Oklahoma Congressman Steve Russell praised President-elect Donald Trump for bringing up the issue of the cost of a proposed Air Force One contract, telling Fox and Friends that "one thing's for sure, I bet the price just got cheaper."
Trump tweeted this week that he threatened to cancel Boeing's contract for the new Air Force One project due to what he said was exaggerated costs.
"I don't advocate for less money for our defense. I advocate for anything that we can do to help them," said Russell, who serves as the vice chairman on the House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security. "But just like a business, you have a budget and you need funds, but that doesn't mean you don't go out and eliminate waste."
Russell also said there is "$80 billion that we've identified just in my first term in congress. It's just egregious, the black holes with government spending. And it's not just the Department of Defense. It's government wide."
He said his committee has also "gotten measures to the president's desk that have saved over $4 billion that have been enacted into law. We just got one that went to the president's desk this past week."
The Oklahoma congressman added that he has "full confidence" in the selection of retired Gen. James Mattis for secretary of defense.
"One thing is clear, he's not going to have political social agendas as his priority. He'll have the readiness and defense of our republic as the priority."
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