National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016

Floor Speech

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PASSING APPROPRIATIONS BILLS

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, Democrats have spent a lot of time lately talking about the importance of keeping the government open. Well, the Senate Republicans couldn't agree more. We know Congress has a responsibility to ensure that our Nation's priorities are funded, and we spent a lot of time this year working on that.

In May, we passed the first joint House-Senate balanced budget resolution in more than a decade, and by the end of July the Senate Appropriations Committee had approved all 12 appropriations bills for the first time since 2009. It was the first time in 6 years that the Senate Appropriations Committee approved all 12 of the appropriations bills, but there is one problem. For all their talk about providing for the government, apparently Democrats are reluctant to take any action when it comes to actually passing these bills through the Senate. Republicans tried to bring up the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill last week, but Democrats refused to allow the Senate to even consider it. We couldn't get on the bill. They blocked the motion to proceed to even get to debate that bill.

That is right. Senate Democrats, who spent weeks talking about funding the government, refused to allow the Senate to even debate a bill that would fund military construction, protect our homeland, and keep the promises we made to our veterans.

I might be able to understand Democrats' position if they had been shut out of the process on this legislation, but they weren't. The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill was debated in the Appropriations Committee, where Members of both parties were given an opportunity to offer amendments and to help shape the bill's contents. The bill passed out of the committee with an overwhelming bipartisan majority. If Democrats had allowed the bill to reach the floor, they would have had yet another opportunity to debate and amend the legislation, but the Senate Democrats wouldn't even let the bill come to the floor to be debated. They blocked the motion to proceed to the bill that would even allow us and allow them an opportunity to be heard and an opportunity to offer amendments.

Some Democrats have threatened to block the bill that we are currently considering this week, which is the National Defense Authorization Act, which again is a bicameral agreement that authorizes funding for our Nation's military and our national defense. This is the bill that ensures our soldiers receive the bonuses and the pay they have earned, that their equipment and training will be funded, and that our commanders will have the resources they need to confront the threats that are facing our Nation. Like the bill Democrats blocked last week, this legislation is the product of a bipartisan committee process, and it received bipartisan support when it came out of the committee. More than that, it received strong bipartisan support on the Senate floor when it first came up for consideration in June.

This bill, the National Defense Authorization Act, which funds our military's priorities, was reported out of the Senate Armed Services Committee--a big vote--it came to the floor of the Senate, received a big bipartisan vote in the Senate, but now some of the very same Democrats who supported this bill a little more than 3 months ago are planning to vote against it. On top of that, President Obama has threatened to veto this bill when it gets to his desk.

The question is, Why are Democrats opposing a bill that would authorize the funding our troops need to operate?

Historically the National Defense Authorization Act has received strong bipartisan support, and there is a good reason for that. Historically both Democrats and Republicans have known that we have a great responsibility to the men and women who keep us safe, and we have made a habit of working together to try and meet that responsibility.

Why are things different this year?

Well, basically Democrats have decided that since they can't get everything they want, they are going to take their ball and go home. Republicans knew Democrats were considering this, of course, but we had hoped that after months of successful collaboration, they would rethink that strategy because, as I said, all 12 appropriations bills were reported out of the Senate Appropriations Committee with bipartisan majorities, collaboration, input from both sides, amendments offered and amendments voted on, but unfortunately it has been clear over the past week that Senate Democrats and the President are committed to following through on their plans to obstruct these bills.

Their argument is that they want more money for this or for that, and they are not going to fund the military until they get more money for whatever their domestic priority is--whether it is more funding for the EPA or the IRS or some other agency of government. That is what this is about. It is somewhat staggering to think that some Senate Democrats would think of blocking the National Defense Authorization Act after supporting this bill in June. It is pretty hard to explain why one would think a bill is good one day and not the next. Let's just remind ourselves what they are voting to block and what the President is threatening to veto. The National Defense Authorization Act authorizes funding for our Nation's military and our national defense--from equipment and training for our soldiers to critical national security priorities, such as supporting our allies against Russian aggression overseas.

