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Published: 06 February 2018 06 February 2018

Washington, DC (February 6, 2018) Congressman Steve Pearce released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 1892, Furthering Extension of Continuing Appropriations Act, providing full-year funding for the Department of Defense along with a 2.4% pay raise for our troops:

“Congress has an obligation to fund our nation’s military and uphold the commitment we’ve made to support our service members who step up and defend our freedoms each day. Budget uncertainty reduces training and readiness, risking the lives of our service members unnecessarily on the battlefield. We’re seeing an increase in the amount service members being killed or injured in non-combat training exercises than in combat, with an overwhelming number of military planes unable to fly because they are overworked and undermanned. After years of operating with a depleted military, let’s once and for all tackle the readiness crisis that our military faces so that we can move forward with needed improvements that allow us to take on the threats of tomorrow.”

H.R. 1892 also extends funding and updates policies for vital health care programs, including a two-year funding extension for Community Health Centers and Medicare Dependent Hospitals.

“For states like New Mexico, these health care programs are often the only source of access to reliable and affordable health care for people and families in rural communities. I remain strongly supportive of these programs because I grew up utilizing programs just like this. I know the true value that Community Health Centers have for families in remote towns across the state. The health and safety of New Mexican communities is directly related to the funding and continuation of these programs. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure this legislation quickly gets enacted into law.”

Background
The House voted and passed appropriations for the Department of Defense last week in a bipartisan manner. H.R. 1892 provides a two-year funding extension for Community Health Centers and for Medicare Dependent Hospitals.

The House sent all 12 appropriations bills for a long-term budget to the Senate ahead of schedule. To this date, the Senate has failed to act on moving these bills forward.