Nita Lowey: “Using OCO for base funds detracts from the true purpose of OCO, which is to fund wartime efforts. This prevents our…”

“Using OCO for base funds detracts from the true purpose of OCO, which is to fund wartime efforts. This prevents our Armed Forces from using these funds to counter ISIL and other threats. A great deal of good elsewhere in the bill is overshadowed by this failure. I thank the chairman for his work to increase cybersecurity operations by nearly $1 billion; invest in the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance resources combat commanders clamor for; provide strong, bipartisan support for our allies in the Middle East; and finance important health initiatives that help warfighters and their families. {time} 1700 All of that could have been done while providing certainty for troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere. I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.”