Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
Floor Speech
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Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 3838 as it came out of committee. The bipartisan tradition of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee continued this year under the leadership of my good friend, Chairman Trent Kelly, to ensure maximum support for our sailors, airmen, and marines.
I would note our job was made much more difficult by the ridiculously late submission of a budget by the budget office, which they then split and mangled by disregarding input from the sea services. Nonetheless, we overcame that challenge with this year's mark.
The bill includes my bipartisan table amendment which authorizes an increase in the Virginia-class submarine program by $1 billion. This plus-up was needed to address a serious Virginia-class program budget office shortfall and will ensure full authorization of two Virginia- class submarines in fiscal year 2026.
Madam Chair, today, a total of four Virginia-class submarines are slated to be delivered in 2025 and 2026. This bill's plus-up will grow the industry's backlog of work to 21 boats so we can overmatch our adversaries' nuclear fleets and fulfill our AUKUS commitments to sell three subs to Australia in 2032, 2035, and 2038. Mr. Kelly and I visited there in August and saw firsthand that nation's investment in their navy in anticipation, and we must act to keep up our end.
Further, the bill includes incremental funding authorization for the Columbia-class submarine program to avoid disruption of the Navy's most critical shipbuilding priority. Our mark directs investment and support for uncrewed and autonomous maritime platforms that are here to stay as part of our Navy's fleet of warships.
Procurement stability for shipbuilding and our maritime industrial base has never been more important, and passage of this NDAA will achieve that.
Madam Chair, fiscal year 2026 will mark the 65th consecutive NDAA, if signed into law. This legacy is one of bipartisanship and compromise.
Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to support a bill that can be passed in a closely divided Congress and stay focused on the core mission of Congress to provide a strong national defense. That is what we did in committee. Under Mr. Smith's and Mr. Rogers' leadership, the bill passed 55-2. The men and women in uniform deserve no less than that example with final passage of this matter.
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Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to the amendment.
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Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Chair, I represent the State of Connecticut, which today is the site in southern New England of an offshore wind energy project that is 9 years into the process, 80 percent complete with offshore wind turbines already installed. Forty-five out of 65 turbines are in the ground and have gone through exhaustive permitting, including the Department of Defense, in terms of making sure that this project will proceed safely and securely in an area where we have the largest military installation in New England, with the New London Submarine Base and Coast Guard presence there.
There is no question that this issue of radar interference was exhaustively investigated with the Federal Aviation Administration, the Air Force, and NORAD. All of them were brought into the permitting process.
Mr. Chair, I include in the Record a letter dated December 2024, which states clearly that the Department of Defense has found that construction of the Revolution Wind project would not have adverse impacts on DOD missions in the area. Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Washington, DC, December 13, 2024. Reference: Federal Aviation Administration Aeronautical Study
Number: 2021-WTE-2881-OE and 23 associated structures Ms. Whitney Marsh: ;rsted, Providence, RI.
Dear Ms. Marsh, Thank you for your participation in the Mitigation Response Team to assess and overcome military impacts from your proposed Revolution Wind project off the coast of Squibnocket Beach in Chilmark, Massachusetts. In a letter dated October 27, 2021, the Department of Defense (DoD) described the potential impacts to military operations for the project.
As a result of discussions between ;rsted and the U.S. Air Force and a resulting mitigation agreement signed by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment on November 4, 2024, the Military Aviation and Installation Assurance Siting Clearinghouse (Clearinghouse) has found that construction of the Revolution Wind Wind project, with no more than 65 wind turbines up to 873 feet above sea level and no more than two offshore substations up to 228 feet above sea level, would not have adverse impacts to DoD missions in the area.
Our response to the FAA included a notification that additional structure proposals or an increase to the current maximum structure height may present an adverse impact. We encourage you to engage DoD prior to any proposed expansion or height increase.
If you have any concerns, please contact Ms. Robbin Beard, Clearinghouse Deputy Director. Sincerely, Steven J. Sample, Executive Director, Military Aviation and Installation, Assurance Siting Clearinghouse.
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Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Chair, this is documentary proof that the concern that is being raised with this amendment is something that is already part of the permitting process.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management signed off on the project. Again, we are about $4 billion into the project. The Trump administration, on August 22, put out a halt work order, citing national security concerns, with not a single bit of detail.
We have union jobs, laborers, operating engineers, and longshoremen who are now totally in limbo in terms of whether or not the good work that they have been doing, in compliance with a Federal permit on a project that has been paid for, is going to be suspended by issues that don't exist in terms of the process.
This issue is covered. Having this amendment pass would add an additional layer of delay on this project.
Time is the enemy in terms of these working families having their job security at a time when our labor market is eroding.
The project will also bring lower energy costs to southern New England.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Chair, may I inquire as to the time remaining.
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Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Chair, NORAD and FAA examined this issue. It was raised about radars. There was a software upgrade that all parties agreed upon would mitigate and solve this problem, and that is why they issued this order permitting this project.
Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Magaziner), my good friend.
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Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Chair, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from California (Mr. Carbajal).
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Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Amo).
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Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
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