The House of Representatives has adopted an amendment adding $6 million to the Defense Appropriations bill to increase funding for Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard training.
The effort, introduced by Reps. Andy Barr (R-KY) and Brett Guthrie (R-KY), is part of H.R. 2740. It would take $6 million from Defense-wide Operations and Maintenance funding, increasing Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard Operations and Maintenance by $2 million each for training support.
The bill would require final approval by the Senate before the appropriations change would become effective.
“As the Representative for Kentucky’s National Guard Headquarters, I thank my colleagues for adopting this important funding increase that will directly benefit Kentucky Guardsmen and Reservists,” Barr said. “It is essential we support training and coordination between all components of our Armed Forces, and I was proud to advocate for this important increased funding, which will allow active duty Army personnel to more frequently advise, assist and train with Guard and Reserve units on drill weekends to ensure both are meeting the same levels of readiness.”
Barr said while he is glad the amendment was adopted, other policies in the bill prevented him from being able to support the underlying bill, which passed the House with no Republican votes.
“I look forward to advocating for Kentucky priorities in Conference with the Senate to produce a bipartisan package that properly supports our military,” he said.