[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16348-16349]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            NDAA VETO THREAT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Carter) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to address the House for 5 
minutes and talk about what the President is saying he is going to do 
on the NDAA.
  The President is determined to end his second term on a spending 
spree, and that spending spree will threaten the national defense of 
this country and hold our military hostage. He is showing his lack of 
leadership by threatening to veto the NDAA, the National Defense 
Authorization Act.
  I ask you, Mr. Speaker, does this President not understand that the 
NDAA provides the resources for the military to do their jobs, to 
protect our great Nation and the freedom that we all enjoy?
  The President is willing to jeopardize our national security in favor 
of more welfare programs. He threatens this reckless veto in spite of 
the fact that the NDAA has passed for 53 years in a row, a rare display 
of bipartisanship in this city.
  The American people have had enough of political games. They are 
tired of them. Just turn on the radio and television, and see if you 
can't learn that. It is especially important when it jeopardizes the 
men and women of our military and our national security.
  It is hard to find a worse example of leadership than a Commander in 
Chief who is so irresponsible that he is willing to deny his military 
resources and sacrifice the security of our Nation simply for political 
games. Even more importantly is that, and that solid statement is 
exactly what is going on at the White House as he approaches this veto.
  I would hope that he would realize that people--men and women, of all 
ages, from the chief of staff of the Army all the way down to the 
lowest private--have gone and risked their lives fighting for freedom 
and for liberty for the last 12 years; and they are being rewarded by a 
President that won't even back them up by passing the National Defense 
Authorization Act, something that has been passed by every House, every 
Senate, and every President for the last 53 years.
  His reasoning is, I want more money for the welfare programs, which 
have been plussed-up over the years until some of them are out of 
control. Doesn't he think about the guys out there getting shot at or 
blown up and

[[Page 16349]]

who must wonder why the Commander in Chief, the person who our military 
ultimately answers to, is not on his side, is not standing up for the 
soldier?
  In my district, we have sent warfighters from Fort Hood to these 
actions now for 12 years. They deserve the support of this Congress. 
They deserve the support of the President of the United States.
  This is a good bill. It is a bill that meets the President's 
standards that he set for this bill, gives him the increases he 
requested in this bill; yet, he is going to veto it for his political 
convenience. This is a shame, a shame on the country, a shame on the 
Presidency.
  I hope that the President will reconsider. If not, I hope this body 
will have the strength to override this veto and stand up for the 
American soldier.

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