[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.

                          ____________________