Conference Report on H.R. Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2019

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this conference report.

I have been honored to be able to serve on the Defense Appropriations Committee and also to represent Fort Hood, the great place, the tip of the spear of our United States Army land forces.

I am very proud of what we are doing for those men and women who stand in harm's way on our behalf. We are giving them a 2.6 percent pay raise for all of our troops, wherever they may be. And they have earned this money because they stand in harm's way on our behalf. We are taking care of our military families that are just as important a part of the fight as our warriors, and this is a long time coming. This is the largest pay raise in 9 years.

This bill contains accelerated efforts to modernize our armored brigade combat teams, including modernizing a significant number of Abrams tanks and Strykers so they can meet the needs of future war. They are the tip of the spear. This is good for us and good for those who stand in harm's way on our behalf

We are particularly proud of the fact that we have stood up the Army Futures Command in Austin, Texas, which is just south of my home, and we are going to learn about how to fight the next generations of wars through the Futures Command.

I am very proud that we have support for General Mattis' goal of ensuring our military is ready to fight the next fight--and fight it tonight, if necessary.

Critically, this bill provides this funding on time, ensuring money can be spent in its most efficient, effective way and that we are able to accomplish our goals accordingly.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank everyone both in the majority and the minority who were involved in this bill and this conference, and I thank them on behalf of the men and women who stand in harm's way on our behalf and who live in my district.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source