. Mr. Speaker, I will move an amendment when the National Defense Authorization Act comes to the House floor that will direct the Secretary of Defense to determine what the current excess capacity is so that we will know the potential savings from doing another Base Realignment and Closure Commission. I support the administration and its call for another Base Realignment and Closure Commission in 2015. Every dollar wasted in the Defense budget is a dollar that is not spent on defending our Nation. I ask that my colleagues in the House support my amendment when it comes to the floor.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,734,808,644,648.07. VVe've added $6,107,931,595,734.99 to our debt in 4 years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,765,040,725,133.72. We've added $6,138,163,676,220.64 to our debt in 4 years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,760,961,851,934.60. We've added $6,134,084,803,021.52 to our debt in 4 years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,755,788,437,042.45. We've added $6,128,911,388,129.37 to our debt in 4 years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.