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Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, with Vladimir Putin's ruthless invasion of Ukraine--and a new generation of threats on the horizon with AI and emerging technologies--America's military readiness has never been more important. That is why, today, I am pleased to speak in support of the National Defense Authorization Act for the fiscal year 2024.

I want to thank Chairman Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Ranking Member Roger Wicker of Mississippi for their leadership as well as their staff work. And because of that, the Senate will soon vote on a national defense package that will protect the men and women in uniform, defend our Nation's interests, and support our allies.

For the 63rd year in a row, this bipartisan agreement will authorize necessary funding for our Nation's security. I hope we will pass it without delay.

This year's National Defense Authorization Act authorizes a topline of nearly $886 billion, including $844 billion for the Pentagon. This is a $28 billion increase compared to our current fiscal year, and a more than $100 billion increase compared to the last year.

Now, that may come as a surprise if you listen to the political speeches, given that some voices on the right have cried that our defense spending is falling so far behind.

The fact is this: This is the largest defense budget in the history of the United States ever--the largest defense budget ever. Importantly, it provides a more than 5-percent pay increase for our troops and our Pentagon's civilian workforce. That is the largest increase in decades--the largest increase in decades--and it is well- deserved.

This bill also expands employment opportunities for military spouses, funding for childcare, improved military housing, the quality of life elements that we absolutely owe the men and women in uniform.

It will ensure that our Nation can ward off threats from China and North Korea, with strong investments in the Pacific Deterrence Initiative. It addresses shortfalls in recruitment and improves our cyber defense capabilities. This year's NDAA also includes a number of provisions that I helped to author, including proposals that will support the administration's AUKUS agreement, boost Impact Aid funding for school districts that serve military families, strengthen digital manufacturing for future technologies, and authorize key Illinois military construction projects.

In addition to funding our Nation's long-term priorities, this package also will provide military aid to our friends in Ukraine and our allies throughout Europe, including the Baltics. Nearly 18 months after Putin began his full-scale invasion, Ukraine remains on the frontlines of democracy. And as I saw recently in Vilnius last week, during this year's NATO summit, the Ukrainian people's heroism and determination continues to rally the western alliance in their support.

Today's NATO is larger and stronger than ever. It is more united than ever. And the United States must continue to do everything in our power to maintain the strength and unity of this alliance.

I want to give special recognition to President Biden. When he was elected to the Presidency, he told me this story and shared it with others, that in the first meeting of the NATO alliance, there was a fundamental question that was asked: Is the United States still committed to the NATO alliance?

It was an unthinkable question years ago, but not so when President Biden came in office. The previous President, Donald Trump, raised serious questions as to whether we viewed the NATO alliance as part of our future and the future well-being of the world. President Joe Biden made it clear from the start that he was committed to NATO. Even before the Putin invasion of Ukraine, he made it clear that the alliance had a future under his administration, and he has proven it.

I saw it last week in Vilnius. His arrival and commitment to future support for Ukraine made a difference. It really mobilized not just the members of the alliance, the 31 nations that are a part of it, but other countries from around the world that wanted to be there and testify--the Prime Minister of Japan, the President of South Korea, the Prime Minister of Australia. None of those countries are members of that alliance, but they wanted to be physically present to make it clear that they stood in support of the alliance and its goals and its values. I salute President Biden for his leadership in bringing us to that moment.

Unfortunately, some lawmakers on the other side of the Capitol seem ready to capitulate to Putin and other autocrats. Last week, the MAGA majority in the House of Representatives voted to inject politics into this Defense appropriations process. Thankfully, their amendment to block U.S. support for Ukraine amid Putin's war of choice failed, even though 89 House Republicans voted for it.

Think of that. Putin is killing innocent people in Ukraine every day. They are begging us to stand with them, to defend their own country, to defend democracy, and to give them a future that is aligned with NATO and the West, and these 89 Republicans said: Cut them off. Don't give them another nickel. That is the end of it.

What were they thinking? Where are their values?

