[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3060-3061]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               FORT DRUM SEQUESTRATION AND CENTCOM CODEL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
New York (Ms. Stefanik) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. STEFANIK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the 
10th Mountain Division, their service to Fort Drum, the 21st District 
of New York, our North Country community, and our Nation.
  For 30 years, the brave men and women of the 10th Mountain Division 
have stood in harm's way to protect and defend our country. Since 
September 11, 2001, the 10th Mountain Division has been the most 
actively deployed division to Iraq and Afghanistan. Too many of our 
soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives in 
service.
  As leaders in Congress, we have an obligation to protect and serve 
our constituents and members of our Armed Forces. We cannot repay the 
debt we owe these servicemembers and their families, but we can work to 
honor their legacy and recognize what they have done for us.
  We must protect the promises we have made to these brave individuals 
and strengthen our Nation's commitment to helping them as they return 
from combat. In Congress, I will do everything I can to protect the 
interests of Fort Drum and to ensure the 10th Mountain Division has the 
necessary resources they need to do their work.
  It is critical for Fort Drum and the entire 21st Congressional 
District to have a voice at the table to fight on behalf of our 
military families and veterans.
  To that end, I am honored to serve on the House Armed Services 
Committee as the vice chair for the Subcommittee on Readiness and as a 
member of the Military Personnel Subcommittee and Intelligence, 
Emerging Threats, and Capabilities Subcommittee.
  As a member of these subcommittees, I will work to ensure the Defense 
Department, our troops, and Fort Drum have the necessary tools they 
require to defend our Nation from those that wish to do us harm.
  However, we continue to see threats to our national security 
increase, and reductions to our military remain due to the Budget 
Control Act and sequestration. These substantial budget cuts will have 
significant negative impacts to Fort Drum and the U.S. military.
  Under sequestration, the Pentagon's proposal states that Fort Drum 
could lose up to 16,000 soldiers and civilian jobs. This loss of jobs 
will have severe and devastating effects to the installation, the North 
Country community, New York, and the entire Nation.
  General Dempsey and our military leaders have declared time and time 
again that sequestration reduces our Armed Forces' readiness and their 
capabilities, and it unnecessarily puts our men and women in uniform at 
increased risk.
  Here, we expect our servicemen and -women to protect our Nation; 
however, the imposed budget cuts due to sequestration inhibit their 
readiness and threaten our national security. It is our duty to ensure 
our Nation is protected and, in doing so, maintain the operational 
readiness of our military.
  I pledge to work to preserve and strengthen our Nation's Armed Forces 
and follow in the footsteps of Representative John McHugh by advocating 
for our troops and veterans stationed in the 21st Congressional 
District of New York and in our surrounding communities.
  Two weeks ago, I had the honor to attend a small congressional 
delegation visit to Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq, and 
Afghanistan. On this trip, I was privileged to meet with soldiers who 
are based out of Fort Drum, as well as many others who have trained 
there.
  What an opportunity it was to visit with the troops from the Resolute 
Support headquarters forces, USFOR-A soldiers, and counterterrorism 
operations forces. I thanked them for their service and discussed ways 
we can protect and strengthen Fort Drum for our district.
  This trip was truly essential in order for me to gain a personal 
perspective of the circumstances under which so many of our brave 
soldiers from Fort Drum have served abroad.

[[Page 3061]]

  Additionally, I was able to meet with many important foreign 
dignitaries, including King Abdullah of Jordan, Afghan President Ashraf 
Ghani, and Iraqi President Fuad Masum, to discuss issues of concern to 
the region. These nations and their leaders play a key role in the 
effort among Arab nations to combat ISIS and other terrorist 
organizations.
  The discussions and meetings with these dignitaries were informative 
and useful. I believe that continued open dialogue and conversation 
with these leaders will be incredibly beneficial to maintain and 
establish our Nation's perspective on defense policy.
  This trip gave me a chance to hear from our servicemen and -women on 
the ground and other national leaders about real solutions related to 
stabilizing the region, continued threats to our own national security, 
the readiness of our Armed Forces, and the tools they need to keep our 
country safe.
  Serving the Fort Drum community in Congress and as a member of the 
House Armed Services Committee is an incredible honor. I am beyond 
thankful to our men and women in uniform and grateful to their families 
for their service to our community.
  Thank you to you and your loved ones for keeping our Nation safe.

                          ____________________