Letters to Congress  

TCS Action Letter to the Senate Cut Waste From FY04 Defense Authorization Bill May 20, 2003 Dear Senator: Taxpayers for Common Sense Action (TCS Action), a non-partisan, budget watchdog group, has several concerns with the more than $400 billion "National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2004," S. 1050. While we support the provisions to restore testing of the proposed National Missile Defense and making the Air Force examine alternatives to leasing of tanker aircraft, we are concerned that at a time of record deficits, S. 1050 has bloated to more than $1.1 billion over the President's request. We strongly urge you to remove several wasteful and potentially harmful provisions that have contributed to a proposed FY04 Defense Authorization that is $17.9 billion, or 3.2% more than FY03 levels. TCS Action is concerned with provisions to procure additional F/A-22 Raptors and V-22 Ospreys, repeal prohibitions on the development of low-yield nuclear weapons, and fund the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP). We urge you to support amendments to strike these provisions and to support the Reed-Levin amendment to require realistic operational testing of the NMD and the Kennedy-Feinstein amendment to maintain the prohibition on low-yield nuclear weapons development. V-22 Osprey This tilt-rotor, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft has been plagued with cost overruns, mechanical problems, and failures throughout its development life, including four crashes that took the lives of 23 Marines. This March, the Osprey was grounded again because of problems with the hydraulic lines. It is premature to purchase these aircraft until the manufacturing processes are more developed. TCS Action advocates for striking the language that would spend another $1.05 billion for 11 new Osprey for the Marines and Air Force. We have already wasted $15 billion on this program and we have nothing to show for it. F/A-22 Raptor This more than $260 million aircraft was designed to combat a next generation Soviet aircraft that was never developed. TCS Action strongly support the committees provision to cut the scheduled acquisition of F/A-22 Raptors from 22 to 20 in FY04 and we encourage further scrutiny of the program. We are very concerned with this program's endemic cost overruns, and the "buy to budget" strategy that locks in certain profits for Lockheed-Martin and other contractors as the per aircraft cost for the taxpayer explodes. S. 1050 provides $3.5 billion for the acquisition of 20 aircraft, but Congress should seriously consider abandoning future procurement of this weapon system. Increased accountability for NMD S. 1050 directs more than $9 billion toward the missile defense program this year. Realistic testing of missile defense will help ensure our hard earned tax dollars are not wasted. Previous missile defense tests have been dumbed down and do not indicate any real ability to shoot down potential enemy missiles. TCS Action supports the Committee's efforts to restore the National Missile Defense (NMD) test planned for September 2004, which the administration cut earlier this year. This cancellation is part of a Bush administration proposal to cut 9 of the 20 planned missile defense tests that were planned prior to the decision to deploy the NMD. TCS Action urges the Senate to stand by its pledge to not allow any waivers on operational testing and to request the administration commit to more realistic future tests in the program. To this end, we urge you to support the amendment offered by Sens. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Carl Levin (D-MI) that would make the Pentagon develop performance criteria for missile defense systems, and a test plan for those systems that provides an estimate of when operational testing will be done to verify that performance standards are met. Currently, missile defense is the only major defense program that does not have any performance criteria and standards. This amendment does not reduce funding for any missile defense system in FY 2004. Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator and Repeal of Prohibition on Research and Development of Low Yield Nuclear Weapons TCS Action is very concerned with the committees decision to repeal the prohibition of R&D on low-yield nuclear weapons and the $15 million provided for further development the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator/bunker buster weapon. The effort to develop low yield nuclear weapons (less than 5 kilotons) will undercut our significant fiscal and diplomatic investment in non-proliferation efforts, and we urge you to support the amendment by Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to maintain the prohibition. The nuclear bunker buster represents an expensive, unnecessary and likely ineffective addition to our arsenal. The bunker buster will not effectively destroy deep bunkers, and precision weapons targeted at entrances will be more effective at no additional cost. Tanker Leases We commend the committee for including a provision in S. 1050 that requires the Air Force to conduct an analysis of alternatives (AOA) before moving ahead with the tanker lease proposal. This provision would require an independent analysis of alternatives for meeting aerial refueling requirements and to ensure that we make the most cost- effective and appropriate investment for the tanker plane fleet. Again, TCS Action urges you to support amendments to strike these provisions and to support the Reed-Levin amendment to require realistic operational testing of the NMD and the Kennedy-Feinstein amendment to maintain the prohibition on development of low-yield nuclear weapons. For more information please contact me at 2020-546-8500 ext. 126 or steve@taxpayer.net. Sincerely, Steve Ellis Vice President for Programs

Taxpayers for Common Sense is a non-partisan budget watchdog that serves as an independent voice for American taxpayers.  Now in its second decade of service to the nation, TCS seeks to ensure that our government spends taxpayer money efficiently and responsibly by working to eliminate wasteful and harmful federal spending.