Ranking Member McCollum Statement to Rules Committee on Defense Funding Bill

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN-04), Ranking Member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks to the House Rules Committee in opposition to the fiscal year 2025 Defense appropriations bill:

Thank you, Chairman Burgess, and Ranking Member McGovern.

The Fiscal Year 2025 Defense Appropriations Act totals $833 billion, slightly over President Biden’s budget request.

I appreciate that the bill conforms to the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

However, I do have deep concerns with this bill, and how it will impact our military’s readiness and unit cohesion.

Like past generations who fought for the ideals espoused in the Constitution, we need to foster a climate in our military that appreciates and supports ALL Americans who take the oath to serve. 

Unfortunately, at this time - this bill does not reflect that sentiment.

The Fiscal Year 2025 Department of Defense Appropriations bill presented to us today repeats the same mistakes as the FY 2024 House proposal.

Once again, this bill includes partisan social policy riders that were just rejected in the FY24 conference agreement.

And the inclusion of those riders in the process last year, led to several Continuing Resolutions that spanned over five months of this fiscal year.

Our national security cannot afford to waste another five months as we did previously.

Once again, the bill limits the ability of Service personnel and their families to receive the reproductive health care they deserve.

I would remind my colleagues that women make up almost 20 percent of the military services.  

And approximately 80,000 women service members live in a state that has limited or banned access to reproductive health care – none of whom can choose where they are stationed.

I have an amendment submitted that would strike this rider, and I urge the Rules Committee to make it in order so that our service members and their families get the debate they deserve.

Once again, there are offensive provisions that disenfranchise lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender service members rather than making our military a welcoming and inclusive place for all those who wish to serve our country.

Yet again, there are provisions included in this bill that needlessly attack diversity and inclusion efforts at the Department.

Our military is the only institution in our country that most broadly reflects the entire American population.

We know we are facing recruitment challenges in the Services.

But we did hear from the Army and Navy this year and they are seeing improvements in their recruiting numbers.

That is great news.

So why would we want to include provisions that might dissuade any American, regardless of background, from taking the oath of service – and offering to put their life on the line for all of us.

Beyond contentious social policy, there are other elements of this bill that I cannot support.

First, the bill continues to treat climate change as if it is not happening and is not a national security threat – which we know for a fact that it is.

And we’ve seen the impact of severe weather events on installations year after year – look to Guam as a recent example.

Over $50 billion in repairs will be needed for the installations on Guam which were damaged by the typhoon last year.

With all the military construction funding going into Guam, the evidence of infrastructure vulnerability on the island is even more clear.

Cutting climate programs harms resiliency, and we will pay for it on the back end.

Second, the bill cuts the funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.

I recently met with President Zelenskyy, and he expressed how grateful the Ukrainian people were that the United States had finally delivered additional ammunition to help Ukraine repel Putin’s illegal invasion.

This bill should have included the long-term assistance that Ukraine needs – funding that has been in the bill since 2016.

This funding signals that the West stands with them in their fight for their own self-determination.

And it is the assistance that will continue to enhance the Ukrainian military’s ability to work with NATO forces.

But failure to continue funding what has been a long-standing, bipartisan initiative to support Ukraine sends a terrible signal.

It will only embolden Putin.

And why in heaven’s name would any of us want to give Putin an advantage?

Third, the bill again limits the ability for our government to address disinformation.

Our foreign adversaries use social media to spread disinformation here at home in the United States.

This bill deprives the Department of their responsibility to set facts straight.

This is dangerous, and it would have real national security implications here at home and abroad.

Every member in this room knows what needs to happen for this bill to become law.

The partisan riders need to come out so the bill can get bipartisan support.

It was deeply unfortunate we had to waste half of Fiscal Year 2024 to learn that lesson.

I yield back.

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