Sessions Supports Government Funding Package

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Rules, released the following statement in support of the comprehensive package to fund discretionary spending through the end of the fiscal year:
 
“Today I joined my colleagues in supporting a comprehensive funding package that bolsters our military, secures our border, combats the opioid epidemic, secures our schools, and delivers real results for the American people.
 
“Over the past eight years our military has been stripped down to skeletal levels, yet the American people have expected our men and women of the armed services to continue to fulfill their duties with outdated equipment and fewer and fewer resources.  At a time where we face some of the greatest threats we have ever seen, we need to make sure our men and women are equipped with the tools, training, and resources necessary to do their jobs. This package underscores our commitment to our men and women in uniform by providing the largest investment in our armed forces in 15 years, including the largest pay raise for our troops in 8 years.
 
“In addition to increasing resources for our troops, this package also provides necessary funding to secure our homeland. Securing our borders through increased technology, more boots on the ground, and physical barriers will help us achieve operational control and help close our porous borders.
 
“We must make every effort to keep our communities safe, and that includes providing more resources to protect our children on their campuses. I have been working with local law enforcement, superintendents, and community leaders to open up the lines of communication to ensure all of us are working together to protect our kids. This package provides $2.3 billion in resources to implement school safety training programs as well as to fund effective mental health treatments.
 
“Protecting our kids doesn’t stop on our campuses. We also need to take action to stop the crisis of addiction that is plaguing our younger generation. Every single day we lose approximately 115 lives to the opioid epidemic. To end this crisis, we have provided the largest investment to date to combat the opioid crisis.
 
“Funding for treatment programs and research is critical to moving the health of our nation forward. I have worked closely with Dr. Francis Collins, the head of the National Institutes of Health, to ensure they have the resources they need to continue their leading edge research.  Last October, I testified in front of the Labor Health subcommittee to urge them to provide funding for more research on the connection between Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s. I am delighted that this critical funding is included in this package.
 
“This piece of legislation is the culmination of hours of hard work and countless conversations with members from both sides of the aisle in both chambers. This is the first time since fiscal year 2010 that all 12 bills have passed the House before the end of the fiscal year and it includes 232 amendments that were considered on the House floor and 12,000 submissions that were directly submitted from members. While this process was not perfect, I believe this product accomplishes countless important priorities that directly benefit the American people.”
 

To learn more about this package, click here
 

 

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Created:
Mar 22, 2018