[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 171 (Tuesday, November 19, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6617-S6618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                  NDAA

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I shouldn't need to tell anyone that the 
National Defense Authorization Act is one of the most important bills 
we consider each year. Issues may wax and wane in importance in 
Washington, but national security is--and must be--a perennial 
priority.
  There is never a time when we can afford to put our national defense 
on the back burner or underfund our Nation's military. Unfortunately, 
that point seems to be lost on the Democratic leader.
  It has been 5 months--5 months--since the Senate Armed Services 
Committee passed the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization 
Act--5 months.
  We are almost 2 months into the new fiscal year, and yet once again 
this week, the NDAA will not be on the floor here in the Senate.
  Delays to the National Defense Authorization Act are always 
problematic. As I said, there is no time at which we can afford to put 
our national security on the back burner. But delays are especially 
problematic at a time when our military preparedness is lagging--and 
America's adversaries are flexing their muscle.
  In July of this year, the bipartisan Commission on the National 
Defense Strategy published its final report. And I just want to read a 
couple of lines from that report. This is from the report summary:

       The Commission finds that the U.S. military lacks both the 
     capabilities and the capacity required to be confident it can 
     deter and prevail in combat.

  Let me just repeat that. Think about that for a moment.

       The Commission finds that the U.S. military lacks both the 
     capabilities and the capacity required to be confident it can 
     deter and prevail in combat.

  That is a pretty damning statement.
  Elsewhere, the commission notes:

       The Commission finds that, in many ways, China is outpacing 
     the United States and has largely negated the U.S. military 
     advantage in the Western Pacific through two decades of 
     focused military investment. Without significant change by 
     the United States, the balance of power will continue to 
     shift in China's favor.

  ``Without significant change by the United States, the balance of 
power will continue to shift in China's favor.''
  And from the Strategic Posture Commission report in 2023:

       Today the United States is on the cusp of having not one, 
     but two nuclear peer adversaries, each with ambitions to 
     change the international status quo, by force, if necessary: 
     a situation which the United States did not anticipate and 
     for which it is not prepared.

  ``[A] situation which the United States did not anticipate and for 
which it is not prepared.'' In other words, we have work to do--a lot 
of work to do.
  And that work is being inhibited by the Democrat leader's decision 
not to prioritize the National Defense Authorization Act and defense 
spending bills.
  And needless to say, while the Democrat leader delays, the world 
isn't getting any safer. China, which has grown increasingly aggressive 
in the Pacific, is investing heavily in its military--and is outpacing 
our military in modern capabilities like hypersonic missiles.
  This past week alone, China unveiled a new stealth fighter jet, along 
with other advanced technologies.
  Russia, meanwhile, continues its war of aggression in Ukraine--most 
recently with a massive missile attack

[[Page S6618]]

this weekend on Ukrainian infrastructure.
  Meanwhile, in the Middle East, Hamas continues to hold hostages it 
seized in its attack on October 7 of last year, including Americans.
  And Iran-backed proxies continue to menace both Israel and U.S. 
assets in the region. Iran has spent decades--decades--fomenting unrest 
in the Middle East, and the news that it intends to increase its 
military budget by a staggering 200 percent next year suggests the 
country has no plans to abandon its destabilizing activities.
  I could go on. Each day's news is a reminder that we live in an 
increasingly dangerous world--and that while we never invite conflict, 
we have to be prepared for it.
  The Democratic leader may have chosen to spend his time this year on 
show votes and Biden nominees. But next year, control of the Senate 
will be different. And I will tell my colleagues right now that in the 
119th Congress, neither the NDAA nor military preparedness will be put 
on the back burner. Under Republican governance, providing for our 
Nation's defense and supporting our men and women in uniform will not 
only continue to be one of Congress's most important obligations, it 
will be treated as such.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey.
  Mr. HELMY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to enter into a 
colloquy with the Senator from Alabama.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.