Chief Deputy Whip Patrick McHenry (R, NC-10) released the following statement after passage of H.R. 2685, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2016:

“The United States is blessed with the finest military in the world, a group comprised of brave men and women committed to serving and protecting our nation from evolving threats across the globe. To complete that job, we must ensure they have the resources needed to protect our homeland and way of life. H.R. 2685 does exactly that—providing increased funding for military operations and readiness while also allocating funds for important quality-of-life programs for our troops and their families.
 
“With Russia’s aggressive actions in Eastern Europe, instability spreading across the Middle East, and China expanding their influence in Asia, now is not the time to play political games with funding for our national defense. Regrettably, that is exactly what Harry Reid and his Senate Democratic colleagues have chosen to do as they threaten to filibuster this vital legislation in an attempt to increase spending on our bloated federal bureaucracy. It is my sincere hope that Senate Democrats consider our troops, their families, and the dangerous world in which we live and drop these reckless threats.”