Transcript of Pelosi Floor Speech on the National Defense Authorization Act

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks on the Floor of the House of Representatives in support of H.R. 7776, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023. Below are the Speaker's remarks:

Speaker Pelosi. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, for recognition. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for yielding and thank you for your tremendous leadership to protect and defend the American people and our Constitution. Thank you for your kind words that my colleague representing San Francisco, Jackie Speier, for her leadership on behalf of the men and women in uniform.

And you, Mr. Speaker, thank you. What an honor it is to speak on this important legislation with you in the Chair, a champion for the security of the American people, whether on the Armed Services Committee, the Intelligence Committee, other initiatives, whether it's cybersecurity or the rest. You have been a leader. You've taught us a lot about your areas of expertise and more. And because of you, we were able, on one of the anniversaries of the ADA, to change the infrastructure of the House so that you could preside. You were the first to preside, and now as we come to the end of your service and your leadership in the Congress, not in the world, that you should be in the Chair. It's an honor to all of us. You bring honor to this Congress, to that position, and I thank you for your service and your leadership, Mr. Langevin of Rhode Island.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this year's strong, bipartisan, bicameral National Defense Authorization Act, the foundation of America's national security priorities. This legislation honors our fundamental charge under the United States Constitution: to ‘provide for the common defense.' That's why Democrats have fought tirelessly to invest in our nation's greatest sources of strength: from our heroic servicemen and women and their families to promoting American leadership around the globe.

Thank you – thanks to the distinguished Chair of the Armed Services Committee, Adam Smith as well as the Ranking Member, Mike Rogers, and all the Members of the Committee and staff for your tireless work assembling this bipartisan, bicameral legislative package. It makes it stronger, its bipartisanship. For – I would just like to say some of the things in the legislation, because as our country grows and needs are greater, the cost goes up as well. But how those resources are prioritized is very important for our colleagues, who are making it for the public, to whom we are held accountable, to understand our definition of strength, and that starts with a deeply deserved 4.6 percent pay raise to ease the sting of inflation for our men and women in uniform. We're also empowering the Pentagon to raise the basic housing allowance, bringing down food prices by directing more funding to commissaries and expanding support for child care so that meeting the personal needs of our personnel is so very important, and this legislation does just that.

Building on the sweeping progress in last year's NDAA to combat sexual assault in the military, this year, we require independently-trained investigators outside the immediate chain of command to investigate claims of sexual harassment as well, and our colleague Jackie Speier was important in all of that. And importantly, we blocked an anti-choice demand to eliminate the right to travel to access legal abortion for servicemembers stationed in a state that criminalizes reproductive health. Because for Democrats, health freedom is a value for every woman everywhere.

Additionally, this legislation delivers a record amount of funding for research and development at America's HBCUs and steers additional funding to other minority-serving institutions. This is so important, because Democrats and now Republicans know that we must build a diverse, inclusive national security work force, one reflective of our nation. By investing in these essential engines of opportunity, we expand the talent pipeline and make sure our nation's brightest minds will help solve our nation's toughest national security challenges with inclusiveness, with diversity, with our best.

At the same time, we are investing in America's global preeminence. It's a national security imperative to honor our troops with cutting-edge technologies, equipping them to tackle complex 21st Century threats. You know this so well, Mr. Speaker, as does our Chair and Ranking Member. And we are harnessing the power of clean energy to ensure our defense facilities and vehicle fleets are resilient to climate change. Meanwhile, we are nurturing our growing semiconductor industry, which we reinvigorated earlier this year with the CHIPS and Science Act. Now, the NDAA will require government contracts to use CHIPS Made in America, creating good-paying jobs here at home, securing our supply chains and bolstering our economic competitiveness. This year, NDAA also makes robust progress to promote American leadership in the global arena.

The safety of families here at home depends on international security and stability. So with this legislation, we ensure that America and our allies maintain a military and qualitative edge in strategic regions across the world. Investing more than $11 billion in the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, $6 for the billion European Deterrence Initiative and further support for Ukraine' fight for freedom through the Ukraine Security Assistance Act – Initiative.

Indeed, Democrats know that the security of our nation is not only measured in our military might, but in the health, strength and our well-being and the respect we have for our partners.

And as I draw to conclusion – I didn't say close – I just want to salute the people of Ukraine for their courage. President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine for fighting for their Democracy, they are fighting for ours and the Democracies of their neighbors in Europe as well and really throughout the world. So we have a moral responsibility, as well as a practical one, to support our Ukraine initiatives.

Importantly, there are two additional provisions that Democrats fought to attach to this legislation. The first is a version of [the] Federal Firefighters Fairness Act, a long-sought Democratic priority to make it easier for federally-employed firefighters who contract certain diseases to qualify for federal workers' compensation. I call our firefighters our nobility. They risk their lives, putting their lives on the line to protect our families, our homes, our communities from devastation. With this provision, we take another step to deliver the benefits they are entitled to, that they have earned.

The second initiative – and very consequential – is the Oceans package. It's a very important and, I understand, bipartisan initiative, closely negotiated with military leaders. This bipartisan legislation is a force for America's national security and economic competitiveness. Four in ten Americans live in coastal counties, and the well-being of every family depends on strong, secure water sources. By taking action to conserve our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes, we are protecting jobs and businesses, ensuring resilient access to clean water and preserving aquatic life and their natural habitat. Our military leaders repeatedly have told us that the climate crisis is a top threat facing our nation. The climate crisis is a security issue. So we are also modernizing the NOAA Corps and securing more hurricane hunter aircrafts to help protect communities from extreme weather and climate disasters.

Mr. Speaker, today we are confronting threats to Democracy here and around the world. Again, I want to, in closing, once again salute President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine. Their fight for Democracy is ours as well. We have not only a moral but also a strategic responsibility to continue to support their fearless fight, as we do in this legislation.

In order to uphold our sacred responsibility and ensure that Americans are safe and America is secure, I urge a strong, bipartisan vote for the NDAA. Then we will send it to the Senate and onto the President to become the law of the land. My understanding is that there is agreement between the House and the Senate in a bipartisan way as we send this on. Thank you, Mr. Rogers, for your great leadership in all of this.

On a separate note, we are overjoyed that Brittney Griner is on her way home after the President's tireless, focused work to secure her release. Earlier today, we passed the Marriage Protection Act, and we are so happy that she will be joining her wife when she comes home.

Again, the Congress remains firmly committed to supporting the Administration as it continues to work to secure the release of Paul Whelan and all those who Putin has unjustly detained. I just saw on the news as I was coming over here that Paul Whelan said the President made the right decision, to get Brittney, trade for that, and then keep the focus to get him to be free.

With that, again, I salute the Chair Smith and Ranking Member Rogers for their great leadership in accomplishing a bipartisan, strong bill that, again, keeps our country strong and measures our might in terms of our hardware, of course, but also in terms of the people who keep us strong. We're deeply in their debt.

With that, I urge a strong, bipartisan vote and yield back the balance of my time. Thank you.