Pat Harrigan · TranslatePolitics.com

House of Representatives

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027

2026-07-22

“I want to remove speed cameras from military bases. These cameras are not needed. We have military police to keep bases safe. I think these cameras will not make our bases more safe. I want my colleagues to support this change.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Chair, I appreciate my colleague from California's concern about overall base safety. I think if we step back and actually look at the big picture here, what we are talking about is simply a tax on our lower enlisted personnel. We have military police to enforce safety standards that are already issued by the base commanders across every installation that we have. At the end of the day, we cannot deny that NIPRNet has been compromised by over 90 percent of our most serious and significant adversaries--the exact same net that these speed cameras would live on. I think that is a significant concern for the safety and security of our installation personnel and the operations that are ongoing on our installations. For that reason, I encourage my colleagues to strongly support this amendment. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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“I want this change to pass. It will stop automatic speed cameras on military bases. Speed cameras are bad. They give out fines without fairness or a good process. Our soldiers lose money. Speed cameras are also a security risk. Bad people can hack the cameras and spy on our leaders. Commanders can still use the military police to enforce speed limits without speed cameras. This change only stops automated speed enforcement. Nothing else. Our military bases will still be safe. Our soldiers should not be a target for tickets or spies. This change will stop that. I want my colleagues to support this change.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of my amendment. This amendment does one thing: It bars the Department of War from buying, installing, or operating automated speed cameras on military installations and requires any that are already in place to be decommissioned within 180 days. These systems are not about safety. They are about revenue. They hand out fines without context, without discretion, and without due process for our servicemembers. We just spent the last few years working hard through the NDAA to increase lower enlisted pay, only to seemingly try to take it away from them. Make no mistake, this is not just a financial risk. It is a security risk. We have seen what happens when camera networks tied to critical infrastructure get compromised. Reporting this year revealed that foreign intelligence services spent years secretly accessing Tehran's traffic camera network to track the movements of Iran's top leadership ahead of a strike that killed its Supreme Leader. These network systems are an open door for our adversaries to exploit. To be clear about what this amendment does not do, installation commanders still keep the full authority to enforce speed limits through military police, exactly as they do today. Force protection, access control, and criminal investigation cameras at our facility gates will remain untouched. This amendment targets one narrow thing: automated speed enforcement, and nothing else. Our troops should not be a captive customer base for a ticketing vendor or a soft target for our adversaries. This amendment closes that door while preserving every legitimate tool that a commander needs to keep a base safe. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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House of Representatives

Next-Generation Geothermal Research and Development Act

2026-07-20

“You should support this bill. Geothermal energy is good. It can make a lot of electricity. The government should spend money to make it work better. The government should not choose what energy is best. The private sector needs help. This bill will make energy cheaper and help families. Our country will not need energy from bad countries. I want my colleagues to support this bill.”

Official Congressional Record

Madam Speaker, when Americans think about energy, they usually think about things that we can see: oil fields, natural gas pipelines, nuclear power plants, wind farms. One of the greatest energy opportunities in our country isn't aboveground. It is beneath our feet. That is why I am proud to rise in support of my Next-Generation Geothermal Research and Development Act, legislation I am leading with Congresswoman Salinas. America has an extraordinary opportunity to unlock a new source of reliable, around-the-clock power. A single supercritical geothermal well has the potential to produce more than seven times the energy of a conventional geothermal well. Experts estimate next-generation geothermal could ultimately provide up to 90 gigawatts of electricity right here at home. The problem is not that our country lacks the resources, but we lack the technology to fully unlock it. This bill helps close that gap. It directs the Department of Energy to tackle the engineering challenges that still stand in the way of commercialization, expands real-world testing, and strengthens the partnerships between our national labs, universities, and private industry that have always driven American innovation. This is exactly what the government should be doing, not picking winners and losers, but helping solve the kinds of technical challenges the private sector can't solve alone. Reliable baseload power is no longer a luxury. As AI transforms our economy, manufacturing returns to America, and electricity demand continues to grow, we need to be investing in the technologies that will power the next generation. More reliable American energy means lower costs for hardworking families, a stronger electric grid, and less dependence on foreign adversaries. This bill does exactly that. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Salinas for her partnership, and I urge all of my colleagues to support the Next-Generation Geothermal Research and Development Act.

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