The United States Military has defeated Nazism and freed an entire continent from tyranny, and today America's heroes stand against a new evil in the form of terrorist or cold-blooded killers. This past year more of our heroes died in training missions due to faulty equipment then they did in combat, that is unacceptable. The Constitution demands that the federal government "provides for the common defense."

While there are some aspects of the budget bill the President signed into law last week that I fought strongly against, I decided the needs of our heroes outweighed those concerns. The failed policy of sequestration has harmed our military more than the enemy has these past few years. I felt strongly that our men and women in uniform deserved better.

While much has been achieved this past year in the battle with ISIS and with the Taliban our nation faces grave threats from Boko Haram and Al Queda. We must fight them over there so we do not fight them here at home. It is vital that we never forget this. So last week, I cast our vote to fund our heroes and to fund our military at the highest levels in 15 years.

This new funding will provide better equipment and infrastructure for our troops, increase troop levels and increase the missions of Ft. Leonard Wood and Whiteman Air Force Base. Our fellow citizens willing to give the ultimate sacrifice in our defense deserve nothing, but the best we can give them. I am glad the President made the decision to make providing for the common defense a priority again.

Onward,