National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027

Floor Speech

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Mr. HUNT. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, as a West Point graduate and Army combat veteran, I begin by thanking the members of the Armed Services Committee. They have put forth legislation that protects our troops and helps ensure the United States remains ahead of its adversaries. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the opportunity to offer my amendments today.

From my time in uniform, I know firsthand that the brave men and women who raise their hands to defend this country are the backbone of our military. Especially with the conflict in Iran today, I am grateful more than ever that our sons and daughters are keeping us safe here at home and abroad.

Another essential pillar of military strength is energy. Without it, our jets don't fly, our ships don't sail, and our weapon systems do not function properly.

Energy security is not merely an economic concern. It is a national security concern. That is why I am grateful for the opportunity to offer amendment No. 818 to hopefully be included in the NDAA.

Amendment No. 818 would strengthen and secure the domestic energy supply chain that supports defense installations across the country. Today, California imports nearly 70 percent of all of its oil from foreign countries, and 30 percent of the oil comes from the Middle East.

It is not hyperbole to say that California has become dependent on the very oil that Iran is attempting to control through the Strait of Hormuz. This has led to a spike in gasoline prices for California residents. It has also exemplified why our military installations should not be reliant solely on foreign oil.

Washington State imports nearly 50 percent of its oil from abroad, despite having critical Navy and Air Force bases that need energy.

To prove this point one last time, Hawaii, home of the U.S. Pacific Command, relies almost entirely on foreign oil, 90 percent to be exact. Mr. Speaker, 60 percent of Hawaii's oil comes from Argentina, 15 percent from Libya, and nearly 10 percent from Nigeria.

How could one of our most significant military commands be 90 percent dependent on foreign oil? We could do it right here in our own country, specifically in my own home State of Texas.

However, we export hundreds of billions of dollars of energy from my home State. Despite these serious supply chain risks, companies working to address them too often face frivolous litigation from climate groups, even when those lawsuits weaken our military readiness.

Amendment No. 818, supported by the Department of War and HASC Subcommittee Chairman Bergman, would help address frivolous litigation targeting companies that supply our military installations with energy.

If the United States finds itself in a conflict with China, the last thing our military should face is a jet fuel shortage caused by baseless litigation tying up our domestic energy producers.

Importantly, this amendment does not lower environmental permitting standards or weaken existing reporting requirements.

This legislation merely secures a supply chain that is heavily dependent on foreign countries that could be weaponized against us if we don't fix it now.

Mr. Chairman, if we are serious about our military readiness, I respectfully ask the Chamber vote ``yes'' on amendment No. 818, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. HUNT. Mr. Chair, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. HUNT. Mr. Chair, this is, in fact, an issue of national security. As somebody that is from Texas, what I understand very clearly is that we don't need fewer electrons; we need more.

While we are looking for the next abundant source of energy for the future, we ain't getting there, unfortunately, for many people in this room on the other side of the aisle, without energy and oil and gas, especially when it comes to putting fuel in the Apache helicopter that I flew in combat 55 times, supplying energy for our forces abroad, and for our allies abroad, as well.

The only thing that we are trying to do is make sure that we produce it safer, cleaner, and better here in this country than anywhere in the entire world.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. HUNT. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chair, amendment 1085 addresses a very similar challenge as amendment 818, but through a more targeted approach.

This amendment would require the U.S. Army to acquire an easement along the Santa Ynez pipeline in California--not property ownership, but an easement.

For more than a century, the U.S. Army has used its existing authority under title 10 to acquire easements that protect critical supply chains.

During World War II, the United States Government routinely condemned land that was used to build ammunition plants to supply our troops in Europe.

In 1941, when U-boats threatened tanker routes supplying the Northeast, Congress gave the government condemnation authority for pipeline rights-of-way. The impact of that legislation ensured that the war effort in Europe was kept fueled.

Amendment 1085 follows that same proven model: a Federal property interest securing a privately operated fuel corridor our military depends on.

California agencies and State legislators have filed repeated lawsuits against the pipeline in an effort to shut it down, even though California imports almost 70 percent of its oil. About half of the oil California imports is from oil that transits through the Strait of Hormuz.

This should not be an acceptable acquisition method for our defense installations that need energy to carry out our mission.

It is no secret in Washington that one of the biggest threats the United States faces--and the whole world, for that matter--is the threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. We must be prepared for this should it happen in the not-so-distant future.

We must keep our military installations fueled and energized by domestic sources if we are to maintain deterrence. Along with that, we also want to ensure that we don't engage in any conflict in the Pacific.

Amendment 1085 would affirm that this pipeline is important to national security to keep our military on the West Coast supplied with domestic-sourced energy.

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Mr. HUNT. Mr. Chair, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. HUNT. Mr. Chair, oil is a globally-traded commodity. This is a one team/one fight conversation.

It doesn't matter which State you are from. Oil production for the United States and every electron that we are able to produce is very critical to our national defense; and also the needs of not just the United States, but also our allies.

We in Texas fully understand that. It is time for the entire country to understand that we have got to get in this fight together if we are going to continue to have abundant energy sources for the future so we can live the lives we have been accustomed to living and continue to defend this great Nation.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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