Washington, D.C. – Below are the remarks delivered today by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) on the House floor during consideration of H.R 4899, which includes supplemental war funding:

 

“Today we take a vital and overdue step towards fulfilling one of Congress’s most basic and important responsibilities.  We will provide the men and women of the United States military with the resources they need to carry out their missions in Iraq and Afghanistan – missions for which they are risking their lives.  While I wish we had been able to send this bill to the President sooner, passage of this bill today will ensure that funding is provided to the Department of Defense without any operational disruptions. 

 

“Without this bill, the Department of Defense would be forced to use inefficient and costly budget work-arounds throughout the month of August.  According to testimony the Armed Services Committee received last week, without this bill the DOD would be forced in September to furlough thousands of civilian employees, and would even be forced to reprogram funding to pay the troops.  Instead, by passing this bill today on a strong bipartisan vote, we can uphold the best traditions of Congress in support of national security and avoid the possibility of crippling funding shortfalls at the Department of Defense.

 

“I urge my colleagues to vote for passage of H.R. 4899, the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2010, and forward it to the President for his signature.”

 

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