McConnell Opening Statement at SAC-D Hearing on FY 26 Budget Request for National Guard and Reserve Forces

Washington, D.C. –
U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing “A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request for the National Guard and Reserves Forces”:
“We’ll begin today’s hearing to receive testimony on the posture of the National Guard Bureau and Reserve Components. I’d like to start by thanking the witnesses:
“General Steven Nordhaus, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau; Lieutenant General Robert Harter, the Chief of Army Reserve; My understanding is that Vice Admiral Lacore is unable to testify this morning due to an illness — I hope she recovers quickly.
I welcome Rear Admiral Luke Frost - Director, Reserve Warfare, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in her absence;
“Lieutenant General Loni Anderson, the Commander of Marine Forces Reserve; and Lieutenant General John Healy, the Chief of Air Force Reserve.
“The Subcommittee is grateful for your service to the nation in uniform, and we’ll look forward to your candid testimony.
“Our discussion today will be oriented toward the President’s Budget Request for FY 2026.
“The exact details of the request are still to come, but the topline summary released by the Office of Management and Budget gives proponents of robust national defense plenty to be concerned about, already.
“Annual topline investment in the Department of Defense is a measure of national will. It sends a message to allies and adversaries, alike, about the strength of our resolve. And it appears that the message for the coming year is one of weakness.
“Nobody in this room needs a reminder of how much the Department relies on stable and predictable funding to drive the crucial functions of development, acquisitions, and procurement. Nor is anyone here naïve to the increasingly coordinated forces that threaten to undermine U.S. interests around the world.
“But when we talk about the consequences of short-changing our armed forces, we have to recognize that these effects are often compounded for the guard and reserve.
“And the harder we have to scrape for funding to meet unfunded requirements of the Department of Defense, the harder it will be to support the growing needs of the Guard and Reserve.
“Despite playing an increasingly significant operational role, guard and reserve units still struggle to access top-of-the-line kit. Despite so often taking the lead in engagement with allied and partner forces, they face persistent hurdles in maintaining adequate infrastructure, equipment, and personnel.
The current strategic landscape and operational realities give us no reason to suspect that the demand for highly-trained, well-equipped citizen servicemembers will diminish anytime soon.
“Last year, it was guardsmen – including Kentuckians – defending Tower 22 from Iran-backed attack, and sustaining casualties in the process.
“Adding new missions without adequate resourcing can strain Guard units’ training calendars.
“I’ll be interested in the witnesses’ candid observations on these headwinds impacting readiness. And I’ll look forward to discussing them in more detail during the question and answer session.”
###