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Last updated on Thursday, June 14, 2018
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, spoke on the Senate floor Wednesday about his efforts to support Indiana’s critical role in our national defense and protect America’s defense-related jobs and security interests, as the Senate debates the annual national defense bill.
Donnelly said, in part, in his speech, "I'm proud of the many contributions Hoosiers make to the safety and security of our nation--most especially those brave men and women who volunteer to put on the uniform in service to our country. I'm also proud of the thousands of working men and women who go to work in the dark every day to manufacture the highest quality products and equipment to support and protect our warfighters...When it comes to our national defense work, I believe it is critical that our policies encourage companies to invest in American workers and communities at home and penalize those that ship work to foreign countries...When defense work is shipped from American companies to other countries it can hurt our national defense, our workers, and our communities."
Donnelly discussed his provision - included in the bill - which would require the Department of Defense to examine the F-35 supply chain and identify potential vulnerabilities of parts manufactured abroad. South Bend's Honeywell facility currently manufactures components for the braking mechanism of the F-35 aircraft, but that work is scheduled to be sent to Turkey later this year.
Donnelly also highlighted his amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which would require federal contracting policy to take into consideration whether companies have outsourced American jobs to foreign countries. The amendment builds on the End Outsourcing Act, which Donnelly introduced in January 2017, to support companies investing in American workers and penalize corporations that send domestic jobs and factories to foreign countries by, in part, taking that into consideration when awarding federal contracts and allowing tax breaks and incentives.
In addition, Donnelly spoke in support of provision included in the bill that would prohibit the Department of Defense from procuring, obtaining, or renewing contracts that utilize equipment or services from China's Huawei Technologies or ZTE Corporation. Huawei is reportedly being investigated by the Department of Justice for potentially violating U.S. sanction laws as it relates to Iran. ZTE sold sensitive technologies to Iran and North Korea in violation of U.S. sanctions laws. The Administration recently announced a deal to roll back penalties against ZTE, which Donnelly expressed concerns about.
Late last month, Donnelly helped the Armed Services Committee pass the defense bill, which includes a number of provisions he secured to support Indiana's military communities and American jobs and provide needed resources for service members.
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