[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 204 (Tuesday, December 17, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S7070]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT

  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, as I have reminded you all many times, 
this is the 59th straight year we will be passing the NDAA, the 
National Defense Authorization Bill. It has passed for all these years 
in a row because we all know just how important it is. It is the most 
important thing we do around here. We are building on nearly six 
decades of bipartisan support for our troops and national security.
  This year, I am glad to say, it is no different. We all came together 
to produce a conference report that is good for all of America. The 
House passed it overwhelmingly; the Senate passed it overwhelmingly. We 
voted for it overwhelmingly yesterday. And the President says he will 
sign it immediately. I am grateful to the President for understanding 
the importance of this bill.

  This bill means everything for our national security. Every American 
benefits from a strong national defense. Their lives, their 
livelihoods, their freedoms are all because we fight to protect them.
  When I go around my State of Oklahoma, people think we have the best 
of everything militarily. We have the best people. We have the best 
soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen. There is no doubt about it. But 
we can do better when it comes to giving them the best equipment and 
the best training. That is what this bill does. It does that. The 
backbone of a strong national defense is the force--the men and women 
who lay their lives on the line each and every day.
  When I travel around, I like to take some time to meet with the 
enlisted guys in the mess halls. You can learn more from them than you 
can learn from some of the brass. They are the ones who really know 
what it is that we can do to effectively build a strong national 
defense. We get to hear what they are worried about. We get to hear how 
we can support them.
  They need the training and equipment that makes them the most 
fearsome fighting force in the world. This bill does that. They need a 
safe roof over their heads and over the heads of their families, and 
this bill does that. They need to know that they have the full support 
of the U.S. Government throughout their service. This bill does that. 
At the end of the day, we have the best military in the world because 
of our people. We take care of them, and that is what this bill is all 
about.
  We are here today because of the brave men and women who wear and 
have worn the uniform. We are safe and prosperous and free because of 
them. That is what this bill is all about.
  The Senate just passed the Defense authorization bill for the 59th 
year in a row. There isn't much left around here that has that kind of 
longevity. It is a testament to the importance of the bill.
  It is also a testament to the hard work of the staff. They worked 
tirelessly to bring this conference report to the floor. I want to take 
just a moment to recognize and thank everyone who made this bill 
possible, starting with the Armed Services Committee staff, especially 
the staff directors, John Bonsell for the majority and Liz King for the 
minority. They are the ones who provided the leadership behind the 
scenes. They did most of the work.
  Then there is my partner, Senator Jack Reed. We are a real team. We 
know how to do things and have learned over the years how to do things 
right. I couldn't praise him more. In fact, we had a lot of obstacles 
this year that we didn't have before. If it hadn't been for Senator 
Reed and the staff working on it, we wouldn't have pulled this thing 
off.
  A few minutes ago, Senator Reed read the names of all of the members 
of the Armed Services Committee. I want to go ahead and get those in my 
statement here also.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the names of the Armed 
Services Committee staff that were listed by Senator Reed be placed in 
the Record in my statement.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

       My staff from the Senate Armed Services Committee:
       John Wason, Tom Goffus, Stephanie Barna, Greg Lilly, Rick 
     Berger, Marta Hernandez, Jennie Wright, Adam Barker, Augusta 
     Binns-Berkey, Al Edwards, Jackie Kerber.
       Sean O'Keefe, Tony Pankuch, Brad Patout, Jason Potter, J.R. 
     Riordan, Katie Sutton, Eric Trager, Dustin Walker, Otis 
     Winkler, Gwyneth Woolwine, Katie Magnus.
       Arthur Tellis, Leah Brewer, Debbie Chiarello, Gary Howard, 
     Tyler Wilkinson, John Bryant, Patty-Jane Geller, Baher 
     Iskander, Keri-Lyn Michalke, Jackie Modesett, Soleil Sykes.
       From the minority side:
       Jody Bennett, Carolyn Chuhta, Jon Clark, Jonathan Epstein, 
     Jorie Feldman, Creighton Greene, Ozge Guzelsu, Gary Leeling, 
     Kirk McConnell, Maggie McNamara, Bill Monahan, Mike Noblet, 
     John Quirk, Arun Seraphin, Fiona Tomlin.

  Mr. INHOFE. Again, I want to thank my personal staff, office staff, 
and floor staff.
  We need to pivot to our next task at hand: funding the Department of 
Defense. This puts financial resources behind all of the policies we 
just approved today.
  Our military leaders have told the Armed Services Committee over and 
over again--and I have repeated this several times--that stable, 
predictable, on-time funding is the most important way Congress can 
support our national defense. It is now 2\1/2\ months into the new 
year, and we got it done.
  To all of my fellow Members here, I thank you again for your support 
of the national defense authorization bill.
  Merry Christmas.
  I yield the floor.

                          ____________________