Yesterday @NickJFreitas gave one of the most impassioned closing statements in favor of @DefendTheGuard that we've seen from a bill sponsor. His words cut to the heart of the matter: our soldiers are doing their duty, but Congress is missing in action. "I understand the concern with respect to putting funding and equipment at risk. I'm tired of our sons and daughters being put at risk." "I know what it is to go to war. The chief co-patron of this bill, Delegate Helmer, knows what it is to go to war. We know what it is to go to war—you know what we don't know what it is? To have Congress declare war before they send us." "I just dropped my son off. He's at MEPS right now, he's shipping off to Fort Benning, Georgia. He'll go through infantry/basic, then he'll go through airborne, then he'll go through Ranger assessment. Nothing in this bill helps him. He's active duty." "We have a robust, active duty force which is still at the full disposal of the executive branch when it comes to conducting limited combat operations overseas. I just want to know at what point, at what point do we take any measure whatsoever to tell the federal government that Congress should display an ounce of the courage that they require out of the men and the women that they're going to go over there to trade everything." "The men and women in uniform are upholding their obligation to the Constitution. Congress is failing. And nothing has changed. This is an opportunity to do something about it."