In my State of South Dakota, we are proud to host the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, one of the Nation's two B-1 bomber bases. The B-1s are a critical part of the U.S. bomber fleet, and bombers from the 28th Bomb Wing have played a key role in armed conflicts that the United States has engaged in over the past 20 years.

During Operation Odyssey Dawn, B-1s from Ellsworth launched from South Dakota, flew halfway around the world to Libya, dropped their bombs and returned home all in a single mission. This marked the first time in history that B-1s launched combat missions from the United States to strike targets overseas.

Without the National Defense Authorization Act, however, the funding levels needed in 2016 to maintain these bombers and the readiness of our airmen at Ellsworth will not be authorized. It is that simple. That is what is at stake with this bill.

If the President chooses to veto this legislation, he is vetoing the bill that authorizes benefits for our troops and the funding our military needs to operate. He is also vetoing authorization for the weapons, vehicles, and planes our military needs to defend our country against future threats, such as the Long Range Strike Bomber, which is one of the Air Force's top acquisition priorities, and it also represents the future of our bomber fleet.

By vetoing this bill, the President would also be vetoing a number of critical reforms that will expand the resources available to our military men and women and strengthen our national security.

For instance, this year's National Defense Authorization Act tackles waste and inefficiency at the Department of Defense. It targets $10 billion in unnecessary spending and redirects those funds to military priorities like funding for aircraft, weapons systems, and modernization of Navy vessels.

The bill also implements sweeping reforms to the military's outdated acquisitions process by removing bureaucracy and expediting decisionmaking which will significantly improve the military's ability to access the technology and equipment it needs.

The act also implements a number of reforms to the Pentagon's administrative functions. Over the past decade, Army headquarters staff has increased by 60 percent. Yet in recent years the Army has been cutting brigade combat teams. From 2001 to 2012, the Department of Defense's civilian workforce grew at five times the rate of our Active-Duty military personnel.

The Defense authorization bill we are considering changes the emphasis of the Department of Defense from administration to operations, which will help ensure that our military personnel receive the training they need and are ready to meet any threats that arise.

This bill also overhauls our military retirement system. The current military retirement system limits retirement benefits to soldiers who served for 20 years or more, which does not apply to 83 percent of those who have served, including many veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The National Defense Authorization Act replaces that system with a modern retirement system that would extend retirement benefits to 75 percent of our servicemembers.

No time is a good time to veto funding for our Nation's troops.

But with tensions in the world where they are, the decision by Senate Democrats and the President to block this funding authorization is particularly unconscionable.

As we speak, ISIS is carving a trail of slaughter across the Middle East, Russia is becoming increasingly aggressive, and Iran is continuing to fund terrorism. Thanks to Iran's nuclear deal, Iran will soon have access to increased funds and the ability to purchase more conventional weapons. That is right. While President Obama is threatening to veto a bill that funds our Armed Forces, he has agreed to a deal with Iran that gives Iran access to over $100 billion to fund terrorism and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. That same flawed Iran deal waives the sanctions on Iranian leaders, including General Soleimani, who is responsible for the deaths of American soldiers in Iraq, yet the President is threatening to veto pay bonuses and improved military retirement benefits for our soldiers here at home.

The President's Iran deal also gives Hezbollah and Hamas more funding to spread terrorism, yet the President is threatening to veto additional resources for our allies to defeat ISIS as well as missile defense systems for our allies, including Israel. Right now, President Obama is threatening to veto funding for our advanced weapons systems for U.S. military forces, yet his nuclear agreement gives Iran access to conventional weapons, ballistic missiles, and advanced nuclear centrifuges.

Now, above all, in the wake of this flawed Iran deal and growing chaos in the Middle East, holding up funding for our troops by blocking this authorization bill is unacceptable.

While Senate Democrats and the President may have decided to pursue a strategy of obstruction, it is not too late for them to change their minds. They can still cast a vote in favor of funding for our military and our national security priorities. I hope that before this vote happens today, they will rethink their opposition and join Republicans in supporting this critical bill.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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