On the recordJune 30, 2020
Madam President, I appreciate the opportunity to join with my colleague from the State of Missouri and agree very much with the comments he has just made, and I am here today to express my support for the National Defense Authorization Act this week. Defense Department leaders always tell me that, if we don't get NDAA done and our Defense appropriations bill--and I am on the Appropriations Committee and on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee--that those delays really are a challenge and a problem for the military and cost some money. So, obviously, if we can get this bill done this week and get on to our Defense appropriations bill and get those passed, it makes a big, positive difference for our men and women in uniform. We should be able to move this NDAA legislation quickly because the chairman and the ranking member have put together a good bill for our national security and for our Armed Forces. This NDAA supports our national defense strategy that is designed to keep us ahead of the Russians, the Chinese, and other adversaries, and it includes things like standing up the Space Force, investing in new technologies like hypersonics and artificial intelligence, and creating a Pacific Deterrence Initiative to help ensure that we have the capabilities we need throughout the Pacific region to deter conflict and coordinate with our allies.…





