Cornyn: Funding Delay for our Troops is "Inexcusable"

Press Release

Cornyn: Funding Delay for our Troops is "Inexcusable"

Senate Passes Billions In Unrelated Spending Despite Expected Veto

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said today that the Senate's vote to add billions of dollars in unrelated domestic spending to the emergency troop funding bill was an "irresponsible political exercise" that would unnecessarily delay critical resources needed for our servicemen and women and military installations across Texas. Senate Democratic leaders worked to attach this additional spending and other unrelated measures despite a clear veto threat from the White House, and with the recognition that they almost certainly would not have enough votes to override it.

"With Memorial Day approaching, it is inexcusable for Congress to play political games with the emergency funding needed for our troops and military installations. The Defense Department has been clear that without this funding it will soon not be able to even issue military paychecks or meet the maintenance needs at our bases.

"Yet, despite a clear veto threat from the White House, the Senate has engaged in an irresponsible political exercise and added billions in unrelated domestic spending. I certainly support some of this money under other circumstances, particularly funding for border security and law enforcement, which I'll push to approve in a stand-alone bill. But this is neither the time nor the place for unrelated spending measures that will further delay the funds our troops need now.

"It is yet another example of why Congress is held in such low regard by the American people. The President will veto this bill and in two weeks we will be back at this same exact point, while our troops in harm's way are left to wonder when they will receive this needed funding. Congress should stop using our military as a political football and do the right thing by working in a bipartisan way to pass a clean emergency funding bill."

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