Limited resources available for the military should be focused on defending the country, not pursuing social agendas, according to the Texas congressman who chairs the House’s Armed Services Committee.
With the Trump Administration working to rejuvenate the military, U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R–Amarillo) sees an opportunity to focus tax dollars on mission-critical activities and end the eight years of “social engineering” pushed by former President Barack Obama.
Rep. Thornberry
“The Obama Administration often had a different view and tried to use the Department of Defense to pursue a variety of political agendas,” Thornberry told Texas Scorecard.
First elected to the U.S. House in 1994, Thornberry is the first Texan to chair the Armed Services committee.
The Obama Administration pushed the Department of Defense to adopt expensive green energy programs to the detriment of troop readiness. Thornberry said that is changing.
“Their anti-fossil fuel agenda was rarely focused on improving warfighter readiness,” said Thornberry. “To ensure that any energy project is focused on that goal, we put a provision into law that requires the Department of Defense to send us a detailed explanation of any new energy projects, including their rationale for how the project will enhance the military’s mission.”
While he is responsible for policy authorization, it is another member of Congress from Texas who oversees Defense appropriations. U.S. Rep. Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth) sits on the House Appropriations Committee and chairs the subcommittee on Defense Appropriations.
According to Thornberry, the two have “frank discussions” about ensuring defense dollars are directed to their highest purpose.
And for Thornberry that comes down to a simple goal: “rebuild our military so that the men and women stationed in Texas and around the country and world have the best equipment and training to defeat any enemy.”
