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Sen. Tom Carper, (D-Del.), on how defense spending can be streamlined to reduce the deficit.
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We still are very much focused on what's going on with cutting the deficit -- the so called super committees of the bipartisan some Republicans.
Some Democrats committee doesn't come up.
With one point two trillion in cuts might Thanksgiving an automatic 600 billion will be sliced right off of defense.
Now if they want to avoid that they've got to get it done but there are cross currents of people yelling and screaming that you can't cut any more from defense.
We're joined now in a Fox Business.
But senator Tom -- there.
Democrat from Delaware who served 23 years in the military retired as captain and He is joining us now with ideas of where to cut -- and this is a sensitive subject senator thank you so much for joining us this isn't.
As I would imagine you'd say it's not about patriotism it's about finding areas that can be cut and where would you look perhaps.
Like -- we need look no further -- then.
The general accountability office every year they endure -- -- a lot of departments and our federal government including department of defense and -- they told was that major weapons system cost overruns.
We're about 400 billion dollars up from forty million dollars ten years earlier.
We're told by the inspector general's within the Department of Defense that is -- -- human -- -- before the break.
We're spending our.
-- eight dollars for for a spare parts for helicopters were about thirty times that amount.
Four door part and -- helicopters from about five times more than we should be at a time when we actually have.
Those.
Spare parts and supplies.
A -- name.
This -- -- great football Coach used to say if you -- -- story just practicing another way to say that is what we don't measure we can't manage.
We don't to a very good job and apartment offensive actually.
Running what we call audible finances to actually have fleeing unqualified financial reports were supposed to last twenty years to pass -- -- Still haven't done that Department of Defense tell you who's gonna change that is going to be -- and not.
Former Budget Committee chairman former OMB director former chief of staff he's all over this stuff that's -- He is very very good thing you'll be changing.
He is but He has since senator that if we cut more we might hollow out the military which nobody wants to do obviously but let's just give an example.
Sikorsky which makes helicopters.
There was some charges that became very suspicious to the inspector general would confront them up on the screen is a 181 dollar.
Up plastic wiring box.
That we -- charged I say we as the taxpayers 2393.
Dollars there was a Ruder that should cost 15100 that we paid 7800.
Dollars for an overall when you look at.
The eleven plus million over chart that you 151%.
Over charge that some people were looking -- saying this is too much now.
Igor Sikorsky back in the eighteen hundreds of -- -- ballot properly obviously -- -- during your three tours in Vietnam it's and some of these but that's a little bit of too much for the American taxpayers that not so how do we get our contractors.
To start charging apparently.
First of all we need inventory systems that are accurate so that we've brought me.
15100 dollars or 7500 dollars -- door park for a helicopter if we have them -- stop.
We don't have very good inventory systems we're gonna ever -- -- counting systems.
One of the things Leon Panetta has laid down the law we had a very about a year ago on whether or not the Department of Defense is making progress we're having -- financials the year a year ago.
You're looking -- -- were forced to control another said no I don't think we can get their right when He seventeen this is not be audited.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- I don't think -- right -- -- get -- Leon Panetta they have Panetta took over about 23 months ago.
They had -- the same witnesses who force last month and they said will be there in fact we'll be -- -- seventy.
When you hear that that's some of the contractors are saying that if you cut.
That well -- and I look at this was interested in that will look adversely affect mission's success.
Boy that strikes at the heart of a lot of Americans nobody wants to do that cat we cut the required amount do you expect the super committee will do it before Thanksgiving without.
Hurting mission success.
Well it leaves an analogy we don't wanna cut this is like for benefits and Medicare and Medicaid.
But there's a lot of fraud and improper payments mr.
a lot of inefficiencies in Medicare and Medicaid we have to go after those -- we don't have to cut their benefits and hurt people similarly in the Department of Defense.
There is so a lot of -- there's a lot but there's a lot of overpayments improper payments.
And we don't measure we don't have -- decent accountants as we drive inventory systems that are reliable we have huge overruns to weapons systems and like 400 billion dollars last year at this.
Up tenfold from where it was just just ten years ago.
These are areas we can do better and to the extent we need to do -- we have to find -- -- to continue direction down the deficit we don't want her -- -- -- -- -- -- Our men and women in uniform we don't want her -- -- -- whenever there's work to do that there's a way -- to after the deficit without hurting our war fighters and without hurting them.
And that it's almost to take itself as a playbook.
The general accountability office's.
Major -- major -- they find the AIG's.
There's a high risk -- -- GAO does everything that convention we -- to do well attributed to do this this equipment.
Need to get to -- news of the day senator Harry Reid of Nevada had proposed today the 5%.
Extra tax on millionaires if this were to come to fruition would you vote for seven.
Yes hi -- I've never talked much about taxes on billionaires millionaires.
The idea of actually for part of a deficit reduction plan.
-- have -- -- released a period of time on income over a million dollars.
I've got something that I can support I've never been ones who we are tax millionaires and billionaires -- maximum pay a lot of taxes it is.
But what part of an overall deficit reduction plan were most of that reduction on the spending side.
We need some of these debt that would work.
What would you would you say you've -- -- if it were temporary or either way you would vote for us this.
It's what I would like to see as part of an overall deficit reduction plan -- actually supported Bowles Simpson.
You know three dollars and deficit reduction on the spending side for every one dollar on the revenue side we do we do entitlement reform the same time we do a -- to form the -- generation additional revenue.
Three dollars and spending reductions one dollar.
Senator Tom -- 23 years three tours in Vietnam.
Navy captain we salute you we thank you and we appreciate your perspective thanks so much thank you.
