Elise Stefanik

Our congressional intent was very clear. The environmental impact study was funded, was authorized by Congress.

One of mine is Fort Drum, which I believe is the strongest community to be the preferred site.

Our expectation, on the record, let me make it perfectly clear, is that our expectation that we will hear from the Secretary of Defense what the preferred site is.

I agree with you and I think it is a real opportunity for bipartisan modernization of the Pell program.

I think that we need to work to modernize opportunities in higher ed to make it available for the nontraditional students.

I think the special operations community is uniquely suited to build networks of partners and allies around the globe.

I would ask for your commitment to make sure that the findings of the most recent 90-day review are briefed to this subcommittee.

I am pleased that the budget request increases the Preservation of the Force and Families program by more than 30 percent.

Make no mistake, this growth was needed after 9/11 and, indeed, can still be justified today due to the continued and morphing national security threats we face.

The continuing trend of technological advances allowing a wider range of actors to acquire sophisticated capabilities that were once only within reach of well-resourced nation-states.

The democratization of technology has significantly increased the threat posed by advancements in gene editing and synthetic biology.

We can never afford to lose sight of or be distracted from the critically important mission of countering weapons of mass destruction.

I think that is important to note for the record.

The House Appropriations Committee released a list of vulnerable projects, and that does not include Fort Drum.

I appreciate all my colleagues' interest today in MILCON projects at Fort Drum.

I will continue to prioritize that project and fight for appropriations when it comes to the MILCON budget.

Secretary Esper, last week we received the Army's unfunded requirements list, and the railhead at Fort Drum was at the top of this list.

We must do more to educate, inform, and protect our defense innovation ecosystem from these threats...

Now more than ever, our science and technology enterprise plays a strategic role that is fundamental to our national and economic security.

I am concerned that our S&T investments represent an alarmingly small percentage of our overall defense budget...

I want to stress how important our investment in science and technology and the innovation ecosystem is to our national security.

I want to add a note that I think we have to be when this is a global race for 5G technology.

It is not clear we have to wholly own every one of these facilities if there is a way we can work with some of our partners.

I believe strongly that additional investment in additive and digital manufacturing will strengthen our domestic industrial base and therefore bolster our supply chain resiliency and accountability.

Now, more than any time in recent history, our military superiority is determined by our technological superiority.