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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke on the Senate floor about the importance of passing the National Defense Authorization Act. Thune noted that Majority Leader Schumer has spent the last several months holding show votes on bills that are designed to score political points, not become law, and has prioritized them over our nation’s defense and security.

Thune’s remarks below (as prepared for delivery):

“Mr. President, before I begin, I just want to say how grateful I am that President Trump is safe after what appears to be a second attempt on his life in the space of two months.

“The trend this election cycle has taken toward violence is disturbing to say the least.

“And I hope this weekend’s events will prompt reflection on our political discourse and the importance of not letting our disagreements lead to the dehumanization of our opponents.

“I am grateful for all the law enforcement personnel who responded and helped prevent another tragedy.

“And I look forward to seeing a thorough investigation.

“Mr. President, perhaps the most important thing we do here in Congress is to provide for our nation’s defense.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if we don’t get national security right, the rest is just conversation.

“Everything else we do in government – and our very existence as a nation – depends on getting our security right.

“And national security, Mr. President, is not a one-and-done kind of situation.

“We can’t rely on a one-time military buildup or the reputation we’ve earned as a superpower to keep our nation safe.

“Tactics change. Technology changes. Weapons change.

“And reputations, Mr. President, even strong ones, eventually change if they’re not backed up with substance.

“Maintaining a robust national defense has to be a permanent focus, year-in and year-out.

“There is no time in which we can afford to put national security on the back burner or underfund our nation’s military.

“Which brings me to where we are today.

“Mr. President, in July of this year, the Commission on the National Defense Strategy released its report.

“It had this to say, and I quote: ‘The Commission finds that the U.S. military lacks both the capabilities and the capacity required to be confident it can deter and prevail in combat.’

“Let me just repeat that, Mr. President.

“‘The Commission finds that the U.S. military lacks both the capabilities and the capacity required to be confident it can deter and prevail in combat.’

“Another quote from the commission’s report: ‘The Commission finds that, in many ways, China is outpacing the United States and has largely negated the U.S. military advantage in the Western Pacific through two decades of focused military investment. Without significant change by the United States, the balance of power will continue to shift in China’s favor.’

“And, Mr. President, from the Strategic Posture Commission report: ‘Today the United States is on the cusp of having not one, but two nuclear peer adversaries, each with ambitions to change the international status quo, by force, if necessary: a situation which the United States did not anticipate and for which it is not prepared.’

“‘… a situation which the United States did not anticipate and for which it is not prepared.’

“In short, Mr. President, we have work to do.

“We are not where we should be when it comes to our national defense.

“And while our preparedness lags, the world isn’t getting any safer.

“If anything, it’s getting more dangerous.

“Over the course of the Biden-Harris administration we’ve seen Russia invade the sovereign nation of Ukraine, China growing increasingly aggressive in the Pacific, a brutal terrorist attack on Israel that left more than a thousand dead, terrorists threatening shipping in the Middle East … the list goes on.

“This summer alone, Russian and Chinese bombers for the first time sortied together 200 miles off the coast of Alaska, an alarming display of the growing ties between the two nations.

“Taiwan reported 305 airspace violations by Chinese aircraft in the month of June, the second-highest monthly total on record.

“The Chinese continue to swarm and even collide with ships from the Philippines.

“And just weeks ago, Japan for the first time reported an incursion of a Chinese aircraft into its airspace.

“In the Middle East, U.S. military members have continued to combat terrorists on land and Houthi attacks on U.S. ships and international shipping in the Red Sea.

“Hamas still holds upwards of 100 hostages in Gaza, including seven Americans.

“Iran has sent close-range ballistic missiles to Russia, presumably for use against the Ukrainian people.

“A Pakistani national with ties to Iran was charged with plotting the assassination of multiple U.S. politicians.

“And I could go on.

“Given all of this, Mr. President, you would think Democrat leadership here in the Senate would have made our yearly defense bills – the National Defense Authorization Act and our defense appropriations bills – a priority.

“But you’d be wrong.

“We are two weeks away from the end of the fiscal year, and we haven’t touched the National Defense Authorization Act since it was passed by the committee – much less touched the defense appropriations bills.

“And it’s not, Mr. President, because we’ve been passing a bunch of other substantive pieces of legislation.

“Aside from the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act, we’ve basically spent the entire summer confirming Biden nominees and taking show votes selected by the Democrat leader.

“And as a result, the fiscal year will close and the new one begin without a defense authorizing bill and without defense appropriations bills.

“Instead, our military will have to continue operating under inadequate 2024 funding levels.

“Existing modernization projects will be delayed, and urgent new programs will be put off.

“And I haven’t even talked about the message these delays send to our enemies.

“Anyone who thinks that our enemies aren’t emboldened by this careless attitude toward our national security needs to think again.

“And for that matter, Mr. President, what message do these delays send to our allies?

“I recently returned from a trip to Japan and South Korea led by my colleague Senator Hagerty to build relationships and enhance trilateral cooperation.

“We stressed the imperative of investing in our mutual defense cooperation – a message that will be undercut by our putting defense legislation on the back burner.

“Likewise, our message to allies and partners around the world that they should take more seriously their own defense investments will be juxtaposed against our own inaction.

“Mr. President, needless to say, it didn’t have to be this way.

“If the Democrat leader had been more interested in meeting Congress’ basic responsibilities than in conducting show votes he hopes may win Democrats a few votes in November, we could have already passed not only the National Defense Authorization Act but defense appropriations.

“As it is, thanks to the decisions of the Democrat leader, our military will have to wait at least until after the election.

“Meanwhile, our adversaries’ efforts continue.

“Mr. President, this isn’t the first time in the Biden-Harris administration that Democrats have chosen to put our national defense on the back burner.

“And while we don’t know what the Senate or the presidency will look like next year, I hope we will have leaders who take our national security a little more seriously.

“I suspect that if we don’t, we will have cause to regret it.

“Mr. President, I yield the floor.”