[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 145 (Wednesday, September 18, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6115-S6120]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           Government Funding

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today to point out that we are 
only 12 days from the end of the fiscal year and to call upon the 
majority leader to bring the appropriations bills to the Senate floor. 
We have wasted the last 2 weeks. We have spent time voting on issues 
that were not nearly as time-sensitive.
  By the end of July, the Senate Appropriations Committee had held 
hearings on, thoroughly considered at full committee markups, and 
reported for consideration by the full Senate 11 of the 12 
appropriations bills, roughly 96 percent of the discretionary funding 
permitted by the caps. All of the bills--all of them--received strong 
bipartisan support. We advanced six of the bills unanimously. Unanimous 
support for any bill in today's Senate is no small feat and a testament 
to the hard work and seriousness of our committee members on both sides 
of the aisle, led by our chair, the senior Senator from Washington.
  But what has happened after the committee reported its bills? 
Nothing. They have languished on the Senate calendar. Instead of taking 
up the Senate committee-passed bills--including bills that passed 
unanimously--that we passed earlier in the summer, the Senate has spent 
this month processing nominations and taking show votes aimed at 
scoring political points.
  Show votes: We had another of those yesterday. We voted for the 
second time on the exact same bill on IVF. What was that? That is not 
what the Senate should be doing at this critical time. That was simply 
an attempt by the majority leader to score political points, and I 
think that is highly unfortunate. We need to get back to legislating, 
and surely funding our government is an imperative. The Founders 
envisioned the Senate as a deliberative institution.
  As I indicated, by July, the Senate Appropriations Committee had 
advanced the fiscal year 2025 Defense appropriations bill by a vote of 
28 to 0. It was unanimous. The bill would provide our military with the 
resources it needs to confront the global threats facing the United 
States, which combatant commanders have described to me as being the 
worst and most dangerous in 50 years.
  Our bill rejects the administration's budget that would have led to 
the smallest Air Force in history and would have yielded the seas to 
the growing Chinese navy. The committee, instead, called for a 3.3 
percent increase in defense funding levels compared to last year.
  Our bill strengthens our military across all domains: air, land, sea, 
space, and cyberspace.
  Our bill would also provide our brave men and women in uniform the 
pay and benefits that they deserve. It would fund a 4.5-percent pay 
increase for most of our service men and women and a 5.5-percent pay 
increase for the most junior enlisted personnel.
  These are just some of the highlights of the bill.
  Our bill includes $37 million for Navy shipbuilding, the largest 
shipbuilding budget ever. It begins to reverse the dangerous decline in 
the number of Navy ships.
  For the Air Force, the bill provides additional funding to make 
nearly 500 more aircraft available than the President's budget request 
would allow.
  The bill addresses the changing face of warfare with $1 billion for 
counterdrone capabilities to address this evolving threat. The growing 
use of drones by Iran and its proxies as well as Russia in its attacks 
in Ukraine have demonstrated that warfare has changed and so must our 
strategies and budgets.
  These are just some of the highlights of this critically important 
appropriations bill that we should have been debating, amending, and 
passing on the Senate floor.
  Mr. President, don't take just my word for it. I would ask unanimous

[[Page S6116]]

consent to submit for the Record letters on why we need a full-year 
defense appropriations bill and describing the harm of long continuing 
resolutions.
  One of the letters is from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 
One is from the Secretary of Defense. One is from the Chief of Naval 
Operations. One is from the Commandant of the Marine Corps. One is from 
the Secretary of the Navy. One is a letter from The Military Coalition, 
representing more than 5.5 million current and former servicemembers, 
their families, and caregivers. One is from the Aerospace Industries 
Association. I could go on and on.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that those letters be printed 
at the end of my remarks.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, here is my point. It does not have to be 
this way. If the Senate majority leader had prioritized bringing 
appropriations bills to the floor, we could be in conference now with 
our Senate colleagues on some of the most important funding bills and 
send them to the President's desk prior to the October 1 start of the 
fiscal year.
  The Senate is not doing its job. We should be considering these 
bills, not engaging in show votes.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                             Chairman of the Joint


