[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 1 (Wednesday, January 3, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S2]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         FUNDING THE GOVERNMENT

  Mr. McCONNELL. The Senate will need to tackle a number of important 
issues this year. It is my sincere hope that we can do so in a renewed 
spirit of comity, collegiality, and bipartisanship. I know that 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle share this hope, and it is urgent 
that we make it a reality. Congress must reach a spending agreement by 
January 19 to ensure uninterrupted funding for the Federal Government.
  Among several key priorities, it is vital that our agreement provide 
sufficient resources for our all-volunteer Armed Forces. Under the 
Budget Control Act, America's military has been stretched thin by 
disproportionate cuts that have harmed our combat readiness. Since 
2013, defense cuts have outpaced domestic spending cuts by $85 billion. 
I am going to say that again: Since fiscal year 2013, defense cuts have 
outpaced domestic spending cuts by $85 billion. To fix this, we need to 
set aside the arbitrary notion that new defense spending be matched 
equally by new nondefense spending. There is no reason why funding for 
our national security and our servicemembers should be limited by an 
arbitrary political formula that bears no relationship to actual need.
  So let's come together across the aisle and construct a funding 
agreement that gives our men and women in uniform the tools and the 
training they need.

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