Congressman speaks to USC students

Congressman Buck McKeon, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, discussed federal spending, military issues and foreign trade with students from the USC Marshall School of Business.

 

The event, hosted at Town and Gown Tuesday evening, allowed attendees to engage in an intimate dialogue with the politician. The event was McKeon’s first public appearance since announcing his retirement on Jan. 16th.

Scott McKeon, an alumnus of Marshall’s Master of Business Administration program in 2007, introduced his uncle, Buck McKeon.

“He certainly is a defender of our freedom, a defender of our faith and a defender of our family,” McKeon said.

Throughout his speech, McKeon shared unique insights from his 21 years in politics and commented on current events.

He specifically expressed concern over the state of the economy, and explained how budget cuts have affected military preparedness. Since 2010, McKeon stated that the government has cut a trillion dollars from national defense.

“If you cut back the funding, [troops] are not getting all of the necessary training. The government has had to cut corners and they’ve done it, because you know you run out of ways to save money and that’s where most of it comes out of–operations maintenance,” McKeon said.

While McKeon remains committed to providing American troops with the upper hand in combat, budget cuts have made it increasingly difficult to uphold this responsibility.

“General Odierno, Chief of the U.S. Army, told us just a few weeks ago that 85 percent of the army is not now ready to go into combat,” McKeon said. “There are three things that concern me the most out of all of these cuts to our national security. Number one is cuts in readiness.”

This major campaign to reduce funding has threatened America’s position as a global leader. McKeon used a bullying metaphor to expand upon this point.

“You guys remember the kindergarten bully? He kind of ruled the grounds until somebody bloodied his nose,” he said. “Well if nobody bloodies his nose, everybody’s scared and everyone wants to be friends with a bully. Well that’s what happens with nations. If we’re not there, others will come up. Do we want that to be Russia?”

McKeon also mentioned Iran and China as serious national security threats.

 

Following the congressman’s lecture, students had the opportunity to engage in a question and answer session. Gilberto Barrios, a senior majoring in business administration, benefited from this opportunity.

“The recent campaign to downsize our military has serious repercussions that aren’t being communicated to the masses,” Barrios said. “The biggest takeaway for me was that we need to have this information more accessible to the public so we can make more informed military decisions.”

Kara Junttila, a freshman majoring in international relations, found the event applicable to her studies.

“Congressman McKeon’s lecture reminded me why I’m studying what I’m studying and started some great conversations about the state of our nation,” she said.

Grace Braun, a freshman majoring in business administration, gained valuable political insights from the event.

“I’m a student Democrat but it was really informative for me to hear the other side,” Braun said. “His talk helped broaden my perspective.”