                                              Chiefs of Staff,

                               Washington, DC, September 13, 2024.
     Hon. Patty Murray,
     Chair, Committee on Appropriations,
     U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Madam Chair: We thank Congress for passing Fiscal Year 
     2024 Defense Appropriations, including multiyear procurement 
     funds, and National Security Supplemental Funding for 
     critical investments into our Nation's defense industrial 
     base.
       However, I am concerned the Joint Force has been 
     constrained by Continuing Resolutions for 14 of the past 15 
     years, totaling 5 years' worth of lost time we cannot get 
     back. Continuing Resolutions (CR) of any length have lasting 
     impacts on the Joint Force. The National Defense Strategy 
     identifies the key challenges that threaten U.S. national 
     interests. All are currently active and, in some cases, 
     working together. This convergence puts us in in the most 
     dynamic and challenging global security environment in my 
     nearly 40 years in uniform.
       Our Joint Force is the most capable and lethal fighting 
     force in the world. Maintaining our strategic advantage 
     depends upon on-time funding to have a modernized and ready 
     force. In the race against time, each CR is the equivalent of 
     taking a knee on advancing our defense capabilities as 
     security challenges increase their momentum to challenge our 
     credible combat power. CRs significantly impact and degrade 
     acquisition of the warfighting capability and capacity 
     required to defend the United States and our interests. They 
     slow progress and damage our relationships with the defense 
     industrial base, eroding trust driving up costs, and 
     increasing delivery times, as industry hedges against funding 
     inconsistencies.
       Should Congress move forward with a six-month CR, we 
     anticipate detrimental impacts to readiness and modernization 
     across the Joint Force. Pay and entitlements, nuclear 
     enterprise modernization, shipbuilding and maintenance, 
     aircraft procurement, weapons system sustainment, munitions 
     production, and multiple new starts are just a few examples 
     that will feel the brunt of the lost time and lost buying 
     power caused by a CR.
       Our Joint Force depends on long-term, stable. predictable, 
     and timely funding. We are living in a consequential time. 
     There is no time to waste. Thank you for your continued 
     support and service to our Nation.
           Sincerely,
                                            Charles Q. Brown, Jr.,
     General, U.S. Air Force.
                                  ____



                                         Secretary of Defense,

                                Washington, DC, September 7, 2024.
     Hon. Susan Collins,
     Vice Chairman, Committee on Appropriations,
     U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Collins: I am providing a detailed list of the 
     impacts of a six-month continuing resolution (CR) for the 
     Department of Defense. The Department appreciates the 
     opportunity to share its view on a six-month CR and the 
     litany of difficulties it would impose--not only on 
     accomplishing our mission and maintaining national security, 
     but also on the quality of life of our Service members and 
     their families.
       If passed, a six-month CR would represent the second year 
     in a row, and the seventh time in the past 15 years, where 
     the Department is delayed in moving forward with critical 
     priorities until mid-way through the budget year. These 
     actions subject Service members and their families to 
     unnecessary stress, empower our adversaries, misalign 
     billions of dollars, damage our readiness, and impede our 
     ability to react to emergent events.
       As you have heard me say, our budget is aligned to our 
     strategy. A six-month CR would set us significantly behind in 
     meeting our pacing challenge highlighted in our National 
     Defense Strategy--the People's Republic of China (PRC). The 
     PRC is the only global competitor with both the intent and 
     capability to change the international order. The PRC does 
     not operate under CRs. Our ability to execute our strategy is 
     contingent upon our ability to innovate and modernize to meet 
     this challenge, which cannot happen under a CR. Asking the 
     Department to compete with the PRC, let alone manage 
     conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, while under a 
     lengthy CR, ties our hands behind our back while expecting us 
     to be agile and to accelerate progress. We have already lost 
     valuable time, having operated under 48 CRs for a total of 
     almost five years since 2011. We cannot buy back this time, 
     but we can stop digging the hole.
       Moreover, under the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 
     (FRA), the consequences of such a CR in fiscal year (FY) 2025 
     could be even more dire for the U.S. and its allies and 
     partners. Failure to pass any one of the 12 full 
     appropriations acts by January 1, 2025, will start a process 
     to reduce discretionary spending limits (caps) for the 
     security category by one percent below the enacted FY 2023 
     level. This will be enforced through sequestration, 
     potentially resulting in a total reduction of $42 billion 
     from the Department's FY 2025 request. A six-month CR takes 
     us far too close to the April 30, 2025 deadline for a 
     permanent sequestration order, as required by the FRA and 
     related legislation.
       A long-term CR in FY 2025 would impede thousands of DoD 
     programs and projects. Military recruiting would be damaged, 
     just as we are post-COVID, returning to meeting our goals. We 
     would be forced to forego vital investments in our defense 
     industrial base, including the submarine and ship building 
     bases. We would lose time and money the Nation cannot risk on 
     modernization of our nuclear triad, rapid fielding of 
     Uncrewed Aerial Systems through the Replicator initiative, 
     execution of hundreds of military construction projects, and 
     deterrence initiatives in the Indo-Pacific and Europe. 
     Additionally, because there would be no funds for legally 
     required military and civilian pay raises during a CR, the 
     Department would be forced to offset the cost of these well-
     deserved pay raises, and in fact all inflation impacts across 
     the Department, by cutting into other programs and accounts 
     at potentially damaging levels.
       Enclosed with this letter is information that highlights 
     the impacts on each of the Military Departments and certain 
     Defense-Wide activities should Congress fail to act. As you 
     will see, the repercussions of Congress failing to pass 
     regular appropriations legislation for the first half of FY 
     2025 would be devastating to our readiness and ability to 
     execute the National Defense Strategy.
       The single most important thing that Congress can do to 
     ensure U.S. national security is to pass timely legislation 
     for all 12 appropriations bills for FY 2025. I am fully aware 
     of the political pressures that will challenge the Congress 
     from fulfilling its duty before our national elections 
     conclude. No matter who wins this election, there will be a 
     Presidential transition. I urge you and your colleagues to 
     take up action immediately after the election to limit damage 
     to our national security during this vulnerable period around 
     transitions and uphold the bipartisan tradition of funding 
     our nation's defense prior to the inauguration of a new 
     President.
       The Department stands ready to assist Congress in any way 
     possible to ensure it has the information and resources to 
     pass this essential legislation. As I have said several times 
     in the past, it's not only the right thing to do, but also 
     the best thing to do for our Nation's defense.
       A copy of this letter is being sent to the other Chairs and 
     Ranking Members of the House and Senate Committees on 
     Appropriations.
           Sincerely,
     Lloyd J. Austin.
                                  ____

