House Passes, Carter Supports Fiscal Year 2017 Defense Bill, Includes Pay Raise for Soldiers

Bill will fund military operations overseas, ensure the readiness of our troops to meet global threats, and sustain defense health and quality of life programs for soldiers, families

Today, Rep. John R. Carter voted in support of the House fiscal year 2017 Defense Appropriations bill which passed with bipartisan support. The bill, which funds our military through September 2017, closely reflects the Defense Appropriations bill the House passed last summer, and is consistent with the final National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2017. The legislation funds critical national security needs, including military operations and readiness programs, as well as health and quality-of-life programs for our troops and military families.

“I have been, and will always remain, an ardent supporter of the men and women who train and fight to protect our great nation, and their families,” said Rep. Carter. “At a time of increasing global threats we must reverse the course laid out by President Obama, and restore our military might, upgrade our technology, and invest in our soldiers. This is what the House has done with the defense appropriations bill and I applaud President Trump for his support in our shared endeavor to defend and provide for our great nation.”

“This bill is especially important to Central Texas as it funds all soldiers and  their families on Ft. Hood including a pay increase and their healthcare needs. Further, the increase in Operations and Maintenance funding will be used to ensure Ft. Hood’s home-station training range, a national treasure, will be used to its fullest extent, so our soldiers are ready to deter and defeat any potential threat to our homeland and our allies.”

Bill Highlights:

Military Personnel and Pay – This bill provides for 1,305,900 active-duty troops and 813,200 Guard and Reserve troops and fully funds the authorized 2.1 percent pay raise for the military, instead of 1.6 percent as requested by the previous Administration.

Operation and Maintenance –Included in the legislation is funding that supports key readiness programs to prepare our troops for combat and peacetime missions, including flight time and training, equipment and facility maintenance, and base operations. This includes funds to fill readiness shortfalls, invest in facility sustainment, restoration, and modernization programs, provide for additional depot maintenance, and support increased end strength. This funding will help rebuild our forces to ensure our troops have the training and equipment they need to sustain our military superiority.

Research and Development – The bill contains funding for research, development, testing, and evaluation of new defense technologies that will help to advance the safety and success of current and future military operations and prepare our nation to meet a broad range of future security threats.

Specifically, this funding will support research and development of: the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter; the GPS III operational control and space segments; the new Air Force bomber program; a next-generation JSTARS aircraft; the RQ-4 Triton Unmanned Aerial Vehicle; the Ohio-class submarine replacement; and other important research and development activities.

Equipment Procurement –The legislation provides for equipment and upgrades. These funds support our nation’s military readiness by providing the necessary platforms, weapons, and other equipment our military needs to train, maintain the force, and conduct successful operations.

For example, the agreement includes funding: to procure 13 Navy ships, including three DDG-51 guided missile destroyers, three Littoral Combat Ships, one LPD-17, and advance procurement for the polar icebreaker recapitalization project; for 74 F-35 aircraft; for 14 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft; for 61 UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters; for 52 remanufactured AH-64 Apache helicopters, for 5 new Apaches, and to support advanced procurement needs for an additional 10 aircraft; for 28 Lakota light utility helicopters; to equip two more brigades with WIN-T; for 11 P-8A Poseidon aircraft; for 15 KC-46 tanker aircraft; for 17 C/HC/KC/MC-130J aircraft; and for HMMWV modernization for the active Army, Army National Guard and Army Reserve. The agreement also includes funding for the National Guard and Reserve Equipment account.

Defense Health and Military Family Programs – The bill provides for the Defense Health Program to provide care for our troops, military families, and retirees. This includes funding for cancer research, traumatic brain injury and psychological health research, and sexual assault prevention and response.  

Force Structure – The agreement rejects the Obama Administration’s proposed troop reductions. Instead, the agreement provides increases above fiscal year 2016, including funds for an additional 1,000 active-duty Army soldiers, 1,000 Army National Guard soldiers, 1,000 Army Reserve soldiers, and 1,000 active-duty Marines.

Additionally, to maintain four Apache battalions in the Army National Guard, the agreement fully funds the modernization of existing Apaches, provides for five new Apaches and supports the annual operating costs of the four battalions. The agreement also provides funds to maintain a Combat Aviation Brigade in Korea. 

Savings and Reductions – The agreement reflects commonsense decisions to save taxpayer dollars where possible in areas that will not affect the safety or success of our troops and missions.

For text of the legislation, please visit: https://appropriations.house.gov/UploadedFiles/03.02.17_Defense_-_FY_2017_Appropriations_Bill.pdf

For the Explanatory Statement, please visit: https://appropriations.house.gov/UploadedFiles/03.02.17_Defense_-_FY_2017_Appropriations_Bill_-_Explanatory_Statement.pdf

Rep. Carter represents Texas District 31, which includes Fort Hood, the largest active duty armored military installation in the free world. He serves as Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations, co-chairman of the Congressional Army Caucus, is on the Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice and Science and the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

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