Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04), Vice Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4665, the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2024, H.R. 4365, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2024, and H.R. 4367, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2024. Cole supported all three bills.
“The three pieces of legislation passed in the House this evening are critical to securing our nation both from within and around the globe,” said Cole. “These three bills ensure our men and women in uniform, including the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents at our southern border, are provided the foundation needed to protect our citizens and win any conflict.
“At $826 billion, nearly 3.5 percent more than fiscal year 2023 funding levels, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2024 would deliver full, needed funding for our nation’s defenders. Among many other critical provisions, this legislation would support the strategic missions and personnel at Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City and Fort Sill Army Post in Lawton and deliver a 5.2 percent pay raise for service members to offset Democrats’ inflationary crisis. It also provides for significant investments in capabilities in the Pacific region to deter aggression from China and North Korea in the region and rejects progressive ideology agendas to ensure the Pentagon is laser focused on military readiness and warfighting capabilities.
“While clawing back wasteful spending, the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2024 supports our nation’s most critical allies in Europe, the Middle East and Indo-Pacific region and invests in countering the flow of fentanyl and other deadly drugs in the Western Hemisphere. This bill is fiscally responsible while strengthening our national security, countering China and supporting our allies who have a hand in promoting American values abroad.
“Finally, since President Joe Biden took office, our southern border has been neglected and poorly run, creating a historic humanitarian and national security crisis. This month alone we have seen a record number of migrant apprehensions at our Southern border. Not only are our CBP agents and their resources stretched thin, making their job more difficult, but bad actors including drug and human traffickers, and even suspected terrorists are taking advantage of President Biden’s open border. This crisis has affected every community across the nation in some way. This legislation addresses this crisis by providing funding to secure our border, remove dangerous criminals and detainees unlawfully in our country and countering China’s role in the spread of fentanyl. House Republicans are committed to rebuilding our military and securing the southern border, and I was proud to support the passage of these government funding measures to support a stronger and safer nation.”
