Majority Leader | Remark | Remarks | THE NEWSROOM | Repub...Skip to primary navigation Skip to content×Close THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNE×Close THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNExxsearchxMENUFacebookXInstagramFacebookXInstagramVisit Leader Thune's South Dakota Site Here THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNExxsearchxMENUHomeTHE NEWSROOMRemarks06.24.25Thune: Republicans’ Agenda Makes Our Country Stronger and Our Communities Safer“[W]e have an incredible opportunity with this legislation: a seldom-seen chance to make a real difference to our national security - from military to border to energy.” Click here to watch the video.WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):“Madam President, we are rapidly approaching floor consideration of our reconciliation bill – and the opportunity to make a historic investment in our nation’s security.“I think it’s difficult to overstate the opportunity that we have here with this bill.“With just a single piece of legislation, we have a chance to undo a lot of damage and put our country on a safer footing going forward.“Madam President, I often say that if we don’t get national security right, the rest is conversation. “Everything else we do in government – and our very existence as a nation, I might add – depends on getting our security right.“But the disturbing fact is that we’ve let our readiness slip – to a very troubling level in some instances.“And with China beginning to outpace the United States in key defense capabilities and manufacturing, it is especially critical that we act now to prevent the United States from falling behind on the national security front.“Enter our reconciliation bill.“While it’s no substitute for robust yearly defense funding, the legislation takes a major step forward in upgrading – and updating – our national security posture.“It invests in shipbuilding, missile defense, defense manufacturing capacity, critical munitions, drones and counter-drone technology, an expanded Air Force fighter fleet, nuclear modernization, U.S. infrastructure in the Pacific, and more.“The past few years have provided an ample reminder that we live in a dangerous world.“And with this bill, we can put our military – and thus our national security – in a much better place going forward, substantially improving our ability to deter and defeat threats.“Madam President, the national defense provisions of our bill alone would make a notable – and critically important – piece of legislation.“But our bill doesn’t just make a substantial investment in our national defense.“It also makes a generational investment in our border security – which is another key part of protecting our nation.“Criminals, terrorists, and other dangerous individuals can take advantage of unsecured borders to make their way into our country and take up residence unseen.“Iran’s recent warning about terrorist sleeper cells in the United States is a timely reminder that there are a lot of hostile nations out there that would like to harm the United States.“And in the absence of the ability to strike the United States mainland via military methods, what better way to harm our country than by smuggling dangerous individuals through our borders to carry out attacks?“It’s a very real danger, Madam President.“And so border security is a key part of national security.“And our reconciliation bill makes a generational investment in border security:“Funding for barriers and technology to secure the border.“Funding for more Border Patrol agents.“Funding for more Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, to deport dangerous individuals who have already made their way into the United States.“It’s all there, and more.“As with the national defense components, the border security components of this bill would be an impressive piece of legislation by themselves.“But we have an amazing opportunity to do them both.“And they’re paired with still another security investment – this one in our energy security.“Energy security, Madam President, doesn’t always get the same attention as border security and national defense, but it too plays a key role in keeping our nation secure.“As European countries discovered to their cost after Russia invaded Ukraine, relying on energy from hostile countries or unstable regions of the world is not a winning proposition.“The best way to keep a country – and an economy – secure is to have a secure, stable, and abundant domestic energy supply.“The United States is fortunate to have abundant domestic energy resources.“But the Biden administration set us up for a future of limited domestic production by sharply curtailing access to those resources. “Our bill will undo a lot of that damage and free up energy resources for responsible domestic production.“Madam President, we have an incredible opportunity with this legislation: a seldom-seen chance to make a real difference to our national security – from military to border to energy.“And I’m grateful for all those who have worked so hard to develop these portions of the bill.“And I look forward to passing this legislation in the very near future.”Related Issues: Budget, Military, Energy, National SecurityPrintEmailTweetNextPreviousTHE NEWSROOMSENATE RESOURCESABOUT LEADER THUNEFacebookXInstagram
