Mike Coffman

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Chairman, unlike my two colleagues, and God bless them for their experience, but they've not served in our military, and they've not served in the United States Army in Europe as I have. So I can challenge the assumptions of the United States Army here. The Cold War has been over with since 1989. We're spending 4.7 percent of our GDP on defense and our European allies, most of them, are spending less than 2 percent. There's an overreliance on the United States, and that's different from being allies. These are not expeditionary forces. These are really, truly relics of the Cold War with no border to defend. So it is time that we take them back. Where is the savings? Well, the savings is in part because there is already an agreement that we are going to draw down the end-strength of our active duty forces. So that certainly fits within that criteria that's already been agreed to. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. 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 $15,676,996,273,860.82. We've added $5,050,119,224,947.74 to our debt in just over 3 years. This is debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. 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 $15,674,047,733,490.96. We've added $5,047,170,684,577.88 to our debt in just over 3 years. This is debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, today I am announcing my intention to offer an amendment on the Defense authorization bill to reduce our military footprint and spending in Europe. In January, the Pentagon announced that two U.S. Army combat brigade teams would be withdrawn from Europe. I don't think that goes far enough. The current proposal is only a step in the right direction. We should retain only the headquarters and support infrastructure necessary for expeditionary capabilities, and we should withdraw all four combat brigades from Europe. In order for the U.S. military to modernize and move forward towards a more agile strategy, we must close bases in Europe. There is no longer a strategic reason to maintain nearly 80,000 troops in Europe. Additionally, only four of our 28 NATO allies are spending more than 2 percent of their GDP on defense. The reason they can get away with spending so little on defense is that they are relying on the United States to provide it for them. We currently spend 4.7 percent of GDP on defense, but we should have higher priorities for our defense dollars these days than for the defense of Europe.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. 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 $15,675,791,363,404.17. We've added $5,048,914,314,491.09 to our debt in just over 3 years. This is debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. 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 $15,671,916,356,611.36. We've added $5,045,039,307,693.28 to our debt in just over 3 years. This is debt our Nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. 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 $15,624,347,610,476.87. We've added $4,997,470,561,563.79 to our debt in just over 3 years. This is debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing legislation to restore respect for the remains of our fallen heroes by mandating a uniformed chain of custody for overseas military casualties. Since the beginning of combat operations in Afghanistan, there have been several instances of gross misconduct in the treatment of the remains of our fallen heroes. Body parts have been lost, the cremated remains of 274 servicemembers were dumped in a landfill, and in one incident a Marine was dismembered in order to fit inside his uniform. In each of these unfortunate examples, non-uniformed personnel were intimately involved in the callous behavior. To ensure the reverent care of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country, I am sponsoring a bill that mandates a uniformed member of the armed services be accountable for the remains of overseas casualties from the battlefield until the remains are accepted by the member's next of kin. Civilian personnel involved in the chain of custody are not subject to the Uniformed Code of Military Justice, UCMJ, and the Department of Justice has not seen fit to prosecute a single case of misconduct. A uniformed chain of custody law would clearly define accountability for the remains as a military honor and duty, and any violations of this responsibility will be punishable under UCMJ. The men and women who serve as our nation's Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines have few assurances when they deploy to combat to defend our nation. One of the few assurances they do have is that if they make the ultimate sacrifice and lay down their lives in the line of duty, then their remains will be treated with the utmost dignity and respect of a grateful nation. I believe this is not only a legal requirement, but also our moral obligation. My legislation will reassure servicemembers and their families that our nation honors their service in life and in death.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. 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 $15,623,285,528,454.41. We've added $4,996,408,479,541.33 to our debt in just over 3 years. This is debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. 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 $15,628,266,498,708.04. We've added $5,001,389,449,794.96 to our debt in just over 3 years. This is debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. 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 $15,661,574,232,598.82. We've added $5,034,697,183,685.74 to our debt in just over 3 years. This is debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Madam Speaker, if managed wisely, America's national forests can provide a safe wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, and thousands of jobs in the timber industry. Unfortunately, a lack of effective forest management in the United States has led to poor forest health. This can and does cause catastrophic forest fires. Recently, in Colorado, the North Fork fire destroyed 27 homes and killed 3 homeowners. The fire was caused by a prescribed burn designed to prevent a catastrophic forest fire. Clearly, this incident exemplifies the need for alternative forest management tools, such as increased timber harvesting, to reduce the risk of wildfires in the future. Through prudent forest management and the ability to access and harvest our timber resources, these communities can support jobs while fostering healthy forests, safeguarding the natural beauty of Colorado and the Nation, and protecting against dangerous wildfires.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. 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 $15,661,574,232,598.82. We've added $5,034,697483,685.74 to our debt in just over 3 years. This is debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. 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 $15,654,638,525,397.64. We have added over 5 trillion dollars to our debt in just over 3 years. This is debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. 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 $15,615,726,037,322.66. We've added $4,988,848,988,409.58 to our debt in 3 years. This is debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. 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 $15,580,211,803,539.46. We've added $4,953,334,754,626.38 to our debt in 3 years. This is debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. 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 $15,589,407,415,161.70. We've added $4,962,530,366,248.62 to our debt in 3 years. This is debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. 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 $15,586,074,570,040.79. We've added $4,959,197,521,227.71 to our debt in 3 years. This is debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. 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 $15,585,576,040,333.70. We've added $4,958,698,991,420.62 to our debt in 3 years. This is debt our Nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. 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 $15,574,428,564,198.34. We've added $4,947,551,515,285.26 to our debt in 3 years. This is debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, when George W. Bush was inaugurated, the national debt was $5,727,776,738,304.64. When Barack Obama was inaugurated, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. This was a $4,899,100,310,608.44 increase in 8 years. Today, the debt is $15,583,383,846,149.34, which means that President Obama has raised the debt more in just over 3 years than President Bush did in 8 years. This is debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, George W. Bush was inaugurated, the national debt was $5,727,776,738,304.64. When Barack Obama was inaugurated, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. This was a $4,899,100,310,608.44 increase in 8 years. Last week, the debt climbed to $15,574,238,368,104.89, which means that President Obama has raised the debt more in just over 3 years than President Bush did in 8 years. This is debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. 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 $15,566,570,829,745.94. We've added $4,939,693,780,832.86 to our debt in 3 years. This is debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. 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 $15,498,306,692,627.99. We've added $4,871,429,643,714.91 to our debt in 3 years. This is debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. 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 $15,499,023,629,682.44. We've added $4,872,146,580,769.36 to our debt in 3 years. This is debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.