                                           Department of the Navy,


                                    Chief of Naval Operations,

                               Washington, DC, September 17, 2024.
     Hon. Jon Tester,
     Chairman, Subcommittee on Defense, Committee on 
         Appropriations,
     U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: I write to express my deep concern 
     regarding Congress' intention to pass a six-month continuing 
     resolution (CR) and echo the Secretary of Defense and the 
     Secretary of the Navy's calls to enact a Fiscal Year (FY) 
     2025 appropriation bill. A six-month CR would cause profound, 
     damaging impact to the United States Navy while imposing 
     unnecessary hardship on our Sailors, civilians, and their 
     families.
       I am grateful for your support of the provision to add 
     $1.95B to fully fund the two FY 2024 appropriated Virginia 
     class submarines. This supplemental funding supports my 
     efforts to maximize players on the field, deliver decisive 
     combat power, invest in the submarine industrial base, and 
     maintain trust in the AUKUS partnership.
       Our Navy continues to support our Nation's security 
     interests operating around the globe and, most notably this 
     year, in harm's way. The Navy requires stable, predictable 
     funding while engaged in combat in the Middle East, in a race 
     with the People's Republic of China, and challenged by an 
     aggressive Russia. A six-month CR would delay platforms and 
     weapons to our warfighters

[[Page S6117]]

     and undermine the foundation that supports them. 
     Additionally, a six-month CR in FY 2025 drives us towards the 
     draconian consequences of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 
     2023 imposing additional spending caps.
       Our FY 2025 budget request is strategy driven and invests 
     in priorities that will deter our potential adversaries and 
     enable your Navy to respond in crisis and if necessary, win 
     decisively in war. It is laser-focused on warfighting, 
     warfighters, and the foundation that supports them. 
     Highlighted below is a partial list of priorities that would 
     be undermined by a six-month CR:
       Columbia Class Submarine: risks further delaying delivery 
     of Columbia class submarine due to construction delays and 
     would result in future cost increases.
       CVN 75 Refueling (RCOH): risks slippage of new contract 
     award resulting in maintenance delays and potential cost 
     increases.
       Quality of Service: risks to fleet and family services, 
     child development centers, and supporting shore 
     infrastructure.
       Operations and Maintenance: risks to air and port 
     operations, facilities management and environmental 
     compliance. Risks potential descoping or delaying some of the 
     58 ship depot maintenance availabilities scheduled for FY 
     2025.
       Military Personnel: more gaps at sea, reduction to end 
     strength, elimination of most new bonus awards. Upon passage 
     of the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, pay raise 
     that takes effect January 1, 2025 will induce impacts on 
     other mission areas such as curtailment of permanent change 
     of station moves and other personnel requirements.
       Munitions: delays AIM-9X Sidewinder and Rolling Airframe 
     Missile contract awards reducing missiles for fleet load 
     outs.
       Military Construction: Trident Refit Facility Expansion 
     will be delayed, interrupting current operations and 
     resulting in a failure to meet the refit mission of the 
     Columbia Class submarine. Delays to Family Housing on Guam 
     due to reduction in Navy Family Housing Construction. Delays 
     to Conventional Prompt Strike Test Facility that will slow 
     schedule, increase cost, and reduce rounds available to the 
     warfighter.
       Passing legislation on time for all 12 FY 2025 
     appropriations bills is the single most effective action 
     Congress can take to ensure U.S. national security. The 
     compounding effect from years of repeated CRs continues to 
     undermine our ability to support the warfighter and maintain 
     our position as the world's preeminent naval force. In the 
     end, it is our people that suffer effects of a CR and the 
     unpredictability it brings. I would ask you to think of the 
     Sailors and their families from each of your state's 
     districts. We must continue to build on the momentum of our 
     efforts to ensure our quality of service meets the highest 
     standards and look after our families who enable us to 
     accomplish our warfighting mission.
       The United States Navy stands ready to assist Congress in 
     any way possible to ensure it has the information and 
     resources to pass this essential legislation.
       A similar letter has been sent to Chairman Calvert, Chair 
     Murray, and Chairman Cole.
           Sincerely,
     L.M. Franchetti.
                                  ____

