Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025
Floor Speech
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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, my colleague from Georgia will be pleased to learn that there is nothing in this year's NDAA that authorizes assistance to Ukraine. That money is provided through the supplemental appropriations bills.
The problem with this amendment is it would cut off funds to maintain the deployment of marines to secure our Embassy in Kyiv. It would also cut off the DOD's ability to conduct and use monitoring of weapons systems the U.S. already has provided to Ukraine. We don't want them to fall into bad hands. We need to ensure those weapons stay in our hands. I urge Members to oppose this amendment.
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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for yielding. This amendment would have serious consequences to our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific as they face down China and North Korea.
Former INDOPACOM Commander Admiral Harris highlighted that cluster munitions are essential in a potential conflict with North Korea. I would point out China and Russia have not banned cluster munitions. We also should not wait until the fighting starts to transfer these weapons.
Deterrence depends on getting real and effective weapons like cluster munitions in place before a potential fight. I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment.
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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, pursuant to House Resolution 1287, I offer amendments en bloc.
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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Davidson).
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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Self), my friend and colleague.
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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Fong), the newest Member of the House of Representatives.
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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, I encourage my colleagues to support this en bloc package, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, pursuant to House Resolution 1287, I offer amendments en bloc.
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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, I encourage my colleagues to support the en bloc package, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.
The motion was agreed to.
Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Fong) having assumed the chair, Mr. McClintock, Chair of the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, reported that that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 8070) to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2025 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes, had come to no resolution thereon.
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