Congressman John Carter (TX-31) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 695, the Defense Appropriations Act.

“In order to ensure our national security, we must provide our troops with the funding and resources they need to be successful on and off the battlefield, which is why I’m proud to support this important legislation that will properly fund operations, readiness activities, health and quality-of-life programs for our troops and military families. 

“This legislation will help provide certainty to our troops in the form of full-year funding. It also includes several priorities that I have requested on behalf of the brave men and women at Fort Hood, including over $3 billion for modernization for Armored Brigade Combat Teams. This funding includes nearly $900 million in Abrams tank modernization, $450 million in Stryker modernization, and $430 million for Bradley modernization. These investments will greatly benefit our Armored Brigade Combat Teams based at Ft. Hood.

“This legislation also fully funds the 2.4% pay raise for our men and women in uniform that they greatly deserve. Our brave heroes deserve steady full-year funding to successfully operate and this legislation will provide that stability.”

Bill highlights:

·       Provides $659.2 billion in full-year FY18 funding for the Department of Defense- $584 billion in base funding and $75.1 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding

·       Provides $241 billion total to prepare our troops for combat and peacetime missions

·       Bolsters our troop numbers by providing $138.3 billion for 1,324,000 active-duty troops and 822,900 Guard and Reserve troops

·       Fully funds the 2.4% pay raise for our men and women in uniform

·       Contains $84.3 billion- $10.3 billion above FY17 levels- for research and development in new defense technologies, including F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, space security programs, the Air Force bombers program, and the Ohio-class submarine

·       Provides $149 billion for equipment procurement to provide necessary platforms, weapons, and equipment that our military needs to train, maintain the force, and conduct successful operations.

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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