Washington, DC – Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) today acted to provide critical support to our military by voting in support of H.R. 1301, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act. This bill funds critical national security needs, including military operations and readiness programs, as well as health and quality-of-life programs for our troops and military families. The bill passed by a vote of 371-48.
“Our military men and women go above and beyond to protect the homeland, Congress has a sacred duty to provide them with the resources needed to do the job,” Rep. Pete Olson said. “This bill pays our troops, provides care for them and their families, and provides the resources necessary to defeat terrorists, support our allies, and deter our adversaries. This legislation is exactly what we need to maintain our military’s development of cutting-edge technology and resources. It ensures America is at its best and ready to defend itself against terrorists. I’m pleased we passed the bill in the House and look forward to the Senate acting quickly.”
Background: The FY17 DOD Appropriations bill provides $516.1 billion in base discretionary funding and $61.8 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO)/ Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) funding. It provides $215.3 billion in Operations and Maintenance to support readiness, battle training, flight time, additional depot maintenance, and base operations. It reverses the drawdown of troops by the Obama Administration and funds the full increased end strength levels authorized by the FY17 NDAA. This bill also fully funds the 2.1% pay raise for our service men and women, a 0.5% increase above the Obama Administration’s request.