Conference Report on H.R. National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this year's NDAA.

I am pleased that we were able to work in a bipartisan fashion to finalize the Senate's State Department Authorization bill for inclusion in this year's NDAA. In late 2021, during my chairmanship of the Foreign Affairs Committee, we shepherded--through the House, into a conferenced NDAA, and ultimately onto the President's desk--the first comprehensive State Department Authorization bill to become law in nearly 20 years. The passage of this year's bill will make three in a row.

The bill includes many important provisions--including to: stand up a fellowship program in honor of our late colleague John Lewis and a transatlantic leadership institute; authorize support and economic diplomacy to public diplomacy and beyond.

The NDAA also includes important provisions related to the implementation of the AUKUS trilateral security partnership. By leveraging the shared capabilities of the U.S., Australia, and the U.K., the United States and its allies can shape a free and open Indo- Pacific for years to come.

The Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee painstakingly and carefully negotiated the AUKUS compromise text included in this NDAA. The compromise text includes support for the families of Americans wrongfully detained around the globe, and ensures that State Department personnel have the flexibilities and authorities they need to succeed in their work--from cyber helps advance this critical agreement and includes both Pillar 1 legislation to support the transfer of Virginia-class submarines to Australia, and shared financial and training efforts. It also includes bipartisan legislation supporting Pillar 2 of AUKUS, which provides a sound way forward for ensuring cutting-edge defense technology cooperation can advance while maintaining critical safeguards and regulations.

This year's NDAA was not perfect. I am disappointed outbound investment regulations were not included, and I support moving the McCaul-Meeks bipartisan bill to the floor immediately to address this crucial issue.

Nonetheless, the NDAA is once again the product of a serious bipartisan work accomplished during conference, so I support the legislation and urge all my colleagues to do the same.

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