[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 174 (Tuesday, October 21, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7171-S7172]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL SECURITY
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I have a short article that I want to
put in the Record, and I want to describe it before I ask permission.
In a column published in the Wall Street Journal on Monday, October
13, Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorganChase, called out the need for
investment in national security. He mentions many areas that have been
talked about a lot in Washington, like securing supply chains for
critical materials like rare earth elements, ramping up defense
modernization and innovation, energy independence and resilience, and
accelerating advancements in strategic technologies.
The problem is that in Washington here and particularly in the
Congress, it has been mostly just talk.
As a private sector leader, Jamie Dimon is putting his money where
his mouth is. Congress ought to take note and follow his lead.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Wall Street Journal
article by Jamie Dimon, ``Investments for National Security,'' be
printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
[From the Wall Street Journal, Oct. 13, 2025]
Investments for National Security
(By Jamie Dimon)
The brutal invasion of Ukraine, the indescribable terrorist
attack on Israel and other major conflicts should dispel any
illusion that the world is safe. The U.S. has allowed itself
to become too reliant on unreliable sources of critical
minerals, products and manufacturing--all of which are
essential for our national security.
America remains the bastion of freedom and, equally
important, the arsenal of democracy. Our own security is
predicated on a strong and resilient domestic economy, which
guarantees our ability to build, innovate and to maintain the
most capable military in the world. Global peace and world
order depend on it.
Our adversaries and potential adversaries aren't waiting--
we no longer have the luxury of time. America needs more
speed and investment. It also needs to remove obstacles that
stand in the way: excessive regulation, bureaucratic delay,
partisan gridlock and an education system misaligned with the
skills we need.
That is why JPMorganChase is launching the Security and
Resiliency Initiative, a 10-year, $1.5 trillion effort to
facilitate, finance and invest in industries crucial to
national security and economic resilience, from critical
medications and minerals to military equipment and
semiconductors. This will also help create economic growth,
innovation and jobs in America. It will include direct equity
investments of up to $10 billion of our own capital in select
companies. This effort will cut across investment banking,
middle-market banking and commercial banking. It will include
special research on private industries and important issues
like supply-chain weaknesses on rare-earth metals. It will
also include trying to design policies that can accelerate
these efforts, including training, research and development,
permitting, and regulations conducive to growth.
Our efforts will focus on four priority areas:
Supply chains and advanced manufacturing to strengthen the
production of critical materials, pharmaceutical precursors,
robotics and components such as semiconductors and rare-earth
elements.
Defense and aerospace to support innovation and scale
production for modern deterrence, including drones,
autonomous system and next-gen connectivity.
Energy independence and resilience to modernize the U.S.
grid and invest in reliable clean power like battery storage
to meet surging demand.
Frontier and strategic technologies to accelerate
breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and
quantum computing.
Consider two examples: U.S. drug manufacturers depend
heavily on foreign sources for active ingredients for
medication. Seventy-seven percent of those facilities are
overseas. There is an opportunity for America to rebuild and
invest in its ability to manufacture lifesaving pharma
ingredients and avoid supply-chain challenges and the risk of
shortages of essential drugs.
Similarly, the U.S. electric grid is rapidly aging and ill-
equipped to handle the massive increase in demand from AI and
advanced manufacturing. Strategic investment can
[[Page S7172]]
modernize transmission lines, harden energy systems, and
reduce blackout risks.
As a top investment bank for the defense, healthcare and
energy sectors, and a manager of trillions of dollars in
clients' assets including in infrastructure and AI, we know
how to put capital and expertise to work to solve big
challenges like this.
Policy will be essential, too. America needs a permitting
process measured in months, not years. Vocational and
apprenticeship programs must be expanded to close the
manufacturing skills gap. And we must create consistent long-
term incentives for private investment in these critical
industries so that more capital is available. Fortunately,
bipartisan legislation has begun to modernize procurement and
streamline industrial policy, and new federal initiatives are
encouraging domestic production of chips and critical
medications.
We hope that America will come together to address these
challenges, as we have in the past. We need to act now.
____________________