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1 (2014)

handle is hein.cbhear/fdsysabua0001 and id is 1 raw text is: AUT-ENTICATED U.S. GOVERNMENT INFORMATION GP DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2015 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2014 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met at 10:12 a.m., in room SD-106, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Richard J. Durbin (chairman) pre- siding. Present: Senators Durbin, Leahy, Feinstein, Pryor, Cochran, Murkowski, and Graham. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY STATEMENT OF HON. DEBORAH LEE JAMES, SECRETARY OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR RICHARD J. DURBIN Senator DURBIN. The subcommittee meets this morning to re- ceive testimony on the fiscal year 2015 budget request for the United States Air Force. Our apologies for being a little bit late, but we had a scheduled vote and rushed right over. I am pleased to welcome the Secretary of the Air Force, the Hon- orable Deborah Lee James; thank you for coming. The Air Force Chief of Staff, General Mark Welsh, III; thank you, General, for being here. The Chief of the National Guard Bureau, General Frank Grass; it is good to see you again. The director of the Air National Guard, Lieutenant General Stanley Clarke, III; General Clarke. And the Chief of Air Force Reserve, Lieutenant General James Jackson; thank you so much. We appreciate you being here. The fiscal year 2015 President's budget request includes $108 bil- lion for the Air Force that falls under our jurisdiction. The budget does not include funding for overseas contingency operations, and that is a concern. Until we receive the President's plan for support in Afghanistan post-2014, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to appropriate proper levels of funding to support our warfighters. PREPARED STATEMENT This budget establishes obvious priorities and the purpose of this hearing is to investigate the rationale behind those priorities. The (1)