There are very few bipartisan issues in Washington these days, but our national concern about the PRC is one of them.

Japan's remarkable commitment to dramatically increase its defense spending to historic levels is both welcome and critical to our Alliance.

Thank you, Chairman Casey and Ranking Member Braun. It is a treat to be able to come back to the Aging Committee.

It has been an honor to work with Senator Casey, Senator Baldwin, and now 23 members on the introduction of a new bill.

This comprehensive bill will make our-- will make a generational investment in the workforce that will help us care for our loved ones who need support.

This has to be probably one of the most careful analyses done every day in the Pentagon and elsewhere in our security establishment.

I can't think of a better reason to be here than to talk about the important issues of our long-term care workforce.

I think the U.S. strategy has been to just push that back a day at a time, a year at a time.

There is no economic or security issue that can be resolved in Northeast Asia without the active participation and cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo.

I believe America's security and economic prosperity are inextricably linked to this network of alliances and partnerships.

We must never allow the PRC to dictate America's Taiwan policy.

It is frustrating to us that we have not been able to be more effective in communicating to our constituents the urgency of these issues.

An aggressive North Korea is building and testing nuclear weapons; a revisionist PRC seeks regional, even global, dominion.

I can't think of a better reason to be here than to talk about the important issues of our long-term care workforce.

They lack confidence that we will be the trusted and reliable security partner they have counted on us to be for decades.

The stakes are too high to embark on any other course.

These challenges are getting tougher. It is getting tougher for people to find and afford.

No country can shape in a positive way the future of the region in isolation.

Our biggest weakness is our political division, is our inability to show that confidence, that bipartisan strength.

They need our tangible support . . . not our best wishes.

The circumstances are pretty dire, and I really do not think the majority of Americans recognize the urgency of the situation.

Thank you, Chairman Casey and Ranking Member Braun. It is a treat to be able to come back to the Aging Committee.

We should be less concerned about provoking China than we should be concerned about bolstering our friends, allies, and partners in the region.

This comprehensive bill will make our-- will make a generational investment in the workforce that will help us care for our loved ones who need support.

We cannot play innocents abroad in a world that's not innocent.