Armed Services

As the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee and someone who represents Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Camp Murray, I am committed to ensuring that our military personnel, veterans, and their families receive the support of our government in return for their years of faithful service. Working to ensure our military families are well cared for will remain my top priority.

In addition to pay and benefits, it is important we work to ensure that our military has the proper equipment, resources, and policies to meet the threats we face today and well into the future. However, in a time of mounting pressure on the Federal budget we must also ensure that every dollar spent on defense is done so in an effective and efficient manner. Simply spending more money does not make our country safer – spending money effectively and wisely does.

While we must ensure that our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines have the equipment they need to carry out their missions, we must do a better job of carefully examining our policies, requirements, and acquisition programs to improve efficiencies and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in the Department of Defense.

Locally, Joint Base Lewis-McChord has experienced significant growth, nearly doubling in population in the last decade. While this growth has had a positive impact on economic development in the South Puget Sound, it has also increased the pressure on the region’s infrastructure. To that end, I remain committed to supporting our local communities as they work to, among other things, address congestion around the base and upgrade schools to support the additional military families who will call the region home. 

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