Jim Inhofe: “I have been down here a lot talking about why we need to increase the defense budget: We face more threats than ever…”

“I have been down here a lot talking about why we need to increase the defense budget: We face more threats than ever before. China and Russia are investing more in modernizing their militaries than ever before. We need to strengthen our alliances to discourage our adversaries from acting, and the best way to back up our friends is with a strong military. These are all good reasons, but we have 2.2 million other reasons we need to increase our defense budget: all the brave men and women who serve our country in uniform. May is Military Appreciation Month, and I could talk all day about all the ways our servicemembers are the best in the world and how much I appreciate them. But we shouldn't just talk about it; we need to show these brave men and women just what they mean to us. When I travel, I always eat in the mess halls with our troops--not the officers, the enlisted men and women. When I do that, I get a real sense of what our troops need to do their jobs and defend this country. So I have a pretty good idea of what will show them our appreciation. We should show them by providing adequate, consistent and stable funding on time. When budgets are delayed and defense spending is cut, you know who feels it the most? Our troops. It hurts their morale. It hurts their readiness. It hurts their families. It affects everything. We should show them with more and better training that focuses on their safety.…”