Washington, D.C. - Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following statement as prepared for delivery regarding final passage of the Fiscal Year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act Conference Report and the end of his tenure in Congress.
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"I want to thank the other committees who worked closely with us all year and members of the Armed Services Committee once again. As you have heard, this legislation addresses a wide array of policy issues, including supporting operations in Afghanistan, funding the war against ISIL in the Iraq and Syria, reinforcing our capabilities in the Pacific, and maintaining this Nation’s nuclear deterrent. But many challenges remain.
"Next year, the Armed Services Committee will be in excellent hands. Chairman-elect Thornberry and Ranking Member Smith have their work cut out. But they are both up to the task. I hope sometime next year a compromise can come to this floor that will end sequestration. There isn’t some magical solution that Republicans can support and the President can sign without sacrifice on both sides.
"When that solution comes, it will be a tough vote on both sides. For some of my colleagues, it might be a fatal vote. I pray that you will hold this thought in your hearts when that vote comes: Remember the great sacrifice our troops are making around the world.
"Right now, they are walking patrol in the mountains of Afghanistan. They are at sea within missile range of Iran. They are flying wingtip-to-wingtip against Russia bombers over the North Sea. They are nose to nose with the North Koreans. They are sweating in the equatorial heat of Africa, fighting a horrible disease. They are standing on the sand of Iraq, risking everything against a brutal enemy.
They take those risks, they make those sacrifices, because of you. They do it for you. They do it for us. For their families, for their flag. For our freedom.
"And how we have repaid them? With equipment that is falling apart. By laying them off while they’re off in war zones. By docking their pay and their medical benefits. By throwing them out of the service and onto a broken economy.
"Lord Byron said “they never fail, who die in a great cause.” I’ve met our forces on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, dirty and sweaty from fighting. I’ve watched too many families spend long months waiting for the deployed to come home. I’ve seen too many heroes put into the ground.
They never failed us. Not once.
So shame on us, if we’re unwilling to pay back the debt we owe them. Shame on all of us, from the White House down, if we cannot make far less a sacrifice on their behalf.
My road in Congress is coming to an end. It will be on the next Congress and the President to make these injustices right. So please, show our troops the respect they deserve. Give them the tools they need. Help keep them safe. Honor their service, with your service. I know you will do the right thing.
"I am in the twilight of a 22-year career in Congress. I’ve come to know many of you as friends, and many of you as my family.
"To the Armed Services Committee staff, that’s minority and majority: you are veterans, you are professionals, you are tireless… but I just think of you as the best.
"No one comes close, and you have humbled me with minds that are as full and pure as your hearts.
I owe you all a thank you. Thank you for trusting me with the awesome responsibility of this Chairmanship. Thank you for entrusting me with the safety and well-being of our Armed Forces.
"Now, I’m a McKeon. So I’ll part this chamber with an old Irish Blessing.
May the road rise up to meet you,
…may the wind be ever at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields.
And until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of his hand.
To this great body, and to our troops –wherever you may be—may God bless you and keep you, and may God Bless America.
"Mr. Speaker, for the last time, I yield back the balance of my time."