Ranking Member Courtney Urges Lawmakers to Keep National Defense Bill Bipartisan

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02), Ranking Member of the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, urged his colleagues to support the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) – which includes his bipartisan amendment to authorize a funding increase for the Virginia-class submarine program to avoid a funding shortfall – and reject partisan amendments that distract from the purpose of the bill. 

A vote by the full House on the FY26 NDAA is expected Wednesday. In July, The Armed Services Committee passed the bill in an overwhelming bipartisan fashion by a vote of 55-2.

Watch Congressman Courtney’s speech on the House floor.

FULL SPEECH TRANSCRIPT 

I rise in support of H.R. 3888 as it came out of Committee. The bipartisan tradition of the Seapower Projection Forces Subcommittee continued this year under the leadership of my good friend, Chairman Trent Kelly, to ensure maximum support for our sailors, airmen and Marines.

I would note our job was made much more difficult by the ridiculously late submission of a budget by the Budget Office, which they then split and mangled by disregarding input from the sea services. Nonetheless, we overcame that challenge with this year's mark. The bill includes my bipartisan table amendment, which authorizes an increase in the Virginia-class submarine program by $1 billion. This plus up was needed to address a serious Virginia-class program Budget Office shortfall and will ensure a full authorization of two Virginia subs in Fiscal Year 2026. 

Madam chair, today, a total of four Virginia subs are slated to be delivered in 2025 and 2026. This bill's plus up will grow industry's backlog of work to 21 boats, so we can overmatch our adversaries' nuclear fleets and fulfill our AUKUS commitments to sell three subs to Australia in 2032, ‘35 and ‘38. Mr. Kelly and I visited there in August and saw firsthand that nation's massive investment in their Navy in anticipation, and we must act to keep up our end. 

Further, the bill includes incremental funding authorization for the Columbia class submarine program to avoid disruption to the Navy's most critical shipbuilding priority. Our mark directs investment and support for uncrewed and autonomous maritime platforms that are here to stay as part of our Navy's fleet of warships, procurement stability for shipbuilding and our maritime industrial base has never been more important, and passage of this NDAA will achieve that. 

Madam chairman, Fiscal Year 2026 will mark the 65th consecutive NDAA if signed into law. This legacy is one of bipartisanship and compromise. I urge my colleagues to support a bill that can be passed in a closely divided Congress and stay focused on the core mission of Congress to provide a strong national defense. That's what we did in committee under Mr. Smith and Mr. Rogers’ leadership. The bill passed 55-2. The men and women in uniform deserve no less than that example with final passage of this matter. I yield back. 

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