H. Res. 995 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

July 17, 2018. 

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; 

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; 
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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 received on-time funding; 

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 those fiscal 

years; 

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 funding uncertainty has on the readiness of our Armed Forces: 

Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that— 

(1) failing to provide our military with full, stable, 

and on-time funding allows our adversaries to close critical military capability gaps, putting our servicemembers 

at increased risk, and severely harms our military’s ability to prepare for, deter, and, if needed, defend against 
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these capabilities, putting United States national security at greater risk; 

(2) providing full, stable, and on-time funding for 

the Department of Defense is critically necessary to preventing these increased risks; and 

(3) the House of Representatives is committed to 

ending the funding uncertainty for the Department of 

Defense and providing the resources United States 

servicemembers need to defend the Nation, and that the 

Senate should join the House of Representatives in these 

efforts. 

Attest: 

Clerk.