Ranking Member McCollum Statement at Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request for the Department of Defense Hearing
Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-GA), Ranking Memberof the Defense Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks at the subcommittee's fiscal year 2024 budget request for the Department of Defense hearing:
**As prepared for delivery**
Thank you, Mr. Chairman
I would also like to welcome Secretary Austin, General Milley, and Undersecretary McCord.
General Milley, as this will likely be your last appearance before the Subcommittee, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you, and your family, for your forty-three years of dedicated service to the nation.
For Fiscal Year 2024, the President has proposed $825.3 billion within our subcommittee’s jurisdiction.
This is a 3.2 percent increase above what was enacted in Fiscal Year 2023.
The budget request builds upon the work of the last Congress.
It ensures that America meets our pacing threats, and meets the needs of our service men and women, and their families.
The modest increase proposed for Fiscal Year 2024 is consistent with the National Defense Strategy.
And I would point out that if we review the growth of the Defense bill from Fiscal Year 2022 to now – we see a nearly $100 billion increase - or 11.8 percent.
Each one of these dollars represents an increased effort to defend and deter threats to our nation.
But I would argue that we have more than adequately resourced the Defense Department in recent years.
And we must be both realistic and careful about continuing the trend of inflating defense spending well beyond the Administration’s request.
Congress must be better about making hard choices when it comes to the defense budget.
We cannot continue to fund out of date legacy systems that are: no longer relevant, not survivable, or too costly to maintain both in dollars and in the personnel required to maintain them.
Instead, we must prioritize the modernization of our force and investments in emerging technologies like quantum computing and artificial intelligence which will drive decision-making and the future of modern combat.
The Appropriations Committee must also remember that we are only as strong abroad as we are here at home.
The previous Congress and the Biden administration made two years of key investments in the American people.
In transportation and clean energy, in health care, and education and workforce development.
If we fail to continue investing in the American people, then not only will we fail the next generation of Americans, but we will also be unable to capitalize on investments in our defense budget that require a strong American workforce.
If we want to support our shipyards, our aerospace industry, and our microelectronic industrial base, then we have got to make sure we are investing in the inputs that support those industrial efforts – our people.
To put it plainly, we cannot afford to fund the Defense bill on the backs of the other 11 appropriations bills.
And speaking of here at home, I want to commend Secretary Austin and the Department for the recent reproductive healthcare policy decision.
The Department’s policy is legal, fair, and will provide our service women and their families with the healthcare they are entitled to.
Turning back to the FY24 defense request, I was encouraged to see the increase for climate change efforts.
Resiliency at our installations is vital to our ability to train to win.
As this request will track to industry trends and standards, I look forward to hearing how these funds will empower our military in the future.
Finally, you all know how concerned I am about our efforts in the Arctic and the challenges we face from our adversaries there.
I look forward to hearing how the budget will support the strategies for not only Europe and the Indo-Pacific, but also how threats in the Arctic will be addressed.
Secretary Austin, General Milley, and Undersecretary McCord, thank you for your service to the country and for appearing here today.
With that, I yield back.