On the recordDecember 11, 2018
I don't know how, but a lot of people back home have gotten in their heads that defending America is a complicated issue and that it is the kind of issue they think is going to have to be decided in Washington by a lot of smart people and all that, but nothing could be further from the truth. The reality is, defending America is just common sense. It is called priority--something we didn't have in the last administration. We all-- every American citizen--need to be responsible for our own national security. I am going to be coming here each week to outline the common sense for our common defense--what we are working on here in Washington--for families back home. Today I will talk about how we face the urgency in funding our national defense. It is very simple. Again, it is common sense. Without action to exempt the military from sequestration or to reach a budget agreement, once again, we will have to face the devastating cuts of the Budget Control Act in our military. We could handle it in other areas, and I am very supportive of it but not in the military at this particular time. I will tell you why. We know what the result will be. We saw it during the Obama administration. Without sufficient, sustained, and predictable funding, we will squander the progress the military has made over the past 2 years, which is to improve readiness, increase procurement for critical capabilities, and investment in future technologies. This is just in the past 2 years.…
