National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027

Floor Speech

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Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Chairman, as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, I yield myself 2\1/4\ minutes.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to endorse many provisions of the Seapower and Projections Forces mark of the 2027 NDAA, which our subcommittee crafted under the able leadership of my good friend, Chairman Trent Kelly.

A whole range of much-needed Navy warships and auxiliary platforms are authorized in this bill using multiyear contracting, which will save money for the taxpayer and provide certainty to our shipbuilding industrial base to invest and grow.

The bill authorizes $15 billion for the Pentagon's number one acquisition priority, the Columbia-class ballistic submarine program. It also provides $12.5 billion for Virginia-class attack submarines and full funding for shipyard wage improvements and workforce pipelines which are vital to hiring and retention.

Adding more Virginia subs will grow our undersea fleet and keep our commitment to Pillar One of the AUKUS security agreement to sell three in-service subs to the Australian Navy in the 2030s.

Multiyear contracts for destroyers and oilers are also included, as well as investments in missiles and hypersonics from unmanned surface vessels.

Ukraine has demonstrated how effective unmanned systems are in their defense against Russia's Black Sea invasion, and we must embrace that trend and expand our unmanned capabilities.

There are areas of disagreement in this bill. Particularly, its approval of the administration's request for $1 billion for obsolete battleships without a detailed design.

I would note, last month the Senate Armed Services Committee wisely voted to reject this wasteful request. That money should, instead, be spent for the Marine Corps' request for new landing ships, which is missing from both this bill and the new reconciliation bill.

Mr. Chair, the NDAA has passed for 65 consecutive years because of disciplined avoidance of irrelevant hyperpartisan amendments. Unfortunately, the NDAA rule passed earlier today merging the NDAA with a completely nongermane voter suppression bill, the SAVE America Act, violates that long tradition.

If Republican leadership is serious about passing a 66th NDAA with bipartisan support, the SAVE America Act merger should be stripped from the bill or later in conference.

Mr. Chairman, I look forward to achieving that outcome, if not today, then later in the NDAA negotiations with the Senate.

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Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi), the ranking member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness.

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Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentleman from California.

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Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Norcross), the ranking member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces.

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