Courtney, Forbes Laud House Approval of Sea-Based Deterrence Fund
WASHINGTON— Last night, after a bipartisan coalition of House members voted resoundingly in favor of maintaining the National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund (NSBDF) to finance the construction of Ohio Replacement Program submarines, Seapower Subcommittee Ranking Member Joe Courtney (CT-2) and Chairman Randy Forbes (VA-4) released the following statements:
"The clear and strong bipartisan support shown last night for the National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund is another tangible step towards ensuring that our nation can meet the multi-generational responsibility of replacing our strategic submarines without squeezing out other vital naval ships and submarines,” Ranking Member Courtney said. “With the sea-based leg of the strategic deterrent triad poised to bear nearly 70 percent of the nuclear deterrent under the New START treaty, we must work now to address the well-articulated shortfalls in shipbuilding resources facing this country at the end of this decade and the next. I am proud to have worked closely with Chairman Forbes to advance our shared goals of implementing the NSBDF, and look forward to continuing our partnership to ensure the future of both the Ohio Replacement Program and the Navy's fleet."
“The National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund is a serious solution for the once-in-a-generation challenge of building the Ohio Replacement submarine,” Chairman Forbes said. “The House’s 321-111 vote supporting the fund shows that Congress is committed to supporting a robust undersea deterrent in the decades ahead without unnecessarily burdening the Navy’s already stretched shipbuilding budget. I am grateful to Ranking Member Courtney for his leadership on this critical issue and his vigorous advocacy on behalf of a strong U.S. Navy.”
Forbes and Courtney, along with Reps. Rob Wittman (R-VA), Jim Langevin (D-RI), Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), advocated for two amendments to the 2016 defense appropriations bill related to the National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund. The first, which passed the House in a bipartisan vote of 321-111 last night, struck a section of the bill that would have blocked any funding from “this or any other act” from being transferred into the NSBDF, essentially denying its use. The second, which passed by voice vote early this morning, would give the DOD flexibility to transfer up to $3.5 billion in unobligated FY2016 funds into the NSBDF.
Their efforts were endorsed by the Navy League of the United States, Metal Trades Department (AFL-CIO), International Association of Machinists, United Auto Workers (UAW) and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers.