Yesterday evening, the House passed the Defense Appropriations bill as part of a minibus package, which also included the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bill, and a continuing resolution to keep remaining parts of the government open through December 7, 2018.

“I’m pleased to join a bipartisan group of my colleagues in passing the Defense Appropriations bill,” Congressman Carter said. “As the representative of Ft. Hood, I see firsthand how damaging operating under a continuing resolution is for our men and women in uniform. With the passage of this bill, our Armed Forces will have the resources they need to be successful on and off the battlefield, and will get their funding on time, so they can plan for the future and address current needs. I pushed to include provisions in this bill which specifically address the needs of the warfighter on the front lines, taking the fight to our adversaries, be it ISIS extremists, Taliban warlords, or any of the myriad threats our military is poised to face on a daily basis.  I want to thank Chairwomen Granger for her commitment to our troops and her teamwork in ensuring that several TX-31 priorities were included in this bill.”

The bill included several of Congressman Carter’s requests, including:

• Fully funds 1.5 brigade modernization for Abrams tank, as well as other key armored vehicles
• Fully supports Army Stryker upgrade strategy, delivering a safer vehicle to soldiers in harm’s way
• Language to set a standard of dealing with juvenile-on-juvenile sexual assault cases on military bases
• Increase of $20 million for Future Vertical Lift Capability systems
• Prioritizes Apache Modernization
• $15 million for Wound Care Research, helping wounded soldiers recover fully from their injuries
• Holds DoD accountable on their move to larger cloud networks
• Provides additional procurement of aircraft for Air Force and Air National Guard
• Continues funding of advanced energy management pilot program at Fort Hood

Congressman Carter spoke on the floor in support of the Defense Appropriations legislation. Watch his remarks below:

Rep. Carter represents Texas District 31, which includes Fort Hood, the largest active duty armored military installation in the free world. He serves as co-chairman of the Congressional Army Caucus and Chairman of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Appropriations.

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