Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026

Floor Speech

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Mr. NUNN of Iowa. Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairman Rogers, as well as Representative Smith for their leadership on this.

As an Air Force counterintelligence officer, it is good to see America's defense being lead again by great leaders. Not only does it include troop pay, but it also ensures innovation in our technology, a force for good in the world.

Yet challengingly, we have seen on the world stage leaders flock to Beijing. From Moscow and Pyongyang, they have come to kneel at the altar of Xi Jinping.

The reality here is that China is looking deep to degrade the West, fracture our allies, and capture emerging nations around the world. It illustrates why the U.S. must now, more than ever, continue to lead.

Luckily, we are not alone in this fight. In just the past 5 years, over $100 billion in private capital flowed to our defense technologies, signaling that our best innovations and our ability to solve our Nation's largest security strategies happen not just in this Chamber but across the whole Nation.

These new entrants need a welcoming defense environment, something the Department of Defense has struggled with in the past.

This bill takes a long-overdue step to ensure the quick delivery of advanced capabilities to our warfighters when and where they need them. I am confident that this bill, along with the number of targeted amendments that we have been privileged to lead, will help lead in that fight.

To begin with, expanding private financing. My amendment would expand the private financing opportunities for equity and private credit providers. This ensures that the taxpayer alone is not on the hook for defending our entire national security. Just today, I spoke to another Member who wanted to invest another $100 billion into private initiatives to help protect our country.

Additionally, we need to harness the best who are out there, including those in the defense innovation unit, through putting forward a joint reserve detachment to bring in our technological partners; as well as our partnership with Taiwan, an amendment to ensure that we extend that innovation to where it can do best.

Together we are working on amendments to include blockchain for CLARITY, an artificial intelligence plan for our defense industrial base, and integrated air defenses for U.S. CENTCOM.

As someone who has served, as well as our 2,000 members from the Iowa National Guard, they demand this level of support not only in their pay but in their protection.

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