Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025

Floor Speech

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Mr. FONG. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of Mr. Obernolte's amendment to the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act.

From Navy missile systems to Air Force aircraft, the might of the American warfighter can often be traced to the testing and development that occurs in my congressional district. The last thing that the remarkable individuals at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and Edwards Air Force Base need to worry about is whether the hospital doors supporting these communities remain open.

In Ridgecrest in the Indian Wells Valley, a hospital that supports China Lake and the Ridgecrest community is struggling financially.

At Edwards Air Force Base, significant growth is anticipated, but it is unclear whether the installation has the supporting healthcare system in place.

This amendment would require the Secretary of Defense to explore this critical healthcare issue for the installations within the R-2508 airspace in the Western United States and report back to Congress. This would ensure that we have the information needed so that we can best support this critical endeavor.

We need to ensure that we have a stable healthcare system so that the workforce at these legendary installations remain open to the creativity and the innovative spirit that has kept America safe for generations.

Mr. Chair, I thank Mr. Obernolte for his leadership on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

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