IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 983 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Nation now 

faces a more complex and grave set of threats than at any time since 

the end of World War II and that the continued use of continuing 

resolutions to fund defense-related activities puts servicemen and servicewomen at risk, harms national security, and aids the adversaries of 

the United States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 6, 2018 

Ms. CHENEY submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Appropriations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

the Nation now faces a more complex and grave set 

of threats than at any time since the end of World 

War II and that the continued use of continuing resolutions to fund defense-related activities puts servicemen 

and servicewomen at risk, harms national security, and 

aids the adversaries of the United States. 

Whereas the United States now faces a more complex set of 

threats than at any time since the end of World War II; 

Whereas the National Defense Strategy released on January 

19, 2018, highlights these threats and acknowledges a return to great power competition; 


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Whereas countries like Russia and China are heavily investing in military modernization and developing capabilities 

that the United States may not be able to defend against 

while also expanding their influence across the globe; 

Whereas North Korea’s nuclear program continues to be a 

serious threat; 

Whereas the National Defense Strategy states that ‘‘Iran 

continues to sow violence and remains the most significant challenge to Middle East stability’’; 

Whereas the National Defense Strategy states that ‘‘terrorist 

groups with long reach continue to murder the innocent 

and threaten peace more broadly’’; 

Whereas the United States continues to fight a war against 

terrorism and has troops deployed in hostile regions 

throughout the globe; 

Whereas, on January 19, 2018, Secretary of Defense James 

Mattis stated, ‘‘As hard as the last 16 years have been 

on our military, no enemy in the field has done more to 

harm the readiness of the U.S. military than the combined impact of the Budget Control Act’s defense spending cuts, worsened by us operating, 9 of the last 10 

years, under continuing resolutions, wasting copious 

amounts of precious taxpayer dollars’’; 

Whereas fiscal year 2009 was the last fiscal year the Department of Defense was not forced to operate under any 

continuing resolution; 

Whereas the House of Representatives has passed an annual 

appropriation bill for the Department of Defense before 

the start of the next fiscal year in each of the past 9 fiscal years the Department of Defense was forced to operate under a continuing resolution; 


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Whereas, on June 28, 2018, the House of Representatives 

passed H.R. 6157, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2019, with a 359–49 vote; 

Whereas article I, section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress the responsibility to ‘‘provide for the common 

Defence and general Welfare of the United States’’ and 

calls on Congress to ‘‘raise and support Armies’’ and 

‘‘provide and maintain a Navy’’; and 

Whereas Secretaries of Defense appointed by Presidents of 

both parties have warned about the damage continuing 

resolutions cause to the readiness of our Armed Forces: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the critical importance of com3 pleting the fiscal year 2019 appropriations process 

4 for the Department of Defense prior to the begin5 ning of fiscal year 2019 on October 1, 2018; and 

6 (2) urges the Senate to complete its work on 

7 the fiscal year 2019 appropriations bill for the De8 partment of Defense quickly so that— 

9 (A) the House of Representatives can enter 

10 into a conference committee with the Senate to 

11 reconcile any differences between H.R. 6157 

12 and the defense appropriations bill adopted by 

13 the Senate; and 

14 (B) Congress can present the President 

15 with a fiscal year 2019 appropriations bill for 


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1 the Department of Defense for his signature no 

2 later than September 30, 2018. 

Æ 


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