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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke at the Senate Republican leadership press conference in strong support of the National Defense Authorization Act raising the topline defense spending level more than $25 billion above the president’s budget request. Thune urged Majority Leader Schumer to bring the bill to the floor as quickly as possible and to allow a robust amendment process on the floor.

On the National Defense Authorization Act:

“The most important job we have as elected officials is the safety and security of the American people. And so I was very pleased to see Senator Wicker and members of the Senate Armed Services Committee last week, in a big bipartisan way, pass out legislation that increases the topline, the defense topline, by $25 billion.

“I've always said if you don't get national security right, the rest is really conversation. And I think it's critically important, for all the reasons that the leader mentioned, we've got a land war in Europe, we have – Israel is at war with Hamas terrorists and Iranian proxy groups, China is increasingly aggressive. These all represent threats to the United States of America and to our people.

“And so it is critical, in my view, that the Senate take up the National Defense Authorization Act, and I would hope that Senator Schumer would decide to do that. I'm hoping that's the case, but if, you know, past is prologue, he will push this and try and push it to the end of the year. I don't think that accords it the priority that it deserves.

“I think that this legislation needs to be on the floor of the United States Senate with a robust amendment process so individual senators have an opportunity to come and have their voices heard in this very important legislation.

“But the one thing, I think, that is clear in all this, that is that there are some things that are more important than politics. And national security happens to be one of them.

“We're doing a bunch of – a series of show votes. We're voting on all kinds of things that are not going anywhere. There's no objective or intention to make law or to have any of these things enacted. They're all political show votes because this is an election season.

“America's national security is not a political issue. It is the number one issue when it comes to defending the safety and security of the American people, and Congress should act like it.”