By Rep. Adam Kinzinger, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, and Rep. Tom Graves OPINION -- Certain things become clear when you fly over the "Blue Line" -- which separates Lebanon from Israel -- in an open helicopter. As the first members of Congress to visit this contentious stretch of land in over a decade, we realized that even though we come from different political parties, we have much more in common than we might have thought. Between the three of us, we share a strong support for a safe and secure Israel, a desire to counter ISIS and Hezbollah, and an understanding that Lebanon needs international help to manage the next phase of the Syrian conflict and the more than 1 million refugees currently living in the country. We know now that these intentions are not incompatible, and we've developed recommendations to ensure the United States can act more effectively in the region. Without question, the U.S. is Lebanon's primary security partner, providing $1.7 billion in aid since 2006. Over that time, we've wisely invested in the Lebanese Armed Forces, or LAF, a stabilizing and moderating force in the country. This support is important because we know that a weak Lebanese military would leave the country even more vulnerable to unwanted Iranian influence. The situation is already on shaky ground as the presence of Hezbollah, the Islamic republic's local political party and terrorist proxy, brings a constant fear of violence to the nearly 9 million people living on the other side of the Blue Line. Over the past decade, with assistance from the U.S. and the international community, the LAF has made notable progress in size, strength, and capability. It now operates with 75,000 troops and has plans to grow its naval operations with four additional speedboats expected to join its fleet this year. In a meeting with Gen. Joseph Aoun, the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, we learned that LAF soldiers used to each shoot a measly 10 rounds per year, but now with better training and equipment from the U.S., they shoot 5,000 rounds per year. From left, Reps. Tom Graves, Adam Kinzinger and Vicente Gonzalez attend a U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon briefing during a recent trip to the region. (Courtesy Office of Rep. Adam Kinzinger)From left, Reps. Tom Graves, Adam Kinzinger and Vicente Gonzalez attend aU.N. Interim Force in Lebanon briefing during a recent trip to the region. (Courtesy Office of Rep. Adam Kinzinger)A stronger relationshipIn fact, many Lebanese soldiers do their training at military bases in our home states and across the U.S. This partnership shows the appreciation the LAF has for our military capability, and bodes well for a stronger working relationship and better collaboration in future operations. During our visit to the border, we also learned that the U.S. isn't Lebanon's only partner. The United Nations and its peacekeeping force, the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, also play a vital and stabilizing role for the country. Want insight more often? Get Roll Call in your inbox email addressSome 10,000 U.N. peacekeepers from 43 countries work side by side with the Lebanese army and navy. Joint exercises with LAF personnel constitute a core element of UNIFIL's mandate. In just one year, from July 2017 to June 2018, almost 700 joint activities were conducted on land and sea. Over the past 10 years, this joint force development has paid off. In August 2017, for example, the Lebanese army launched a huge operation to drive the last ISIS stronghold from the country. During the "Dawn of the Hills" campaign, LAF commanders effectively used a combination of special forces, round-the-clock surveillance, drones and armored vehicles, and close air support. The success of the mission proved this is a viable, long-term option for Lebanon's security, separate from Hezbollah. Behind the scenes, UNIFIL acts as a key broker between the Israeli and Lebanese defense forces. In the absence of a mutually accepted or even visible border, the U.N. is delineating a Blue Line of markers and barrels to help avoid inadvertent crossings by residents and to help reduce tensions between the two countries. The U.N. also moderates an ongoing discussion between the two forces, providing military leaders with a means to discuss infractions, find solutions and maintain the calm. Since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, which began in southern Lebanon, the U.N. has played an important role in helping keep the peace across the area. In this current environment, with relative quiet on the border and a dramatically improved Lebanese military, we need to capitalize on our footprint here. We certainly acknowledge the LAF is not without fault nor does it operate entirely free of Hezbollah's influence. Notably, the LAF is currently unwilling to rid southern Lebanon of Hezbollah missiles, an area of grave concern we expressed to Gen. Aoun during our meeting. Still, we do see the potential for the LAF to continue growing as a Hezbollah counterweight, especially as the U.S. ramps up its efforts to disrupt the finances of these terrorist groups. Moving forward, the U.S. can bolster bilateral support for the LAF, enticing even more of