Ranking Member Suhas Subramanyam’s Opening Remark’s at Subcommittee Hearing on Emerging Global Threats

Washington, D.C. (February 25, 2025) - Below is Ranking Member Suhas Subramanyam's opening statement, as prepared for delivery, at today's Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs hearing on President Trump's dangerous foreign policy.
 

Opening Statement 
Ranking Member Suhas Subramanyam
Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs
"Emerging Global Threats: Putting America's National Security First"
February 25, 2025

Thank you to my colleague, Chairman Timmons, for holding this hearing.  I look forward to working together on this subcommittee and doing everything we can to ensure the safety and security of all Americans. 

Supporting our military and foreign affairs personnel here and around the globe is a top priority.  They and their families make so many sacrifices for our country. And we thank them for their service.

And I want to thank today's witnesses for appearing before the subcommittee to share their expertise.

Protecting the American people against emerging global threats. Ensuring America's national security.  These are bipartisan issues. 

We agree that there are global threats to the safety and security of the United States and its allies. 

We agree that we need foreign policy that strengthens America's standing in the world, combats our adversaries, and counters extremism. 

And we agree that we need to be prepared for those threats.  Preparation means having the tools, technology, and most importantly,the very best and most qualified personnel to keep us safe and represent us on the world stage.  

But what I and many others across the political spectrum are concerned about is this: 

One: Does this Administration know who our adversaries really are? Or who our allies are?

Two: Does it understand what it takes, and all the things we need to do, to protect us from emerging threats and strengthen our standing in the world?

Three: Does it know who it takes to be prepared for these threats?  The personnel, the seasoned diplomats, the technology experts? 

I have some real doubts, and so do many others. 

Let's start with defining who our allies and adversaries are.  I can't believe we have to do this, but here we go.

Russia is not our friend.  Vladimir Putin is not a trustworthy partner.  They do not want integration and cooperation with us, they want an independent sphere of influence that destabilizes Europe.

China is not our friend.  The CCP is not a trusted partner, not to mention their abhorrent record on human rights. 

Europe is not our enemy.  We have similar goals, shared values, and most importantly, many decades of mutual trust and cooperation with the goal of global peace and stability.

Mexico is not our enemy.  They are a trusted ally, and their cooperation will be integral to strong border security and fighting cartels.

Canada is not our enemy.  At least outside the hockey rink. They are a trusted ally.  So why are we threatening to annex them?

Now, let's ask the question of what it takes to prepare for emerging global threats and how the US can be a reliable partner in the world.

The answer is NOT erratic and unpredictable foreign policy.  The answer is NOT making and breaking promises.  The answer is NOT betraying our allies, signaling to them that we are an unreliable partner.   

If our allies believe they cannot rely on us, they will stop sharing critical intelligence.  This is an emerging threat.

Intelligence-sharing with our allies is a critical part of protecting America's national security. 

And how do we expect to strengthen our ties and build trust if we are actively declaring a trade war on our allies?  Or if we are supporting fringe extremist groups in their elections?  Or if we are baselessly calling our democratically elected allies dictators? 

And finally, is this administration ensuring we have the personnel, the institutional knowledge, and the expertise to quickly and effectively respond to emerging threats?

This brain drain from the federal government, the shuttering of agencies, and disdain for our civil servants is a huge threat to national security and actively undermines the goal of preparing the country for emerging global threats.

Haphazardly cutting contracts across the government and indiscriminately firing federal employees is draining all the critical experience and expertise in our government. 

President Trump's Friday night firings of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other eminently qualified military leaders is a terrifying politicization of our military at the expense of experience and talent.

Just yesterday, I joined Ranking Member Connolly in leading my Democratic colleagues of this subcommittee in demanding answers for these actions.

And those are just examples of what Trump has done in the last week, not to mention his dismantling of our government and the foundations of our democracy in the last month. 

People are the backbone of our national security and diplomatic apparatus.  By firing career civil servants, by freezing foreign aid, and by closing the world's premier development agency, the President has put us in a perilous position.

Our job as the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is to hold the executive accountable to Congress and to the American people.

This hearing is supposed to be about readying the US to respond to emerging global threats.

But how can we respond to emerging global threats when our President does not even seem to understand what those threats are?

Instead of protecting our national security, he is mimicking the propaganda of our authoritarian adversaries, sending mixed signals to the world about what we stand for, and firing the people best positioned to keep us safe.

I hope the other members of the committee share my bewilderment and desire to conduct true oversight to further our shared goals of a safe and prosperous nation.

This Administration's foreign policy is essentially surrendering to our emerging threats, not addressing them head on.  It is making us weaker, less prepared for threats of the future, and most of all, making every American less safe. 

I yield back.