National Defense

The United States House of Representatives passed legislation today to protect the A-10 Thunderbolt. The Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) prohibits the A-10 from being retired or placed in storage. Additionally, the legislation requires the Air Force to maintain a minimum of 171 A-10 aircrafts designated as primary mission aircraft inventory and prohibits the Secretary of the Air Force from making any significant reductions to manning levels with respect to any A-10 air... Read more

The U.S. House of Representatives has adopted legislation which, among other things, provides for the long sought relocation of the Saint Marys Airport. Congressman Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-Ga) sponsored an amendment to the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) providing $6 million to allow for the move. The airport has long created security concerns for Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. For the first time, however, the Department of Defense has signaled it was willing to assume ... Read more

Congressman Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (Ga-01) released the following statement today regarding the Obama administration’s plan to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay: “The Obama administration’s announcement today proves the White House is willing to jeopardize the national security of the United States for a campaign promise. The detainees he hopes to bring to American soil are the worst of the worst. Not only is this unacceptable, President Obama’s own Attorney General and military le... Read more

Congressman Earl L. “Buddy” Carter released the following statement after new reports that the Air Force is indefinitely freezing all plans to retire the A-10 Warthog. “It appears the Air Force is finally realizing that the A-10 is the only aircraft of its kind that can effectively accomplish its mission of protecting our troops while remaining close to the battlefield for any additional support that may be needed by ground troops. I have known this all along and have made it a mission to ensure... Read more

Congressman Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (Ga-01) voted in support of H.R. 158, the Visa Waiver Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act, today to close security gaps in the Visa Waiver Program to combat terrorist travel. “ISIS and other terrorist organizations are looking for any opportunity to exploit the hospitality of a nation to cause devastating harm and the security gaps in the Visa Waiver Program are yet another opportunity for them to infiltrate our homeland,” Carter said. “The largest ... Read more

The United States House of Representatives today passed Congressman Earl L. “Buddy” Carter’s (Ga-01) Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers Reform and Improvement Act. The legislation would reauthorize the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) located in Brunswick, Georgia and codify essential directives into law. “FLETC is the preeminent facility for law enforcement training in the United States,” Carter said. “While FLETC has provided topnotch training since its creation in the 197... Read more

Congressman Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (Ga-01) voted today to halt refugee resettlement in the United States from Syria and Iraq until additional security measures are put in place. The House passed the American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act today, with Carter’s support, to put in place the most robust national-security vetting process in history for refugee resettlement. The legislation requires the nation’s top security officials to certify before admitting any Syrian or Iraqi refuge... Read more

Congressman Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Ga-01) released the following statement today on the Obama Administration's Syrian refugee plan in the United States after the coordinated ISIS attacks in France. "While we are a nation of immigrants, a full background investigation is essential to any immigrant's path into our nation. Currently we do not have the ability to sufficiently vet Syrian refugees to determine the likelihood of a refugee engaging in terrorist activities once in the United States. “I ... Read more

The Air Force has announced it is considering delaying the retirement of the A-10 Warthog aircraft for several years. Congressman Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (GA-01), who represents Moody Air Force Base in Congress, has been a leader in the fight to preserve the A-10. Carter testified in front of the House Appropriations Committee earlier this year to highlight the importance of the A-10 to our national security and request full funding for the fleet. Carter also supported critical legislation to kee... Read more

Today, President Obama vetoed the Fiscal Year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act. “It is disgraceful and dangerous that the President is using our military and the national security of the United States of America as a bargaining chip,” Carter said. “The NDAA represents a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on the best way to protect our national defense, meet the needs of our troops, and prepare for the threats of tomorrow. The veto decision is especially dangerous as the threats against Ameri... Read more