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Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2017

Floor Speech

Date: June 14, 2016
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Defense

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Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Chair, almost a year ago today, I stood on this floor to state my disgust at this administration's plans to slash the Army by 40,000 troops and make a large, non-proportional cut to Fort Hood, in my district, which is known as the Great Place and as the home of the heavy armor of the United States Army.

These cuts would have a disastrous effect on our national security and would lead to putting our Army, in the words of Chief of Staff General Mark Milley, at high risk. This is unacceptable. As Members of Congress, it is our sworn, constitutional duty to raise and support Armies. This is why I am proud to support the FY 2017 Defense Appropriations bill, which pays for an increase of 45,000 active, guard, and reserve soldiers, including their training and equipping for war.

I thank the committee for its continued support for Operation Phalanx, which is a proven program that is aimed at protecting our southern border--of which Texas has a lot--that remains in high demand. The DOD has received a request to execute the additional FY16 hours, and I would urge the Department to immediately take action on the FY17 hours.

Mr. Chair, from the years 2011-2014, the United States cut its budget for defense by 19 percent while Russia and China increased theirs by 31 and 30 percent. Given world events and the Director of National Intelligence's assessment that he could not recall a more diverse array of challenges and crises, it is clear that the Obama administration has failed to adequately address our national security needs.

This bill before us recognizes the military's shortfalls in modernization and force readiness. It makes targeted investments to ensure that the military has the tools, training, and manpower that is necessary to maintain peace and, if necessary, to defeat any potential enemy.

I thank Chairman Frelinghuysen and his staff for their hard work, and I urge the adoption of this year's Defense Appropriations bill.

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