Floor SpeechNeutral2026-06-24

Text of Senate Amendment 6096

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Context

On 2026-06-24, Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) delivered a floor speech titled "Text Of Senate Amendment 6096" in the Senate.

Full Text

Text of Senate Amendment 6096

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S3305] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6096. Mr. PADILLA submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the appropriate place in subtitle D of title I, insert the following: SEC. ___. LIMITATION ON DIVESTITURE OF U-2 DRAGON LADY AIRCRAFT IN FISCAL YEAR 2027. (a) Limitation.-- (1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of the Air Force may not, during fiscal year 2027, retire, divest, transfer, or otherwise remove from the active inventory more than two U-2 Dragon Lady aircraft. (2) Prohibition on accelerated divestiture.--The Secretary of the Air Force may not take any action to accelerate the divestiture of U-2 aircraft beyond the limitation established in paragraph (1) during fiscal year 2027, regardless of the operational status of replacement platforms. (b) Report Required.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Air Force shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report that includes the following: (1) A detailed transition plan for the divestiture of U-2 aircraft, including timelines and milestones. (2) A description of the bridging capabilities that will be employed during the transition period to ensure no degradation in operational capability or capacity. (3) An independent assessment of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability gaps that would result from the retirement of U-2 aircraft prior to full operational capability of replacement systems. (c) Active Inventory Defined.--In this section, the term ``active inventory'' means aircraft assigned to active flying units, Air Force Reserve units, and Air National Guard units, and aircraft maintained in storage for potential future operational use. ______

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Text of Senate Amendment 6096 Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S3305] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6096. Mr. PADILLA submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the appropriate place in subtitle D of title I, insert the following: SEC. ___. LIMITATION ON DIVESTITURE OF U-2 DRAGON LADY AIRCRAFT IN FISCAL YEAR 2027. (a) Limitation.-- (1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of the Air Force may not, during fiscal year 2027, retire, divest, transfer, or otherwise remove from the active inventory more than two U-2 Dragon Lady aircraft. (2) Prohibition on accelerated divestiture.--The Secretary of the Air Force may not take any action to accelerate the divestiture of U-2 aircraft beyond the limitation established in paragraph (1) during fiscal year 2027, regardless of the operational status of replacement platforms. (b) Report Required.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Air Force shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report that includes the following: (1) A detailed transition plan for the divestiture of U-2 aircraft, including timelines and milestones. (2) A description of the bridging capabilities that will be employed during the transition period to ensure no degradation in operational capability or capacity. (3) An independent assessment of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability gaps that would result from the retirement of U-2 aircraft prior to full operational capability of replacement systems. (c) Active Inventory Defined.--In this section, the term ``active inventory'' means aircraft assigned to active flying units, Air Force Reserve units, and Air National Guard units, and aircraft maintained in storage for potential future operational use. ______