United States-Mexico Economic Partnership Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation.
First, I want to thank Chairwoman Lowey for her hard work and her dedication to this institution, and I wish her well in her retirement.
And I certainly want to thank our ranking member for her hard work and all the things that went into getting this bill together. I know it is difficult. We certainly appreciate it.
And, finally, Chairman Pete Visclosky, not only my chairman, but my close friend, who has worked hard on this bill, and he has done a wonderful job over the years and is certainly a patriot who deserves the credit in putting this Defense bill together.
The Constitution grants Congress the explicit and sacred responsibility to provide for our Nation's defense. This bill before us today does just that. It provides funding for many key programs consistent with the National Defense Strategy and its focus on great power competition with China and Russia.
The bill prioritizes and funds programs essential to our continued military dominance. It provides our combatant commanders with the resources and equipment they need to carry out their missions around the world.
We continue key investments in fifth-generation combat aircraft, ships, and two Virginia-class submarines, while also continuing to invest in the essential research and development of new technologies essential to maintaining U.S. military superiority.
We continue to prioritize the health and welfare of our men and women in uniform. The funding in this bill reflects the longstanding concerns that so many of our Members have had with Defense health programs, sexual assault prevention, suicide prevention, and the long-awaited electronic health record, which we need to get fixed.
We must get this bill signed into law as soon as possible. According to the DOD comptroller, a continuing resolution wastes $1.7 billion per month and stops many of the modernization priorities that are the cornerstone of maintaining our military's superiority over near-peer threats such as China and Russia.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that we were able to overcome politically charged issues to negotiate this final passage. I urge all the Members to vote for it.
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