Ranking Member Cole Remarks on H.R. 7900, H.R. 8296, H.R. 8297 & S. 3373 (RCP 117-56)

Hearing

As delivered during today's hearing:

Today's hearing covers four items. The first I'll discuss is a bipartisan committee product, H.R. 7900, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023. For 61 years, the NDAA has become law with broad bipartisan and bicameral support. This has only been possible because of the immense cooperation from both sides of the aisle and is a testament to what we can accomplish when we focus on our shared goals as a nation.

I applaud both the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee for continuing this historic tradition and producing a bill worthy of support by both parties. It is essential that we ensure their good work on behalf of our military is not marred by divisive political issues.

At a time when we are witnessing continued strife on the international stage, it is more important than ever that Congress speaks with a unified voice when setting defense policy and funding priorities. From Russia's invasion of Ukraine to the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan to Communist China's ongoing aggression in Asia and the Pacific Rim, America's adversaries are becoming emboldened. It is the responsibility of Congress to act to set appropriate defense policies to ensure these aggressive actors are countered and deterred and our allies receive the support they need

This year's NDAA exemplifies what we can accomplish when we choose to work together in a bipartisan fashion. The Armed Services Committee reported the bill before us with only a single vote against it. This kind of consensus and the resulting bipartisan product was made possible because of a process that ensured all voices were heard and all ideas were considered.

The NDAA calls for spending $850 billion on defense needs in fiscal year 2023, a 7 percent increase over the previous year and a $37 billion increase over the president's budget request. No more will we see the chronic underfunding that was a hallmark of the Obama-Biden years, and no more will we allow President Biden to get away with cutting our defense funding at times of national crisis. Instead, we will ensure that our defense needs are appropriately funded.

The bill includes a significant 4.6 percent pay raise for our armed services personnel and includes funding to provide additional support to personnel who make the least to offset the inflation caused by this Administration's policies. The bill ensures that we will have funding to build 13 new battle fleet ships and will only retire 12 ships, thus continuing progress toward the goal of a 350 ship strong Navy. It provides appropriate investments in new technologies and new weapons systems, which will improve our warfighting capabilities into the 21st century.

On the whole, I am pleased with this bill, and I thank Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Rogers for their hard work in getting us to this point. I hope that we see more bipartisan legislation like this coming to the Rules Committee in the future.

The second item I'll discuss is the recently added Rules Committee Print to S. 3373, the Honoring Our PACT Act.

While I am frustrated by the process this bill has gone through, I believe we have failed to provide our nation's toxic-exposed veterans with the care they need for too long. While I share the concerns of many about the use of mandatory spending in this bill, it takes important strides forward and will ensure that a previous wrong has been righted, so I do plan to support it.

Our other two bills are unfortunately both partisan ones, which have no chance of ever becoming law. The first of these I'll address is H.R. 8296. This should be very familiar to us since the House already passed it once this Congress along partisan lines.

This bill would insert a right to an abortion into federal law, preempting every state law that seeks to protect life. As every Member here knows, the Supreme Court recently reconsidered the great misguided tragedy of Roe v. Wade and has rightfully returned the power to the states to make decisions for themselves to protect innocent and vulnerable unborn life.

But with today's bill, the Majority is seeking to require states to allow abortion on demand at any time up to the point of birth. If the Majority has its way, no more would states be able to protect conscience rights, no more would they be able to ban barbaric procedures like dismemberment abortions, no more would they be able to prevent abortions targeting fetuses with Down Syndrome and no more would states and their voters be allowed to govern themselves. Instead, it would impose liberal and progressive views from Washington on every state in the country.

The last time we considered this measure, I reminded this committee of the words of the Declaration of Independence: that the right to life is one of those inalienable rights endowed upon all of us, even unborn children, by our Creator. This is no less true today than it was the first time we considered this measure. I once again ask my colleagues to remember those words, remember the unborn and reject this egregious measure.

The last item I'll discuss is H.R. 8297, which also addresses this same topic. H.R. 8297 would prohibit states from imposing limitations on interstate abortion services. But this bill, too, is deeply misguided. It would have the effect of preventing states from adopting commonsense protections for the unborn, such as provisions banning mail-order or telemedicine abortion services. It creates serious questions about state licensure requirements, not simply those regarding abortion. And it will potentially limit the rights of parents by creating a cause of action for outsiders to interfere with the parent-child relationship.

It is unfortunate that we are considering these two misguided bills, Mr. Chairman. I continue to stand with those who seek to protect life, and I know every one of my Republican colleagues will do the same. I urge this committee, and this House, to reject these two bills.

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