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Rep. Mike Coffman, (R-Colo.), on why there needs to be more flexibility in how the cuts in defense spending are made.
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-- congressman Mike coughing today introducing legislation.
To allow the Department of Defense to implement the 500 billion in cuts more strategically.
Joining us congressman -- -- a member of the armed services committee and an Iraq War -- -- welcome to you congressman.
-- -- -- -- -- Great to have you with us so you basically here are looking for more flexibility on where to make cuts cuts that would be near be the best interest of national security laid out morning.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Way I gives the same way to a program -- vital to national security as one the promise should have been done away with long time ago.
And so that's the problem and so what I'm putting quarters of -- as you know we can do this if we do it right Brian.
Taking things that are lesser importance.
Or that should've gone by the -- along time ago and preserving the priorities that are vital to our national security.
But you'd think the president.
Who has the discretion to determine where the cut should go would have -- national security taxpayers in his best interest yet.
We've heard him over the weekend and today on this national sport really using scare tactics right I -- talking about.
Teachers and the country be more susceptible to terror attacks delays and flight center at -- -- up.
-- it's almost like politics vs real savvy business decisions in my reading this from what's your take.
Well I'm disappointed the Obama administration because I think that they ought to be moving forward -- want the flexibility.
To protect the priorities of government -- to say you know we're gonna take.
Take on the the -- take on the bureaucratic fat.
We're gonna take on programs of lesser significance to protect the priorities of government yet they're not doing that because they -- to make a point.
That that.
Without revenue this is gonna occur and it's going to be painful to the American people.
And that's -- -- to be as a commander in chief when we're talking about national security.
With the flexibility can make these cuts without compromising national security I've just put put forward one way to do that.
But I think the administration ought to be coming up -- me with.
Other ways to do that if not my way.
And to be clear we're not even talking about here cuts were talking about a and I -- to just read to you from senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma we were looking at this letter he sent to the department of homeland security and you're talking about defense cuts here but.
Coburn is outlining questionable spending in urban area security initiatives such as -- okay underwater robots snow cone machines.
Security upgrades -- spring training stadium.
Color printers.
Military style bear cat vehicles used protect pumpkin festivals there is so much fat there are so many easy cuts.
You even lay out some of your own.
Right you know I really do and summer are hard I think kind of -- -- -- in terms of our.
Let's do our crew rotation where instead of taking our ships from the theater of operations selling them back to home ports in the United States to change -- let's let's get those crews out there let's fly the crews out -- And meet -- imports in the theater of operations in the there's some fairly significant savings involved in that.
You know we've got 79000 troops still in Europe and the -- war's been over with since 1991.
Do we really need that.
Type -- presence in Europe and European allies are spending less than 2% of on their defense.
Of their economy we're at four point 7% so I think there's a lot of things and we can look at.
You're talking about getting rid -- selective services which -- -- is about 24 million.
Yet it mean that's not a lot of money -- that's actually that's so is that so small thought in my proposal.
That's a -- proposal that I got going I think that that's something that that.
Is.
Gone.
It's article by the wayside it's it's utilities are.
-- over with for a long time.
Congressman Mike Kaufman of Colorado's thanks for timing office of follow up with you that's for sure.
Thanks for him.
