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Floor Speech
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Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, as we move forward with the National Defense Authorization Act, I want to say a little bit about why it is so important that we get this done.
Over the last several months, the administration and all of us in the Senate--with particular thanks to Chair Reed and Ranking Member Wicker--have worked hard to deliver a bill that will keep our country safe.
There is a lot in this bill, and we all know about some of the big stuff. This year's NDAA will better position us to deter conflict in the Indo-Pacific, strengthen our cyber security capabilities, help us acquire next-gen microelectronics to keep our military competitive, extend our security assistance to Ukraine, and authorize other programs that support our national defense.
These are all reasons that I support this legislation, but I want to highlight a couple of provisions that are just as important and are focused on taking care of the people who serve our country--civilian and military--and underscore the need for accountability. People are the glue that holds everything together, and they are why we have a strong national defense. Some of these provisions are included in this bill, but others we are still working on to include in the final package.
One provision we worked to secure in this bill deals directly with the State of Hawaii. When the Department of the Navy's Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility leaked jet fuel into the water system on the island of Oahu, many were exposed to contaminated water. Although we are on a path to defuel and permanently close the facility, we still do not have an accurate accounting of those affected.
This year's Defense authorization includes my bill establishing a registry to track and collect health data from those who were exposed to the fuel leak. This is a meaningful step to continue to deliver resources to community members, servicemembers, and military families and monitor long-term health concerns. This leak should have never happened, but now we need to do everything we can to help those who have been impacted.
A key provision we are still working to include in the final package will help us to better protect the most vulnerable among us--kids. In 2018, the Department of Defense's internet network was ranked 19th out of almost 3,000 nationwide networks in the amount of peer-to-peer child pornography shared--19th out of 3,000. The ranking remains shocking and unacceptable, but it was not entirely unexpected. A 2006 investigation by Federal law enforcement officials found that 5,000 individuals-- 5,000 individuals, including hundreds affiliated with the Department of Defense--subscribed to websites that contained child sexual abuse images and videos.
Out of those 5,000 people, 80 percent of them were not investigated-- 80 percent of them were not investigated. That is because the military lacked the capacity and the resources needed to follow up on leads, coordinate with local and Federal law enforcement, and prosecute the criminals.
So Senator Murkowski and I went to work and authored a bill that would give the DOD the tools that they needed to address this problem. The END Network Abuse Act received bipartisan support and was included in the 2020 Defense bill, clearing the way for DOD to act. But it is almost 4 years later, and the DOD has been maddeningly slow to implement this law.
This cannot wait any further. My amendment would simply compel the Department of Defense to implement this law immediately. We cannot afford to let another day, another month, another 4 years go by without addressing this matter. The stakes are too high, and we already have a Federal law.
While these provisions aren't the most attractive to cable news--they are not leading the headlines or national papers--they directly impact our greatest national security asset: our people. Talking about our national defense priorities means nothing if we neglect to support the people who make it possible. We have to continue to honor our commitment to care for them, whether it is through quality healthcare, protecting the most vulnerable, or keeping ourselves accountable to those who serve. Our job in Congress is to deliver for them, and that means passing a final bill. Executive Calendar
Mr. President, on a different but related topic, later today, some of my colleagues, including Chair Reed and Senator Kelly, will speak on the critical topic of our military promotions and the crisis currently caused by their delay here in the Senate by the obstruction of a few Republican Senators.
For example, for the first time in over 100 years, we have an Acting Commandant of the Marine Corps. The service that is reorganizing to better compete in the Indo-Pacific--the region that we all say we need to prioritize--has no confirmed head. General Smith, the nominee and Acting Commandant, is a decorated servicemember, and there is no reason to delay his confirmation.
More than 250 career military promotions are being held up--250 career military promotions are being held up. This is hitting the morale of the forces, and it is causing a backlog in the chain of command. If Senator Tuberville wants to have a debate, let us debate on the floor. But to penalize the Armed Forces of the United States of America in this way is an abuse of the power of advice and consent.
Let's just be really clear. We don't vote on flag and general officer promotions. That is done in what they call a wrapup script, right? At the end of some evening, the leader or his designee reads a script and says, ``I ask that nominations numbered,'' and then he lists them or she lists them. And then all of those one stars become two stars and three stars become four stars and you have a new Commandant of the Marine Corps and the pack fleet commander moves from one star to two stars, whatever it is.
It is perfunctory because we are not in the position of making individual judgments. We don't have the time or the expertise to make individual judgments about 250 flag and general officers, the people who oversee every service branch.
So the idea that we should sit here and burn up postcloture time and turn the Senate into the personnel committee for the Department of Defense is antithetical to the idea of advice and consent. And, yes, every Senator has enormous power. I could probably block the Defense bill this week if I wanted to. But I won't. You know why? Because I am not a maniac; because I understand that when you vest someone through your voters with this kind of power, you have to be very careful how you exercise it.
In my 11-odd years, I blocked one or two things. And when I block something, people know I am serious. I have never--and I know no one of the current 100 Senators besides Senator Tuberville and no one else before him--I have never seen this in my life.
This is a breaking of the Department of Defense, and this is a breaking of the basic understanding that, hey, we are going to vest each other with the kind of authority that is pretty enormous, right? But in exchange, you have to use that power wisely. In exchange, you have to use that power wisely.
Senator Tuberville is mad about an abortion issue, and so he is preventing all of these general and flag officers from getting their promotions. It is bad for morale; it is bad for the chain of command; and it is also bad for these individual families.
You have people who have to make basic choices: real estate decisions. Am I renting a condo or not? Where am I living? I am not even sure. Where should I enroll my kids in school? I don't know. My whole life depends on when Senator Tuberville decides that this craziness is over.
It has to end. It is bad for the country; it is bad for the Senate; and it is bad for the U.S. Armed Forces.
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