                                           Department of the Navy,


                      Headquarters United States Marine Corps,

                               Washington, DC, September 17, 2024.
     Hon. Jon Tester,
     Chairman, Subcommittee on Defense, Committee on 
         Appropriations,
     U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman; I am writing to express my deep concerns 
     regarding the impact of Continuing Resolutions (CRs) and 
     budget uncertainty on the readiness and mission of the Marine 
     Corps.
       My recent Commandant's Planning Guidance outlines the 
     Marine Corps' strategic priorities and objectives, continuing 
     the momentum of our Force Design initiatives, including 
     maturing kill webs, maturing the force, and Quality of Life 
     efforts that together generate a ready Fleet Marine Force and 
     enable Joint operations. The FY25 President's Budget reflects 
     these priorities and requests the necessary funding to 
     achieve them. However, CRs and budget uncertainty have a 
     detrimental effect on our ability to continue to build the 
     Joint Force's Stand-in Force while sustaining the Nation's 
     crisis response capabilities.
       When we operate under a CR, the misalignment and reduced 
     levels of funding prevent the planned execution of our FY25 
     strategy-driven budget. This leads to inefficiencies and a 
     deceleration in warfighting investment, disruption to 
     recruiting and retention, and reductions to operation and 
     maintenance accounts, potentially compromising our ability to 
     respond to emerging threats. Furthermore, budget uncertainty 
     creates instability and unpredictability in our planning and 
     operations, leading to delays in procurement, maintenance, 
     and training, which impact our warfighting readiness, 
     modernization efforts, and meeting our commitments to our 
     allies and partners.
       I urge you to consider the importance of providing timely 
     appropriations for the Marine Corps. Budget certainty--
     adequate, stable, predictable funding--is the single most 
     effective way to maintain critical strategic momentum in our 
     Force Design transformation efforts to stay in front of our 
     pacing threat, to support our Marines and Sailors, and to 
     fulfill our mission as the Nation's Naval Expeditionary Force 
     in Readiness.
       A similar letter has been sent to Chair Murray, Chairman 
     Cole, and Chairman Calvert. Thank you for your attention to 
     this matter. I look forward to working with you to ensure the 
     continued success of the Marine Corps and the defense of our 
     Nation.
           Very Respectfully,

                                                Eric M. Smith,

                                       General, U.S. Marine Corps,
     Commandant of the Marine Corps.
                                  ____

                                        The Secretary of the Navy,


                                               Washington, DC,

                                               September 12, 2024.
     Hon. Susan Collins,
     Vice Chair, Committee on Appropriations,
     U.S. Senate.
       Dear Vice Chair Collins: I write today to express my 
     concern about the six-month continuing resolution (CR) and 
     its impact on the Navy and Marine Corps. This lengthy delay 
     in new funding would force the Department of the Navy (DON) 
     to operate at last year's funding levels with the negative 
     consequences lasting far beyond the time frame of the CR, 
     impeding our ability to field the force needed to defend our 
     nation while imposing unnecessary stress on our Sailors, 
     Marines, Civilians, and their families.
       Our FY 2025 budget request included significant investments 
     in recruiting, quality of life, and the ships, submarines, 
     and aircraft the DON requires to enhance maritime dominance. 
     Enclosed with this letter is a detailed list articulating the 
     impacts of a six-month and year-long CR on the DON, but here 
     are some of the most consequential:
       Delays in the Virginia Class submarine will impact 
     submarine deliveries and future force structure 
     availabilities, which are already running over cost and 
     behind schedule. A CR risks setting back the program even 
     further.
       Further delaying delivery of Columbia Class submarine due 
     to postponed construction, and result in future cost 
     increases.
       A six-month CR risks delaying critical investments in the 
     submarine industrial base and the Australia, United Kingdom, 
     and United States (AUKUS) partnership.
       Restriction of Cost-to-Complete funding for prior year 
     shipbuilding programs including CVN-74 refueling resulting in 
     maintenance delays and potential cost increases.
       Profound negative impacts on the Marine Corps Force Design 
     efforts, slowing key acquisition programs.
       Uncertainty in recruiting budget would lead to challenges 
     in attracting new talent to the force.
       Negative impacts to Quality of Service efforts including 
     the Marine Corps Barracks 2030 initiative.
       Other limitations include delays to ongoing and planned 
     Nuclear Command, Control and Communications engineering 
     activities supporting STRATCOM, construction projects, 
     continued development of conventional munitions, and delays 
     in procurement of munitions.
       Delay key investments in making critical infrastructure 
     like roadways, ranges, and utility systems resilient to 
     extreme weather and climate change. It will also cause 
     serious delays in developing and fielding the Hybrid Medium 
     Tactical Truck program.
       Additionally, a long-term CR would impact a multitude of 
     programs within the Department, having a lasting impact on 
     industry stabilization efforts for both shipbuilding and 
     munitions. These include twenty construction projects, five 
     research and development projects, up to fifty-eight ship 
     maintenance availabilities, procurement of five ships, 
     aircraft programs and munitions critical for our warfighters. 
     Finally, due to the pay raises for both military and civilian 
     not being funded under a year-long CR, additional programs 
     would be negatively impacted to accommodate the increases in 
     payroll along with other inflationary impacts.
       The Department of the Navy stands ready to assist Congress 
     in any way possible to ensure it has the information and 
     resources to pass this essential legislation. This is the 
     best thing to do to support our Nation's defense.
       A copy of this letter is being sent to the other Chairs and 
     Ranking Members of the House and Senate Committees on 
     Appropriations.
           Sincerely,
     Carlos Del Toro.
                                  ____



