What they said. What they meant.

Plain-language translations from Congress.

Recent debates

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House of Representatives

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027

Official Congressional Record ↗

Mike Rogers

Republican
“I want more time for all of us to keep talking. Five more days to speechify and pad the record.”
Our translation 60% shorter

Mike Rogers

Republican
“I want more military spending. Our military power is weak. We don't make enough weapons fast. Our defense industry used to have 51 big contractors, now it has 6. Too many rules pushed small businesses out. China builds more ships and drones than us. They control 90% of critical mineral processing. We can't beat China in a long conflict. That's bad. We must spend more money on military industry. My bill will cut rules and help industry expand. It will create jobs and train workers. It will also raise military pay and improve housing and childcare for military families. We will spend $1.15 trillion. We will cut $30 billion in waste. This bill will make us stronger to fight China.”
Our translation 79% shorter

Robert J. Wittman

Republican
“I like this bill. It spends a lot of money on weapons. It buys many helicopters and planes. It helps soldiers fight drones. It makes more bullets and bombs. I want this bill to pass. The government should spend more money on the military. It is very important. I want to thank the people who wrote this bill.”
Our translation 81% shorter

Scott DesJarlais

Republican
“I want this defense bill to pass. I worked with my friend to write it. It spends a lot of taxpayer money on nuclear weapons and missile defense. It spends more money on some things and less on others. It gives more money to the Space Force. I want more money spent on many programs. I want to change how the government buys things. I want more money spent on making weapons. I want to pay our soldiers more. This bill will spend a lot of taxpayer money on many things. It will cut some programs that cost too much. I want everyone to vote yes on this big spending bill.”
Our translation 59% shorter

Trent Kelly

Republican
“I want to buy many weapons for the military. I want to buy submarines, destroyers, and other warships. I want money for unmanned systems like drones. I want the government to spend on planes and fuel. I support a bill to spend more on our military. I think more weapons will help our country be strong.”
Our translation 85% shorter

Don Bacon

Republican
“I support this bill to spend lots of taxpayer money on defense. I want our military to have new technology and tools. I think spending lots of money on defense will help our country be strong. I want more money spent on research and artificial intelligence. I want better coordination between different parts of the military. This bill spends lots of money on many programs. I want a strong military. I want taxpayers to spend more money on defense.”
Our translation 75% shorter

Jack Bergman

Republican
“I want to spend $1.15 trillion on defense. Other people say that is too much. I think we need that much money for ships and planes and buildings. I want our military to be strong. Some people don't think we need to spend that much. I do. I thank the people who worked on this bill.”
Our translation 81% shorter

Ronny Jackson

Republican
“I want to spend $1.3 billion more on defense. I think our military needs more money. I thank the people who worked on this bill. I want to help the defense industry. I want to give the military more power. I want the Department of War to have its old name back. I want this bill to pass.”
Our translation 80% shorter

Pat Fallon

Republican
“I thank the people who worked on this bill. It will give more money and healthcare to the military. It will change military pay and promotion rules. It will make people focus on fighting instead of other things. I really want this bill to pass.”
Our translation 87% shorter

Joe Wilson

Republican
“I want to support this bill. It will give more money to the military. We need a strong military to fight bad people. We must work with our friends against bad countries. The military needs new weapons and tools. We should give them money for this. The last President wanted us to spend money to defend our country. Other countries can help us. A soldier from my state said freedom is not free. This bill will help us stay free.”
Our translation 57% shorter

Jennifer A. Kiggans

Republican
“I want to support this bill. It will give more money to the military. We need a strong military to fight bad people. We must work with our friends against bad countries. The military needs new weapons and tools. We should give them money for this. The last President wanted us to spend money to defend our country. Other countries can help us. A soldier from my state said freedom is not free. This bill will help us stay free.”
Our translation 56% shorter

James C. Moylan

Republican
“I am happy this bill will spend money in my district. It will give $1.9 billion for defense projects. That will be good for my local economy. The bill will also help our farmers and students. We should support this bill.”
Our translation 74% shorter

Cory Mills

Republican
“I want my amendment to pass. We should spend more money on small businesses. That will help our national security. The current rule is too strict. It locks out many businesses. My amendment will fix that. We should pass this amendment.”
Our translation 84% shorter

Dale W. Strong

Republican
“I don't like that amendment. It would change the rule. The rule is good now. It helps businesses owned by workers. I want that to keep going. The amendment would help other businesses. It would not help workers the same way. I want to keep the rule the same.”
Our translation 66% shorter

John J. McGuire III

Republican
“I am happy with this defense bill. Our military production got worse for a long time. I think it is getting better now. This bill will help businesses that make weapons. I want the government to spend more for the military. I want us to build more weapons. This bill helps businesses in my district. I think the military is very important. I want to spend more money on the military.”
Our translation 47% shorter

Mike Rogers

Republican
“I thank my friend for his partnership. I say this bill is important. I urge all Members to support it. I give the rest of my time back.”
Our translation 100% shorter