I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4982 
To limit the authority of the President to carry out large-scale military 
parades. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 8, 2018 
Mr. SCHNEIDER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To limit the authority of the President to carry out large- 
scale military parades. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preparedness Before 
Parades Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) President Donald J. Trump has ordered the 
Department of Defense to carry out a large-scale 
military parade. 
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(2) There have only been a select handful of 
large-scale military parades in the United States in 
the last 100 years, including in 1946 following the 
victory in World War II and in 1991 following the 
victory in the Persian Gulf War. 
(3) Estimates place the cost of the military pa-
rade in 1991 following the Persian Gulf War around 
$8,000,000 to $12,000,000, including some funding 
having come from private sources. 
(4) A large-scale military parade costing mil-
lions of dollars will divert essential funding des-
perately needed for investment in military readiness. 
(5) Budget uncertainty and continuing resolu-
tions have had a severe negative impact on the 
Armed Forces, as demonstrated by the following 
statements: 
(A) In December 2017, President Donald 
J. Trump stated that ‘‘In recent years, our 
military has undergone a series of deep budget 
cuts that have severely impacted our readiness, 
shrunk our capabilities, and placed substantial 
burdens on our warfighters.’’. 
(B) Congressman Mac Thornberry, Chair-
man of the Committee on Armed Services of 
the House of Representatives, stated in Sep-
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tember 2017 that ‘‘it is hard to remember a 
time when our military readiness crisis has been 
on such sharp display.’’. Thornberry further 
stated, ‘‘We have too few planes that can fly, 
too few ships that can sail and too few soldiers 
who can deploy.’’. 
(C) In February 2018, Secretary of De-
fense Jim Mattis said, ‘‘Let me be clear: As 
hard as the last 16 years of war have been, no 
enemy in the field has done more to harm the 
readiness of the U.S. military than the com-
bined impact of the Budget Control Act’s de-
fense spending caps, worsened by operating in 
10 of the last 11 years under continuing resolu-
tions of varied and unpredictable duration.’’. 
(D) In January 2018, Secretary of the 
Navy Richard V. Spencer said in regard to the 
impact of continuing resolutions on the Navy’s 
budget, ‘‘We have put $4 billion in a trash can, 
poured lighter fluid on it, and burned it.’’. 
(E) In December 2017, Pentagon Chief 
Spokesperson Dana W. White said, ‘‘Nothing’s 
had a greater impact on combat readiness than 
C.R.s. So—and at a time where security threats 
are high, we really do need the predictability in 
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the budget, certainty that we don’t have with 
C.R.s.’’. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) providing budget certainty to the Depart-
ment of Defense and all other Federal agencies by 
passing appropriations legislation on time through 
regular order is of the utmost importance; 
(2) in a period when United States warplanes 
and ships are not at operational capacity, personnel 
are not fully trained, military families require sig-
nificant financial assistance, and veterans’ programs 
require substantial increases, a large-scale military 
parade would be wasteful to the United States tax-
payer and harmful to military readiness; 
(3) the President should express support for 
members of the Armed Forces, honor their service, 
and thank them for the great sacrifices they have 
made and continue to make to protect the United 
States by appropriately funding the military, sup-
porting service members and their families, and pro-
moting opportunities for veterans once they transi-
tion out of the Armed Forces; and 
(4) military parades should not be used for the 
personal pleasure of the President. 
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SEC. 4. LIMITATION. 
The President may not direct the Department of De-
fense to carry out a large-scale military parade unless— 
(1) the Secretary of Defense certifies to Con-
gress that— 
(A) the parade will have no effect on the 
military readiness or budgetary needs of the 
Armed Forces; 
(B) the diversion of personnel and equip-
ment associated with the parade will have no ef-
fect on the military readiness of the Armed 
Forces; and 
(C) the financial costs associated with the 
parade will have no effect on the military readi-
ness of the Armed Forces; 
(2) the Government of any municipality where 
the parade will be conducted approves the parade 
not later than 90 days before the date on which the 
parade occurs; and 
(3) not less than 50 percent of the costs of the 
parade are paid for by funds appropriated to the Ex-
ecutive Office of the President. 
Æ 
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