By U.S. Senator Deb Fischer
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With election season behind us, the Senate is back in session. Our next few weeks before the year ends and the Biden administration comes to a close are known as the “lame duck period”—a period often marked by complacency as Congress waits for a new administration to begin.
But this year, we cannot afford a lame duck session—that’s because we already had one this summer.
In the months before the election, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer repeatedly brought up partisan bills bound to fail. The goal was to harm Republicans and boost Democrats ahead of the November election.
Clearly, that didn’t work. Americans saw through the charade and voted for a more secure, prosperous America. They voted against more lame duck legislating.
But as a result of this summer’s stunt, there is now a serious backlog of critical legislation before the Congress. One of the most pivotal pieces of legislation Leader Schumer put on the back burner is the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA. The Senate Armed Services Committee voted to send this year’s defense bill to the Senate floor for a vote months ago. For five long months, it’s languished. But America’s enemies have not rested, and it’s imperative to pass this bill before the year’s end.
This bill is the foundation for our national defense each year. It authorizes critical projects, provides direction to the Department of Defense, and prepares our nation against global threats.
It is crucial that we get this bill passed. Conflict is erupting in Europe and the Middle East, and tensions are rising in East Asia. America remains underprepared to ward off threats from enemies like China and Russia. The modernization of our nuclear forces especially has not kept pace.
That’s why the Senate version of this year’s NDAA includes several provisions from my Restoring American Deterrence Act, a bipartisan bill designed to overhaul America’s nuclear preparedness.
It would require the Department of Defense to reassess our nuclear readiness, including restructuring how the Department oversees and coordinates our nuclear deterrent. My bill would also promote a skilled workforce to build and maintain nuclear weapons, and the submarines, aircraft, and missiles that deliver them.
This year’s NDAA also includes provisions specifically for Nebraska. I secured authorization of $158 million for the Survivable Airborne Operations Center facilities at Offutt Air Force Base, which will house updated planes that can survive nuclear war.
I secured authorizations of $6 million for a training complex, $5 million for U.S. Strategic Command, $3 million for an engineering program, and $5 million for our Weather wing research—all projects based out of Offutt.
And for the many Nebraskans serving our country in the military, I supported a provision that provides servicemembers with a well-deserved 4.5 percent pay raise.
As we work to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the NDAA, I am advocating for each and every one of these provisions to be included in the final legislation.
The U.S. Senate shouldn’t have wasted time over the lame duck summer, but we especially can’t afford to waste time now. With the election behind us, I hope my Democrat colleagues understand the urgent need to pass the NDAA, fund our government, and do what voters sent us to Washington to accomplish.
Thank you for participating in the democratic process. I look forward to visiting with you again next week.