                                       The Military Coalition,

                                                September 9, 2024.
     Hon. Chuck Schumer,
     Majority Leader, U.S. Senate.
     Hon. Mike Johnson,
     Speaker, House of Representatives.
     Hon. Mitch McConnell,
     Republican Leader, U.S. Senate.
     Hon. Hakeem Jeffries,
     Democratic Leader, House of Representatives.
       Dear Majority Leader Schumer, Republican Leader McConnell, 
     Speaker Johnson, and Democratic Leader Jeffries: The Military 
     Coalition (TMC), representing more than 5.5 million current 
     and former uniformed service members, veterans, their 
     families, caregivers, and survivors urges you to pass all of 
     the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations bills supporting our 
     uniformed services--in particular the Defense Appropriations 
     and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related 
     Agencies' Appropriations (MilCon-VA)--as soon as possible and 
     at no less than the Senate Armed Services Committee-passed 
     levels.
       Our nation faces many threats, and our uniformed services 
     operate in a very challenging environment. From responding to

[[Page S6118]]

     Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the current 
     crisis in the Middle East, China's aggression in the Indo-
     Pacific, as well as countering the malign activities of North 
     Korea--the uniformed services continue to answer our nation's 
     call around the globe. Domestically, without fail or delay, 
     the uniformed services have executed essential support to 
     civilian authorities during natural disasters of historical 
     scales.
       If a continuing resolution (CR) is required to avert a 
     harmful and counterproductive government shutdown, it should 
     be a short one. Funding the government at last year's rate 
     diminishes national security and the capabilities of the 
     uniformed services (both Regular and Reserve Components) by 
     hurting readiness, modernization, and quality-of-life 
     programs. Uniformed service members who have concerns 
     regarding quality-of-life issues cannot dedicate their full 
     attention to the mission. The negative impact to quality of 
     life will do nothing but harm those who are currently serving 
     and will paint a negative picture for any recruiting efforts 
     from an already scant pool of eligible candidates. CRs also 
     do not permit new starts or increase the level of investment 
     in modernization priorities. Further, new family housing and 
     barracks projects cannot be started. Delaying funding damages 
     our defense posture nationally and globally. CRs also hurt 
     the defense industrial base, including small businesses, by 
     adding uncertainty to the procurement and manufacturing 
     processes. CRs damage the joint force's ability to prepare to 
     fight and win in the future and impedes readiness to counter 
     threats today.
       Further, our nation's service members, veterans, their 
     families, caregivers, and survivors deserve the best possible 
     health care including mental health care as well as timely 
     claims and rating decisions. Shutdowns and CRs hinder new 
     investments to enhance care for beneficiaries, the ability to 
     hire additional health and mental health professionals, and 
     improve facilities.
       We believe that a strong national defense begins at home. 
     The uniformed services, their families, our veterans and 
     survivors benefit from on-time appropriate domestic spending 
     which contributes to national security.
       As such, TMC, as represented by the organizations listed 
     below, urge you to swiftly pass all twelve FY 2025 
     appropriations bills as soon as possible. This would provide 
     the predictability and resources commensurate with the 
     demonstrated need and the urgency that our national security 
     challenges require, and our service members, veterans, their 
     families, caregivers, and survivors have earned.
       Thank you for your continued service to our nation in 
     Congress.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Jack Du Tiel,
                                President, The Military Coalition.


                         The Military Coalition

       Air and Space Force Association (AFA),Air Force Sergeants 
     Association (AFSA), Army Aviation Association of America 
     (AAAA), (Association of the United States Army (AUSA), 
     Association of the United States Navy (AUSN), Blinded 
     Veterans Association (BVA), Blue Star Families, Commissioned 
     Officers Association of the US Public Health Service (COA), 
     Fleet Reserve Association (FRA), Gold Star Wives of America, 
     Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Jewish War 
     Veterans of the US (JWV), Marine Corps League, Military 
     Chaplains Association, Military Officers Association of 
     America (MOAA), Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW), 
     National Military Family Association, Naval Enlisted Reserve 
     Association (NERA), Non-Commissioned Officers Association of 
     the USA (NCOA), Reserve Organization of America (ROA), 
     Service Women's Action Network (SWAN), The Retired Enlisted 
     Association (TREA), Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors 
     (TAPS), US Army Warrant Officers Association (USAWOA), U.S. 
     Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers Association & Enlisted 
     Association (USCGCPOA), Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA).
                                  ____



