Comer, Grothman, Higgins Demand U.S. Navy Provide Prompt Answers to Committee Inquiries
“Failure to comply with this request will result in the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability issuing appropriate subpoenas.”
WASHINGTON—House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs Chairman Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.), and Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) are demanding the United States Navy provide answers to Questions for the Record (QFRs) which were submitted in conjunction with a hearing titled “Strengthening the Fleet: Challenges and Solutions in Naval Surface Ship Construction” held by the Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs on May 11, 2023. In a letter to the Secretary of the United States Navy, the members outlined their concern with a lack of timely response to committee inquiries following the hearing and requested prompt answers to outstanding QFRs.
“As we mark over three months since the hearing, the absence of a response is alarming and undermines the trust between our institutions,” the lawmakers wrote.
At the May subcommittee hearing, members asked witnesses from the United States Navy how the U.S. Navy can build ships more efficiently to meet the demands of U.S. national security strategy. Members also warned that shipbuilding projects have cost billions in wasted U.S. taxpayer dollars as they have failed to perform their intended missions, contributing to the gap in capabilities between China and the United States.
“Due to the lack of timely responses to our inquiries, we are left with no choice but to demand complete answers to all outstanding QFRs within ten business days of the delivery of this letter. Failure to comply with this request will result in the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability issuing appropriate subpoenas,” the lawmakers continued.
Read the letter to Secretary of the United States Navy the Honorable Carlos Del Toro here.