[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 203 (Wednesday, December 13, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S7980]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          FUNDING OUR MILITARY

  Mr. McCONNELL. Now, on another matter, Madam President, over the last 
eight years, our foreign policy was guided by a Commander in Chief who 
wished to draw down conventional military power from across the globe. 
Iran, China, and Russia have sought to fill this vacuum and exploit the 
perception that America was withdrawing.
  This Republican Congress has made a commitment to work with President 
Trump to rebuild our military and give our men and women in uniform the 
resources they need to face the challenges of a dangerous world.
  We know there is more work to do in restoring our military's combat 
readiness and meeting the full needs of the force. Earlier this year, 
we passed a funding measure that was an important departure from the 
Obama years.
  The President has renewed our commitment to Afghanistan, and is 
trying to train and equip a force that can meet the daunting challenge 
posed by North Korea.
  To begin rebuilding our military, we ignored the Obama-era demand 
that any increase in defense funding must be equally matched to 
nondefense increases. We did that earlier this year, and we must do it 
once again.
  As we continue to discuss a plan to fund the government, we must 
prioritize efforts to provide for our warfighters. The Defense 
Department suffered a disproportionate reduction under the Budget 
Control Act--one that has real consequences for readiness. If we are 
not able to come to a funding agreement, our military--and many other 
critical functions of the Federal Government--will suffer intolerable 
budget cuts next year.

  I hope that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will work 
with us in a serious manner to make sure that we are able to 
responsibly fund the government so that our military has the tools it 
needs to keep us safe.

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