its personnel to train at U.S. military bases, while also ensuring greater focus on weeding out the influence of Hezbollah. While the LAF works to strengthen its defenses, we should push for the full funding of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. We can also ensure the U.S. maintains its support for the U.N. refugee agency, or UNHCR, and other humanitarian organizations helping Lebanon deal with the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis, which has put a massive strain on the limited resources of this small country and others in the region. With a population of approximately 4 million citizens and 1 million Syrians, Lebanon is the largest per capita refugee hosting nation in the world. Despite this, the country has shown remarkable generosity since the Syrian war began in 2011, but the government and populace are showing signs of fatigue. Fighting terrorismWith continued U.N. humanitarian and development assistance, we can help the Lebanese government both politically and economically, while also reducing opportunities for ISIS or Hezbollah to incite dissent in disaffected communities. Plus, this aid -- administered by UNHCR and UNICEF --provides vital schooling to over 200,000 Syrian children, as well as vocational and job training programs that help prepare refugees who want to return home and restart their lives. Looking out over the Blue Line, we saw a complicated situation but a great opportunity for continued progress and real potential for eliminating Hezbollah. While more steps need to be taken, the goals outlined above could be accomplished by our government this year and would make a valuable difference in a conflict that has caused immeasurable harm and suffering. We firmly believe that with hope and opportunity, and greater stability in the region, freedom will prevail and a lasting peace can be achieved.

By Rep. Tom Graves I hear it from my constituents in Northwest Georgia. I hear it from other members of Congress when I'm in Washington. I read about it in the newspapers and see it on TV. The American people are sick and tired of the broken government funding process that contributes each year to the out-of-control national debt. As chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Appropriations, I oversee a piece of the fiscal pie. I'm in charge of writing the annual funding bill for our nation's financial infrastructure and several other areas of the federal government, such as the Treasury Department, the White House, the Federal Communications Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission. While I always fight to save taxpayer money and spend each dollar wisely, in writing my bill this year I wanted to do something bold, something different -- because if we don't try something new, we're destined for the same results. After a lot of thought and effort, and with some creativity, my subcommittee found a way: the Fund for America's Kids and Grandkids. Our broken government funding process doesn't make saving money easy, and here is why: if I don't use all the money allotted to me to fund the departments and agencies for which I write the funding bill, another subcommittee simply scoops it up and spends those dollars somewhere else. This may sound like a riddle, but this is how legislating works in Washington: we had to find a way to spend money, in order to protect it from being spent. Crazy, right? But I think we've found a way to do it. The Fund for America's Kids and Grandkids safeguards funds for future generations, as money in the account is not accessible until the Treasury Secretary certifies that the budget deficit is erased. We cut $585 million from across my bill to make an initial deposit, which represents 2.5 percent of the funds I was given. In other words, we deposit two and a half pennies into the Fund for America's Kids and Grandkids for every dollar the bill spends. I believe this could set a new tone for government funding bills: just because you can spend it, doesn't mean you should spend it. It's an approach that causes us to think about what all of this deficit spending means, in whose name we are borrowing the money, and who will get stuck with the debt. The current national debt stands at a whopping $21 trillion -- or more than $64,000 per citizen, including children. Now critics might claim the Fund for America's Kids and Grandkids is a gimmick because it doesn't immediately pay down the deficit. But that misses the point. The fund functions as more of a savings account. Think about how you spend your paycheck each month. You probably use a portion of each check to pay your mortgage, car payment or other types of debt, while still contributing to your future through a 401(k), IRA or some other type of retirement account. That's exactly how you should think about the Fund for America's Kids and Grandkids. We're putting aside money for their future. Once you get past the legislative obstacle course, it's a simple concept that asks a simple question: if Congress can't save two and a half pennies for every dollar it spends in the name of our children and grandchildren, then what are we doing here? A key milestone comes on Wednesday, when the House Appropriations Committee considers my bill. Let's try something new.