McConnell on Defense Bill: We’ll Fulfill Our Solemn Responsibility to Our Military
‘As I’ve discussed all week, this legislation is critical to implementing Secretary Mattis’s new National Defense Strategy. It’s critical for supporting our allies and regional partners around the world. It’s critical for keeping America safe in a world that confronts us with everything from terrorist threats from non-state actors to great power competition. So one way or another, the Senate will pass this bill.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the John S. McCain 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA):
“For the past week, the Senate has been considering the John S. McCain 2019 National Defense Authorization Act. It’s a thorough bill. It’s a bipartisan bill. The Armed Services committee has conducted hearing after hearing, gathering testimony from our nation’s top military leaders. They’ve heard straight from the experts about the gaps between current capabilities and current challenges. And taking this testimony into account, throughout the committee markup, they considered and included 300 amendments -- 300 -- in the version they reported to the Senate.
“For days, now, we’ve discussed and debated it here on the floor. Senators Inhofe and Reed modified the substitute amendment to include more than 40 additional amendments from members on both sides. Now, even so, I’m confident no senator sees it as a perfect bill. I’m sure every one of us has further issues we’d like to tackle. Some pertain to the substance of defense authorization. Others concern completely different topics.
“Personally, I’d like to have seen even more votes on amendments this week. But one of the realities of this body is that any senator on either side can object to setting up amendment votes. The good news is what we already have in hand: An excellent defense authorization bill that will fulfill one of this body’s most important responsibilities and empower the men and women who volunteer to protect us.
“We’ve fulfilled that responsibility for 57 consecutive years. When this bill passes, it will be 58 years. You might call that a routine. But in this body, as we all know, what can seem like the most routine activities are often among the very most important. This defense authorization bill is right at the top of the Senate’s to-do list -- so we can do right by our men and women serving in uniform around the world. Today is the 243rd birthday of our United States Army. I’m glad we’ll have the opportunity to vote to keep advancing this bill in just a few minutes.
“As I’ve discussed all week, this legislation is critical to implementing Secretary Mattis’s new National Defense Strategy. It’s critical for supporting our allies and regional partners around the world. It’s critical for keeping America safe in a world that confronts us with everything from terrorist threats from non-state actors to great power competition. So one way or another, the Senate will pass this bill. We’ll fulfill our solemn responsibility to our military. And then we’ll proceed to other important business for our constituents.”
Related Issues: America's Military, NDAA
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