U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) addressed the Senate floor to emphasize the importance of strengthening the U.S. military and returning to a regular legislative process for appropriations.
Thune highlighted recent global instability and gaps in U.S. defense preparedness, stating, “I believe that keeping America at the cutting edge of military capabilities is one of the most important responsibilities we have in Congress.” He criticized what he described as “four years of underinvestment during the Biden administration” and said Republicans are working to modernize and rebuild military capabilities.
According to Thune, this effort began with a significant investment through legislation he referred to as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” followed by passage of the Senate’s National Defense Authorization Act, which included reforms to weapons procurement and over 100 amendments adopted through regular order.
This week, Thune noted, the Senate is considering a defense appropriations bill aimed at further rebuilding military strength. The bill includes a 3.8 percent pay raise for troops and additional support for military families in areas such as housing, child care, and education. It also provides bonuses intended to sustain recruitment success after previous challenges.
The proposed funding would cover shipbuilding initiatives, expansion of the Air Force fleet, accelerated delivery of advanced defense systems like the Golden Dome for America, and investments in munitions, drones, and emerging technologies.
Thune cautioned that these measures must be ongoing: “These are the types of investments that we will need to sustain in the coming years if we want our enemies to think twice before attacking us.”
He praised bipartisan cooperation on appropriations bills under Appropriations Committee Chair Collins. Several full-year funding bills have already been brought forward using an open process; three were passed in August—the earliest since 2018—and signed into law last week.
However, Thune criticized Democrats for what he called an unnecessary government shutdown that halted progress on appropriations work for 43 days. He stated: “Before the shutdown, we were getting ready to bring the defense funding bill to the floor… But Democrats took advantage of the situation for leverage.”
Despite this setback, Thune expressed hope for continued bipartisan collaboration: “I know that a number of my Democrat colleagues do share Republicans’ interest in seeing regular order restored.” He urged immediate action: “We don’t have time to waste… So, Mr. President, let’s get to work.”
