Miners Protection Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. ROUNDS. Mr. President, my friend the Senator from Delaware has spoken very eloquently about the need to say thank you to our Members who work within TSA. I wish to speak in terms of members of the Armed Forces and to remind the people of America that we are free and we will be able to enjoy a very precious holiday season coming up because the men and women who wear that uniform are on the frontlines. It is their families who are making that sacrifice as they are away from home. We should keep all of them in our prayers and remember to say thank you to their families for the sacrifices they have made. Thank you to the men and women on the frontlines who keep us safe.

With that, as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I am pleased that we came together once again to pass the National Defense Authorization Act, a vital piece of legislation. It is a testament to the leadership of the chairmen and ranking members in the House and Senate that Members on both sides of the aisle have continued to work together to pass the NDAA again this year, and I thank them for their leadership.

It is important to continue this 55-year-plus tradition of passing the NDAA to show our troops and their families that they have our full support. As in years past, this year's NDAA includes policies to support our wounded warriors, our troops, and their families. It also provides our military with the tools needed to combat our enemies around the globe.

However, it is also the most significant defense reform legislation in decades. An example is its significant provisions to reform how the Department of Defense acquires new weapons.

Given that the No. 1 responsibility of the Federal Government is the defense of our Nation to keep Americans safe, it is reassuring that Congress has continued to pass the NDAA every year for over half a century.

To many Americans and even Members of Congress, the most visible manifestation of our NDAA is our combat vehicles, ships, and combat aircraft that have, with our outstanding servicemembers, made our Armed Forces second to none. Less visible are things such as training, maintenance, and adequate munitions, without which success on the battlefield would be in doubt.

I am pleased that this year's NDAA adequately authorizes funds for the DOD's operations and maintenance account, which provides the dollars for these vital but less visible functions.

The NDAA also stops the Department of Defense's proposed drawdown of an additional 15,000 soldiers, 2,000 marines, and approximately 4,000 airmen for fiscal year 2017.

Additionally, it addresses munitions shortfalls and provides funds for depot maintenance and facilities sustainment.

Importantly, it does not require women to register for the Selective Service and does not contain TRICARE prescription drug co-pay increases, both of which have been of concern to me and many other South Dakotans.

I am pleased it includes a number of provisions which I offered to address the serious cyber threat our Nation faces. One of those requires the President to define when an act in cyber space requires a military response. Another requires training for DOD hiring officials on how to use the special authorities Congress gave them to expedite the hiring of cyber security professionals and pay these civilian employees more than what is normally authorized for civil service.

I am also pleased that the conference report includes my mental health measure requiring the Department of Defense to more carefully monitor prescriptions dispensed at military treatment facilities for the treatment of PTSD.

I join my colleagues in urging the President to continue the decades-
long tradition of signing the NDAA into law. While we champion this year's bill, the most significant defense reform legislation in decades, we must extend our view beyond fiscal year 2017.

For the past 2 years, I have served as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, bearing witness to potential challenges that could threaten our national security if we do not address them now, including arbitrary budget caps. These arbitrary budget caps have forced the kinds of false choices that are potentially so devastating for our Armed Forces. In particular, we must avoid the false choice of paying for readiness while assuming risk for modernization or vice versa.

The American people expect us to adequately defend America next year and for every year to come. Job one in that regard is to remove the arbitrary budget caps and the threat of sequestration. Only by doing so can Congress fulfill its No. 1 responsibility--keeping Americans safe.

In closing, I thank Chairman McCain, Ranking Member Reed, my Armed Services Committee colleagues, and all of our staffs for the great legislation we had the honor to vote for today.

I yield the floor.

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