Thornberry to Host Press Gaggle Tomorrow

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Tomorrow, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, will host an off-camera press roundtable for Capitol Hill credentialed reporters. Rep. Thornberry will discuss his proposals for DOD reform. Reporters planning to attend should RSVP to Claude.chafin@mail.house.gov . WHO: Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) WHAT: Media Roundtable WHEN: TOMORROW, May 16,…

Thornberry on Shanahan Nomination

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Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following statement on the nomination of Patrick Shanahan to be Secretary of Defense:"I applaud the nomination of Pat Shanahan to be Secretary of Defense. Today, the United States faces an unprecedented spectrum of serious threats. Facing those threats requires a new kind of thinking and a Pentagon…

Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Thornberry Begin FY20 National Defense Authorization Process

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House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) and Ranking Member Mac Thornberry (R-TX) this week took the first legislative step to begin the process of crafting the FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), by introducing H.R. 2500, the "by request" version of the bill. ​ This procedural measure is the first step in the legislative process for the NDAA. The…

Thornberry on Venezuela

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Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following statement on the crisis in Venezuela:"I recently visited the Venezuelan border with House Republican Leader McCarthy. It was clear that the people we met there are desperate to get out from oppression. More than 50 nations have recognized Juan Guaido as the legitimate President of the…

Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Thornberry Statement on the Passing of Former Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher

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House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) and Ranking Member Mac Thornberry (R-TX) today issued the following statement on the passing of former Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher: "The passing of former Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher is a terrible loss for the nation, California, and those like us who were lucky enough to call her both a colleague and friend. Throughout…

Thornberry on NATO

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Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following statement following an address by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to a joint session of Congress on the seventieth anniversary of the founding of NATO. Thornberry said: "The Secretary General delivered to Congress a powerful affirmation of the value of the NATO alliance and of…

Thornberry: Successful Missile Defense Test "Important"

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Yesterday the Missile Defense Agency conducted the most complex test of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense System ever attempted. Preliminary results indicate that the test met all primary objectives successfully. The test involved two ground-based interceptors, launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, and one ICBM-class target. You can watch video of the test here. Rep. Mac Thornberry…

Thornberry on Liberation of ISIS-Controlled Territory

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Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following statement on the liberation of ISIS-controlled territory in Iraq and Syria:"We have reached a significant milestone in the fight against terrorists. The premature withdrawal of the United States from Iraq in 2011 led, in part, to the rise of ISIS and its control of large territories. The…

HASC Republicans Release Views and Estimates Letter

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Today, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee- together with all other Republican members of the Committee- officially delivered their "views and estimates" of the President's FY20 DOD budget request to the House Budget Committee. In part, the Members said: "The primary job of the federal government is to provide for the common defense; yet…

Thornberry on FY20 Budget Request

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Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following statement on the President's FY20 budget request for the Department of Defense. The White House is expected to request $750 billion in DOD funding, $34 billion over FY19 funding levels. After accounting for inflation, the budget request represents only a 2.7% increase in real growth from…