House Armed Services Committee

Armed Services

I am strongly committed to ensuring that our military services have the resources they need to protect themselves and our country.  I believe that we should increase our end strength to help units retrain and re-equip properly between deployments and decrease the strain on military families. We must also get vitally needed equipment to our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines.  We cannot repeat such failures as the delays in deployment of armored vehicles, body armor and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles that save lives on the frontlines.

Every facet of our military must have the ability to function at its highest capacity.  We must continue to preserve our unparalleled airpower capabilities to deter and defeat any conventional competitors, swiftly respond to crises across the globe, and support our ground forces. We must also recapitalize our naval forces, replacing aging ships and modernizing existing platforms, while adapting them to the 21st century.  I also want to ensure that our country’s largest National Guard is provided with the infrastructure and equipment it needs for foreign and domestic emergencies as well as time to restore and refit before deploying. 

In addition to working for deployed members of the armed services, I will continue to work to ensure that reservists and Guard members are treated fairly when it comes to employment, health, and education benefits they deserve.

In order to guarantee that our soldiers receive adequate rest periods, I am proud to co-sponsor H.R. 1052. This bill provides for mandatory rest periods between deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan for the men and women that volunteer to serve our country, a common sense requirement that our nation’s warriors deserve.

Furthermore, I co-sponsored legislation designating 2009 as the “Year of the Military Family” to recognize the sacrifices that our soldiers’ families make while our men and women serve our country.

I am also a firm believer in equality in our armed forces, and I co-sponsored H.R. 1283 to end discrimination in the military on the basis of sexual orientation. Our men and women in uniform represent liberty and freedom to millions of people around the globe; it is only fair that we provide our own soldiers with equality in return.