Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2019
Floor Speech
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Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of amendment No. 26 and seek time to speak in support.
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Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of amendment No. 26 to provide cost-effective funding for the Navy's fourth Gerald R. Ford- class aircraft carrier, CVN-81.
Let me be clear. Amendment No. 26 does not add any additional funding to the carrier replacement program line for fiscal year 2019. None. Not one dollar. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found amendment No. 26 would not score; it would not change the overall level of budget authority or outlays in the bill in fiscal year 2019. According to the Parliamentarian, this is simply a perfecting amendment to allow for already appropriated funds to be used for both CVN-80 and CVN-81.
I believe it is possible to be both a defense hawk and a fiscal hawk. My amendment supports both positions.
For defense hawks, amendment No. 26 fulfills a critical need for our U.S. Navy. The Navy's most recent force structure assessment identified a need to maintain 12 aircraft carriers to meet combatant commanders' needs and address a growing demand for U.S. presence around the world. However, under the current shipbuilding and ship retirement plans, the Navy would dip below 12 aircraft carriers beginning in 2025 and would atrophy to just 9 aircraft carriers by 2048. This is simply unacceptable.
By procuring an additional aircraft carrier now, we better position the Navy to meet future requirements. By supporting a strong aircraft carrier base, we also show a commitment to the aircraft that operate from the carrier. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the FA-18 E/F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler, MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter, MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, as well as the E-2C/D Hawkeye aircraft all require an aircraft carrier to operate in the Navy.
For fiscal hawks, the numbers are clear. A two-ship buy of CVN-80 and CVN-81 saves more than $1.6 billion in shipbuilder costs when compared to single ship procurements. When government-furnished equipment is included, the total savings are projected to reach $2.5 billion. Additionally, increasing the build rate encourages the shipbuilder and suppliers to make capital investments that produce production efficiencies and reduce costs for these and future ships in the Ford class.
We already have had great congressional support on this very issue. In December 2017, I led a letter with 131 House signatures to Department of Defense Secretary Mattis in support of this same dual aircraft carrier buy approach. This same provision also was included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. And H.R. 5515, which recently passed the House by an overwhelming bipartisan margin of 351-66 on May 24 of this year, is a signal of what needs to be done.
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Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney).
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Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining.
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Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Chair, I will be quick with my closing.
The bottom line is we need these carriers. We need $26 billion in the shipbuilding budget to reach 355 ships. So the $21 billion is admirable, but the pathway to get where we need to be of 355 is still out there for us. The challenge that we face ahead must be taken head- on. This is the first step in doing that.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Chairman, it really is this compelling argument: Are we, as a nation, willing to make the commitment to ensure our future national security?
Here is the deal: We are losing submarines at a breakneck pace because we are not building them fast enough to replace the ones that are retiring.
In 2020, the Chinese--just the Chinese--will have 70 submarines. They are building them at a rate of six per year. So, by 2029, when we have 42, they will have 124.
Are we willing to do that as a nation? Are we willing to take that risk? Are we willing to look at our children and grandchildren and tell them that, when we had a chance to do something, we didn't do it?
At 5:48 today, the United States Naval Institute news released an article that says: ``Congress Faces Last Chance to Add 2 Virginia-Class Attack Subs to the Next Block Buy.'' Last chance.
Here is our chance to do what is right for the Nation. Here is our chance to do what is right for national security. Here is our chance to look at our children and grandchildren and tell them we did the right thing. We saw what was coming and we stood strong, and we built the submarines necessary to defend this Nation.
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