On the recordJuly 12, 2017
I yield myself 2 minutes. Mr. Chairman, in some ways, I think this may be one of the most important debates we have in the next 3 days because the question is whether our support for the men and women who serve in the military is conditional or not. Will we only repair the planes they fly, will we only fix the ships they sail if, and only if, exactly an equal amount will be added to domestic spending programs. {time} 2100 Will we only provide for military spouses for their needs? Will we only take care of wounded warriors for their increased needs if, and only if, an exact amount, the exact dollar for dollar, is added to domestic programs? That holds the military hostage to a domestic political agenda, and I think that is fundamentally wrong at every level. These men and women go out and risk their lives to keep us safe, yet they not only have to worry about North Korea up on the DMZ, they not only have to worry about ISIS in Syria, they have to worry about whether we will pass some domestic program if we are going to adequately provide for them. The Constitution says it is Congress' responsibility to provide for the military without condition. This sort of approach, saying, ``We will only do this for the military if, and only if, we get what we want on domestic programs'' breaks faith with the men and women who serve. It is wrong at every level. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
