Press Releases

July 30, 2009: Congressman Wittman Supports Defense Appropriations Bill

Washington, D.C., July 30, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Rob Wittman voted today in favor of the Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2010, H.R. 3326. The legislation passed the House by a vote of 400 to 30.

"This bill provides our service members with the tools, training and support they need to complete their missions over the next year. I'm particularly pleased to see the increase in pay, along with a continued emphasis on shipbuilding funding," said Wittman.

This year's legislation provides an average 3.4 percent pay increase for military personnel in Fiscal Year 2010. The bill also provides $13 billion to build 10 ships, adds $50M for the Ship Loan Guarantee program as part of the National Defense Sealift Fund, and adds 1 Littoral Combat Ship and 1 Joint High Speed Vessel to the budget request. An additional $1 million was included for the Aerospace Laser Micro Engineering Station at Jefferson Lab in Newport News.

"First District military installations and related agencies from Hampton Roads up to Quantico play a critical role in our nation's defense and our local economy. Today's legislation recognizes their contributions and ensures that they will have the necessary resources to continue their fine work," said Wittman.

Overall, H.R. 3326 contains $508 billion in basic discretionary spending for the Department of Defense -- an increase of $19 billion or 3.9 percent above the non-emergency discretionary spending level for fiscal year 2009 and $3.5 billion below the President's request. Of all this year's appropriations bills, it was by far the lowest year over year increase in federal spending.

"I would hope that our President and Congressional Leaders continue to recognize the needs of our military moving forward. I fully support the effort to reduce unnecessary spending, but I'm not sure that the military should be the only group asked to make do with less," said Wittman.

Congressman Rob Wittman represents the First District of Virginia. He was elected to his first full term in November 2008 and serves on the Natural Resources Committee and the Armed Services Committee, where he is the Ranking Member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.