National – The Okie

Pruitt: Jeb Would Limit Federal Government to Its Proper Constitutional Role

The Okie — Tue, 29 Sep 2015 20:33:08 +0000

by SCOTT PRUITT September 29, 2015 3:27 PM

As we choose our next president, Americans will doubtless turn their attention to the crucial issues of economic opportunity, national security, family, and faith.

Underlying all of these issues, however, is another that shouldn’t be overlooked: our frustration with how the federal government has invaded nearly every aspect of American life, while consistently failing to accomplish the few basic tasks the Constitution actually requires of it.

The Obama presidency has made this reality clearer than ever, with the federal government’s choosing to put regulators on the ground in our heartland to fight farmers and power plants instead of boots on the ground to fight ISIS, choosing to seize control of our health care instead of securing control of our borders, and choosing to bind economic growth and innovation at home while recklessly loosening economic sanctions with state sponsors of terrorism in Iran.

Read the full article at National Review.

Lucas to EPA Chief: “You’re not doing things for people. You’re inevitably doing things to people.”

The Okie — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 20:04:13 +0000

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), Vice Chairman of the House Science Committee, today questioned Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy about the science used to justify the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) final rule. WOTUS seeks to expand the EPA’s regulatory control over waterways in our country by expanding the definition of “navigable water” under the Clean Water Act to include potentially any flowing or standing water on public or private land.

“Coming from a rural area, I’m a little sensitive about the Waters of the United States rule,” said Lucas.

He stressed to McCarthy that the scientific data used to justify these burdensome regulations should be made available to the public for review.

Lucas also pointed out to McCarthy that comments from the Chairman of the EPA’s own Science Advisory Board and the President’s science advisor have reflected that the data used to justify regulations should be made publically available.

Lucas concluded his remarks saying, “there’s a fine line between doing things for people and doing things to people… there’s a perception across the country – whether it’s in ag or construction –you’re not doing things for people. You’re inevitably doing things to people.”

Earlier this year, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1732, the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015. The bill prevents the EPA from implementing the WOTUS rule. It requires the agency to reconsider the thousands of public comments from concerned Americans and rewrite the rule to reflect the public’s perspective.

In February, Lucas introduced the EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2015, legislation to ensure the science guiding EPA’s regulatory policy is objective and available for public review. The bipartisan bill passed the House of Representatives in March.

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Pruitt Continues Efforts To Block Obama’s Executive Amnesty

The Okie — Fri, 20 Feb 2015 15:43:19 +0000

Post by Scott Pruitt for Attorney General.

Video: Fallin Delivers Weekly Republican Address

The Okie — Sat, 14 Feb 2015 19:53:24 +0000

Coburn Signs On As Senior Advisor To Convention of States Project

The Okie — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 15:36:15 +0000

FORMER SEN. TOM COBURN JOINS CONVENTION OF STATES PROJECT
by DAN RIEHL, Breitbart

Retired Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) has signed on as a senior adviser to the Convention of States Project, a citizen-driven campaign that views the federal government as “increasingly bloated, corrupt, reckless and invasive,” and endorses a constitutionally legitimate process to correct America’s course.

As part of the announcement, Coburn made the following statement. “Our national soul is being corrupted by Washington’s unhindered and unconstitutional overreach,” Coburn said.

Our Founders anticipated the federal government might get out of control at some point, and they gave us a Constitutional mechanism to rein it in—it’s called a Convention of the States, outlined in Article V of the Constitution. Many in Washington have unfortunately forgotten they work for the American people, and the people have begun to mobilize in this effective effort from coast to coast. I’m enthusiastic about the prospects to make this Convention of the States a reality as well as the resonant benefits it will bring to our country.

Mark Meckler, co-founder of the Convention of States Project, added, “We are beyond pleased that Senator Coburn has joined our effort, he has been a passionate leader for years in the effort to bring Washington under control and be responsive to the American people. This is confirmation that the Article V movement through our project is resonating across America and we anticipate even more success going forward with Senator Coburn’s leadership.”

