In recent years, we have made a lot of progress in rebuilding our military readiness. This is due in large part to the House Armed Services Committee’s nonpartisan tradition of resourcing defense, which has led to 58 consecutive years of enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The long-standing spirit of collaboration culminated last year with the enactment of the fiscal 2019 NDAA prior to the start of the fiscal year; a feat that had not been accomplished in 22 years. Paradoxically we were able to do this with one of the most ideologically disparate Congresses in history. We accomplished this because we knew it was the right thing to do.
This year, House Democrats chose to ignore the budget request by the Department of Defense, and instead included partisan policies that impose limitations on low-yield nuclear weapons, place restrictions on the President’s request to secure the border, and fails to adequately secure terrorist detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. This resulted in the House bill passed on a partisan vote, without any Republican support. Thankfully there is still opportunity to correct course.
This week, I was honored to be named by Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy to the congressional conference committee that will negotiate differences between the House and Senate versions of the NDAA—the bill that authorizes spending and sets forth the policies for the Department of Defense—for Fiscal Year 2020. Again, this year, I will be fighting to ensure that our force is effectively resourced, trained, and equipped, and that our defense budget and authorizations reflect our strategic needs.
There are several provisions that I championed included in the House bill that I hope to see in the final conference report. They include a strong investment in shipbuilding – with a commitment to the Virginia-class attack submarine program, fully funding the Columbia-class submarine program, and recommending additional funds for submarine supplier development. I will also be advocating for my amendment to create the Cable Ship Security Program – which would pay U.S. flagged ships to be activated should the cables that physically and digitally connect the United States to the rest of the world be damaged, destroyed, or tampered with by those who wish to do us harm. Additionally, the House bill includes a provision to begin to recapitalize the Ready Reserve Force by requiring the Navy to order two replacement vessels. These deliberate steps are essential to providing adequate logistics in case of a major escalation in conflict. All of these projects mean not only a strong and more secure America, but more jobs for our industrial base in the Virginia.
Recently, the Administration announced that they would be diverting military construction funds for security at our southern border. We have a crisis at our southern border, and I regret that the President was forced to divert funding for our troops to address the crisis. His initial requests to secure the border were not unreasonable; unfortunately, House Democrats were not willing to allow funding. However, rebuilding military infrastructure is a critical part of the readiness recovery process and I believe that now, through the NDAA, we must backfill those monies to ensure that the construction projects can remain on schedule. House Democrats voted against restoring this funding on the House floor this week, but, as a conferee, I will be fighting to make sure that funding is included.
The Constitution gives Congress the mandate to provide for the common defense. Above all else, we must provide adequate funding and leadership that supports stability and a sustained level of readiness and resources to build and maintain the capability to win overwhelmingly in any future fight. As a conferee, I am optimistic that we will be able to get this done. I will continue to put our warfighters first and advocate for the resources they need to be successful in their missions.
