Water Resources Development Act of 2016--Continued

Floor Speech

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Mrs. CAPITO. I thank Senator Daines for calling us together for what I think is a good reminder to those who are watching and in the Gallery that we are deeply committed to seeing a Senate that functions and a Senate that exercises opinions and has full and open debate on this revered Senate floor. I thank Senator Daines for putting together the freshmen colloquy. I thank Senator Rounds. We are seatmates, sitting next to one another in this great and beautiful Hall.

It is interesting to hear everybody's different perspectives on why this bill is so important.

Let's just recall how we got here. I am a member of the Appropriations Committee with Senator Daines, and the Presiding Officer is as well. We debated this bill in the committee room. We did several amendment votes. In the subcommittee, many thoughtful decisions were made, and discussions were had as to the priorities of our defense capabilities. In the end, we joined together, Republicans and Democrats, and passed this out of the full committee 30 to 0--no opposition.

For those of you who are watching and even for me, a freshman in our freshman class, we would think, well, this is a layup. This is about our men and women in uniform. This has overwhelmingly come out in a bipartisan fashion. All 14 Democrats on the committee supported this.

What has changed here? What has changed? Why are the Democrats now filibustering to keep the Senate from even considering this legislation that was unanimous out of committee and well discussed? Let's have the discussion on the floor.

Yet, six times, as Senator Rounds said, they have refused to let us consider this bill. Why is there a strategy being put forth to keep Congress from working by blocking this and all of the other appropriations bills? Why are they blocking the bill that will equip our troops--the ones who are fighting overseas, training at home and recruiting, and those who are caring for our military families here at home? Why? I don't have the answer to that question. I think the answer lies on the other side of the aisle, but I haven't heard an answer that sufficiently satisfies my curiosity nor the curiosity of the American people.

Senator Daines mentioned the McLaughlin Air Guard. We have over 6,000 members from West Virginia in our National Guard. They serve in all reaches of this world, they serve on the border, and they serve for flood relief all around this country. Whenever there is an emergency, the West Virginia National Guard is one of the first ones called up. Thousands are now on Active Duty around the globe, and we have over 100,000 veterans in our State. What kind of message does this send to them? What are they thinking? Why? Why is this being blocked?

We all know we live in a dangerous world. We can listen to the radio, we can listen to the discussions, and we can read the news. We know how dangerous this world is. If we consider the state of that this administration's failed policies have created, I think that is the reason why.

Why is this being blocked?

In Eastern Europe, the Russian military continues its military buildup. I just returned from a trip over Memorial Day to the South China Sea, and we learned there about China constructing military facilities on manmade islands.

Just last week, North Korea conducted its latest and largest nuclear test. If it didn't send chills down your body thinking about that, it should, because they want to get the capabilities to reach our western coast.

In the Persian Gulf, Iran continues to harass U.S. naval ships and threaten to shoot down surveillance aircraft.

Just yesterday a ceasefire in Syria didn't last hours before the Assad regime dropped more barrel bombs on the rebels.

The instability is remarkable. Too much is at stake for us to continue to play politics that trumps our defense policy, and all of the threats that we face still persist.

The Senate has a tradition--and I was in the House for 14 years. We had a tradition. This was one of the easy bills. The DOD appropriations bill is something--we can do this because as a country we know how important our military is, our men and women in uniform. This time around should be no different. I strongly urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to work with us, to show that unified support that we saw in the committee. We need to show that support to our men and women in uniform, their families, and our veterans.

I yield back to Senator Daines, but I wish to welcome Senator Gardner to the discussion. He is an esteemed member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In the Senate, he also has led us in a bipartisan way in passing important sanctions against the North Korean regime.

I am also pleased to be on the floor with Senator Sullivan, my colleague from Alaska, who is a loud and clear voice in support of our military, not just from his experience but from his very enriched background in this area.

I go back to my original question. Why? Why are you blocking this? Why can't we give the certainty that our men and women in uniform, our moms and dads, and our husbands and wives need. Why? Let's have an answer to that question. Let's do our job. Let's pass this bill.

Senator Daines, thank you again for your leadership.

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