Speaking at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC Friday, Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) said she is grateful President Donald Trump “is our commander-in-chief and is prioritizing our military.”

Hartzler – who leads the Values Action Team in the House and also serves on the House Armed Services Committee – said it has been “devastating to watch over the last eight years under the Obama administration the dismantling of our military readiness.”

She said former President Barack Obama implemented policies that not only cut defense spending, but also inflicted upon the military “social engineering policies that are detrimental to our nation.”

Hartzler, who offered an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would have banned tax dollars for transgender surgeries, said Obama’s unilateral decision to accept openly transgender individuals into the military and use taxpayer funds to pay for expensive transgender treatments and surgeries undermined the nation’s defense.

“We are facing more threats now since World War II,” she said, pointing to the rise of China, North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, ISIS, Iran, and Putin in Russia.

The congresswoman added Obama’s policy of using taxpayer funds to pay for sex-change surgeries that ultimately make soldiers “non-deployable” does not make sense. She explained it would cost taxpayers $1.35 billion over the next 10 years just for transgender surgeries for members of the military, not counting the ongoing hormone treatments required for maintenance. Hartzler said transgender surgeries make soldiers non-deployable for 267 days per year.

“So my question is why would we be using precious defense dollars to make soldiers who cannot be deployed?” she asked, noting that, while her amendment did not pass, President Donald Trump has ultimately reversed Obama’s policy.

“I am so glad he is our commander-in-chief and is prioritizing our military,” Hartzler said.

The congresswoman later said Americans concerned about the cultural changes in the nation need to pray about considering running for political office.

“We need to be strategic, we need to be pro-active, we need to be encouraging people to be there who share our views and values,” she said.