Thank you, mister Speaker, as members of Congress we have an explicit constitutional responsibility to provide for the common defense, yet some of my colleagues would rather use our military as a bargaining chip for political reasons for three days. Our military was held hostage. All the government shut down for an unrelated immigration issue for three days. Military families across the globe Face fear and uncertainty over whether they would be paid on time. Unfortunately, this is not the last time or the first time our military has been used as a political pawn year after year defense spending is held hostage causing our readiness to reach a dangerously low level in testimony before the House armed services Committee Secretary matters stated no enemy in the field has done more to harm the readiness of our military, then see question. we We are facing a host of threats from every direction threats that jeopardize our safety. Our freedom and our way of life, North Korea is aggressively pursuing and nuclear arsenal. That can target United States and our allies. China's land reclamation has sparked international clashes. Russian opportunity stick aggression is threatening our allies and could trigger a NATO alliance response, thought extremists are threatening global stability as they're evil ideology poisons minds and induces followers to kill innocent people and a Ron continues to in folks to instability by sponsoring terrorism around the globe. We expect our military to be Able to respond to each of these strips, yet years of budget cuts and continue resolutions have degraded our military's capabilities and destroyed more our here are the stunning and so bring facts less than half of the navy's aircraft can fly due to maintenance and spare parts delays of the 58 army combat brigade teams that are nation depends on to deploy overseas to defend our freedoms only five could be called upon to fight Tonight last year to Navy destroyers were involved in collisions that tragically claimed the lives of 17 sailors. The ships will undergo repairs for years to come. I saw this personally in September when I toured the uss fitzgerald and enables base in Japan. I stood in the room where seven sailors died when their ship collided with a commercial freighter, terry the hole in the side of the ship and flooding the room with We're sleeping with water in less than two minutes giving them too little time to escape it was heart. Wrenching to see and remains heartbreaking, to think about the pain these families will endure for years to come, grab says of all is that these access we're not due to an enemy attack. They were due to training lapses and poor leadership which was exacerbated by high demand for service combined with a lack of funding for needed ships and I, like, of training, because As of defense cuts last year alone, eighty us service members were killed in readiness related accidents nearly four times what the number that were killed in hostilities. Our men and women in uniform deserve better. We owe it to them to provide them with all that they need as they stand ready to actively fight a research at Russian, an emergent China and UN stable North Korea and unpredictable Ron and widespread violent extremists, him. We cannot expect our sons and daughters to volunteer for military service and thereby volunteer the place in harm's Way without proper equipment and adequate training, mister Speaker we must and this deadly cycle of continuing resolutions. We must and see quest ration and provide for the common defense we must approve a long term budget that provides desperately needed increases in funding for the military American military superiority is not a God, given right or law of nature. It has been earned on the backs of motivated volunteer force. It is our duty To ensure that force as well equipped and well trained the current normal is unacceptable and irresponsible, I call on my colleagues to end this travesty and stand with our military as they stand for freedom for us everyday. I. U. Back tara