Defense and National Security
Black Hawks at Fort Stewart, GA
The nation’s defense is the first and primary mission of the federal government. Some voices in Congress have long supported a dramatic decrease in our military spending as a means of moving the United States away from our role as a world superpower and into a lesser, more complementary role supporting a military on par with other Western nations, especially those in the European Union. I could not disagree more. At a time when terrorist nations and those whom they support are actively seeking to end our way of life, our national defense is as important as it has ever been.
We have asked so much—and continue to ask more—of our men and women in uniform, and we must ensure that they have the equipment, training, and other resources they need to accomplish their missions.
That said, there are ways we can make better use of our defense budget, and I am in favor of using Congress’ oversight role to look into the process by which the Pentagon procures its weapons systems and other goods and services. We must also take a look at how some in Congress have come to use the Pentagon budget as a way of channeling money into their districts through unwanted and wasteful projects. Simply reforming these two areas of the defense budget can net large savings without undermining our military needs.
The men and women of our Armed Forces are the bedrock upon which our freedom and liberty are built, and I will never turn my back on them. I will fight every day in Congress to make sure they are fairly compensated, receive the health benefits they have earned, and find all the support they need when their time of service is over. Our military and veterans are a national treasure, and we must make sure they are honored in a manner befitting their service.
My office stands ready to assist service members, their families and veterans in dealing with federal departments and agencies. If you are struggling with a federal agency, please click here to learn about how my office can assist you with military casework.
Click here to visit the House Armed Services Committee's website.
More on Defense and National Security
Forsyth County students interested in attending any of the U.S. Service Academies are running out of time for a nomination from their congressman.
Students living in the state’s seventh congressional district have until Oct. 7 to get paper work to Rep. Rob Woodall’s office to be considered for a nomination to attend the academies. All but one of the academies require a nomination from their U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, or the Vice President of the United States.
U.S. Sen. David Perdue and Rep. Rob Woodall, both R-Ga., have renewed calls to go after terrorist groups, including ISIS, in the wake of last week’s terrorist attack in Nice, France.
Eighty-four people died after a Tunisian man drove a truck into a crowd at a Bastille Day crowd in Nice. Hundreds more were hurt during the attack. Perdue called it an “unconscionable tragedy” in a statement while calling for American solidarity with France.