John Ratcliffe: “I thank Chairman Dent and the ranking member for their hard work on behalf of the 63,000 veterans in my district, as…”

“I thank Chairman Dent and the ranking member for their hard work on behalf of the 63,000 veterans in my district, as well as servicemembers and veterans from all across the country. I am also grateful for the support of Congressman Shuster in offering this amendment, an amendment which would simply prohibit any funds made available in this division from being used to propose, plan for, or execute a new or additional round of base realignment and closure, or BRAC. Mr. Chairman, I am honored to represent the Fourth Congressional District of Texas, which is home to the Red River Army Depot. The Depot has supported the warfighter since 1941. Although the Depot community has weathered a lot of changes over the years, their commitment to mission has always remained the same. On the placards inside each vehicle there are the words: ``We build it as if our lives depend on it. Theirs do.'' The Red River Army Depot is a vital job creator for northeast Texas and my district, and it is a critical component to our national defense. And as we continue our constitutional obligation to appropriate money, we have to be careful stewards of taxpayer dollars, and focus our limited resources on addressing the critical national security objectives and military readiness. Having another round of BRAC, Mr. Chairman, won't help us achieve this goal.…”