Read the complete story on breitbart.com

Tulsa’s Copy Of Declaration Of Independence To Go Display Soon

The Okie — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 17:50:43 +0000

NewsOn6.com – Tulsa, OK – News, Weather, Video and Sports – KOTV.com |

Tulsa March for Life Details

The Okie — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 14:00:06 +0000

This years Tulsa’s March For Life will be held on Thursday evening, January 22, the anniversary of the infamous 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion decision, according to Oklahoma for Life State Chairman Tony Lauinger.

The January 22nd Tulsa March For Life will begin with a Mass offered by Bishop Edward J. Slattery at Holy Family Cathedral at 5:30 p.m. The March itself, for pro-life citizens of all faiths, will begin at 6:30 p.m. from 8th Street and Boulder Avenue in downtown Tulsa, proceeding to Centennial Green, where the principal speaker will be veteran pro-life legislative leader Rebecca Hamilton.

What to Watch in 2015: The Relevance of State Parties

The Okie — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 15:30:32 +0000

As we enter 2015, The Okie would like to remind our readers of a story Politico penned back about a year ago discussing the current health of State Parties. As more outside groups gain credibility, how relevant will traditional State Parties continue to be? The Okie will monitor this trend throughout 2015 and the evolution of State Parties.

A few paragraphs from the story:

For many state parties, the party may soon be over.

State party officials across the country say the explosion of money into super PACs, nonprofit groups and presidential campaigns has made fundraising more difficult. And some of those outside groups are starting to take over the traditional local roles state parties play, spending big on voter contact and outreach operations.

The effect is that candidates can be more beholden to national organizations or single-issue groups rather than state party leaders. That’s leading to a change in candidates and their beliefs and the issues that come up in elections and statehouses.

The GOP takeover of North Carolina in 2010 and 2012, for example, was bankrolled largely by the network founded by GOP megadonors Charles and David Koch and primarily directed through the nonprofit Americans For Prosperity. AFP’s former chairman, Art Pope, now serves as North Carolina budget director.

In Texas, two Democratic outside groups have essentially built a party organization outside the official Texas Democratic Party. Several Obama campaign veterans are running the group Battleground Texas as a field and turnout operation, while the Lone Star Project is doing opposition research and tracking against Republicans.

In New Jersey, labor groups funneled money into legislative elections through a group now called General Majority PAC, a free-spending outside group headed by a former top aide of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

In Wisconsin, it was labor money that drove recall fervor against Gov. Scott Walker and several GOP state senators in 2011. State Democratic officials were quietly hoping tonegotiate with state Republicans — before ultimately backing the labor-driven recall efforts.

Read the full article at Politico.com

Tom Cole: A Year in Review

The Okie — Sat, 03 Jan 2015 19:31:16 +0000

Dec 29, 2014

As we prepare for the new Congress that assumes office on January 6 of 2015, it is important to think back on the full year behind us and remember what it meant for our country. While there were numerous challenges both at home and abroad, I believe that this year proved productive and set a positive example of bipartisanship. Despite inevitable differences on both sides of the aisle, there were several legislative achievements that proved government can function—even when it is divided.

We began this year with the passage of the omnibus appropriations bill. This compromise measure followed the top-line number set in the Ryan-Murray budget deal and funded the government for fiscal year 2014, and lawmakers did so while also reducing discretionary spending for the fourth consecutive year. Tough decisions like these have helped to lower the deficit from $1.4 trillion, when the GOP took control of the House in 2010, to less than $500 billion today. While that figure is still much too high, it represents real progress in dealing with the deficit.

Also toward the beginning of the year, both chambers of Congress supported the farm bill conference report, which saved taxpayers $23 billion in mandatory federal spending. Not only did the farm bill save hard-earned tax dollars, but the five-year extension that was signed into law by the president restored certainty to farmers, ranchers and consumers.

During the spring, I am pleased that both chambers of Congress and the Administration saw the value of legislation that would redirect taxpayer dollars that were being wasted to instead do some real good. Signed into law in April, the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act, which I co-authored with my colleague Congressman Gregg Harper, redirects taxpayer dollars used for political party conventions and instead funds pediatric disease research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). With these additional dollars to NIH, there is new potential for researchers to discover treatments and cures that could change and save lives.

