[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 94 (Thursday, June 7, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3273-S3274]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                  National Defense Authorization Bill

  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, arguably, the most significant bill to be 
introduced and passed every year is the National Defense Authorization 
Act. Yesterday, the leader moved to proceed to that bill, but then 
there was some objection. Senator Reed and I have spent some time and 
have been very concerned about getting this started. We passed this out 
of committee in record time and share the commitment that this bill is 
a matter fitting for the Senate's deliberative process. We want to have 
an amendment process, and we proposed this, but there was some 
objection to it yesterday.
  I think an open legislative process is one of the hallmarks of the 
democracy that we ask our servicemembers to protect and defend. They 
are out there on the line. We owe them everything that is in an annual 
bill. In fact, that bill has actually been passed every year. For the 
past 57 years, we have had a national defense authorization act. What 
we wanted to do this time, which would have been different from the 
last time, was to have had an open amendment process--heard a lot of 
amendments and had a lot of discussion on the floor. We intended to do 
that but were disappointed that there was an objection to that 
yesterday. That is why we have been working on satisfying those 
objections, and I think we have done this.
  I believe, by 12 noon or after the 12:30 vote, we are going to be in 
a position to go ahead and ask that the majority leader restate his 
motion to proceed and that it will be passed without objection. I am 
looking forward to that. I think we need to get started. I don't need 
to go into the arguments, as others are waiting for the floor right 
now, but we want to get this bill started immediately.
  It is not just to make sure we have the pay raises for our kids who 
are out there risking their lives, and it is not just that we have to 
keep up with the commitments we have made. We have gone through some 
dry years over the last 10 years. When I go around the country and talk 
to groups, there is this assumption that America has the best of 
everything, but that is not true anymore. That is one reason there is a 
sense of urgency on this.
  Take artillery, for example. The two things you use to measure the 
artillery capability of a country are those of range and rapid fire, 
and we are out-ranged and out-rapid fired by both Russia and China. 
They have other systems that are better than ours.
  Right now, one of the most modern systems is hypersonic warfare. A 
lot of people are not aware of this, but it allows us to go five times 
the speed of sound with a weapon. We have been developing this for some 
time. However, now we have found out that both Russia and China have 
been ahead of us on this. This bill is going to put us in high gear and 
make sure this development actually happens.
  Our triad system, our nuclear triad, is also one on which we have not 
been doing anything for the last 8 or 10 years, and now Russia and 
China have gotten ahead. This is something we are not going to 
tolerate.
  We have the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2019, and we are going to get to it today. I will mention 
that we are actually hoping for a couple of amendments to take place 
this afternoon. These have to be agreed to and have been agreed to by 
both sides. Boozman amendment No. 2276 is a study to suggest the 
permanent stationing of our troops in Poland. The second one is the 
McCain fellowship amendment, by Senator Reed, amendment No. 2284.
  I, and I am sure Senator Reed--I speak for him too--would like to get

[[Page S3274]]

started on some amendments today instead of waiting around until 
Monday. Doing so will put us a lot further ahead than we otherwise 
would be. Our anticipation is to get this thing done by next week, and 
I think we can do it.
  I thank those who had some objection to moving to this bill. I very 
much appreciate their working with us. I think it will be completed, 
and I anticipate that the majority leader will have a motion that he 
will make after the 12:30 p.m. vote today.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona.