Mike Rogers

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, again, this amendment undermines the military commissions process and gives hardened terrorists a public platform. The Biden administration has opposed this. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon), who serves on the Armed Services Committee.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, here we have another amendment that would arbitrarily slash defense spending. This time it is $37 billion added by Mr. Golden and Mrs. Luria, two Democrat members of our committee, during our markup. The amendment before us now would eliminate a 2.4 percent pay bonus for enlisted personnel, people who make less than $45,000 a year. It would erase $500 million in additional housing allowances to counteract skyrocketing rents for low-income servicemembers, and it would delete $750 million we added to reduce the price of groceries and other necessities at military commissaries. The proponents of this amendment argue that we need to spend less on defense so we can spend more on programs to counteract homelessness, hunger, and poverty. But their amendment would strip out a bipartisan effort to ensure our servicemembers with the lowest incomes don't face those same difficulties. It is hypocrisy at its worst. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, this amendment would arbitrarily strip $100 billion out of this bill. That is 12 percent of total defense spending it would cut. This amendment would have catastrophic effects on training and readiness. It will endanger the safety of our servicemembers by delaying critical safety upgrades on the ships, aircraft, combat vehicles, and facilities where they serve. It will set back the cleanup and environmental remediation at PFAS and other contaminated sites and put off construction of new military housing, schools, and childcare facilities. It will further postpone critical modernization efforts needed to deter China and other adversaries. The list goes on and on. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to oppose the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I would urge opposition to this. This amendment represents an unnecessary waste of taxpayer money and undermines the judgment of our military commanders. I urge a ``no'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to oppose this effort. It could stop procurement of critical systems needed to counter China. It could delay construction of military housing projects, and it could stop work on vital programs to improve the safety of ships, aircrafts, and combat vehicles. Mr. Speaker, this is a bad amendment. I urge all Members to oppose it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, this amendment completely undermines the existing contractor debarment processes at DOD. Federal contractors and subcontractors are already required to comply with the National Labor Relations Act. There are already tools to bring contractors into compliance. This amendment takes the decision out of the hands of the contracting officer to determine whether or not a contractor is responsible. Something as small as a single paperwork violation would prohibit DOD from contracting with a company. This is an unprecedented prohibition that exists nowhere else in the Federal Government. It is a departure from the processes we use to prevent contracting with bad actors and would undermine our national security. If enacted, this would severely limit the Department's ability to contract for goods and services needed to support the warfighter and execute critical mission sets around the globe. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to oppose the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen).

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, this amendment demolishes the good order and discipline of the military and should be rejected. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7900, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023. H.R. 7900 represents a truly bipartisan bill. I thank Chairman Smith for his tremendous leadership and cooperation in helping to fashion it. Over the last year, we have seen the best of our soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, and guardians. They performed in the toughest environments and have done so with the greatest level of skill and professionalism. Without a doubt, these men and women are the greatest force for good the world has ever seen. Providing the authorities and resources our warfighters need to defend our Nation is the greatest responsibility we have in Congress. We fulfilled that responsibility with this NDAA. We put our servicemembers first, providing a 4.6 percent pay increase and expanding benefits for military spouses and families. To counteract the effects of record inflation on our servicemembers and their families, our bill provides an additional 2.4 percent bonus to enlisted personnel. It includes an additional $500 million for housing allowances to offset the skyrocketing rents and an additional $750 million to reduce the price of food and other necessities at our military commissaries. The investments we make in this bill are focused on ensuring our warfighters are the best equipped and trained in the world. We increased funding for readiness, reversing cuts in our military construction and housing projects; expanding training availabilities for servicemembers; and improving the safety of the ships, aircraft, combat vehicles, and facilities where our warfighters serve. To ensure our warfighters prevail on future battlefields, we focused on modernization. That means divesting less capable legacy systems and investing in emerging technologies that will help us stay ahead of our adversaries. This bill saves the taxpayer over $6 billion by divesting hundreds of older, less capable ships, aircraft, and other legacy systems. We use those savings and more to invest in emerging technologies such as AI, quantum computing, hypersonic weapons, and autonomous systems. These investments are so critical because China and Russia are rapidly modernizing their militaries. China is outpacing us with advancements in emerging technologies and weapons systems, and we know China isn't building these capabilities purely for defense. In recent years, we have seen China use its military to push out its borders, threaten our allies, and gain footholds on new continents. H.R. 7900 is laser-focused on preparing our military to prevail in a conflict with China. It makes critical investments in new systems capable of surviving in contested environments. It includes provisions that will further harden our supply chain and industrial base against infiltration from China. It reaffirms our support to allies in the region, especially Taiwan. It also strengthens our European alliance as these democracies face grave threats from the unhinged crackpot currently leading Russia. Threats from adversaries like China and Russia are not the only ones we face. Terrorists continue to plot to destroy our way of life. We must continue to take the fight to them anywhere at any time they threaten us. With strong investments in new capabilities and readiness, this bill enables our warfighters to do just that. This bill passed out of our committee 57-1, with all Republicans voting for it. It is the definition of a bipartisan bill. It will enhance the congressional oversight of DOD, improve the quality of life for our servicemembers and families, and ensure the military is properly resourced and equipped to defend our Nation and its allies. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to vote for this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, this amendment is a misuse of funds and resources on behalf of the DOD. As my colleague from California just referenced, this bill already includes funding increases for a myriad of civilian harm programs. There is already $5 million for the Center of Excellence in Civilian Harm Mitigation and $4 million for the Commission on Civilian Harm. This amendment diverts critical dollars needed to ensure the readiness of our servicemembers to fulfill unnecessary paperwork requirements. Worst of all, it creates additional bureaucrats throughout the DOD whose job it is to second-guess the judgment of our military commanders. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to oppose the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this question are postponed. Amendment No. 20 Offered by Ms. Tlaib

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, in closing, this amendment guts the bill. It harms our servicemembers and their families. It severely weakens our ability to defend ourselves and our allies. Given Putin's atrocities in Ukraine and the increasing threats we face in China, Iran, North Korea, and other adversaries, this is the worst time to start slashing defense spending. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to oppose the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this legislation.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.