U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, delivered the following opening remarks at a House Committee on Rules hearing regarding the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24).
Chairman Rogers' remarks as prepared for delivery:
Chairman Cole, Ranking Member McGovern, members of the Committee, thank you for having me here today.
And thank you and your staff for helping us get the FY24 NDAA to the House floor.
I'd also like to thank Ranking Member Smith for his tremendous help in moving this bill forward.
I am very grateful to have him as a partner.
Congress has the Constitutional duty to provide for our common defense.
Every year, we fulfill that duty by passing the National Defense Authorization Act.
The FY24 NDAA provides our warfighters the resources and authorities they need to provide for the defense of our nation and that of our allies around the world.
Last week, Ranking Member Smith and I led a bipartisan delegation to Taiwan.
We heard directly from Taiwan's President about the escalating threats they're facing from the Chinese Communist Party.
We met with our allies and partners in Japan and the Philippines, who are seeking to strengthen our defense partnership in the face of growing Chinese aggression.
Finally, we met with the Indo-Pacific Commander who walked us through what he needs to keep pace with the Chinese military and properly defend ourselves and our allies.
What was clear from all these discussions was that the threat posed by China is real and represents the most pressing national security challenge we've faced in decades.
The FY24 NDAA was built with the underlying goal of deterring China.
• It provides new authorities and speeds the fielding of innovative new technologies like AI and hypersonics that will give us the advantage in a conflict with China. • It strengthens our security partnerships with Taiwan and Pacific allies. • It fully funds and expedites the modernization of our nuclear deterrent. • It builds a stronger and more capable missile defense. • It protects U.S. military bases, critical infrastructure, and academic research from Chinese encroachment and espionage. • It builds the logistics network in the Pacific the military needs to carry out operations against China. • And it includes new authorities to retool and revitalize the industrial base to ensure they can deliver the systems we need to prevail in any conflict.
Reorienting our defense to deter the threat from China will be an expensive endeavor.
But we acknowledge there are limits on what we can afford to spend.
That's why this NDAA is hyper focused on rooting out waste at the DoD.
If weapons systems are not responsive to the threats we face, we cut them.
In fact, the NDAA includes nearly $40 billion in savings from cutting systems that can't survive a conflict with China and by reigning in programs that have grown out of control.
We also penalize DoD and defense contractors for cost overruns.
We require the DoD IG to review major defense programs for waste and we create a new Special Inspector General to oversee all aid to Ukraine.
In the face of growing threats from China, it's critical we restore the military's focus on lethality.
The FY24 NDAA does so by bringing to an end divisive policies implemented by this administration that have hurt recruiting, unit cohesion, and military readiness.
It is also critical that we recruit and retain the most skilled fighting force on the planet.
That's why improving the quality of life for our servicemembers and their families remains our top priority.
The NDAA provides for the largest pay raise in 30 years and authorizes a bonus for the junior enlisted.
We strongly believe that NO military family should ever have to rely on welfare to get by.
• The FY24 NDAA increases allowances for housing and basic needs to counteract growing costs for food and housing. • It authorizes $200 million more than the President requested to build new barracks and family housing. • The bill expands access and significantly reduces the cost of childcare for military families. • It makes it easier for military spouses to find jobs when servicemembers transfer stations. • Finally, it improves the quality and delivery of military healthcare. • And we put an extra emphasis on expanding access to mental health services for servicemembers and their families.
This NDAA represents a truly bipartisan bill.
It passed out of Committee 58 to 1.
It executes on hundreds of hours of bipartisan oversight conducted by Members and staff over the past few months.
It will help build the ready, capable, and lethal fighting force we need to deter China and our other adversaries.
Finally, I have heard the concerns by Members on both sides that over the past several years, the NDAA has turned into an omnibus authorization bill filled with provisions that have little to do with defense.
In response, the bill before you today includes only provisions squarely within the jurisdiction of the Armed Services Committee.
Whether that policy continues as this bill moves to the floor is now up to you all.
However, as you consider which amendments to make in order, I would respectfully request that you focus on amendments that advance the security of our nation and the needs of our servicemembers.