                             Aerospace Industries Association,

                                                September 4, 2024.
     Hon. Chuck Schumer,
     Majority Leader, U.S. Senate.
     Hon. Mitch McConnell,
     Republican Leader, U.S. Senate.
     Hon. Mike Johnson,
     Speaker, House of Representatives.
     Hon. Hakeem Jeffries,
     Democratic Leader, House of Representatives.
       Dear Speaker Johnson, Majority Leader Schumer, Republican 
     Leader McConnell, and Democratic Leader Jeffries: On behalf 
     of the American aerospace and defense industry, which employs 
     millions of Americans and contributes billions to the 
     American economy, the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) 
     encourages you to act urgently and jointly to address key 
     priorities when Congress returns from its August district 
     work period. This includes FY25 appropriations bills, the 
     FY25 National Defense Authorization Act, and tax legislation 
     that reverses current policies discouraging business research 
     and development. Enacting these critical bills will not only 
     protect the health of our industry, which is essential to the 
     economic and national security of the United States but will 
     also reinforce our country's resilience and well-being.
       AIA represents our nation's leading aerospace and defense 
     companies. These businesses are responsible for countless 
     innovations, research and development that provides cutting-
     edge technology to our warfighters, improves aviation safety, 
     and demonstrates our global leadership in space. We look 
     forward to working with you to advance key legislation that 
     is critical to maintaining our national security and our 
     global economic leadership.
       We know that passing all 12 regular appropriations bills is 
     among your top priorities, and it is a priority that AIA and 
     our members share. U.S. companies like ours that do business 
     with the Department of Defense, the National Aeronautics and 
     Space Administration (NASA), the Federal Aviation 
     Administration (FAA), and other federal agencies rely on 
     timely and predictable funding to stay on schedule and guide 
     their own investments in staff, facilities, and equipment. 
     Long-term continuing resolutions (CRs), such as those 
     experienced this year, delay and disrupt these investments. 
     We strongly urge you not to support any CR extending beyond 
     this calendar year, because it would repeat and exacerbate 
     the disruption caused by almost six months of CRs this year. 
     Our customers, including our troops, our workers, and their 
     families deserve better.
       Secondly, we urge the House to follow the Senate's lead in 
     providing additional funds for both defense and non-defense 
     programs in the final appropriations bills. This is the last 
     year of budget caps imposed by the Fiscal Responsibility Act 
     of 2023, and funding under those caps is insufficient to meet 
     critical needs or even cover inflation. With bipartisan 
     support, the Senate bills provide modest increases of 
     approximately 3 percent for both defense and non-defense 
     programs. We believe these increases are essential because 
     costs for manufacturing inputs remain persistently high. 
     Without adequate resources, federal contracts, quantities, 
     and delivery schedules must be renegotiated, to the detriment 
     of federal customers and American workers like those in our 
     industry.
       For the FAA, FY25 appropriations bills include strong 
     increases to improve aviation safety and increase hiring for 
     air traffic controllers. In both cases, these are needed to 
     address documented challenges and implement important new 
     requirements from the recently enacted FAA Reauthorization 
     Act of 2024. Long-term CRs only push those safety 
     improvements into the future.
       The FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is 
     critical legislation that will provide efficiencies to an 
     often-burdensome acquisition process and reduce barriers for 
     small and mid-sized businesses that seek to enter or remain 
     part of the defense industrial base. American servicemembers, 
     and the defense industrial base that supports them, depend on 
     the authorities authorized in the NDAA each year--just as 
     they have for the last 64 years. We urge you to complete this 
     bill well before these critical authorities expire at the end 
     of the calendar year.
       Lastly but no less important, restoring the single-year 
     deductibility of research and development expenses is very 
     important to our industry. This is especially true for our 
     small businesses, which are often forced to choose between 
     paying salaries or continuing research into the next 
     generation of potentially life-saving technologies. Our 
     members serving the Defense Department rely on these expenses 
     to generate cutting-edge technology that protects the 
     warfighter and gives our military a competitive advantage 
     over our adversaries. We are not the only U.S. industry 
     harmed by this 2022 change in the tax code, but the effect on 
     our industry is felt more fully in U.S. national security and 
     safety programs. With China doubling down on its R&D tax 
     incentives, we should not be one of the only nations in the 
     industrialized world following this archaic practice.
       AIA remains Congress' partner in these efforts, and we 
     appreciate all you are doing to get these vital bills enacted 
     on time. Please let us know how we can support you with this 
     critical agenda.
           Respectfully,

                                                 Eric Fanning,

                                                President and CEO,
                                 Aerospace Industries Association.

  Ms. COLLINS. I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I really appreciate my colleagues wanting 
to move forward on our full-year funding bills. I share the absolute 
urgency that the Senator from Maine just talked about. This is critical 
work that must get done for the American people.
  I have to say, as the first order of business, I hope all four 
corners of Congress can quickly come together as soon as possible to 
hammer out a reasonable bipartisan CR. We have to keep the government 
open and avert a needless and disastrous CR.
  I want my colleagues to know I look forward to working with them on 
the other side in a strongly bipartisan fashion to pass all 12 of our 
full-year spending bills before the end of this year. Our committee has 
worked really hard to get bipartisan bills. We are ready. They are 
ready.
  It is frustrating to all us that we have worked so hard on this 
process. Whether it is funding for our military or VA or countless 
other essential services in our bill, from childcare to food

