WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Kay Granger (TX-12), the Chairwoman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement following the passage of H.R. 1625, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018: 
 
“We have achieved a historic increase in defense spending.  This is the largest increase in 15 years -- an increase of $61.1 billion over the 2017 enacted level -- and will enable our military to rebuild after years of reckless budget cuts. When President Trump signs this bill into law, our military will finally have the funding that they have told us they need. 
 
“In order to fight and win wars, we must make sure that the U.S. maintains military superiority. That is why this agreement makes significant investments into air, sea and land forces. In total, it appropriates $654.6 billion for the Department of Defense. 
 
 “With the additional funding provided by the budget agreement came significant responsibility to ensure that the funds are spent strategically and with vigorous Congressional oversight.  I take this oversight responsibility very seriously and have had many conversations with Secretary Mattis and General Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  By the time this agreement is enacted, the Pentagon will have around five months to spend the money.  I was very concerned that this short time frame could lead to poor spending decisions. As a result, this agreement includes new flexibility for the Department of Defense to ensure that these funds will be spent in the smartest way possible while still maintaining stringent oversight. 
 
“As Chairwoman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I’m proud to have played a key role in writing this important legislation, which will finally provide the funding needed for our national security.”
 
Thanks to Chairwoman Granger’s leadership, the agreement makes investments into: 
 
·        Joint Strike fighters
·        Super hornets
·        Apaches
·        Chinooks
·        Lakotas 
·        V-22 ospreys
·        Black hawks, and 
·        C-130s.  
 
We must fund the ships needed to protect and defend the U.S. and our allies.  That is why this agreement funds 14 Navy ships including :
 
·        One carrier replacement,
·        3 littoral combat ships, 
·        2 guided missile destroyers, 
·        Two attack submarines, and 
·        Full funding to continue the Ohio replacement submarine program.
 
The National Guard is critical to our national security.  This agreement provides: 
 
·        6 C-130 aircraft
·        Increased funding for the Army Guard humvee program 
·        20 blackhawk helicopters 
·        Funding for the army national guard for support on the southwest border
·        Additional funding for the National Guard Counterdrug program
·        Additional funding for army National Guard Cyber protection teams
·        $1.3 billion for the National Guard and Reserve Equipment account.
 
To ensure that the U.S. has the most capable military in the world, this agreement funds needed modernization initiatives including: 
 
·        Long-range precision fires
·        Soldier lethality
·        Ground mobility upgrades for Bradleys, Strykers, and Abrams vehicles
·        Improved command, control, communications and intelligence systems
·        The B-21 bomber
·        Long overdue upgrades for our nuclear forces 
·        The next generation amphibious ship
·        And unmanned carrier aviation platforms.

We also included important funding to help protect and defend Israel including: 
 
·        Anti-tunneling initiatives; and 
·        The Israeli cooperative missile defense programs.