Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), House Armed Services Committee ranking member, spoke on the House floor regarding H.R. 335, which would grant a statutory exception to allow retired General Lloyd Austin to serve as the Secretary of Defense.
"I voted for the waiver for General Mattis, and I will vote for the waiver for General Austin. For me, that is fair - a waiver for a Republican president and a Democrat president. But I stand here frustrated with a dysfunctional process," Rogers said.
FULL VIDEO HERE
Floor remarks as prepared for delivery:
Madame/Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I want to take a minute to thank the men and women of the National Guard for the tremendous job they've done to keep us all safe over the past two weeks.
I especially want to thank the 750 men and women of the Alabama National Guard for being here. Once again, these citizen soldiers left their homes, jobs, and families behind to respond to the call of duty. Although it's unfortunate that we needed them here at all, we certainly appreciate their service.
Madame/Mr. Speaker, I firmly believe that each president deserves the opportunity to fill their cabinet as they see fit. And I agree it's important to confirm President Biden's national security team as soon as possible, especially given the grave threats our nation faces.
Four years ago, this House provided a process to consider a waiver for General Mattis. We were all disappointed when General Mattis did not appear before the Armed Services Committee. Yet, the Armed Services Committee still convened and held a public markup of the waiver, which passed without a single vote from my Democrat colleagues. Then, the full House debated and voted on the waiver.
This time around, the Armed Services Committee was excluded from the process by the Democrat leadership of this House. This was not a decision made by Chairman Smith, who wanted a public hearing as much as I did. There has been no public hearing. No markup of the waiver. No opportunity for amendments.
Just four years ago, Democrat leadership told us how important it was to follow regular order and allow the Armed Services Committee to consider the Mattis waiver.
Speaker Pelosi said "The American people are entitled to regular order and thoughtful scrutiny of nominees and any potential waivers."
Majority Leader Hoyer said, "The committee has a right and a responsibility to inquire of General Mattis why he thinks there ought to be a waiver."
I guess this time around, they don't feel the same way.
Madame/Mr. Speaker, Civilian control of the military is a fundamental tenet of our Republic. It's rooted in our Constitution. The law prohibiting recently retired military from serving as Secretary of Defense was enacted shortly after World War II to uphold this principle.
In nearly 75 years, the law has only been waived twice - for Generals Marshall and Mattis. This will be the third. But it didn't need to be this way.
There is a strong pool of diverse civilians and former military leaders with the qualifications and experience to serve as Secretary. President Biden could have selected from this talent pool, but he chose not to do so.
I voted for the waiver for General Mattis, and I will vote for the waiver for General Austin. For me, that is fair - a waiver for a Republican president and a Democrat president. But I stand here frustrated with a dysfunctional process.
President Trump and President Biden forced Congress into these situations, made worse this time around by the Speaker's decision to ignore regular order.
Congress should not have to entertain these waivers. Presidents need to follow the law as written. They need to stop asking Congress to waive this statute. And we certainly shouldn't be forced to do so outside of regular order.
If presidents don't think the law matters, then we need to address this waiver issue in this year's NDAA.
Madame/Mr. Speaker, America faces extraordinary threats from strategic competitors like China and Russia, rogue nations like Iran and North Korea, as well as terrorists and other transnational enemies.
It is more critical now than ever to strengthen our military, address mounting readiness problems, and modernize our conventional and nuclear forces to defeat these threats.
I believe General Austin understands the threats we face. I believe he respects the principle of civilian control. I believe he will stand up to the efforts of many in the Democrat majority who seek to slash defense funding and rewrite our defense strategy.
I just hope the rest of the Biden Administration shares his commitment to providing our men and women in uniform the resources they need to successfully defend our nation.
I reserve the balance of my time.
###
