[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 150 (Wednesday, September 18, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5548-S5549]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             Appropriations

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, defense funding is always an imperative. 
There are always going to be bad actors who threaten our country, 
whether they are major powers like China or Russia or terrorist 
organizations like ISIS or al-Qaida. We have to be prepared to counter 
those threats.
  In the United States, we are used to having the most outstanding 
military in the world. In fact, we have come to rely on it. We assume 
our military will always be the best because it has been the best for 
as long as we can remember, but we can't forget that our military 
preeminence is the result of sustained investment. While our soldiers, 
sailors, airmen, and marines constitute the most advanced and 
proficient fighting force in the world, they can't do their jobs or 
maintain our military superiority without adequate resources. That 
includes funding, not just the weapons, equipment, and technology of 
today, but also the weapons, equipment, and technology of the future. 
It is too late to modernize our military when the threat has reached 
us. We need to invest in the equipment and technology of the future now 
so that when the threats of tomorrow materialize, we will be ready. 
This means delivering platforms like the future B-21 bomber on schedule 
and making robust investments in the cyber and space domains.
  Right now, our military is rebuilding after years of underfunding and 
the strains in the war on terror. Here in the Senate, Members of both 
parties have worked together over the past couple of years to meet our 
military's funding and rebuilding needs. I hope that trend will 
continue.
  In November 2018, the bipartisan National Defense Strategy Commission 
released a report that warned that our readiness had eroded to the 
point at which we might struggle to win a war against a major power 
like Russia or China, and the Commission noted that we would be 
especially vulnerable if we were ever called on to fight a war on two 
fronts. That is a dangerous situation for our country to be in, and we 
need to keep working to rebuild our military so that we are not 
trailing behind other nations.
  Other countries are certainly not holding back when it comes to 
military preparedness. Russia and China are busy investing in their 
militaries as we speak, and they have recently conducted joint military 
exercises. As the leader noted on the floor on Monday, military 
spending in China over the

[[Page S5549]]

last decade has nearly doubled. Meanwhile, these countries have 
continued to flex their military power outside the borders of their 
countries, underscoring the need for other nations to be prepared to 
deter their aggressions. Of course, while we may be in a new era of 
great power competition, we still face threats from rogue states and 
terrorist organizations. We need to be prepared to meet multiple 
threats on multiple fronts if we want to ensure the security of our 
Nation.
  Later today, the leader is planning to have the Senate vote to begin 
debate on a package of appropriations bills, including this year's 
Defense appropriations bill. Less than 2 months ago, the Democrats in 
both the House and the Senate agreed on an increased funding level for 
our military, which is reflected in the Defense appropriations bill.
  The Defense appropriations measure funds current military priorities 
and invests in the research our men and women in uniform need to be 
prepared for the future. It also provides for a 3.1-percent pay 
increase for our military, which is the largest pay increase in a 
decade. So it would be very disappointing if the Democrats chose now to 
play politics and put their personal political agenda over the security 
of our country and the welfare of our men and women in uniform.
  The military needs to be funded through regular order appropriations 
bills, not through temporary funding measures that leave the military 
in doubt about funding levels and unable to start essential new 
projects. So I hope that our Democratic colleagues will honor the 
commitment they just made and will work with the Republicans to pass 
the Defense appropriations package before the end of the fiscal year.
  Likewise, I hope the Senate Democrats will resist the temptation to 
play politics over this year's national defense authorization bill and 
will work with us to initiate a conference with the House to resolve 
our differences. Our colleagues have the opportunity to take both of 
these important steps this week.