Jim Inhofe: “for the next week, the Senate is going to be debating what I consider to be and what I think most people consider to be…”

“for the next week, the Senate is going to be debating what I consider to be and what I think most people consider to be the most important bill of the year--the National Defense Authorization Act. It is an act that we passed and have passed every year for 60 years. In just a few days, American families across the country will celebrate the Fourth of July, Independence Day--the day that honors our blessings of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Not all countries share these values; in fact, they reject them. China and Russia would rather have an authoritarian world, one where democracy doesn't exist, where the rest of the world yields to them. The national defense strategy is a document that I refer to all the time. It was put together a few years ago when actually 12 really expert Democrats and 12 expert Republicans came to an agreement as to what our defense should look like in the future. According to this book, China and Russia are our greatest threats right now. They are building up their militaries and expanding their influence around the world. The fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act is about sending a message to China and Russia that there is no way you can defeat us, so don't try. That is a pretty blunt message. We couldn't have sent that message 2 years ago. We have been building up, but we are still not where we should be. We know the way we preserve peace is by demonstrating our strength.…”