Floor SpeechNeutral2026-06-23

Text of Senate Amendment 5930

TaxesEnvironmentDefenseVeteransInfrastructure

Context

On 2026-06-23, Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) delivered a floor speech titled "Text Of Senate Amendment 5930" in the Senate.

Full Text

Text of Senate Amendment 5930

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 105 (Tuesday, June 23, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 23, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S3078-S3079] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 5930. Mr. WELCH 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 end of subtitle C of title V, add the following: [[Page S3079]] SEC. 529E. CORRECTION OF NATIONAL GUARD ACTIVATION ORDERS AND PERSONNEL RECORDS ASSOCIATED WITH CERTAIN CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS. (a) Identification of Affected Personnel.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Chief of the National Guard Bureau and the Secretary of the Air Force, shall identify members of the Air National Guard whose activation orders, deployment records, pay, allowances, tax documentation, or other personnel records were adversely affected by transitions between named military operations conducted during 2025 and 2026, including Operation Southern Spear, Operation Absolute Resolve, Operation Spartan Shield, and Operation Epic Fury. (b) Correction of Records.--The Secretary of Defense shall take such actions as may be necessary to-- (1) ensure that official military personnel records accurately reflect the dates and locations of service performed in support of each named operation, including correct mission attribution records, deployment documentation, operational duty-location records, and other activation or mobilization records for personnel identified pursuant to subsection (a); (2) correct any pay, allowance, entitlement, tax-exclusion eligibility, or debt-related discrepancies resulting from inaccurate or incomplete activation or deployment records; and (3) ensure that no member experiences a loss of eligibility for any Federal benefit, entitlement, or service-connected determination, including benefits administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, as a result of inaccuracies described in subsection (a). (c) Report and Briefing.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report and provide a briefing on the implementation of this section. Such report shall include-- (1) the number of personnel identified under subsection (a); (2) the status of corrections made pursuant to subsection (b); (3) any unresolved issues affecting pay, allowances, tax records, personnel records, deployment histories, or other military records; (4) an assessment of the factors that caused activation- order discrepancies, personnel-record inaccuracies, pay and entitlement errors, debt assessments, tax-reporting issues, and other administrative deficiencies associated with transitions between named military operations during 2025 and 2026, including Operation Southern Spear and Operation Epic Fury; (5) an assessment of any limitations within the Department of Defense regulations, policies, personnel systems, orders- management systems, funding authorities, or administrative processes that contributed to such discrepancies and deficiencies; (6) a description of actions taken or planned to ensure timely correction of activation orders, deployment records, pay records, tax documentation, and other affected personnel records; and (7) an assessment of whether additional authorities are required to ensure accurate and timely correction of National Guard and Reserve activation and deployment records. ______

View original source →

Text of Senate Amendment 5930 Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 105 (Tuesday, June 23, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 23, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S3078-S3079] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 5930. Mr. WELCH 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 end of subtitle C of title V, add the following: [[Page S3079]] SEC. 529E. CORRECTION OF NATIONAL GUARD ACTIVATION ORDERS AND PERSONNEL RECORDS ASSOCIATED WITH CERTAIN CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS. (a) Identification of Affected Personnel.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Chief of the National Guard Bureau and the Secretary of the Air Force, shall identify members of the Air National Guard whose activation orders, deployment records, pay, allowances, tax documentation, or other personnel records were adversely affected by transitions between named military operations conducted during 2025 and 2026, including Operation Southern Spear, Operation Absolute Resolve, Operation Spartan Shield, and Operation Epic Fury. (b) Correction of Records.--The Secretary of Defense shall take such actions as may be necessary to-- (1) ensure that official military personnel records accurately reflect the dates and locations of service performed in support of each named operation, including correct mission attribution records, deployment documentation, operational duty-location records, and other activation or mobilization records for personnel identified pursuant to subsection (a); (2) correct any pay, allowance, entitlement, tax-exclusion eligibility, or debt-related discrepancies resulting from inaccurate or incomplete activation or deployment records; and (3) ensure that no member experiences a loss of eligibility for any Federal benefit, entitlement, or service-connected determination, including benefits administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, as a result of inaccuracies described in subsection (a). (c) Report and Briefing.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report and provide a briefing on the implementation of this section. Such report shall include-- (1) the number of personnel identified under subsection (a); (2) the status of corrections made pursuant to subsection (b); (3) any unresolved issues affecting pay, allowances, tax records, personnel records, deployment histories, or other military records; (4) an assessment of the factors that caused activation- order discrepancies, personnel-record inaccuracies, pay and entitlement errors, debt assessments, tax-reporting issues, and other administrative deficiencies associated with transitions between named military operations during 2025 and 2026, including Operation Southern Spear and Operation Epic Fury; (5) an assessment of any limitations within the Department of Defense regulations, policies, personnel systems, orders- management systems, funding authorities, or administrative processes that contributed to such discrepancies and deficiencies; (6) a description of actions taken or planned to ensure timely correction of activation orders, deployment records, pay records, tax documentation, and other affected personnel records; and (7) an assessment of whether additional authorities are required to ensure accurate and timely correction of National Guard and Reserve activation and deployment records. ______