Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. HUDSON. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, which would increase funding for USSOCOM to provide for additional training of Special Operations Forces. Simply put, I never want our men and women in uniform to be in a fair fight. My amendment would allow for an increase in the training budget to ensure, whenever our forces are deployed, they have been fully prepared and are ready to fight, win, and return home safely.

Mr. Chairman, one of the greatest honors of my life is representing Fort Bragg, the epicenter of the universe, and home of the airborne and of the Army Special Operations Command. The units stationed here represent the best of the best and have a vast footprint across our Nation.

As our Nation continues to fight terrorism around the world, while simultaneously preparing for the threats of near-peer adversaries, our training requirements increase and diversify.

As a result, we must ensure that we are ready for any situation at a moment's notice. Readiness cannot be built overnight. A Green Beret cannot be built overnight. In order to conduct their mission set effectively, we must provide them with a steady stream of predictable resources to enable them to train and prepare for the dangerous tasks our Nation asks them to perform.

We must never underestimate the most important asset our military has: the individual. My amendment would ensure that we continue to take care of that asset by providing them every edge, every bit of preparation, and, yes, every bit of training that they require.

Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairwoman Granger for her excellent work on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

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Mr. HUDSON. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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