[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 129 (Wednesday, July 22, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4363-S4364]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, this week, the Senate will pass the 
60th annual National Defense Authorization Act. Every year, this 
legislation lets the Senate make our top priorities for protecting our 
homeland, our allies, and our global interests into law, and, 
certainly, the recent behavior of our adversaries world over shows why 
this task is as urgent as ever.
  Even as our Nation is focused on fighting the pandemic at home, our 
servicemembers have contended with dangerous behavior from would-be 
competitors all around the world. The Russian military has kept probing 
the bounds of U.S. airspace, and Putin's regime has kept its sights on 
cyber war and destabilization by proxy.
  China continues to treat international commercial lanes like its own 
private pond, choke freedom and autonomy out of Hong Kong, and try to 
ethnically cleanse Xinjiang.
  Both countries continue to modernize their military capabilities from 
sea to space. And Iranian meddling, North Korean saber-rattling, and 
the persistent violence of terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Qaida 
demand our attention as well.
  Amid these threats and many others, the American people and the 
entire free world look to the men and women of the U.S. military to 
preserve order and peace. The open and bipartisan process led by 
Chairman Inhofe and Ranking Member Reed has produced strong legislation 
that will advance their missions.
  It is the product of intense committee work; it contains more than 
200 bipartisan amendments; and it builds on the historic progress which 
this administration and this Republican Senate have secured over the 
past 3 years.
  After years of cuts to our military that weakened readiness, 
imperiled modernization, and called into question our commitment to 
preserving our global interests, we have reversed the tide. We have 
invested in strength. We built a new national defense strategy and are 
investing in rebuilding and modernizing our military to help achieve 
it.
  This legislation will carry the progress even further--more support 
for defense research and innovation, resources for military housing and 
healthcare, tools to deepen our commitments with regional partners in 
Europe and the Pacific.
  For most Americans, investing in the greatest fighting force in the 
world is not controversial. It is a no-brainer. But lest we forget, the 
radical energy

[[Page S4364]]

on the far left is sparking some truly extraordinary behavior among our 
Democratic colleagues.
  Case in point, later today, we will vote on an amendment that was 
advertised in an opinion essay by the junior Senator from Vermont 
titled ``Defund the Pentagon: The Liberal Case.'' This is the junior 
Senator from Vermont--an essay titled ``Defund the Pentagon: The 
Liberal Case.''
  You heard correctly. We have moved on from defunding local police to 
defunding the U.S. Armed Forces. Maybe we will be sending social 
workers on overseas deployments, when they aren't too busy responding 
to violent crimes. I am not sure. Senator Sanders' amendment would 
literally decimate the defense budget. It would rip 10 percent of it 
right out and pour the money into all the socialist fantasies--free 
rent, free college, free everything for everyone.
  Now, in light of the long-held views of our colleague from Vermont, a 
proposal like this may not be particularly shocking. What is remarkable 
is that the Democratic leader--the leader of their caucus--felt 
pressured into endorsing it.
  Let me say that again: The Democratic leader, who in almost every 
floor speech tries to accuse this administration of being too soft on 
America's adversaries, wants to literally decimate our defense budget 
to finance a socialist spending spree.
  This turns out to be something of a pattern. On the Democratic side, 
it sometimes seems like we have hawks when it comes to speeches but 
chickens when it comes time to make policy. When they are on the 
sidelines, there is plenty of bark, but whenever they actually call a 
shot, there is zero bite. Lots of bark, little bite; all hat, no 
cattle.
  That is how we end up with spectacles like the Democratic leader 
play-acting as a Russian hawk, when about a decade ago, he was publicly 
arguing we should cozy up to Putin, send Russia billions of dollars of 
cash, pull the plug on NATO missile defense pacts that hurt Putin's 
feelings, and concede to him, ``Russia's traditional role'' in the 
Caspian Sea region.
  That was the Democratic leader in 2008. Pay off Putin, and let him 
have his sphere of influence. And now today, he wants to decimate 
defense spending. But in between, he spent years insisting that 
Democrats want to get tough--want to get tough on foreign policy.
  You see how the game works: sound like hawks on television, act like 
chickens when making policy.
  Defense spending demonstrates our will to defend ourselves and our 
interests in a dangerous world. Keeping our Nation safe is our foremost 
constitutional duty. We cannot shirk it.
  My colleagues who profess concern over Putin's efforts to interfere 
in our politics, or Xi's efforts to rewrite the rules of the 
international system, must know that we will never--never be able to 
deter such behavior if we sell our own soldiers short and surrender our 
technological edge.
  I assure you, Beijing and Moscow will be watching this vote. I ask my 
colleagues on the other side of the aisle to reject this far-left 
fantasy. Defeat this amendment. Throughout the Cold War, we maintained 
a bipartisan commitment to American strength, American alliances, and a 
global peace built on American values. We will reinforce that stand 
when we sink--sink the reckless Sanders-Schumer amendment and again 
when we pass this bipartisan bill.

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