In Senate floor remarks, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) lamented the lack of Senate action on the National Defense Authorization Act.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Madam President, we shouldn't be here giving speeches about the National Defense Authorization
00:05Act.
00:07We should be here on the Senate floor voting on the National Defense Authorization Act.
00:12Once again, as he has done year after year since I've been here, Majority Leader Chuck
00:17Schumer is refusing to advance this critical bill to set the policy and funding levels
00:22for America's armed forces.
00:25Washington's failure to move legislation forward is always frustrating.
00:29But the Majority Leader's refusal to act on the NDAA, a bill which passed with strong
00:34bipartisan support out of the Armed Services Committee more than a month ago, is more than
00:39frustrating, it's actually dangerous.
00:42Every single day our enemies, Communist China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea are actively
00:48working with one single goal in mind, to dominate the world stage by destroying the American
00:54way of life.
00:56Without some of the good policy in the NDAA we passed out of the committee a month ago
01:00becoming law, Communist China has tools at its disposal to do great harm to our country.
01:08Our country has fallen into a trap of dependence on our enemies, like Communist China, for
01:13everything from drugs to food, and we've got to stop that today.
01:19When the Senate fails to quickly advance the NDAA, as Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has
01:23done year after year, it sends a strong message to our enemies that military strength and
01:28cutting dependence on our enemies is not a priority for the U.S. Congress.
01:33It's dangerous and unacceptable to allow that message to go out to the world, especially
01:38as we watch war after war erupt around the globe, thanks to the weakness and appeasement
01:43of the Biden-Harris administration.
01:46I hope we can all come together and recognize that we cannot be depending on Communist China
01:50for our medicine, to acknowledge our food, especially if we're at war.
01:55The time is now to get serious about securing U.S. interests and decoupling our supply chains
01:59from Communist China.
02:01As a body, we must demand action today.
02:05I'm a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, along with my colleague who's presiding,
02:10and the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Personnel, so I know firsthand how much
02:14hard work has gone into crafting a good bill that is essential to maintaining America's
02:19military as the most lethal fighting force on the planet.
02:24But this bill does so much more than that.
02:27The NDAA isn't simply a reauthorization of our military and support programs.
02:32This bill sets the policy that ensures America's armed forces are on the cutting edge of innovation
02:38to not just win wars, but to deter threats from our enemies, because they know they stand
02:42no chance of victory in a conflict with the United States.
02:47Try as they might to project weakness, President Biden and Vice President Harris thankfully
02:51do not have a hand in crafting this legislation.
02:55Thank God that's the case.
02:57Through the NDAA, we can ensure that the woke vision for the U.S. military that Biden and
03:02Harris wish for does not become reality.
03:06Nothing could be more important to protecting our nation and our men and women in uniform
03:11than that.
03:12Unfortunately, I fear that is the exact reason why Majority Leader continues to stall and
03:17refuses to bring this legislation to a vote on the Senate floor.
03:21The NDAA also ensures our military families are taken care of, as they make sacrifices
03:26each and every day to support our warfighters and keep America safe.
03:32Much of that work is reflected in the big wins we have in this NDAA for my home state
03:35of Florida.
03:36The U.S. military is incredibly important to Florida.
03:40We're home to 21 military bases and three unifying combatant commands, nearly 64,000
03:46active duty military, 38,000 reservists, and more than 1.5 million veterans.
03:53For our service members and their families, I fought aggressively in this NDAA to secure
03:58a 4.5 percent pay raise, along with many of my colleagues.
04:02We have continued our work to support military families and expand access to affordable on-base
04:06childcare by securing $3 million for Child Development Center construction in the Florida
04:12Panhandle.
04:13We have also included language in this bill to eliminate disgusting Chinese garlic from
04:17our on-base grocery stores, so no family feeding their family through our on-base commissaries
04:24is forced to buy Chinese sewer garlic.
04:27Remember, Chinese-grown garlic is widely reported to be grown in human sewage, then bleached
04:32and harvested in abhorrent conditions, often with slave labor.
04:36And with Russian warships roosting 90 miles off our shores, Communist China is building
04:40a spy base in Cuba and growing partnership between Communist China, Russia, and Iran
04:46with Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.
04:49We made sure that Homestead Air Force Base in South Florida will continue to serve a
04:53critical mission for years to come and protect our nation from the growing threats posed
04:57by our enemies in Latin America.
04:59I'm also proud to have personally fought for and secured bid wins for the United States
05:03against Communist China, including making sure the Department of Defense buys generic
05:07drugs made in the United States of America to cut dependence on our enemies for these
05:12essential medicines.
05:14We cannot continue to rely on enemies like Communist China for essential medicines.
05:19Through this NDA, I'm also fighting to stop the Department of Defense purchase of Chinese
05:24computers and printers, which pose a threat to our national security when connected to
05:29secure networks.
05:31Passing this bill will prevent the DOD from procuring LiDAR technology for manned or unmanned
05:36systems from companies based in Communist China, and thus grant an explicit congressional
05:40approval.
05:41It also supports research and development efforts to enhance the United States' commercial
05:45space-based LiDAR capabilities.
05:47We will authorize a report on the operational value of the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, given
05:54the concerning relationship the government of Qatar has with Hamas and other terrorist
05:59organizations, as well as the continuing hostility to the State of Israel and other U.S. interests.
06:05And thank God one of the leaders of Hamas is not alive today.
06:10As we provide support for Israel, America's great ally and the only democracy in the Middle
06:13East, with U.S.-Israel counter-tunneling cooperation, and an increase of $47.5 million for U.S.-Israel
06:23cooperation on emerging technology, Madam President, the United States is at a critical
06:28moment where military strength is essential to preserving our national security and fending
06:33off the threats of tyranny and terrorism that are rising around the globe.
06:37The NDA reflects what must be done to combat the threats posed by our enemies in Communist
06:42China, Iran, and Russia, protect our allies and partners in Israel, the Philippines, and
06:47across Europe, and protect and grow our military strength in Florida, where we have massive
06:51defense assets that are critical to our national security.
06:55A strong defense is key to protecting the freedoms that make America great.
06:59I will never lose sight of one of the most important roles I have as a U.S. Senator,
07:03to protect and serve the families of our great nation.
07:06I look forward to working closely with my colleagues to make sure we are protecting
07:09our national security and investing in America's greatest asset, the men and women of our armed
07:14forces.
07:15I want to thank Chairman Reid, Ranking Member Wicker, and all my colleagues on the Armed
07:19Services Committee for their leadership on these important issues.
07:22I am proud of the work we have done and again call for Majority Leader Schumer to stop stalling
07:26now and put this bill on the floor today.
07:29We cannot afford to send any signal of weakness at this time of growing threats and instability
07:34around the globe.
07:35Thank you, Madam President.