Democrat mildly protests cut to DOD printing budget

House Democrats on Monday indicated they would not vote against a bill to reduce Defense Department printing costs, although their designated speaker on the bill did raise a brief argument that Republicans should be looking to cut far more from Defense spending.

Democrats sent one speaker to the floor in a brief debate on H.R. 1246, which would cut 10 percent in DOD printing costs, or $35.7 million from the estimated FY 2012 budget. Del. Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam), a delegate who cannot vote, said she would not urge Democrats to vote against the bill, but said the bill is a "bad use of valuable floor time" because the amount saved "hardly makes a dent in multi-trillion dollar deficits facing our nation."

Bordallo also argued that the cuts come at a bad time, as Congress continues to seek more information from DOD in the form of written and printed reports.

"It would seem somewhat hypocritical of us to be cutting funding for printing and reproduction services when we, members of Congress, are asking for more and more and more reports," she said.

Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) acknowledged the relatively small savings, but said the bill, the result of the latest Republican "You Cut" online poll, is a first step that could help lead to more cutting later. He also argued that the bill might force DOD to cut back on producing "fancy printed reports," but said this does not mean DOD has no way to keep Congress informed.

"I think the information that DOD needs to get to us, as well as share internally amongst themselves or with the public, can just as easily be conveyed using plain black and white copies that are printed on both sides," he said.

After this very brief debate, the House adjourned until 6:30 p.m., when it is expected to approve the bill under a suspension of House rules, which requires a two-thirds majority for passage.