Ultimately, the House passed a bill that would abandon our servicemembers in other ways, along with our allies, and jeopardize our national security in a new age of threats. The bill passed by the House of Representatives would eliminate access to reproductive healthcare for men and women in the military, politicize schoolbooks, and undermine progress addressing the climate crisis and recordbreaking heat.

If you paid any attention at all to weather forecasts across the Nation over the last 2 weeks, how can you question that we are in a real climate crisis? The city of Phoenix, AZ, last week had 3 days with temperatures in excess of 115 degrees. The temperature of the globe measured in scientific terms is the highest ever recorded. Extreme weather events in New England and other places are fair warning to us that if we don't take this seriously, the next generation, our children and grandchildren, will face a world much more difficult to live in.

So MAGA Republicans in the House nevertheless want to rip away not only the addressing of the climate crisis but also the basic freedoms of every American, particularly those who defend our freedom every day. They have hijacked a bipartisan process to pursue an extremist agenda.

The best explanation I can give for this irresponsible conduct is ``Don't worry, the Senate will clean it up.'' Well, we will clean up their mess. We have to. We need to do it on a bipartisan basis. But the MAGA Republicans cannot prevail when we talk about our Nation's defense.

Here in the Senate, one Republican, for instance, is blocking hundreds of military promotions to advance that same extremist agenda. Think about that. The men and women in service in our military, who have risked their lives and seen their comrades and friends fall beside them, who have been given combat awards for their bravery, are being denied promotions because of one Senator, one Republican Senator from Alabama, who has decided to stop the promotions for over 200 of these deserving individuals. Is that our gratitude to the military for their service to our country and their bravery?

I think it is awful that we are in this situation--indefensible. I hope more and more Republican Senators will speak out against their colleague and what he is doing to our military. It endangers our national security, and it shows great disrespect to men and women who deserve our highest level of respect.

As my colleague from Illinois, Senator Duckworth--and she being a national hero herself for her service to our Nation--has pointed out, this partisan charade by one Senator from Alabama has already had a direct impact on our military readiness. For the first time, for example, in over 100 years, the U.S. Marine Corps is without a Senate- confirmed Commandant. Everyone should take note of how extreme that situation is. Very soon, the Army, Navy, and Joint Chiefs will be in a similar position if the Senator from Alabama does not lift his hold.

So to my Republican colleagues who come to the floor and question President Biden and the Democratic Party's commitment to national security, I say: Take a look in the political mirror.

The National Defense Authorization Act we have before us is a serious proposal, which, of course, means there are compromises included. And while it will make important progress, this bill is far from perfect. For instance, this bill once again, in my estimation, extends unnecessary restrictions on transferring detainees from Guantanamo. This will make it even harder to close this shameful facility once and for all. The amount of money we ask taxpayers to spend on Guantanamo is indefensible--millions and millions of dollars for each person who is being held there after we have agreement that more than half of them should be released. It is time to close Guantanamo, and this Senator would like to see that done as part of this bill.

This bill also includes questionable provisions based on false concerns regarding diversity and inclusion in our Armed Forces-- provisions that ultimately impair, not improve, military readiness.

I would like to see several of my amendments be considered, including those that would hold accountable perpetrators of heinous atrocities in Ukraine and elsewhere by criminalizing crimes against humanity; strengthening public transparency on the impact of lethal strikes; push the Pentagon toward technologies of the future, such as EVs; address the troubling human rights record of countries such as Egypt which claim to be our allies and friends in one breath and yet jail peaceful activists in the next--and more. I am heartened that negotiations on a second managers' package continue, and I look forward to seeing these issues considered.

Lastly, I hope any increase in defense spending is matched by a similar increase in nondefense discretionary spending to keep parity between the two accounts. The reality is this: While it is important to provide robust spending for national security, it is equally important to invest in America--schools, roads, hospitals, and beyond. Simply put, our strength at home projects strength abroad.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on these issues before we leave for the August recess.

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