RELEASE:
Palazzo Statement on Passage of Defense Bill
Washington, DC – Congressman Steven Palazzo (MS-4) released the following statement regarding House passage of the 2017 Defense Appropriations bill:
“Once again, the House has done its work and passed a bill that fully funds our military. And once again, House Democrats turned their backs on our men and women in uniform by voting against this legislation. This marks the third time in a little over a month that they have put their liberal agenda in front of our troops and veterans, and I’m tired of these political games.
The common defense of our nation is our number one constitutional responsibility in Congress and should not be held up by partisan gridlock. I was proud to support this year’s defense funding bill, and I hope the Senate will quickly follow suit and send this legislation to the President in short order.”
The FY2017 Defense Appropriations Bill provides a total of $517 billion in base defense spending and an additional $59 billion in overseas contingency operations (OCO) funding. It includes an additional $3 billion to prevent end strength cuts as well as a 2.1% pay increase for the military. It also contains essential funding for gulf coast shipyards, continued investment in unmanned aerial systems, and investments in aerospace critical to our men and women in uniform.
This bill also continues to provide sound federal investment to support our military assets in South Mississippi. Overall Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District employs more than 20,000 military and DOD civilian personnel with an annual economic impact of over $1.6 billion.
6/17/16
