Ranking Member Betty McCollum Statement at the United States Navy and Marine Corps Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request Hearing

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks at the Subcommittee’s hearing on the fiscal year 2024 budget request for the United States Navy and Marine Corps:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Secretary Del Toro, Admiral Gilday, General Berger, thank you for testifying with us today. Admiral Gilday and General Berger, I understand this may be your last appearance before the subcommittee in your current roles. I want to take the opportunity to thank you and your families for your decades of dedicated service to our nation.

The Department of the Navy’s budget request reflects the enormity of your mission to protect America. The $256 billion, including military construction, this is the largest request we’ve seen yet.

The Navy and Marine Corps work together to solve and address some of our most pressing challenges. You are at the forefront of all we do in China as it continues to spread its influence around the world, and you play a prominent role in dealing with threats you address from Russia, Iran, and North Korea. You must also train, equip, and ensure the readiness of hundreds of thousands of active duty, reserve personnel, and civilians.

While the hearing today will cover a range of topics, I want to highlight a few that are important to me. The first is the well-being and mental health of our sailors and Marines. I raised this issue last year and I am interested to learn about the progress you’ve made on suicide prevention, child care, and family programs.

I also want to raise the ongoing transformation of the military health system. In our hearing last week, Secretary Austin and Chairman Milley, articulated some of their concerns about how this is proceeding, and Members continue to be alarmed about reductions in medical care and lost national medical capacity that’s taking place nationally. We know this is not the Navy’s problem alone, but I think the Committee would like to get your thoughts on it.

The second priority is climate change. I am pleased to see the increased request for resources, but I believe the Department still has a long way to go to meet the resilience targets necessary to secure our installations. I am particularly concerned about how climate change is impacting not only our bases but also, the geopolitics of the Arctic.

I am also glad to see that the Marine Corps is making important advances in energy efficiency. Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany in Georgia was the first in the Department to achieve net zero electricity status. That’s a big deal. Congratulations. I hope other bases will follow your lead.

I am also interested to hear an update on ship and submarine maintenance issues. Our public and private shipyard backlogs remain high, too high, and the shipbuilding industrial base continues to face production delays and capacity challenges.

Finally, being stewards of good taxpayer dollars doesn’t just mean that we should be judicious about how we allocate our funding, but we must also be able to track it and ensure that it is spent in a manner consistent with the law.

We do this by ensuring that the Navy and the Marine Corps can achieve a clean audit opinion. I want to thank you for your focus on this as you work to overcome some of your audit challenges.

Again, thank you to our witnesses for appearing before us today. I look forward to your testimony and answers to our questions. With that, I yield back.