Just before August, lawmakers passed legislation to address the internal mismanagement at the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) and require greater accountability there in the future. There is no obligation more sacred than to provide for our service members and their families, both during and after service to their country. Especially when our veteran heroes require special care, they should never receive less than the best treatment. Swift passage of the VA conference report, addressing the problems at the VA, proved both Republicans and Democrats agree that we should take care of our veterans.

With another government shutdown looming at the end of the year, I am pleased that lawmakers came together to vote on legislation that fully funded the government. This omnibus was the product of months-long negotiations between leadership in the House and Senate to reconcile differences on previously passed funding legislation for fiscal year 2015. While the negotiations were certainly tough, I believe that the omnibus reflected common sense and conservative priorities, and it did so by using the terms already set out in the Ryan-Murray budget agreement.

Of great importance to the Fourth District of Oklahoma and following recent passage of the National Defense Authorization Act, I am pleased that the omnibus fully funded our military and prevented the Administration’s recommended deactivation of seven AWACS aircraft stationed at Tinker Air Force Base. Such a move by the Administration would significantly impact the readiness and ability of our Armed Forces to combat current and future conflicts. Also addressed in the military funding, the omnibus acknowledged the need to maintain our national security by dealing with threats that currently include the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and the growing terrorist threat posed by ISIL in the Middle East.

As we begin the 114th Congress in the coming days with a fresh Republican majority, I remain optimistic that we will continue to find common ground with each other. I hope lawmakers will take note of our bipartisan successes from 2014 and find similar reforms that benefit the American people. Certainly, we will face obstacles in the future, but I believe we can continue to find agreement.

Romney: The Need For A Mighty U.S. Military

The Okie — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 15:20:40 +0000

The Washington Post

By Mitt Romney

The writer is the former governor of Massachusetts. In 2012, the Republican Party nominated him for president of the United States.

Russia invades, China bullies, Iran spins centrifuges, the Islamic State (a terrorist threat “beyond anything that we’ve seen,” according to the defense secretary ) threatens — and Washington slashes the military. Reason stares.

Several arguments are advanced to justify the decimation of our defense. All of them are wrong.

The president asserts that we must move to “a new order that’s based on a different set of principles, that’s based on a sense of common humanity.” The old order, he is saying, where America’s disproportionate strength holds tyrants in check and preserves the sovereignty of nations, is to be replaced.

It is said that the first rule of wing-walking is to not let go with one hand until the other hand has a firm grip. So, too, before we jettison our reliance on U.S. strength, there must be something effective in its place — if such a thing is even possible. Further, the appeal to “common humanity” as the foundation of this new world order ignores the reality that humanity is far from common in values and views. Humanity may commonly agree that there is evil, but what one people calls evil another calls good.

Read the full article at WashingtonPost.com.

Mitt Romney 2016- So You’re Saying There’s a Chance?

The Okie — Wed, 27 Aug 2014 20:38:13 +0000

On the heels of Mitt up big in early Iowa polls…

‘CIRCUMSTANCES CAN CHANGE’: Mitt Romney On Whether He’ll Run In 2016

By Colin Campbell

Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, said Tuesday that he would be interested in making a third White House bid — but only in the “one of a million” situation in which every other 2016 candidate coalesced around him.

Romney, who has repeatedly insisted that he will not run again, made the remarks in an interview with radio show host Hugh Hewitt. “I know this is hard for a lot of people to recognize, but frankly, I’d love to run for president. I loved running for president,” Romney said.

“I love the country enough to know that I’m not as good a candidate this time around as I think the other guys would be, because they’re new and not defined. I want the country to win. I do not want to see Hillary Clinton as our next president. So I stepped aside so someone who has a better shot will be able to step forward.”

Hewitt repeatedly pressed Romney on the 2016 question, setting up hypotheticals where the former Massachusetts governor was the only GOP candidate who could save the country from Clinton, the Democratic front-runner. Romney ultimately acknowledged that “circumstances can change” and that he could be compelled to run.

Read more the full article at BusinessInsider.com

Ryan: I’d Drive Romney’s Bus in 2016

The Okie — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 21:00:09 +0000

By Peter Schroeder

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) dodged questions about his 2016 plans Wednesday but said he would be a big backer of Mitt Romney if he were to make another run for the White House.

“I’d drive his bus if he asked me to,” Ryan, who ran alongside Romney for vice president in 2012, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.

