Analysis · Speech on a bill · beta

Darrell Issa

Republican on National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027 2026-07-22

398 words · 22 sentences · 27 clauses

Statement grade

A+

Average 99 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Claims 38%Reasoning 43%Procedure 4%The ask 15%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Mr. Chair, Claims · 27 wordsI rise in support of this amendment. We are in changing times. The ongoing battles, both in Iran and in Ukraine, have taught us an important lesson. Reasoning · 107 wordsThat is that large, long- term vendors for production of innovative tools don’t work together. The lead time is too long. The requirement for us to innovate at the Department of War simply isn’t working. We need to have small, innovative companies to be able to come forward and be given small allotments in order to develop. However, those allotments are seldom sufficient to operate a company for 1, 2, or 3 years to develop and get a contract going. For that reason, like other startups of all sorts, particularly in the technology field in America, they would normally go to private funding, go to venture firms. Procedure · 5 wordsBut there is a problem.Procedure Reasoning · 63 wordsIf what you are producing for the Department of War or any other part of our government is classified, you have to say: I have a new product. I can’t tell you about it. Trust me and invest. That simply doesn’t work. More importantly, the requirements from within the government often are not available to the investor. Therefore, it is difficult to get. Claims · 126 wordsMy amendment deals with this serious problem in a predictable and controlled way. Our 5-year pilot program simply says that with the permission of the Department of War, individuals within qualified investment firms may receive or update their clearances so that they can be part of the investment decision.¹ It does not preclude their being excluded for any reason, including-- and I particularly want to note this--companies which have a foreign investment profile would have to disclose and may very well be excluded.² However, the American investment community with American funds is more than sufficient to find, seek out, and invest in innovative companies that can give us a low-cost antidrone product or a low-cost drone, or any other number of critically needed and affordable products. The ask · 61 wordsFor that reason, we are asking that the Department of War under this pilot program be empowered to allow for these nonoriginal participants to have, on a limited basis, with controls completely in the hands of the Secretary of War and while he retains full authority to revoke participation for any security violation, foreign ownership, control, influence, ³or any other concern. Procedure · 9 wordsWith that, I reserve the balance of my time.Procedure

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 96

2 of 2 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “But there is a problem.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “With that, I reserve the balance of my time.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 100

0 of 2 deductions are Relevance

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue. Measured against the bill under debate.

Nothing lost points.

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 100

0 of 2 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

Nothing lost points.

Claims · 3

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“Our 5-year pilot program simply says that with the permission of the Department of War, individuals within qualified investment firms may receive or update their clearances so that they can be part of the investment decision.”The amendment establishes a 5-year pilot program allowing individuals at qualified investment firms to receive or update security clearances with Department of War permission so they can participate in investment decisions.search
2“companies which have a foreign investment profile would have to disclose and may very well be excluded”Under the amendment, companies with a foreign investment profile must disclose that profile and may be excluded from the program.search
3“while he retains full authority to revoke participation for any security violation”The amendment gives the Secretary of War authority to revoke a firm’s participation in the pilot program for any security violation or other concern.search

Analyzed on 2026-09-15