I agree that the DOD needs additional resources. But we must address the caps for both defense and nondefense
activities. I remind my colleagues that under the Budget Control Act, or BCA,
national defense activities include certain programs at the FBI and the
Coast Guard, while nondefense activities include the State Department,
veterans' care, Customs and Border Protection, and the TSA. We need to
look at our Nation's needs holistically, and we must remain vigilant
over the amount of money the DOD can effectively utilize. We have to
look at national security, and that includes both sides and both caps
With regard to our overseas operations, the conference report
authorizes the entirety of the funding request for our efforts in
Afghanistan, including $1.7 billion to invest in critical aviation
capabilities, such as close air support platforms and modernized rotary
wing assets, and to continue to sustain and train the existing fleet. The report also authorizes 3,500 special immigrant visas to continue
to uphold our commitments to the many brave Afghans who have provided
critical support to the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. In this regard,
let me thank Chairman McCain and Senator Shaheen, without whose efforts
this provision would not have been included, I believe, in the final
conference. The conference report continues robust support for our
counterterrorism efforts against ISIS, al-Qaida, and the other violent
extremist groups, including approximately $1.8 billion for the Train
and Equip Programs in Iraq and Syria.
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