Hudson Votes for Long-Term Military Funding
February 6, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 6, 2018
Hudson Votes for Long-Term Military Funding
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08), Fort Bragg’s Congressman and an outspoken advocate for North Carolina's military community, released the following statement after the House passed a spending bill to fully fund our military through fiscal year 2018:
“Our military faces a serious readiness shortfall because of years of Washington’s sequester cuts, short-term spending bills, and needless uncertainty. These political games have dire consequences for those who we depend on most—our troops. The men and women at Fort Bragg are the tip of the spear, and they must be given the resources—and long-term budget certainty—they need to fight and win. Today’s measure provides long-term funding for the Pentagon so our troops have what they need to not only fulfill current obligations, but also to prepare for the future. As Fort Bragg’s Congressman, I am calling on Senate Democrats to stop their irresponsible filibuster and pass this bill to provide our service members the support they deserve.”
Last September, the House passed all twelve appropriations bills to rein in spending and responsibly fund the government and our military, but the Senate failed to fulfill its duty with Senate Democrats refusing to even debate the appropriations bills. This brought us to a vote on a CR to keep the government open and fund our military while Congress and the Trump Administration continue to work to reach a long-term solution. Last month, the House passed a funding bill to extend defense and non-defense discretionary funding to February 16, 2018 at current levels, suspend several taxes created by the Affordable Care Act, extend the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for six years, and provide additional funding for several health care related programs, but Senate Democrats blocked a vote. For several days, they continued to filibuster a reasonable government funding bill that contained zero provisions they disagreed with and shut down the government. On January 22, the Senate voted to break the Democratic filibuster and passed a federal spending bill to fund the government through February 8, 2018.
Now, the House passed a spending bill to extend non-defense discretionary spending to March 23, 2018, at current levels. The bill would fund the Department of Defense for the remainder of the 2018 fiscal year at levels authorized in the FY18 NDAA and appropriate an additional $1.18 billion in cap-exempt Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding for costs associated with Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, and nullify the effects of any sequester ordered to reduce FY 2018 defense spending below the Budget Control Act’s (BCA) defense cap.
The bill would also extend funding for a number of Medicare extenders and critical public health programs, including Community Health Centers. In addition, it would make reforms and additional appropriations designed to improve foster care and related child services.
###