Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this year's NDAA. I am pleased that we were able to work in a bipartisan fashion to finalize the Senate's State Department Authorization bill for inclusion in this year's NDAA. In late 2021, during my chairmanship of the Foreign Affairs Committee, we shepherded--through the House, into a conferenced NDAA, and ultimately onto the President's desk--the first comprehensive State Department Authorization bill to become law in nearly 20 years. The passage of this year's bill will make three in a row. The bill includes many important provisions--including to: stand up a fellowship program in honor of our late colleague John Lewis and a transatlantic leadership institute; authorize support and economic diplomacy to public diplomacy and beyond. The NDAA also includes important provisions related to the implementation of the AUKUS trilateral security partnership. By leveraging the shared capabilities of the U.S., Australia, and the U.K., the United States and its allies can shape a free and open Indo- Pacific for years to come. The Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee painstakingly and carefully negotiated the AUKUS compromise text included in this NDAA.…”