[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10974]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   HOUSE OVERWHELMINGLY PASSES THE NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, last week the House of 
Representatives overwhelmingly passed the National Defense 
Authorization Act with a bipartisan vote of 344-81. This bill 
represents a strong commitment to enacting accounting reforms and 
rebuilding our military.
  As chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, I 
am grateful that this bill modernizes our forces and begins to close 
the readiness gap facing our servicemembers, fulfilling President 
Donald Trump's pledge to rebuild the American military.
  This legislation also supports military families by providing the 
largest pay raise in 8 years and by giving military families greater 
flexibility when relocating during the school year.
  The primary function of the national government is to provide for our 
national defense, to ensure that our servicemembers have the training, 
equipment, and resources they need to achieve the goal as established 
by Senator Barry Goldwater, ``Why Not Victory.''
  I appreciate the determined leadership of Chairman Mac Thornberry, 
and I look forward to continuing to work with him to advance the 
legislation through the conference process.
  In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget 
September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.

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