Ryan said that he believed that a lot of voters now had “buyer’s remorse” about giving Obama a second term.

“A lot of the things [Romney] said in the campaign, projections he made … were true,” he said.

The House GOP heavyweight sidestepped questions about whether he plans to mount his own presidential bid in 2016, saying, “I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do on that.”

Read the full article at TheHill.com.

Bridenstine: It’s Time To End This War on Youth

The Okie — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 14:26:08 +0000

RedAlertPolitics.com

By Rep. Jim Bridenstine | July 30, 2014

President Obama easily motivated young people across the nation to vote in 2012. He captured roughly 67 percent of the youth vote, according to the Center for Research and Information on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. Yet a recent study from Harvard reported that millennials only trust the government to do the right thing 20 percent of the time.

To understand the frustration of the “unemployed generation,” just look at where millennials are right now compared to where they were two years ago. Since the 2012 election, young people have been disillusioned by questionable government agency data collection programs, the failed implementation of Obamacare, continually rising unemployment, the rising cost of living, and of course, student debt. Many college students who voted for Obama in 2008 have graduated and are now stuck in a stagnant economy. Too many of them have had to move back in with their parents. They are making less money than expected, and this is affecting life decisions, including marriage and children.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national unemployment rate for 16-24 year olds in June of 2014 was 35.2 percent. This unemployed generation is competing with more experienced, older workers for entry level jobs. BLS figures do not take into account under-employment, where a millennial is overqualified for their job. A Pew Research Survey indicated that one third of the 26-33 demographic have college degrees, constituting one of the most educated generations in American history.
Our sputtering recovery and crippled economy are directly linked to the failed policies of this administration. The employer mandate of the Affordable Care Act has incentivized employers to avoid hiring more employees and to move their employees to part time. The Federal Reserve’s Quantitative Easing policy, an attempt to print our way to prosperity, is out of control, artificially driving up the prices of groceries and other essentials. If the economy ever heats up, inflation will skyrocket. Our over-subsidized higher education system is causing the costs of a college education to explode, adding more and more debt.

Thankfully, the mindset of America’s youth is changing. A recent survey from Wells Fargo showed that millennials have a rather conservative view on saving. They are less likely to rack up personal credit card debt, and they see the pitfalls of not having a long term savings plan. These financial trends are spilling into their changing worldview on the role government should play in intervening in the market. They understand, perhaps better than anyone else, that a nation 17 trillion dollars in debt is negatively affecting the America they are inheriting.

Read the full article at RedAlertPolitics.com

Could He? Would He? Should He?

The Okie — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 16:00:30 +0000

Inhofe: Obama Disrespecting Military by Failing to Visit Texas Border

The Okie — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 16:30:12 +0000

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today called on President Obama to include in his trip to Texas a visit to the border in order to witness first-hand the immigration crisis and surge of unaccompanied alien children (UAC):

“President Obama’s failed policies and campaign tactics have driven the unprecedented flow of unaccompanied minors across the southern border. In response, he has turned to our military bases, like Ft. Sill in Oklahoma, for help with housing these children. The President’s failure to visit the border during his trip to Texas disrespects our military and their limited resources he is calling up to manage a crisis he created. Likewise, it is a snub to the thousands of border agents, local officials and vulnerable children caught in the crosshairs. President Obama should put his political fundraising on hold, accept the appropriate leadership role of a president and personally witness this crisis that is leaving young children in the hands of human traffickers and threatening the security of our nation.”

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RNC Focused On Evangelical Base To Recapture Senate

The Okie — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 20:50:21 +0000

Republicans woo evangelical base in bid to recapture the Senate

(RNS) The Republican National Committee on Friday (June 27) launched its first web-based effort to rally conservative believers behind the party, a sign of how crucial voter turnout will be in this fall’s close-fought midterm elections and an indication that the GOP cannot take its evangelical Christian base for granted.

“This shouldn’t be outreach, this should be who we are — it is who we are,” said Chad Connelly, director of faith engagement for the Republican National Committee and the force behind this new initiative, GOPfaith.com.

Evangelicals, Connelly said, “are our biggest, most reliable voting bloc.”

The problem, however, is that even though evangelicals identify more closely than ever with the GOP, they have not been turning out at the polls in sufficient numbers to carry Republican candidates to victory.

