Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) on Saturday touted the $612 billion defense bill heading to the Senate floor as a reform measure.
“This bill takes a common-sense approach: It cuts spending from programs that have been delayed or failed to perform, and redirects that revenue to meet the critical needs of our warfighters,” Fischer, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in the weekly Republican address.
{mosads}“In all, this year’s NDAA finds $10 billion in savings, which it uses to increase the capability and training of our men and women in uniform,” she added.
She pointed to changes like addressing the “growing bureaucracy” at the Pentagon.
The bill would require the Pentagon to cut down headquarters and management staff by 30 percent over the next four years.
The annual bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), has brought some controversy for boosting the Pentagon’s war funding account by $38 billion more than President Obama requested.
Democrats object, saying the move skirts the budget caps under sequestration while leaving the caps in place for non-defense spending.
The bill still passed the committee with only four Democrats voting against it this month. It could head to the Senate floor as soon as June.
“I was proud to contribute to this bipartisan legislation, which was overwhelmingly approved by our committee earlier this month,” Fischer said.
She praised the funding as providing strong support for the military, which she said followed President Ronald Reagan’s principle of “peace through strength.”
“From Iran’s nuclear ambitions to China’s aggressive territorial expansion, Russia’s belligerence as a regional bully, and the growing threat of the Islamic State, we have no shortage of challenges,” Fischer said.
“This underscores the importance of providing for our military,” she added. “A strong and capable defense deters our adversaries.”