Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I thank the chairman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this Defense Appropriations bill.

The demands on our military are high. We are confronted with escalating Russian and Chinese aggression, threats from ISIL and other Islamic terrorist groups, burgeoning nuclear programs in countries like North Korea, and ongoing war in Syria, Yemen, Libya, and other places. We just don't know what may sprout up next.

But in the face of this uncertainty, we can ensure that our military forces are ready and able to meet whatever challenges may arise. We can make very sure that our troops and commanders have the tools and support that they need to protect this great Nation and our way of life.

To this end, the bill provides $578.6 billion in discretionary funding. That is $24.4 billion above last year's level and includes $88.4 billion to ensure that we can meet the needs of our military as they fight the global war on terrorism.

This level of funding complies with the caps set by the Budget Control Act, as well as the House-passed Defense Authorization bill. Within this total, the bill prioritizes military readiness, providing $219 billion for operation and maintenance programs that keep our troops trained and prepared to respond quickly and decisively.

The bill also provides priority funding to ensure that our Armed Forces are supplied with the equipment and the weapons that they need to conduct successful military operations.

Mr. Chairman, our military is the best in the world, and this bill ensures that it stays that way. We invest $67.9 billion in research and development that will keep us on the cutting edge of defense technology and enable us to meet a wide range of future threats to our security.

But our military is nothing without the brave men and women in uniform who sacrifice so much in their service to this Nation. We must keep morale high and provide for the health and well-being of our warfighters and their families. So the bill includes a 2.3 percent pay raise for our troops. That is more than the President requested.

The bill contains $31.7 billion for the Defense Health Program to meet all estimated needs this year. This funding includes important increases above the President's request for things like cancer research, traumatic brain injury and psychological health research, and suicide prevention outreach.

I am proud, Mr. Chairman, that this appropriations bill accomplishes all of this but also takes important steps to streamline spending at the Pentagon, ensuring that no dollar goes to waste and that we live within our means.

I want to thank Chairman Frelinghuysen and his subcommittee staff and members and his very trusted ranking member for their good bipartisan teamwork on this bill. The chairman and ranking member demonstrated ironclad commitment to our troops and to the security of this Nation with this bill. I would also like to acknowledge the hard-working staff, Mr. Chairman. They spent many, many hours preparing this bill for consideration by us today.

Mr. Chairman, above all else--above all else--we must provide for the national defense of the United States. Nothing can exist--not our domestic government, not our private enterprise, not our freedoms--without ensuring that that basic need is met.

Our national security is far too important to fall victim to political games. We can't risk having an underfunded military during these uncertain times, and our troops deserve unfailing, unanimous support as they lay their lives on the line. No political games on this bill, Mr. Chairman. This is for real.

I urge Members to support this bill. These are bipartisan priorities addressed in a bipartisan way, and I want to see that our colleagues send a strong message to our military showing our support and our willingness to sacrifice for them. I urge support of this bill on this floor.

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