[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 17501]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            VOTE EXPLANATION

  Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today the Senate voted on a motion to 
proceed to H.R. 2685, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act. I 
would have voted yes.
  Funding our military and keeping Americans safe used to be a point of 
bipartisan consensus in Washington. Unfortunately, for the third time 
this year, Senate Democrats have blocked a bill that provides funding 
for American men and women in uniform, their housing, health care, and 
benefits. Although we will ultimately need additional funding to 
confront the vast array of national security threats we face in this 
century, this bill includes important funding we need now for 
procurement, modernization, construction to maintain our military 
bases, and vital funds for the intelligence community who work in 
secret as our first line of defense. It also includes funds for ongoing 
operations against ISIS, Al Qaeda, and terrorist organizations globally 
who seek to do us harm.
  As they have shown on issue after issue, President Obama, his 
administration, and Washington Democrats are not serious about 
confronting the challenges we face as a nation. We need new leadership 
in Washington that will restore American strength and keep the American 
people safe.

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