Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding wasteful Pentagon spending and supporting cuts to the bloated defense budget.

Congress maintains that more money to the Pentagon does not buy us more security;

it remains Congress’ intent to reduce defense waste, increase transparency, and reduce or eliminate poor management practices at the Department of Defense;

Congress can and should make significant cuts to the budget of the Pentagon while simultaneously improving support for the members of the Armed Forces, by reducing unnecessary spending and reinvesting in our troops;

Congress must exercise aggressive oversight to track and account for the money that is being spent and to ensure the Department of Defense follows through with performing annual audits, implementing recommendations, and achieving a clean audit as quickly as possible;

Congress encourages the Department of Defense to complete its full audit before the end of the calendar year and report back to Congress immediately;

Congress encourages the Department of State and other agencies to use combined power of diplomacy, foreign assistance, and a strong and fair economy to ensure our Nation is safe;

Congress supports the elimination of the Overseas Contingency Operations account which makes waging war too easy; and

Congress supports moves to reduce the priority given to war in our foreign policy and our current war-based national economy by using significant cuts, up to $350,000,000,000 as detailed above, from current budget plans, while using the funds to increase our diplomatic capacity and for domestic programs that will keep our Nation and our people safer.