Conference Report on H.R. National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am proud of this conference report and the items included in it. I want to thank Chairman Thornberry and Ranking Member Smith for their leadership in pushing this across the finish line.

In my subcommittee, we authorized an additional three battle force ships, including the next Ford-class aircraft carrier.

We have also kept an eye on the future and prioritized funding for the B-21 Raider bomber program and the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, programs that are essential for our national security and comprise two parts of our Nation's nuclear triad.

While we still have work to do, I think that this conference report does a good job of continuing to build off of last year's progress.

Some have questioned whether a Member of Congress can be both a fiscal hawk and a defense hawk. I am convinced that a Member can be both. For example, we have also authorized long-term contracts for ships, aircraft, and weapons. With these contracts, in addition to the accelerated procurement of the next Ford-class aircraft carrier, we understand the Navy can save almost $3 billion. These savings are significant.

While I am proud that this may be the first time in more than two decades that an NDAA will be enacted before the start of the fiscal year, we still have work to do to secure funding for this bill.

Specifically, I believe there is no more debilitating action that Congress can perform than delaying an accompanying Defense Appropriations bill. The House has passed ours, but we need our colleagues in the Senate to do the same during their time in D.C. in August. If we lose this rare opportunity to pass a Defense Appropriations bill before the end of the fiscal year, we will once again be holding our military hostage for other domestic priorities.

I was thrilled to see Speaker Ryan continue to lead on this issue when he indicated yesterday: ``We really just want to get the military funded on time, on budget, on schedule this year, and that's the primary concern.''

We need to get back to basics, perform our constitutional duty, and let our servicemembers know that we have their backs while they are serving on the front lines, that we are dedicated to their service, and that we will take care of their families until they return.

Let's pass this defense authorization bill and turn to getting the Defense Appropriations bill done on time.

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