May I inquire as to how much time I have remaining. The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Johnson of Louisiana). The gentleman from Virginia has 15 seconds remaining.

I think it is absolutely critical that this Committee insist that the money be spent to do an adequate mapping of our offshore resources.

The insistence of environmental pressure groups over many decades to keep information from informing public debate really needs to be recognized here.

I am continually asked why I believe we need to increase our financial support for our national security. My credentials as a fiscal hawk could be perceived as contrary to my concerns on insufficient national security funding. I realize…

Today, I rise to recognize our Nation's public servants and to thank them for their important contributions to our country. In every community across America, Federal employees work to make sure our government is effective and keeps us…

If I can interject here. Actually, the three studies that were done, the MITRE study, the CSBA study, and the Navy study included in-depth analysis of all these unmanned platforms.

The 355-ship Navy is more than just a slogan. It is a requirement that was carefully considered by the Navy, enacted by Congress, and signed into law by the Commander in Chief.

We will continue to stay in touch as we go through this year's NDAA to make sure that you have the tools necessary to stay on track with the Columbia class and do all we can to address the deficit of submarines in the attack class it will…

I think those are all extraordinarily important aspects of what we, as a team, Congress, the administration, need to do to make sure we have what is necessary going into the future.

If we continue to allow the reduction in our attack submarine force, potential adversaries may see this decline as a strategic inflection point.

Admiral Harris, our PACOM commander, constantly reminds us that his most critical shortfall is attack submarines.

The Columbia class is projected to carry about 70 percent of our Nation's strategic deterrence. This is a program that we cannot get wrong.

I would also believe that it would be very helpful and is the desire of this subcommittee to provide that authorization, that direction as far as extending the service life of those Los Angeles-class submarines, as well as aggressively as…

We shall never forget that it was our submarines that held the lines against our enemies while our fleets replaced losses and repaired wounds.

Our adversaries are always measuring options and looking at our funding decisions to determine how this impacts their own strategic goals.

I support the alternative path. Consistent with the Navy's 30-year shipbuilding plan, we need to increase our attack submarine build rate.

I choose a strong America that emboldens allies and deters future aggression.

Today we are at a crossroads in regard to our undersea forces.

Well, I am eternally hopeful that we will not get another CR next year.

We are currently on a path that reduces our attack submarine force structure from 52 boats today to 42 boats in 2028.

I want to highlight, too, the importance of our regional fishery management commissions.

That is a good thing. Recognition long overdue.

I hope that you will work with me to make sure that we finally get this land into the refuge system that we have worked on for years and years.

I think that is absolutely critical. Hopefully, we will have your support as it makes its way through the Senate.

I hope that you and I, as well as the conservation partners, can work to make sure that we get that done here in the very near future.