[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19618]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    REMEMBERING THE SACRIFICES MADE BY OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania). The Chair 
recognizes the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Marshall) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say thanks to our Active 
Duty military men and women who serve our country and protect our 
freedoms; and a special thanks to those soldiers from my home State of 
Kansas, the soldiers from Fort Riley who represent the Big Red One, the 
First Infantry Division, whose lapel pin I proudly wear today; and to 
say thanks to the soldiers of Fort Riley and the airmen and -women at 
McConnell Air Force Base who so proudly serve this country.
  As we approach the holiday season, many of us will be surrounded by 
loved ones. But we must not forget those in uniform who sacrifice time 
with their families during the holidays for the safety of our Nation.
  Keeping our troops in our thoughts is not enough, however. Congress 
must move past the brinksmanship and procrastination that leave our 
government funding moving from one continuing resolution to the next. 
Failure to provide funding for a full fiscal year not only creates 
self-imposed crises and uncertainties about paychecks, but it robs our 
national defense agencies of the ability to plan, to make smart funding 
decisions, and to ensure our warfighters are being sent to battle with 
every advantage at their disposal.
  Fiscal reductions and budgetary uncertainties have eroded the 
readiness of our military. Defense Secretary Mattis stated that the 
sequestration has done more to harm our troops' readiness than any 
enemy abroad. As threats continue to expand across the globe, it is 
imperative that our troops have the resources needed to complete their 
mission successfully and return home safely.
  As the holiday season approaches, I want to urge those at home to 
remember the sacrifices being made by our soldiers to ensure we 
celebrate the holidays safely. I also urge my colleagues to address 
these crises by passing a full-year spending bill for the military, to 
raise the defense spending caps, and to give our troops the raise they 
deserve. While our troops have performed exceptionally under an 
uncertain budget and limited resources, it is past time Congress does 
its part.

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