James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023
Floor Speech
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Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H. Res. 1512, James M. lnhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023. This bill contains many important provisions that should become law, but unfortunately those policies are outweighed by the staggering increase in military spending. Accordingly, I cannot support the bill as a whole.
I am grateful for the inclusion of robust policies to protect our ocean, especially provisions from my legislation, the BLUE GLOBE Act. These provisions will direct existing ocean-focused interagency committees to coordinate overlapping data collection, align supercomputing and data storage efforts, develop cross-agency databases, and support consistent archiving practices. The legislation will also better assess the value of the Blue Economy, develop a study on workforce shortages related to careers in oceanic and atmospheric data collection, and identify actions the federal government can take to promote diversity in STEM education. Further, it directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to create, maintain, and regularly update a publicly available website that provides information about all resiliency grant programs. H.R. 7776 also prevents illegal fishing and forced labor, enhances marine mammal conservation, including of whales in the Puget Sound, and eliminates shark fin sales.
I also strongly support the pay increase for our troops, increased funding for research conducted at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, an increased military housing allowance, and providing reimbursement for members of the Armed Forces for childcare costs related to permanent base changes. Additionally, I commend Chairman Smith for his ongoing advocacy for additional funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which provides support and assistance to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in their response to Russian aggression.
I cannot ignore, however, the unprecedented amount of military spending this legislation authorizes while too many Oregonians and Americans continue to struggle economically. This bill costs $847.3 billion, which far exceeds the President's budget request of $773 billion. In our current economy, supporting more than 74 billion additional dollars, primarily for weapons, is unjustifiable when our communities desperately need food and housing security, access to high- quality childcare, affordable health care, and support for small businesses. We must not accept the notion that annual increases in defense spending are inevitable and can be rationalized as modest when Americans continue to struggle.
I do not take this vote lightly and my commitment to providing for our servicemembers remains steadfast. It is a complex and challenging task to responsibly fund our national defense, but I am confident that we can maintain adequate security while reining in the immense and ever-increasing sums that endlessly pour into the military-industrial complex. I look forward to continued engagement with my colleagues as we address these difficult issues.
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