Joe Courtney

It is also a punch in the gut to the supply chain who, again, we have been coaxing back into shipbuilding.

This budget fails the test in terms of the National Defense Strategy which is focused on our near-peer competitors.

Article 10 section 231 of the U.S. Code says that when a budget comes over from the Department of Defense it shall--shall--be accompanied by a 30-year shipbuilding plan.

Therefore, it is imperative that both the Navy and Marine Corps get this right and balance these high operational desires with requisite readiness systems and needs.

As the USS Fitzgerald returns to sea this week for the first time since the collision, today's hearing is an opportunity for the Navy to provide an update to Congress and the Nation on how they have addressed these issues and how they have…

Today's joint subcommittee hearing of Seapower and Projection Forces and the Readiness Subcommittee is actually the fifth in a continuation of joint subcommittee oversight since 2017 that have specifically examined maritime mishaps in the…

So, again, thank you for addressing that issue and hopefully that bill will move forward because of the spotlight you are putting on it here today.

I think it would surprise people to know that the age 26 coverage... does not extend to dependent adult children in terms of maternity benefits.

The topic here today should shock the conscience of every American.

Stability in long-term budgeting is absolutely welcome.

The time is now, and we are engaged, is the good news story on that.

I mean, isn't there some way to emulate, you know, we are sort of ahead of the curve as opposed to behind the curve to get things sort of moving more smartly together?

And I guess I am--excuse me, General Fay, you know, for some of us who are maybe not as well-versed in this, I mean, it does seem like there is sort of an uneven sort of story here in terms of, you know, where--the percentage of compliance…

Yesterday's minibus that actually did plus up to some degree Pell for the first time in years, I realize, but, you know, at least we are moving into positive territory.

Let's expand the funding, the appropriations for Pell Grants as much as we possibly can to accommodate the additional influx of people using it for nondegree credentials.

The section which I just referenced was careful to make sure that it was WIOA-certified programs, again, programs which have kind of--you know, we have run the traps on to make sure they are not junk certificates.

Again, there is strong bipartisan support in the House for the mission of the Coast Guard.

However, if there is a problem we just need to face up to it and fix it.

I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Harder) for yielding. Again, I want to salute his amendment. For the record, there is no prohibition built into OSHA that you can't have dual jurisdiction, in terms of criminal investigations or…

I have exhausted all speakers, and I am prepared to close on my side. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Again very quickly, the mandate costs that CBO scored, the $1.7 billion, that is spread out over 200,000 facilities, if you read their note closely. If you do the math, we are talking about a $9,000 cost per year for facilities. That, in…

I would just note that this is a bipartisan effort. There are 227 cosponsors in the House, 8 Republicans. And again, we have had lots of engagement, accommodated a number of the issues that came up at the public hearing process. Again, I…

I am, you know, certainly believe that as a committee and as a Congress, you know, we can figure this out.

The 30-year ship repair plan, really terrific, I mean, and it is really, you know, a really important, you know, innovation that I think you all can certainly take credit for.

The problems, actually, as Mr. Geurts said, the deterioration of maintenance actually almost occurred in tandem with sort of the deterioration in construction.