National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017--Motion to Proceed

Floor Speech

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Mr. WICKER. Madam President, are we in morning business?
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Mr. WICKER. Madam President, let me congratulate my friend from Oregon for his remarks and simply point out to the Chair and to my fellow Members that this is another example of bipartisan accomplishments in the Senate and in the House. This represents a lot of work on both ends of the building, Republicans and Democrats coming together. As my friend said, it is about to get done.

When we put this on top of a number of accomplishments, including education, including dealing with the Zika virus, including dealing with the drug problem and so many other things, we have actually been able to get legislation done and sent to the President and signed into law to help make our country better, stronger, and better protected.

I appreciate what my friend said about the TSCA bill. I am also optimistic about it.

Madam President, switching gears to the National Defense Authorization Act, I am also optimistic about that. Obviously, we had hoped to pass the bill before Memorial Day as a tribute to the people who have gone before us and paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy as Americans. Obviously, the bill has taken longer than I hoped it would and for reasons that are hard for me to understand. Nevertheless, we are going to get to it. We are on the bill now, and we are going to hopefully finish it the week after the Memorial Day recess.

I very much appreciate the fact that we are going to pass another bipartisan NDAA bill, which will be signed by the President. It is going to give our troops the opportunity to have the tools and resources they need in a very dangerous world.

It funds the Defense Department at $602 billion. Our friends should know and the public should know that this $602 billion is the figure requested by the President of the United States, so we are coming with a bipartisan number. We have had some questions on the part of our friends on the other side of the aisle about spending elsewhere, but we should be clear--and there is no question about it--the President requested $602 billion for defense, and this bill gives our troops and the President that $602 billion. It deals with such important issues as preserving the progress we have made in Afghanistan, continuing our fight against the Islamic state, bolstering readiness against an aggressive Russia, standing up on behalf of one of our most important allies, the state of Israel, in a very troubling time.

Earlier this year, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said it correctly. He reiterated the reality of unpredictable instability. And that is what we are facing, Madam President. So this bill is designed to address that.

Also, I would mention it is designed to alleviate some of the shortages caused by the Budget Control Act when it was passed in 2011. The world is a lot different today than it was in 2011. As a last resort, the law put in place across-the-board defense cuts that were really never intended to take place. Collectively, we should have addressed the mandatory programs where the spending problems actually are, but instead, over the past 6 years, the Budget Control Act has required almost $200 billion in defense cuts. Sequestration remains the law of the land and will return unless Congress acts in 2018.

The Army now has 100,000 fewer soldiers than it did 4 years ago. The Marines will be nearly 5,000 below their optimal force. Our Air Force is the smallest it has ever been in the history of the Air Force. And with 272 ships in the fleet, the Navy is well below its requirement of 308 ships.

I am pleased to serve as chairman of the Subcommittee on Seapower of the Committee on Armed Services. As such, I was happy to work with other members of the subcommittee on the Navy and seapower title to this bill. I want to thank my colleague Senator Hirono of Hawaii, the ranking Democratic member of the subcommittee, for her leadership.

As I said, we are years away from achieving the Navy's ship requirement of 308 ships. There is also no plan to meet the National Defense Panel's recommendation for more ships--either 323, at a minimum, or up to 346 ships. So we are well away from where we really need to be to protect America and our freedom of movement around the globe. Meanwhile, the Navy has significant budget constraints. Its 2017 request is $8 billion less than the 2017 value presented in last year's budget.

Nonetheless, we worked on a number of items to do the best we can with the money we have. First, we looked at the viability of the 30- year shipbuilding plan. Secondly, we worked to ensure that limited taxpayer dollars are used wisely. Thirdly, we looked forward to the future and what should be required of our future surface combatant ships and what costs might constrain the budget. And fourthly, we worked to ensure that the Navy and Marine Corps can continue to provide force protection around the world.

So thanks to the members of my subcommittee and my ranking member Senator Hirono for that.

But seapower is only one part of the bill. It may be the one I have worked on more carefully, but there are other parts of the National Defense Authorization bill. As you know, Madam President, there is no authorization in the bill for another round of base closings. I very much support that provision and believe that no further base closing rounds should be authorized, and we don't.

Also, there is an extension of prohibitions on the closing of Guantanamo Bay and a prohibition of the transfer of any detainees from there. There is also support for the recommendation of the National Commission on the Future of the Army regarding aviation force structure. I advocated the creation of this commission, along with my colleague Senator Graham, in the wake of unvetted proposals to cut the size of the National Guard and reallocate Apache helicopters. So I am glad we have addressed that problem and are on the way--hopefully week after next--to passing this important bill.

It is fitting that Americans will gather on Memorial Day in the next few days, remembering the patriots who made the ultimate sacrifice and honoring the patriots who are today voluntarily stepping forward to make our country strong and great and helping all our citizens enjoy the freedoms we have today.

I am glad to be part of this bill. I congratulate the leadership of the committee and the Senate, and I look forward to passing this Defense bill without further delay.

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