Concurrent Resolution on the Budget, Fiscal Year 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, this is a pretty straightforward amendment.
It funds defense fully based on the Gates budget, which was the last
defense budget that was put together based solely on the assessment of
threats we face and the requisite military needs to deal with those
threats. The national security of our country is the predominant
obligation of the Federal branch of government. It is the one thing
that only the Federal Government can do, and it is the first thing it
is tasked with doing. If it cannot protect us from foreign threats and
protect our national security, all the other issues we are
contemplating become elementary. This is a critical component, given
the fact that around the world today there is an increase in threats
from radical jihadists and nonstate actors to rogue states such as Iran
and North Korea, to massive military buildup on behalf of the Chinese
and the Asia-Pacific region, to the challenges faced by NATO and our
allies in Europe as Vladimir Putin tries to redraw the post-Soviet
order in Europe.

Therefore, I urge my colleagues to support this. It does, once again,
put us at the Gates' budget number which was the last number we arrived
at, that was presented to us, and that fully funds the needs of our
military based truly on the threats of the modern era.

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