'To Do' List for the 110th Congress: Get Military Vital Funding and Resources
Congressman
Tom Cole
Tom Cole
January 09, 2007
The start of the 110th Congress, marks quite a bit of change--the first female Speaker of the House, a Democratic Majority for the first time in over a decade and a new and different legislative agenda. No matter which political party is in the majority, the first responsibility of the House is and will always be to the American people. I hope that in this upcoming session we will be able to work together, seriously debate the issues and tackle some of the challenges currently facing our country.
One of the most important issues that should never be the subject of political games and partisan advantage is our national defense. The Iraq War and the War on Terror are the most serious challenges currently facing our country. I hope that Congress will be able to continue to thoughtfully engage on these issues to ensure our troops have the resources they need to protect our country.
As the House begins to work on spending bills, not completed last year, for fiscal year 2007, we must first make sure all military priorities are met. I believe this is too important to put off until FY08--we must give our military the funding it needs now. I have spoken to senior Pentagon officials that are very concerned about losing funding already promised to them through the Defense Authorization bill. A lose of funding could seriously affect the base realignment process around the country and create a funding shortfall for other military needs. Oklahoma would specifically lose project funding for an electrical sub-station at Tinker Air Force Base and major projects at Fort Sill will be impacted unless action is taken by Congress to restore military funding to levels agreed to by the House in 2006.
To help solve this problem, last week I introduced legislation (H.R. 22) that will secure funding, already authorized by public law, for vital military related projects. This bill will protect the projects related to BRAC and other priority military projects already in the works. Senator Inhofe, will be carrying identical legislation in the Senate. This legislation is necessary in order to allow the Pentagon to continue doing its job of keeping our country safe and our men and women in uniform the best trained and equipped forces in the world.
During the next session of Congress, we will have a serious debate about how to move forward in Iraq and in the overall War on Terrorism. Throughout these discussions, it is important to remember the men and women who are serving our country in the military. They have made many sacrifices for us and it is our responsibility to make sure their needs are met. This is not a partisan issue. H.R. 22 is a good step in the right direction. I will also be working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, in the 110th Congress, to do everything possible to meet our national security needs.
One of the most important issues that should never be the subject of political games and partisan advantage is our national defense. The Iraq War and the War on Terror are the most serious challenges currently facing our country. I hope that Congress will be able to continue to thoughtfully engage on these issues to ensure our troops have the resources they need to protect our country.
As the House begins to work on spending bills, not completed last year, for fiscal year 2007, we must first make sure all military priorities are met. I believe this is too important to put off until FY08--we must give our military the funding it needs now. I have spoken to senior Pentagon officials that are very concerned about losing funding already promised to them through the Defense Authorization bill. A lose of funding could seriously affect the base realignment process around the country and create a funding shortfall for other military needs. Oklahoma would specifically lose project funding for an electrical sub-station at Tinker Air Force Base and major projects at Fort Sill will be impacted unless action is taken by Congress to restore military funding to levels agreed to by the House in 2006.
To help solve this problem, last week I introduced legislation (H.R. 22) that will secure funding, already authorized by public law, for vital military related projects. This bill will protect the projects related to BRAC and other priority military projects already in the works. Senator Inhofe, will be carrying identical legislation in the Senate. This legislation is necessary in order to allow the Pentagon to continue doing its job of keeping our country safe and our men and women in uniform the best trained and equipped forces in the world.
During the next session of Congress, we will have a serious debate about how to move forward in Iraq and in the overall War on Terrorism. Throughout these discussions, it is important to remember the men and women who are serving our country in the military. They have made many sacrifices for us and it is our responsibility to make sure their needs are met. This is not a partisan issue. H.R. 22 is a good step in the right direction. I will also be working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, in the 110th Congress, to do everything possible to meet our national security needs.
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