As America reaches its 250th anniversary this week, one Tennessee congressman is reminding patriots what has kept this nation free for two and a half centuries: the resolve of Americans in uniform willing to fight.
Rep. Matt Van Epps, a former Army officer representing Tennessee’s 7th district, marked the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with a call to robustly support the warfighters who defend American freedom every day.
“From Lexington and Concord to Fallujah, Americans have fought with all the strength God gave them to protect this country and its people from those who wish us harm.”
Van Epps warned that today’s threats have grown more complex than the Founders could have imagined. China tests America every day — dividing Americans from within, manufacturing fentanyl precursors, stealing innovation, and running influence campaigns to turn Americans against each other.
Countering those threats takes more than technology or policy, Van Epps wrote. It takes the strength of Americans in uniform willing to give their last breath so others may live.
The congressman laid out what supporting those servicemen actually requires: robustly funding the Department of War, scrapping outdated policies that hinder the warfighter, and ensuring forces have the tools not just to fight a war but to win it.
“No American soldier, sailor, airman, guardian, or marine should ever meet an enemy on equal footing. A fair fight is a policy failure.”
Van Epps pushed for passage of a robust National Defense Authorization Act and his HONOR Gold Star Families Act, which increases the death gratuity for families of those who make the ultimate sacrifice. Core components of the bill have been included in the NDAA as an amendment.
The Tennessee Republican also called for rebuilding America’s defense industrial base and moving toward defense spending equal to 5% of GDP. He noted that NATO allies must meet the same standard — a commitment reinforced under President Donald Trump’s leadership.
People are America’s greatest military advantage, Van Epps argued. The enlisted warfighter sleeping in the dirt, the noncommissioned officer corps that sets America apart from every other military on earth, and the officers making life-and-death decisions.
Van Epps closed with a reminder of what the 250-year experiment has cost — and that someone is still making sure there’s a 251st year.
Congress owes servicemen more than gratitude, he wrote. They owe them the decisive edge they need to win.
