MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Congressman Mike Rogers, R-Saks, addressed the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce on Thursday offering an update on global threats and how the United States is positioning itself to respond to them.
Rogers chairs the powerful House Armed Services Committee, which crafts the National Defense Authorization Act that spells out military policy for the Pentagon each year. He told the crowd of Central Alabama community and business leaders that military funding for Ukraine and Israel would be a priority when Congress reconvenes next week.
“When we get back [to Washington] there’s going to be $60 billion in that package for Ukraine,” Rogers said of funds to help arm Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s invasion. “There’s enormous support for Israel on the Republican side, but on the Democratic side it’s not as strong. There’s strong support on the left side of the Democratic Party for the Palestinians and they don’t want to give Israel anything.”
“Here’s the problem: we have some ignorant members. They’re not stupid. Well, some of them are stupid, but most of them are just ignorant about the topic.”
After the event, Rogers was interviewed for Alabama Public Television’s Capitol Journal. Asked about the partisan gridlock in Congress and lawmakers prioritizing publicity over progress, Rogers expressed frustration with the recent trend.
“It is exacerbating,” Rogers, noting the influence of cable TV and social media that are “driving this
problem.”
He expressed his concern that news outlets are becoming opinionated to boost coverage,
leading to increased hostility.
“Social media is taking gas and throwing it on the fire,” he said, adding that he believes neither social
media nor cable TV will go away soon.
Rogers said these factors have distorted the legislative process because members are using these
online platforms to fundraise where “they act outrageous on camera” and share it to social media to
attract small-dollar donors. “They’re all frozen with this gridlock and it’s exacerbating,” he emphasized, pointing out the challenges in getting work done in Congress.
More sobriety is needed for issues like military policy given the evolving nature of global threats, Rogers said. The process of crafting the next year’s NDAA is underway.
“We are the only standing committee in Congress that passes an authorization bill every year, without
exception,” he noted that the committee has accomplished this for 63 straight years.
Rogers stressed the importance of this process, sharing it is crucial to accomplish because threats “are
always evolving, so we have to be working every year to try and stay up with that and make sure our
military is structured to do it.”
Rogers’ Capitol Journal interview will air Friday at 7:30 and Sunday at noon on Alabama Public Television.
ADN’s Todd Stacy contributed to this story.