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 service-
women 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 resolu-
tions 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 re-
turn to great power competition; 
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Whereas countries like Russia and China are heavily invest-
ing 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 signifi-
cant 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 com-
bined impact of the Budget Control Act’s defense spend-
ing 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 Depart-
ment 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 fis-
cal years the Department of Defense was forced to oper-
ate 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 Appro-
priations Act for fiscal year 2019, with a 359–49 vote; 
Whereas article I, section 8 of the Constitution gives Con-
gress 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 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the critical importance of com-
pleting the fiscal year 2019 appropriations process 
for the Department of Defense prior to the begin-
ning of fiscal year 2019 on October 1, 2018; and 
(2) urges the Senate to complete its work on 
the fiscal year 2019 appropriations bill for the De-
partment of Defense quickly so that— 
(A) the House of Representatives can enter 
into a conference committee with the Senate to 
reconcile any differences between H.R. 6157 
and the defense appropriations bill adopted by 
the Senate; and 
(B) Congress can present the President 
with a fiscal year 2019 appropriations bill for 
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the Department of Defense for his signature no 
later than September 30, 2018. 
Æ 
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