House of Representatives Prepares to Vote on Troop Funding Bill

Apr 7, 2011
Defense Drumbeat

As the House of Representatives prepares to vote on a troop funding bill that would ensure troops get paid on time this month, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.) on Monday sought to reassure American servicemen and women that a deal could be struck to avoid any disruptions in pay.

CNN reported McKeon’s concerns: "I don't even want to contemplate [a government shutdown] because to think we would have our young men and women over on the front lines putting their lives on the line, with their families at home with bills to pay that don't get their paycheck, I just think that's really going too far. I think we are mature enough to get this thing fixed."

According to an Army Times story, McKeon believes an agreement will be reached by the end of this week and that “the only way we would get [a shutdown] is to stumble into it.”

In this video clip, CNN reporter Charlie Keyes asked McKeon his thoughts on troop pay at a media roundtable on Monday.

McKeon has been working behind the scenes for weeks to rally support behind the passage of a full year Department of Defense appropriations bill, which would fund the military services through the end of the fiscal year.  Passage of this legislation by the House and Senate would protect U.S. military personnel and their families from financial uncertainty as Members of Congress and the President work to fund the rest of the federal government for the remainder of the fiscal year.

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UPDATE: McKeon spoke on the House Floor Thursday on the troop funding bill

112th Congress