Defense

With Fort Hood in Texas' 31st Congressional District, we are reminded daily of the sacrifices made by our service men and women.  I will continue to support legislation to improve the quality of life for our soldiers and their families who have sacrificed so much for our country.

I have the great pleasure of serving on the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee which is directly responsible for allocating resources to our military, ensuring our troops have the equipment and training they need to defend the freedoms we all hold so dear. 

Unfortunately, President Obama cut more than $1 trillion out of defense spending in his eight years as president, even as threats to America’s security continued to rise.  I work regularly with military and local community leaders to address the issues they are experiencing and to identify and plan for situations in the future. I will continue to work directly with Pentagon officials to ensure Fort Hood remains a premier instillation so area communities and businesses remain strong.

It is critical the military focuses its resources on force readiness in a time of shrinking budgets and increased security threats.  I’m the proud author of the Resist Executive Amnesty on Defense Installations (READI) Act.  This important legislation will prohibit illegal aliens from being housed on defense bases.  Our country is at war with radical Islamic extremism at home and abroad; our military assets must be used to train and prepare our troops, not house illegal aliens. 

America’s uniformed men and women deserve the best support, funding, and resources possible to carry out their mission to keep America safe.  I am committed to ensuring that our armed forces have the tools they need to be agile, efficient, ready, and lethal in this era of unprecedented threat and uncertainty.