FOXX VOTES TO GIVE TROOPS MORE EQUIPMENT, TRAINING

Wednesday March 16, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Amy Auth
202-225-2071

WASHINGTON – This afternoon, U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx (N.C.-5) demonstrated her ongoing commitment to U.S. troops and their families by voting to pass an $81.4 billion wartime supplemental bill. H.R. 1268 provides the funds necessary to continue fighting the War on Terror while providing our men and women in uniform with vital equipment and training.

“Our country is fortunate to have the best-trained and most dedicated soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines in the world,” said Rep. Foxx. “The funds included in this supplemental bill will help ensure that our troops have the proper supplies and protective gear they need to stay safe and carry out their missions.”

The bill provides $75 million to purchase 47,000 additional sets of body armor and $185 million to buy an additional 1700 armored Humvees. It also includes the funds necessary to create at least 10 additional combat brigades, which will reduce the stress on the current active duty combat forces.

In addition, the supplemental bill recognizes the need to provide for the families of soldiers who lose their lives in combat. It increases the death gratuity from $12,000 to $100,000 and raises the maximum Servicemember Group Life Insurance benefit from $250,000 to $400,000.

Finally, the bill appropriates nearly $7 billion for training Iraqi and Afghani security forces to prepare them to defend their own countries. “Training our allies to defend themselves and protect their newly found freedoms will certainly help us to bring our troops home faster,” said Rep. Foxx.

Foxx joined with other conservatives to remove $592 million from the bill for construction of a U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad. Citing fiscal responsibility, Foxx said she believes this was not an emergency expenditure and should be addressed in the normal budgetary process.

“I believe in exercising fiscal restraint whenever possible,” said Rep. Foxx. “Protecting our country and taking care of our men and women in uniform should be our top priority.”

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