Connelly, a conservative Christian and former chairman of the Republican Party in South Carolina, said that as he traveled the country in 2012 working for the election of Mitt Romney, he found that “the faith vote was an afterthought in a lot of places.”

That came back to haunt the party, he said. He cited surveys showing that while 89 million Americans identify as evangelical Christians, just a third of them voted in the 2012 election — and more than a fifth of those voters pulled the lever for President Obama.

RNC chair Reince Priebus set up the RNC’s Faith Engagement group last year, its first-ever strategic initiative aimed exclusively at conservative faith-based voters. Priebus tapped Connelly to head it, and this new get-out-the-vote campaign — “an online home for all of our efforts, all around the country,” as he says in a video on the site.

Read the full article here.

Bridenstine Doubles Down On UAC Facility

The Okie — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 16:42:00 +0000

First he’s denied access to the base, now this. Bridenstine continues to be out front on the UAC issue…

Washington, DC, July 7, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Certain members of the media received this morning an invitation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to a showcase “tour” of the HHS facility housing Unaccompanied Alien Children at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. (The email invitation is pasted below.)

Congressman Jim Bridenstine is encouraging members of the media to reject the limitations proposed by HHS. “The idea of no recording devices, no questions, and no interactions is not acceptable. This violates the 1^st Amendment. This is not transparent. HHS is trying to muzzle the media and hide the human tragedy that has resulted directly from the Administration’s failure to enforce the law.”

Interestingly, the invitation to the media is for July 10, a date when the House of Representatives is in session thus precluding participation by Members of Congress. The Congressman has not yet received a response from HHS regarding his letter responding to their inquiry of interest in a visit on July 12.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

From: Garcia, Jesus (ACF) [mailto:Jesus.Garcia@acf.hhs.gov] Sent: Monday, July 07, 2014 10:23 AM To: Subject: Media Tour of Fort Sill, Oklahoma Temporary Shelter

Media Tour of Fort Sill, Oklahoma Temporary Shelter

The HHS Administration for Children and Families would like to invite you to a media tour of the

Unaccompanied Children temporary shelter at Fort Sill. The tour will take place 2 p.m., Thursday, July 10 (Central Time).

The purpose of this 40-minute tour is to show members of the press the interior of the shelter and explain the care we provide while these children remain in our custody. The tour guide will detail what goes on from room to room and the services youth are provided on a daily basis.

In order to protect the safety and privacyof the children, the following rules for participation will be required:

– No recording devices will be allowed

– No questions will be allowed during the tour

– No interacting with staff and children at the shelter

– We ask that your questions be provided via email or phone after the tour to Kenneth Wolfe

– HHS ACF public affairs will provide answers to your follow up questions as quickly as possible

– We will provide photos of the facility after the tour

– There will be no on-site interviews by HHS staff before or after the tour, all inquiries go to Kenneth Wolfe

If you would like to participate, please RSVP by 4 p.m. (Central Time) Tuesday, July 8, with HHS ACF Special Assistant Jesus Garcia (jesus.garcia@acf.hhs.gov).

All media inquiries to should go to:

Kenneth J. Wolfe

Deputy Director

Office of Public Affairs

Phone: (202) 401-9215

Email: Kenneth.Wolfe@acf.hhs.gov

Thursday is the only tour of the UAC facility at the base which ACF plans to offer at this time.

Once you RSVP, we will provide you directions on where to arrive on Thursday by 8 a.m., Wednesday, July 9 (Central Time).

Jesus Garcia

Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for External Affairs

Administration for Children and Families

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

370 L’Enfant Promenade, S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20447

(202) 260-2309 Phone

jesus.garcia@acf.hhs.gov

www.acf.hhs.gov

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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Coburn Op-Ed: The Earmarkers Strike Back

The Okie — Fri, 02 May 2014 14:10:37 +0000

Porky’s II: The Earmarkers Strike Back

Restoring earmarks in today’s Congress would be like opening a bar tab for a bunch of recovering alcoholics.

