Rounds Joins Colleagues on Senate Floor Urging Vote on Defense Appropriations Bill

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today joined his fellow freshmen colleagues on the Senate floor to reinforce the importance of funding our military operations through the appropriations process. Senate Democrats have blocked consideration of the 2017 defense appropriations bill six times, despite it passing unanimously out of the Senate Appropriations Committee earlier this year.

“The Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved [the defense appropriations bill] by a vote of 30-0 earlier this year,” said Rounds during his speech on the Senate floor. “The Department of Defense Appropriations Act, which passed the committee, also adheres to the bipartisan budget agreement that was signed into law last year and it refrains from any gimmicks and other controversial measures.”

“This senseless obstructionism from the other side of the aisle comes at a time in which, according to a recent Fox News poll, a record-high 54 percent of American voters believe the United States is less safe now than it was before the 9/11 attacks. Continuing to block any appropriations bill is ill-advised, but blocking the defense appropriations bill causes unnecessary uncertainty and endangers our national security efforts.”

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StwAWLXAJb4&feature=youtu.be

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