Military
My district is home to two military installations that are vital to our national defense: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, which is one of our nation’s leading tactical command centers, and Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista which provides our service members with some of the best intelligence operations training in the world.
We also are the proud home of the162nd Fighter Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard, just outside the lines of my district, where many F-16 pilots from around the world are trained. These bases and the work of the many military contractors, service members and civilian personnel are imperative to our national security and our local economy.
It is my honor to represent these installations and the men and women who put their lives on the line every day for our freedoms and safety. As someone who was raised in a military family and lived on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base as a child, I am proud to work on behalf of DM, Fort Huachuca and the 162nd Fighter Wing of the Arizona ANG, the men and women who serve there and their families. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I will work to ensure that they have the tools they need to get the job done effectively and safely.
Ron Barber
Member of Congress
Miltary personnel can contact Congressman Barber's office for assistance by clicking here.
To apply for a Military Academy Nomination, click here.
Sequestration
Sequestration is a process of automatic, largely across-the-board spending reductions passed under the Budget Control Act of 2011. Sequestration was tied to the enforcement of new statutory limits on discretionary spending and achievement of a $1.2 trillion deficit reduction goal. It is scheduled to occur on Jan. 2, 2013 and will affect spending for FY 2013. Sequestration has the potential to indiscriminately cut $492 billion from the base defense budget through FY 2021 across all programs and activities.
In addition to defense programs, a wide range of domestic programs including infrastructure, education, health care and public safety will see drastic cuts starting next year. Congressman Barber was not serving in Congress when the Budget Control Act was passed in 2011. Sequestration represents a failure of leadership in Congress and is the wrong approach to getting our fiscal house in order. The cuts were imposed as a hammer to go into effect only if a bipartisan “supercommittee” charged with coming up with a package to cut the deficit failed to reach an agreement. No agreement was reached, so $1.2 trillion in cuts – half from the military, half from domestic programs – are scheduled to go into effect Jan. 2, 2013.
Congressman Barber is committed to working closely with his colleagues to find a balanced and thoughtful solution to the sequestration threat.
House Armed Services Committee
As your representative and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Barber is committed to working with colleagues in Congress to give our military the tools and resources they need to uphold their mission of protecting our national security.
Congressman Barber serves on the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, which oversees strategic weapons, space programs, ballistic missile defense, national intelligence programs and Energy Department national security programs. He also is a member of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, which has jurisdiction over Special Operations, proliferation and counterterrorism, science and technology policy, information technology and homeland security.
During a recent committee hearing with military leaders, Congressman Barber asked if the impending sequestration budget cuts are affecting troop morale. Leaders of all service branches agreed that the cuts are a source of concern and uncertainty for our men and women in uniform.
A video of the exchange is here.
Press Releases:
U.S. REP. RON BARBER WELCOMES $23.5 MILLION IN CONTRACTS FOR SOUTHERN ARIZONA MILITARY INSTALLATIONS
U.S. REP. RON BARBER VOTES TO FUND STRONG NATIONAL DEFENSE
U.S. REP. RON BARBER URGES COLLEAGUES TO STAND UP FOR VETERANS, SERVICE MEMBERS
U.S. REP. RON BARBER APPOINTED TO HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE