The federal government’s first responsibility is to provide for our common defense. If the federal government is not open, our men and women in uniform are put at an unacceptable disadvantage.

Dear Friend,

Today I voted in favor of the one week continuing resolution to keep the government open. While not ideal, this added time will allow Congress to continue negotiating a final funding agreement for Fiscal Year 2017.

There is a chance that Congress may pass a long-term continuing resolution at the end of next week. I am opposed to long-term continuing resolutions because they do not allow Congress to evaluate current funding priorities. Instead, they simply continue previous government spending. This in turn prevents Congress from addressing current priorities.

In particular, a long-term continuing resolution is most devastating for our military. Without a new funding agreement focused on current priorities, the Navy will have to shut down half of its air wings, cancel the maintenance of 14 ships and cancel several ship deployments. The Army will have to delay critical modernization efforts and both the Marine Corps and Air Force will have to stop flying mid-summer.

We already have a readiness crisis in defense. Our men and women in uniform do not need additional challenges caused by Congress. That is why you can be certain I’ll continue working toward the comprehensive and current funding agreement our military deserves.

Sincerely,

Kay Granger
Member of Congress