Defense

Defense

Under the Constitution, the major duty of the federal government is to provide for common defense. As long as I am in Congress, I will work to ensure that our men and women in uniform continue to have the best equipment and best-trained Armed Forces in the world. To provide for our national security, we must always have a strong military to promote peace and discourage those who would attack us.

Our service members who are fighting on the front lines to protect this nation deserve our utmost respect and thanks. I wholeheartedly support our troops, and I appreciate the work they’re doing around the world, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Defense Sequestration Cuts

Defense spending is facing deep, potentially dangerous cuts in the years ahead due to a process known as sequestration.  Sequestration is an automatic, across-the-board cut to most discretionary federal programs that is designed to help close our nation’s budget deficit, which itself is a threat to our national security.  When it comes to defense spending, however, these cuts would undoubtedly lead to disastrous consequences for our soldiers, veterans, national security and the economy. 

In the previous Congress I voted in favor of H.R. 5652, the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act, which would have replaced the first year of defense sequestration cuts with commonsense spending reductions. These cuts target waste, fraud, and abuse in our country’s mandatory spending programs, which make up nearly two-thirds of our federal budget. 

I will continue to work to ensure sequestration does not gut our nation’s defenses, and that our troops receive the resources they need to perform their mission as safely as possible.

Our men and women in uniform—and their families—make tremendous sacrifices so that we can live safe and free. They deserve our full support, and I will work tirelessly to ensure that our country meets its obligation to them.