Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, delivered the following opening remarks at the full committee markup of H.R. 1282 the Major Richard Star Act.

Chairman Rogers’ remarks as prepared for delivery:

Our first order of business is H.R. 1282, the Major Richard Star Act.

This bill gets at a big injustice facing many of our veterans.

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Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Trent Kelly (R-MS), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, delivered the following opening statement at the full committee markup for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

The Seapower and Projection forces mark is a strong, bipartisan mark. This mark reflects tireless effort and dedication from Members and staff to reaffirm our commitment to a strong and capable naval force.

At this critical juncture, we find ourselves confronted with a rapidly advancing and aggressive China.   more...

Current U.S. trade law includes a de minimis exception, which is a duty and tax exemption for imports valued under $800. Countries such as China and Russia are taking advantage of this exception and shipping a high volume of low-value goods. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) has little information about incoming packages and is thereby allowing goods made with forced labor into the country.

U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced the Import Security and Fairness Act to end de minimis treatment for goods from China and Russia, and to require CBP to obtain more information about de minimis packages entering the country.

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I have to keep an eye on what is going on in Arizona even when I am in Washington, D.C. While the Republican lead Legislature in Arizona has been passing solid legislation, Katie Hobbs has been busy vetoing most of them. This week, her latest genius move was to veto SB 1696, a bill that would have made it illegal to film pornographic movies at public schools. Sounds like a no brainer, right? Especially since that exact thing happened a couple times. But not to porn-loving Katie Hobbs. Her love of porn lead her to veto this commonsense bill. No wonder she has a difficult time maintaining loyal staff.   more...

Additional safeguards for state and local elections from foreign interference are needed, and making it illegal for foreign donors to contribute to any ballot initiative or referendum provides a bipartisan solution.

U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Mark Warner (D-VA) reintroduced the Protecting Ballot Measures from Foreign Influence Act, which would make it unlawful for a foreign national to contribute money, either directly or indirectly, to a State or local ballot initiative or ballot referendum. Notably, the bill ensures that the Federal Election Commission (FEC) cannot assert authority over those State or local ballot initiatives or referendums.

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There is growing awareness of the threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party to America’s economic and national security interests. Unfortunately, past efforts, including the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, left the door wide open to continued exploitation of our markets, research, and innovation.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) criticized the Democrat-only effort and offered 25 bills that should be included in any serious, bipartisan package aimed at strengthening our markets, reinvigorating our national research infrastructure, and protecting against China’s predatory behavior.

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