[[Page S6119]]

safety inspection, I believe in the urgency of this.
  I appreciate my colleagues speaking out on this today. I assure them 
I will keep working with them and make sure the voice of the Senate is 
heard and we do the job and get it done.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Mississippi.
  Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, I want to join my colleagues, both 
Democrat and Republican, in expressing regret that we don't have the 
important national security business of this Congress before the Senate 
right now. Clearly, it is important to do a nomination and a 
confirmation every few days. The election is approaching and, of 
course, there are some show votes. And I think probably my side of the 
aisle has engaged in that sort of thing in years past.
  But it is such a shame that we face this axis of aggressors like we 
have never faced in 50 years. And every national security official, 
whether a retired four-star or someone who is no longer in service but 
giving us good advice, they come before us, and they say we have never 
had such a threat from China; from Russia, which is engaged in a 
shooting war right now having invaded the sovereign space of a next-
door neighbor; from Iran, which is directing the three--at least the 
three--terrorist groups that are raining so much havoc on Israel; and 
then a very unstable leadership in North Korea. This axis of aggressors 
is signaling that they don't fear an invasion of Taiwan in three short 
years. They have said it publicly.
  While all of that is going on, our leadership, the distinguished 
majority leader from New York, has not let us bring the appropriations 
bill to the floor; has not let us bring the authorization bill, which 
we must pass--we must pass both of these bills every year--the two 
essential bills that cannot go without being taken care of every fiscal 
year.
  I will say to you, Mr. President, to my colleagues, and to others 
that are paying attention, this has been bipartisan, absolutely. 
Senator Murray is correct. She is unhappy about this too. But I point 
the finger to the one person on the face of the Earth that can actually 
bring a bill to the floor, and that is the majority leader.
  Senator Reed, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, and I 
have been putting together a managers' package for this year's National 
Defense Authorization Act. It would have been much better had we 
brought the bill to the floor and had 100 amendments winnowed down and 
worked back and forth together as we should be doing; then have open 
votes so the people of the United States could see how Senators from 
Maine to Mississippi and from the west coast to the east stand on 
important issues affecting the U.S. military. We have not been able to 
do that. But we are working together, Senator Reed and I, on a plan.
  And we worked on nearly 100 variations of the legislation that was 
passed months and months ago by the Armed Services Committee to resolve 
issues of local and State interests--issues involving how quickly we 
can get our industrial base going to meet the need that, frankly, we 
are not meeting at the present time; and to get ahead of the game so we 
can prevent war; so we can have enough strength to have the Reaganesque 
peace through strength that we enjoyed in the eighties and early 
nineties.
  The appropriations bills are just as important--if not more 
important--than the authorization bills. They contain funding increases 
we need to prevent our Air Force from shrinking. We know that the 
Chinese Navy is expanding enormously and our Navy is shrinking, 
literally shrinking.
  It is regrettable that here we are a week and half to go before we 
must break for the election, and the distinguished majority leader, 
Senator Schumer, has not brought any of this legislation before the 
full Senate, bills that have been ready since July.
  Also, I want to commend my colleague from Maine, the distinguished 
ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, for accommodating the 
chairman of the Appropriations Committee. I had prepared today to come 
down here and support Senator Collins in an effort to have a unanimous 
consent request to bring the bill to the floor. I mean, what else are 
we doing? Look at us. In a matter of comity and to continue the great 
working relationship that these two senior Senators have had, Senator 
Collins refrained from that. So we are not asking for unanimous consent 
and requiring someone from the other side to come and object to that. 
We will continue to work.

  But what is absolutely sure is that the fiscal year will begin in 
just a few days. And the appropriation for what we need to do at the 
Pentagon--what new things we need to do--will not be passed, and we 
will be stuck with last year's priorities. And as a result, at a time 
when we need to be putting more resources into national security and 
sending new direction based on the new facts and the new challenges 
that are out there--at that time, we will actually be wasting money of 
the taxpayers by having priorities still extended for another 3 
months--hopefully, it is only 3 months--rather than putting the 
resources there that the experts tell us and that we have learned are 
necessary for the next fiscal year.
  If my colleague from Maine would like to speak on my time, I will be 
glad to yield to her. If not, I am prepared to yield the floor and just 
regret so profoundly that our leadership has not allowed us to do the 
work that the taxpayers expect us to do.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I just want to thank the distinguished 
ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee for his 
extraordinary leadership. He has charted a future for defense spending 
that recognizes the extraordinary threats that we face, and it has been 
a real honor to work with him.
  I yield to the Senator from Alabama, Mrs. Britt.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.
  Mrs. BRITT. Mr. President, today I rise to discuss something that is 
extremely disturbing, the fact that we have less than 2 weeks before 
the end of the fiscal year and yet we have not put any of our 
appropriations bills on the floor.
  By ``we,'' ``we'' is not the Appropriations Committee. That is 
actually right on Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. He decides what comes 
to the floor. He decides when we do it, and yet he hasn't prioritized 
our men and women in uniform.
  I think, today, that is exactly what we should be doing. But instead, 
I am sure he will either conjure up another show vote like we saw 
yesterday or he will put another partisan nominee on the floor. Instead 
of considering these appropriations bills, that seems to be what we are 
doing.
  I want to be really clear. For everyone in the Gallery, we have 
members of the Appropriations Committee, both Democrat and Republican, 
that sit and work together. We have a job to fund the government. We 
are supposed to do it by September 30. We have marked up 11 out of 12 
of those bills in an extremely bipartisan fashion. Yet those bills 
still sit on Chuck Schumer's desk. He hasn't brought one of them to the 
floor.
  Now, the House has sent over five bills, so what we could be doing is 
putting the ones that match up on this floor, sending them to 
conference, and actually funding them. But instead, we are doing 
nothing.
  I want you all to know that this isn't new. This is exactly what 
Chuck Schumer did last year as well. You have Patty Murray and Susan 
Collins of different parties working together in a bipartisan fashion 
to figure out a path forward. I commend them for that.
  Last year, we did 12 out of 12 bills that were marked up out of a 
Senate committee, were allowed to be amended on TV in front of the 
public by July 27.
  Yet those bills sat, Chuck Schumer not putting them on the floor 
until November 1 of 2023--127 days after they had been marked up.
  After that is when we saw the next bill come on to the floor. We 
actually didn't finish our process until 174 days into the fiscal year 
last year. That is not only fiscally irresponsible, it is morally 
irresponsible.
  The people sent us up here to do a job. And my question to the 
majority leader today is: Why aren't you letting us actually do it?
  I am extremely disappointed that not a single one of these bills 
again this

