U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, delivered the following opening remarks at a hearing on the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) budget request for the Department of Defense.
Chairman Rogers' remarks as prepared for delivery:
Over the last two months, we've heard from each of our Combatant Commanders that the threats we face today are more complex and more formidable than at any point in the last 30 years.
They each raised grave concerns about how China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are working together to reduce America's global influence, harm our alliances, and undermine our national security.
Iran and North Korea are arming Russia with deadly effect in Ukraine.
And China's "no limits" partnership with Russia is paying off for both countries.
Russia is getting critical economic assistance, rocket motors, and microelectronics from China.
Putin is using the assistance to keep his economy afloat and to produce the missiles, aircraft, and other weaponry that is devastating Ukraine.
China is getting cheap oil, and vital missile technology, and enriched uranium from Russia.
Xi is using the assistance to help his economy recover and to fuel his breathtaking buildup of space-based and nuclear weapons.
China is also buying over a million barrels of oil a day from Iran in defiance of western sanctions.
The Ayatollah is using the oil revenues to fund his nuclear ambitions, arm his terrorist proxies, and launch an unprecedented and unjustified direct attack on Israel.
Putin, Xi, Kim, and the Ayatollah are testing the credibility of American deterrence and the strength of our alliances.
After witnessing the President's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and his handwringing approach to providing lethal aid to Ukraine, they sense weakness in America resolve.
We can't leave them with that impression.
And we can't let them continue to get away with their malign actions.
We must restore American deterrence.
But to do so we need a budget that will enable us to that.
We need a budget that supports the rapid modernization of our military.
A budget that fully funds readiness to ensure we can fight tonight.
And a budget that will improve the quality of life of our servicemembers so we can recruit and retain the most lethal fighting force on the planet.
Unfortunately, this budget doesn't achieve those goals.
The one percent increase it proposes is entirely inadequate.
It's actually a two percent cut when you factor in inflation.
But this is the hand dealt to us by the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
As we move into markup of the FY25 NDAA, we will play the hand dealt to us.
But we all need to understand the risk to our national security that this level of investment presents.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses about what this budget means for our military readiness, our modernization timelines, and our efforts to improve servicemember quality of life.
And most importantly, what this budget means for our ability to deter our increasingly undeterred adversaries.
