For nearly two decades, brave American servicemembers gave their blood, sweat, tears, and many made the ultimate sacrifice, to the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, fighting terror and ensuring our national security. In a few short days of…

I remind everybody that this is the National Defense Authorization Act. It has to do with the military. If you want to keep spending money and sending money to Afghanistan, God bless you. Then do it in State and Foreign Ops or do it in…

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: At the appropriate place in subtitle B of title XII: SEC. __. PROHIBITION ON FUNDING FOR AND REMOVAL OF…

As someone who did serve and did use the vehicles for over 3 decades, I rose from the bottom to the general ranks, so I would say at some level, when you are a GO, you are in top leadership. Not one person in those over 3\1/2\ decades ever…

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: At the end of subtitle B of title II, add the following: SEC. 227. PROHIBITION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR…

This amendment simply prohibits the obligation of funds for promotion of, or preference for, sustainable building materials, including low-embodied concrete or asphalt, or net- zero emissions in military construction. Let me be clear: this…

I know my good friend is from California so I have to restate things over and over again, but this prohibits the obligation of the preference--the preference--for sustainable building materials. It does not prohibit the use of these…

This amendment prohibits the use of research development, testing, and evaluation funding for electric vehicles, electric vehicle charging, and photovoltaic technology in the NDAA. For the past decade, the Department of Defense RDT&E…

That money is being spent right now on the Taliban and people are dying. Americans don't want this blood on their hands. They don't want to spend their tax money on the Taliban. Yet, 20 years to defeat the Taliban, and they walked away…

This amendment doesn't prohibit the use of any of this material--not what the chairman said and not what my friend from California is going to state. It doesn't prohibit any of that. All we are saying is that the Federal Government…

I urge adoption of the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Let me speak to that. If there is no funding in here and no authorization for spending any American tax dollars in Afghanistan, then you certainly won't mind an amendment that does nothing.

I have got an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: At the appropriate place in subtitle F of title XXVIII, insert the following: SEC. 28__. PROHIBITION ON…

I appreciate the chairman's remarks, and I certainly live better because satellites exist in space. Unfortunately, I have to live with the fact that the satellites in space are powered by Chinese-made solar panels. When the chairman can…

The taxpayer is paying for 75 percent that is not being used.

Unfortunately, the ongoing telework policies have only exacerbated that problem.

If agencies aren't using their space, they have got to give it up.

I hope we can use the GAO report as a baseline to understand the current challenges so we can pass legislation that will meaningfully help the government right-size its portfolio and either use or get rid of unused space.

I have been a firm believer that if agencies aren't using their space, they should lose it.

It can't go unused and paid for. That is unacceptable.

Federal occupancy in the Washington, DC, area alone remains below 50 percent of pre-COVID levels.

Federal real property continues to be on the GAO's High-Risk List for about 20 years.

We have to examine how they are using their space, and there must be more accountability for agencies.

Government mandated, so the government requires it. That is freedom in America.

This is an issue of fairness across the board. Whatever standard we set should be set for everyone.