[[Page S6120]]

year has seemed to find its way on the floor. He seems to have no plan 
to do that. The only plan seems to be to kick the can down the road.
  And as my distinguished colleague from Mississippi said, every time 
we do that, our men and women pay the price. Secretary Austin, 
obviously appointed by President Biden, confirmed by this body, has 
said that a CR will hurt our men and women in uniform. So what we 
should be doing is figuring out a path forward to fund defense and to 
fund our veterans.
  So today you see Members of the Republican Party standing up and 
saying: Let's get this Chamber back to doing the critical work we were 
sent here to do. It is long overdue.
  Now, for those of you who don't know, I am new in this body. I have 
been here less than 2 years. And yet for some reason, last year I asked 
a question. I said: When is the last time we actually did our job on 
time for the American people?
  You heard me say it took us 174 days into the fiscal year last year 
to actually do our job. Now, I want you all to be clear: Every time we 
do that, every time we kick the can down the road with a CR, continuing 
resolution, it costs the taxpayers more.
  Think about this. You are halting everything; you are halting bidding 
processes. Have any of you ever had to rebid something? When you rebid 
something, does the price go up or does it go down? We know it doesn't 
go down. We know it goes up, which means we are being irresponsible 
with taxpayer dollars.
  But yet again, that seems to be what we do year after year after 
year. So the former staffer came out in me, and I wanted to get to work 
and figure out when is the last time we actually did our job.
  The last time we did our job on time--y'all, listen to this--was 
fiscal year 1997. And the last time we actually did it on time by 
passing bills individually through regular order, fiscal year 1995. So 
to all the Senate pages, clearly, you weren't even born yet.
  That is 30 years ago for everyone in the Chamber that is doing the 
math, 30 years of kicking the can down the road.
  The American people deserve better, and yet, somehow, we can't get 
the media to cover this. We can't get them to cover the fact that 
Leader Schumer has refused to lead but yet used his time on a show vote 
yesterday where he was trying to put my State in the crosshairs.
  I am proud of the work that my State has done to protect IVF quickly 
and effectively, both from the legislature and the Governor. Once 
again, IVF is accessible and legal in every single State across our 
great Nation.
  But do you know what Chuck Schumer took his time doing yesterday? 
Creating a show vote for commercials, for men and women on the other 
side of the aisle that are in vulnerable seats, instead of putting the 
American people first. And the American people are sick of that. And 
bottom line, they deserve better.
  And as long as I am in this body, I am going to keep pushing this 
issue; I am going to keep moving it to the front. We are going to find 
a solution to actually getting back to doing the work the American 
people sent us up here to do.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I just want to thank the Senator from 
Alabama for her eloquent words, her passion, and her leadership. She is 
absolutely correct that there is no reason for us to be in the 
situation that we find ourselves in just 12 days before the start of 
the new fiscal year.
  There is no reason why the Defense appropriations bill, the military 
construction VA bill, the Labor HHS bill, the CJS bill--I could go on 
and on. There is no reason why the Senate appropriations approved bills 
could not have been brought to the Senate floor.
  They are important. Funding the government is critical. And as the 
distinguished Senator from Alabama points out, when we go on to 
continuing resolutions, we cause enormous harm, which is why I entered 
into the record all of those letters from the Department of Defense and 
to other organizations.
  And here is the other point: As the Senator from Alabama has pointed 
out, we end up spending more money. It costs us more money because 
contracts are put on hold, new starts are delayed, and programs that 
should be trimmed back or eliminated continue to be funded.
  This just is not how the Senate should operate. And I implored the 
majority leader more than once to bring the appropriations bills to the 
Senate floor, and it is harmful to our Nation and particularly to our 
national defense that these bills were not brought to the floor.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from California.
  Ms. BUTLER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be 
permitted to speak for 5 minutes, and Senator Schmitt be permitted to 
speak for 5 minutes prior to the scheduled vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.