By Tom Coburn, The Wall Street Journal
May 1, 2014 7:13 p.m. ET

Remember the $223 million in federal funds earmarked in 2005 for the “bridge to nowhere” in Alaska? The project stalled but the public outrage it sparked led to a 2011 decision by Congress to end earmarking. Well, it looks like the bridge-to-nowhere crowd is ready to get the scaffolding out again, with lobbyists and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle calling for a return to earmarks and pork-barrel politics.

The powerful House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R., Ky.) has called the ban a “bad idea.” Two Republican candidates in Mississippi—Sen. Thad Cochran and House candidate Gene Taylor —are making a return to pork part of their platform. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) recently tried to dismiss the bipartisan ban as a fringe, right-wing idea that has led to gridlock. “It was a tea party reform,” Sen. Durbin told reporters in Springfield, Ill., on April 14 after a speech to Teamsters. “They came in and eliminated it and what they did is take the glue out of a federal transportation bill. That was the glue that held everybody together.”

Mr. Durbin said he longs for the day “when we get back to the point where members of Congress are sitting down with a common goal—let’s pass this bill, let’s make sure there is enough money in this bill, let’s find the sources of revenue necessary for this bill—you know, it creates a much better and more positive feeling.”

Read the full article here

Inhofe Statement on Hobby Lobby Case

The Okie — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 15:03:43 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 25, 2014

INHOFE STATEMENT ON SUPREME COURT HEARING ORAL ARGUMENTS OF HOBBY LOBBY CASE

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court hearing oral arguments today in the case of Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.:

“If you restrict those of faith from applying their conscience to the world around them, then you quench the progress of freedom. It is David Green’s faith practiced in his day-to-day business decisions that led him and his family to build a successful, nationwide company. It is this same conscience that compelled Green to guarantee his employees a day off during the week so that it could be spent in their religious communities and with their families. It was also this same belief that compelled Green to care for the wellbeing of Hobby Lobby’s employees, providing hourly wages far above the national average and providing them health benefits before the federal government mandated it. The Obama Administration is attempting to write a new moral code if it is going to tell people like David Green that he no longer has the freedom to apply his faith convictions to how he operates a private business. The case before the Supreme Court is about maintaining freedom for all, and freedom starts by preserving the freedom of religion under the First Amendment, whether it’s being practiced in a temple or public square. Today let us remember the words of President George Washington, ‘We are contending for our own liberty, we should be very cautious of violating the rights of conscience in others, ever considering that God alone is the judge of the hearts of men and to Him only in this case they are answerable.’ ”

Bridenstine: US Giving High Level Military Technology To Russia

The Okie — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:51:40 +0000

Bridenstine, Turner: United States is giving high level military technology to Russia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 25, 2014

Washington, DC—Congressman Mike Turner, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, and House Armed Services Committee Member Jim Bridenstine along with sixteen House colleagues, sent a letter to Secretary of Energy Moniz regarding the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) FY15 proposal to provide the Russian Federation with the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES).

Employed by the U.S. military for training purposes, the MILES is a tactical force-on-force trainer, which uses a system of lasers and dummy ammunition to simulate ground combat for soldiers. While a military-grade technology, MILES could be compared to a “laser tag” system available in some commercial markets. Both Turner and Bridenstine are concerned that the Administration’s planned supply to the Russian Federation is grave mistake given the recent invasion of Ukraine launched by Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin.

The letter said, in part, “In the process of reviewing the Fiscal Year 2014 budget and the proposed Fiscal Year 2015 budget request, it has come to our attention that the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has been, and is planning to continue providing the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES) to the Russian Federation free of charge.”

“It’s ludicrous that U.S. taxpayers are paying to give Russia free military equipment after President Obama announced a suspension in military engagement with Moscow. It’s just another example of how the President is hanging on to his failed “reset with Russia” policy despite Russia’s invasion and occupation of Ukraine. I expect Secretary of Energy Moniz to act quickly and stop irresponsible military equipment transfers,” said Bridenstine.

“Putin has proven that he has a brazen disregard for the sovereignty and stability of Eastern Europe and that he will continue manipulate and disregard international law. Despite this overwhelming evidence that Putin is not our ally, it is astonishing that the Obama Administration would still provide superior, U.S. military technology to an aggressive and advancing Russia. The United States must seriously redirect its approach and immediately terminate all military aid to Russia,” said Turner.

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