[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 221 (Tuesday, December 29, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7960-S7961]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, over the last several months, as the
Senate has worked to support our country through this pandemic, we have
kept an eagle eye on the other threats on the horizon, and we passed
the National Defense Authorization Act to ensure that we are prepared
for whatever comes at us.
For our forces to continue fighting and defeating our adversaries in
every corner of the world, they need funding. They need stability. They
need to be able to plan, and they need the unwavering support of the
U.S. Congress and all 330 million Americans.
The 2021 NDAA provides that support from Congress. It will prepare
our military and servicemembers to address the threats that exist
today, while preparing for those that we will inevitably face tomorrow.
Earlier this month, this legislation passed the House by a vote of
335 to 78 and the Senate by a vote of 84 to 13. Those are rare vote
margins in Congress these days, and that alone is a testament to the
importance of this legislation and its bipartisan support.
We know the President has the constitutional authority to veto any
bill for virtually any reason, and he has exercised that power with
this legislation. The reasons the President has given I don't think are
frivolous at all, but they just shouldn't be tagged to this particular
piece of legislation. His concerns about section 230 under the
Communication Decency Act and the power of these social media platforms
that censure speech is troubling indeed. This is something we really
haven't confronted before. We know that under the First Amendment, the
government can't censure speech, but with smalltown newspapers and
media outlets and other alternatives fading away, more and more the
American people rely on Facebook and Google and other internet
platforms to get their information, and they have, I believe, become de
facto public forums. So I agree that we do need to address section 230
of the Communications Decency Act, as the President has pointed out.
[[Page S7961]]
The President also has a point about the Commission to rename
military bases that are part of the Defense Authorization Act.
Unfortunately, the amendment that was adopted in the Armed Services
Committee undermines the role of Congress, once the Commission makes
its report, to do as Congress believes should be done. But the truth
is, as we have learned from our friends across the pond in the UK, no
Parliament can bind a future Parliament, and indeed no Congress can
bind a future Congress. That is true. So if these are things the
President believes we should address and that Members of Congress and
the new administration believe we should address, we will address them,
and we have an opportunity to do that, but we should not try to do that
on this bill and risk the loss of this important piece of legislation
now in its 60th year of adoption.
The Defense Department is hands down the largest employer in the
United States, with nearly 2.9 million employees, including both
servicemembers and civilians. These men and women can be found in more
than 160 countries around the world and on all seven continents.
Supporting them is a Herculean task, and the NDAA is a significant way
in which we do that.
The Defense authorization bill also includes a 3-percent pay raise
for our troops and additional support for their families, such as
career support for military spouses and quality childcare on military
bases. Given the fact that we have an All-Volunteer military, it is
important we not only support our servicemembers who wear the uniform
but the families who support them as well. I have heard it said, you
can recruit a member of the U.S. military, but if you want to retain
them, you have to take care of their family, and I believe that is
absolutely true.
This bill also ensures previous reforms to improve the quality of
military housing and healthcare are implemented appropriately. Those
who serve in our military have made tremendous sacrifices in order to
safeguard our freedoms and our way of life. I regard our support for
them and for our national defense the No. 1 priority of the Federal
Government. Everything else pales in significance. So we should do
everything in our power to ensure that they and their families are
appropriately taken care of.
Beyond pay and benefits, that means giving the military members the
training, the facilities, and the equipment they need not only to
succeed on the job but to return home safely.
The NDAA authorizes military construction projects across the
country, including $183 million in Texas, which will bring serious
updates and improvements to our military bases. At Joint Base San
Antonio, this funding will provide for a range of new facilities,
including a barracks, a flight simulation system, and an F-16 Mission
Training Center.
At Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, it will support an F-35 operations
and maintenance facility, vehicle maintenance shop, and an aircraft
maintenance hangar. It will also support fuel facilities at Fort Hood
and provide additional funding for the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, which
maintains a large portion of our nuclear stockpile. Maintained and
modernized facilities are a critical component to military readiness,
and this legislation makes tremendous investments in our facilities
around the world. It will authorize 93 new F-35 Joint Strike Fighters
that will be built by Texans in Fort Worth. As we work to counter
increasingly sophisticated adversaries around the world, this
investment in our military readiness could not be more important.
In addition to supporting our members in uniform and ensuring they
are ready for action when called upon, the NDAA helps our military take
stock of the evolving threat landscape and ensures that our country is
taking active steps to counter threats on the horizon.
In recent years, China and Russia have risen to the top of the
threats to our country and to world order, with China now assuming the
No. 1 role. We remember the Cold War after World War II, where we
sought to contain and counter Soviet expansionism, and, actually, the
mutual deterrents that we have established during that time has worked.
But China is a unique challenge, and none of the old rules apply to
China.
They are increasingly belligerent and well resourced and continue to
demonstrate a lack of respect not only for the United States and our
closest allies but for basic human rights.
The Chinese Government continues its disturbing and unacceptable
genocide against the Uighur people. The so-called political reeducation
camps are nothing more than concentration camps where Uighurs are
tortured. Recent reporting has found that the treatment in these camps
often includes forced abortions, birth control, and sterilization. And
China continues to chip away at the freedoms and autonomy of Hong Kong,
notwithstanding its promises to the contrary, using a so-called
national security law to extinguish opposition to the Chinese Communist
Party and to deny the people of Hong Kong the freedoms that they were
promised.
As I mentioned, though, China doesn't stand alone as a threat to the
world. Russia has become increasingly aggressive around the world in
its effort to wreak chaos and sow discord. Since their attempts to
interfere with the 2016 election, we have witnessed aggression after
aggression from Russia, not just here in the cyber space but around the
world.
From Russia-backed mercenaries fighting in the Middle East to its
attempt to steal the coronavirus vaccine research and, in the last few
weeks, a massive cyber attack on U.S. Government agencies, Russia
continues to undermine the United States and our allies and shows no
signs of stopping.
It has become increasingly clear, if it wasn't already, that China
and Russia adhere to no rules and no principles but their own. As the
national defense strategy outlined, the threats posed by these two
countries are increasingly dangerous, and countering these growing
threats requires a clear and concentrated effort from Congress. That is
exactly why passing the NDAA--the National Defense Authorization Act--
is so important.
This legislation prioritizes strategic competition with China and
Russia and takes a strong approach to counter the threats posed by
adversaries around the world. It will build on the progress we have
made in recent years to strengthen our military after the draconian
cuts during the Obama-Biden administration and achieve peace through
strength.
Over the last several decades, the NDAA has provided an annual
opportunity for us to take stock of the evolving threat landscape and
ensure that our national defense is prepared to meet the challenges not
only of today but of tomorrow, and this year's Defense Authorization
Act is no exception.
It takes a strong approach to counter the threats posed by our
adversaries around the world. It invests in modernized national defense
that is critical to maintaining peace through strength, and it provides
support for our servicemembers and their families. Above all, it sends
a message to the world that our country is and will remain the global
military leader.
I have supported this legislation on the Senate floor many times, and
I will do so once again when the opportunity to vote to override the
veto presents itself.
One of Congress's most critical responsibilities is to provide for
the common defense, and the NDAA--the National Defense Authorization
Act--is how we will deliver.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. INHOFE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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