By Congressman Tom Cole
One of the preeminent responsibilities of Congress, demonstrated by its inclusion in the Preamble to the Constitution, is to provide for the common defense. With that in mind, both Congress and the President have historically made maintaining a strong military a priority. We must always ensure that our men and women in uniform always have the best resources at their disposal. The day that Congress fails to meet the needs of our military is the day that we put our nation’s security and well-being at risk.
We know with confidence that every dollar put into our military and veterans’ needs is a dollar well spent. From continuing base projects, to innovative defense mechanisms, to proper housing and education for military families, the needs are great and many. In the Fourth District, we’re proud to have two great military installations – Fort Sill Army Post and Tinker Air Force Base. I know that they both benefit greatly from our defense funding bills, and many great military innovations start there. It’s astonishing that an issue so bipartisan could face any sort of push back.
Recently, an internal memo within the Pentagon was uncovered which advocated using the veto as the principal weapon at the Department’s disposal. They argued that the use of the so-called “OCO gimmick”, which actually provides our military with the resources it needs for the upcoming year, must be defeated. We should never be leveraging the safety and well-being of our military service members for internal political purposes.
The Administration has failed to provide our service members the 2.1% pay increase anticipated under the current formula. Instead, the President recently announced only a 1.6% increase. This come on the heels of a 1.3% increase in 2016, and a 1% increase in 2014 and 2015, all of which is expected to erode service members’ purchasing power by around $25 billion over the next decade. In contrast, the House-passed version of the NDAA provided the full 2.1% increase authorized by current law. Instead, the President has refused to reach that number, even though the current formula allows him do just that.
Members of the military sacrifice themselves for us every day. Instead of honoring that sacrifice, it seems, instead, like this Administration wants to exploit them for its political agenda. Given the dangerous threats our country faces, we should do everything in our power to ensure our freedoms and freedom for those around the globe.
This Administration’s lack of understanding about military priorities is both shocking and disappointing. Our men and women in uniform deserve better. The Administration has been so focused on its liberal social agenda and its apologetic foreign policy that it has neglected its responsibility to provide for the common defense. This is no small oversight and it has created a security deficit that will take years to reverse. For our next president, this must be priority number one.
