[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15928-15929]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           FUNDING FOR IMPACT AID SHOULD NEVER BE THREATENED

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Williams) for 5 minutes.

[[Page 15929]]


  Mr. WILLIAMS. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent Texas' 25th 
District, home to Fort Hood, the Army's premier installation to train 
and deploy heavy forces, and one of the largest military installations 
in the world and the largest in America.
  Fort Hood ranks highest in terms of future capability and can support 
and sustain more than 50,000 soldiers and their families. The 
communities surrounding Fort Hood provide outstanding support and 
resources to these men and women, especially to the school districts, 
which are responsible for educating the children of our troops and for 
the education of our kids in the future. For example, 50 percent of all 
students in Killeen's Independent School District are military kids. 
That is over 20,000 students, and they are still growing. Nearby, in 
Copperas Cove Independent School District, well over 8,000 students 
have a parent in the military.
  This is why funding for Impact Aid should never be threatened, not 
even at a time when Washington is at a stalemate. These students should 
have access to the best and the brightest educational opportunities our 
Nation can provide. Our men and women in uniform should not have to 
worry about their children's education when they are facing potential 
deployment.
  Mr. Speaker, being a part of a military family is not easy. It 
requires more sacrifice than most of us can fathom. I strongly urge my 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle and in both Chambers of Congress 
to make good on our commitment to provide for our military and their 
families as we move forward.
  In God we trust.

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