Mr. President, I rise today to speak in support of the defense authorization bill for fiscal year 2021. I want to start off by thanking the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. I am grateful for their hard work, their leadership in crafting this bill, conducting a productive markup, and managing the floor process. We came together on this committee during these difficult times, and we passed a strong bipartisan bill, one that supports our servicemembers and provides for the defense of this Nation. I have said it many times before: Our warfighters are our greatest asset. The brave men and women who serve deserve our utmost respect, support, and gratitude. This year's bill authorizes a 3-percent pay raise for all members of the uniformed service. It reauthorizes over 30 types of bonuses and special pays and increases incentive pay for healthcare professionals. The bill also prioritizes support for military families through childcare and spouse employment opportunities. We need to ensure that our warfighters can stay focused on executing their mission and maintaining readiness. This is only possible if they know their families, especially their spouses and children, are taken care of. As countries like Russia and China rapidly modernize, we face a growing need for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities despite having a limited fleet of resources.…
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I would like to thank Chairwoman Klobuchar for holding this hearing and welcome you, Director Halpern, back to the Committee for the first time since your confirmation in 2019.
I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is…
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