Chris Coons Criticizes Trump Admin Diverting Army Personnel, Making Troops Pick Up Trash In DC

Ajouté : 2026-05-31

[00:00:00]Funding requests for drone and counter drone technology have increased, which I welcome. The army's recently launched a creative drone marketplace, and units are beginning to experiment with this vital new way of warfare. But most of the funding, as the chairman noted, is in reconciliation outside of base budget, and I'm unclear how much of this new procurement uh is occurring. I look forward to learning how the Army is going to use these funds to build a broader drone industry ecosystem and how it plans on quickly driving new counter drone UAS protections across its forces.

[00:00:35]I think this is one of our most urgent missions. Last on munitions, rethinking our approach to munitions has been a feature of this subcommittee since the early days of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. All of us support multi-year procurements, especially for the Patriot Pack 3 interceptor. But the request for these munitions in reconciliation is baffling to me. Why risk something so foundationally important in a partisan political process the outcome of which is so uncertain? And in light of the high expenditure rates in our current conflict in the Middle East, how are we ramping production to accommodate our needs alongside those of our vital and trusted partners and allies? We also have to discuss the looming multi-billion dollar shortfall in Army military personnel and on& and M accounts, excuse me, operations and maintenance accounts. There's multiple reasons for this. Um, and I look forward to talking through this. But last, the Army's also been ordered to divert personnel for DH missions uh here at home. Um, all of us who spend time here in Washington, guardsmen, uh, they're performing as ordered, but they're often doing nothing more urgent than picking up trash. I'd rather have them in Europe, making Putin second guessess his strategy. The army's budget and its near future are full of contradictions. I find some puzzling, some troubling, alongside flashes of brilliance and decisions that give me confidence and optimism. Ultimately, the fiscal year 27 request is just that, a request. And I hope this dialogue and the work of this subcommittee will help shape it in a way that meets our article one responsibilities for the year ahead.

[00:02:09]Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, Mr. Secretary.

[00:02:13]>> Now, let's have a brief opening statements from both of you. Going first. Mr. Secretary, >> Chairman McConnell, Ranking Member Coons, distinguished members. It's a privilege to address you today. After a year in this position, I am prouder than ever to represent our soldiers and their families. As all as all of you know, our soldiers are the very best in the world.

[00:02:34]They're bold, decisive, and they can overcome anything when we properly enable them. That's why I spent over 130 days on the road across 19 countries and 25 states to hear directly from them. I ate with them, put hands on their equipment, and had candid conversations with soldiers of every single rank. What I heard was clear. Our soldiers are ready to innovate and win, but our own bureaucracy and regulations are still holding them back. Getting what soldiers need to win and making the army budget actually work for them is definitionally a bipartisan topic and I know all of you agree with that. You have supported our army for decades and we wouldn't be here without you. But we know the system that should benefit soldiers remains broken.

[00:03:18]Quality of life and battlefield advantage aren't always the number one budget priority. It's a simple fact and we need your help to continue to change it. We need right to repair legislation, relief from world preWorld War II laws, and significantly more budget flexibility. Thank you so much for last year's progress, but if we're going to win the next fight, we must go even further.