[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 198 (Tuesday, December 20, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7789-S7790]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   National Defense Authorization Act

  Mr. President, now in a related matter, last week, the Senate passed 
the National Defense Authorization Act, a landmark step forward for our 
Armed Forces. This year's bill was named for our distinguished 
departing colleague, Ranking Member Inhofe.
  As I have discussed at length, this year's NDAA was a major step in 
the right direction to keep the U.S. the world's preeminent superpower. 
But another aspect that doesn't get enough attention is the ways that 
Congress's role in defending America also directly benefits military 
communities across each of our home States.
  My home State of Kentucky is home to major Army installations like 
Fort Campbell and Fort Knox, the Kentucky Air and Army National Guard, 
and indispensable pillars of America's defense industrial base. This 
year's NDAA provides record resources for those Kentuckians who support 
and serve in our Armed Forces.
  Of special note in this year's bill is its full funding of the 
Chemical Demilitarization Pilot Program at the Blue Grass Army Depot in 
Richmond, KY. If all goes according to plan, the Depot could wrap up 
its chemical weapon destruction mission by next year. That will be a 
landmark milestone in Kentucky history.
  When I took office, many of America's most potent chemical munitions 
were languishing at the Richmond facility. Community activists were 
understandably concerned about the dangerous weapons in their backyard 
and asked me to help coordinate the massive effort needed to get rid of 
them. Working with these local leaders, I have spent the past four 
decades securing Federal funding for the chemical munitions destruction 
mission, and now the end of that project is within sight.
  This year's NDAA also authorizes the feasibility study to help local 
authorities plan for the future of the depot after--after the chemical 
weapons destruction mission wraps up. That study will identify 
opportunities to enhance Richmond's role as a defense logistics node 
and identify new missions for its world-class facilities once chemical 
weapons are gone.
  That is just one of the many important initiatives this year's NDAA 
will support in the Commonwealth. Kentucky's servicemembers and 
military installations stand ready to protect America from its enemies.
  The Defense bill also impacts a huge number of America's efforts for 
good around the world that don't always make top headlines. For 
example, I am glad this NDAA makes headway on behalf of the people in 
Burma and the decades-long struggle for democracy in that country, 
which I have been proud to support throughout my career.
  Since Burma's military junta launched a coup in early 2021, the 
country has plunged deeper into catastrophe--more than 1 million people 
displaced; sham trials and executions; the extrajudicial torture and 
murder of many more; indiscriminate shelling and airstrikes against 
ethnic villages. Burma's former leader and my good friend Daw Aung San 
Suu Kyi is reportedly being held in solitary confinement following a 
sham trial at the hands of her deposers.
  In the absence of strong international condemnation, the junta is 
literally getting away with murder. When Secretary Blinken visited 
Southeast Asia this summer, I called for less talk and more action. The 
people of Burma don't have the luxury of waiting around for American 
assistance.
  Now, with the passage of the Burma Act as part of this year's NDAA, 
Congress is stepping up where the administration has dithered. This 
landmark bill mandates sharp sanctions against senior Tatmadaw 
officials and the state-owned businesses that keep their coffers full. 
It compels the administration to make decisions about whether and how 
to unravel the junta's lucrative grip on Burma's energy sector. It 
codifies U.S. support for organizations that actually represent Burma's 
people and authorizes new engagement with ethnic organizations that are 
defending the people against the brutal hand of the Tatmadaw as well as 
new nonlethal and humanitarian assistance for society organizations. It 
directs the President to improve coordination with America's allies and 
partners to increase pressure on Burma's illegitimate leaders and 
direct support to the people.
  But Congress can only do so much through the legislative process. The 
ball is now in the Biden administration's court, and time is ticking 
away. Russia and other bad actors are actively courting the junta. The 
ongoing humanitarian disaster in Burma is already spilling over into 
neighboring countries. Congress has given President Biden the tools to 
institute sweeping sanctions against our adversaries

[[Page S7790]]

and generous aid for our friends. It is now up to the President to use 
them.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority whip.