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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee, delivered opening remarks yesterday at a subcommittee hearing, where he criticized the cuts to naval efforts found in President Biden’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget proposal.
“A budget like this sends China and our other potential adversaries the wrong message — that we’re not willing to do what it takes to defend ourselves and our allies and partners,” said Senator Cramer. “And we should be worried about China for a multitude of reasons, but – looking just at their Navy – their fleet surpassed our fleet size target of 355 ships last year and is steadily climbing toward 460 ships in 2030. Meanwhile, this budget supports a status quo U.S. Navy of around 300 ships. There’s no growth. In fact, the Navy is struggling to replace decommissioning ships with new ships on a one-for-one basis to avoid shrinking. This unacceptable situation is because the Navy is not being given the resources needed to grow.”
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Senator Cramer, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, criticized the budget proposal when it was released last month, saying it fails “to provide for our highest priority, the nation’s national defense.”
After his opening remarks, Senator Cramer spent time questioning the hearing’s witnesses: Frederick Stefany, the Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition; Vice Admiral James Kilby, the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfighting Requirements and Capabilities; and Lieutenant General Eric M. Smith, Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration at the U.S. Marine Corps. Click here to watch his first round of questions and click here to watch the second round.
