U.S. Representative Michael Waltz (R-FL), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Readiness, delivered the following opening statement at the full committee markup for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023. The Subcommittee's mark is available here.
Rep. Waltz's remarks as prepared for delivery:
Thank you Chairman Garamendi. I'd like to echo your comments, especially regarding the bipartisanship that has driven the process thus far. Over the past several days, Readiness has received over 130 amendments covering issues like military infrastructure, sustainment, and quality of life for military personnel and their families among many other topics.
The primary job of the Readiness Subcommittee is to ensure our troops have the resources they need to execute their missions today and be prepared to meet the threats of tomorrow.
To that end, I have consistently shared concerns with the President Biden's topline. The President failed to request a budget that kept up with actual inflation, signaling a lack of support for our Services against an increasingly complex global threat landscape.
Most importantly, it fails to keep pace with the Chinese Communist Party, and only emboldens their rapid military buildup. I hope we will remedy these deficiencies in a bipartisan manner later today.
Other amendments considered this afternoon will enhance the readiness of the national security enterprise. They build on the issues and themes already reflected in our underlaying mark such as contested logistics challenges with strategic competitors; resiliency; weapons systems sustainment and affordability; and support for our Organic Industrial Base among others.
I'd like to thank the staff for working tirelessly the past several days and months. Jeanine Womble, Melanie Harris and Wendell Wright, as well as Kyle Noyes, Dave Seinicki and Whitney Verret. And of course, our Clerk, Naajidah Khan.
I again want to thank the committee Members for their engagement, and for their continued involvement as we work toward enacting another NDAA. I look forward to today's debates and voting on the final product.
