CNN Newsroom: Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) Discusses About U.S. Army Compared To China
Interview
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Yes. So in 2006, as a young naval officer, I actually deployed to Taiwan where I started to understand the strategic importance of our alliances between the United States and Taiwan, specifically countering any sort of Chinese aggression, which has only gotten worse in the 15 or 16 years since I visited there last.
I think that the House Armed Services Committee, the Congress and the nation needs to continue to invest in our nation's military's fighting men and women so that we can either deter the next conflict or win it if God forbid we have to go to it.
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Well, we can - we need to continue to work on it. Each day our nation's adversaries are innovating and preparing everyday to defeat us. They're closing the gap on technology especially. We need to provide a strong investment into our military every day.
Right now, the House Armed Services Committee is working on our NDAA, our nation's investment in our nation's military. That intends to be a robust investment to deter adversaries like China, like Iran to ensure that we protect Americans abroad and at home.
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We wanted to deter conflict, first and foremost. And there's a number of ways to do that, economically is one way, diplomatically is another. The State Department has a lot of work to do to ensure that our nation's adversaries: China, Iran, Russia are taking America very seriously. When America speaks, they should take us seriously. When they see our ships stationed off of their coast, they should especially take us seriously as well.
The administration needs to do everything possible to ensure that Americans - America's adversaries take us quite seriously.
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So what I think needs to happen in Ukraine is a balanced investment of America's taxpayers' investment as well as the Europeans. Right now it's disproportionate. Public resources suggest that the United States has spent $30 billion there while our European partners have only spent 20 billion. That's a disproportion investment the administration needs to tackle right away.
This is a worldwide problem, but first and foremost ...
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... it's a European problem.
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The investment needs to be more balanced.
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Yes. I need to talk with some more of the generals and admirals about the tactical situation on the ground there. I'm not ready to commit to a position on that.
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Yes. So we saw the Chinese spy balloon fly across the United States and we know the Chinese are spying us overtly. They're also doing it covertly through technology. They're also gobbling up tracts of lands across our nation.
We need to be vigilant, we need to be able to deter and dissuade and prevent the Chinese from being able to invade us in numerous different ways, invade our technology to harm our sovereignty. TikTok is just the tip of the iceberg on what China is trying to do to prevent and disrupt our national security.
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Yes. Yes, I have and it causes me great concern. It's one of the things that keeps me up at night. It's one of the reasons that ...
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Yes, I didn't mean to make the joke of this, but my 13 year old is upset with my position on TikTok, because like what you suggested, folks have learned to rely on it. But Americans should take it very seriously. There's hundreds of other apps that Americans should explore rather than the one promoted and maintained by the Chinese Communist Party. We should get off TikTok right away.
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No, not now.
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So I think there's a number of victims in George Santos' scam. First and foremost as the voters in his district, my fellow Long Islanders who have no decent representation here in the Congress, I think it's the people who he financially scammed to get contributions, but it's the entire Republican conference here in Congress who has been scammed as well, we don't get to come on programs and talk about our commitment to America. Instead, we're asked about this scan that he's pulled as well.
Leadership has made strides in this, first and foremost, Anthony D'Esposito and I were the first two to come out against George Santos. Those numbers grew to all five Republican freshmen from Long Island. Now they're about 10 House Republicans who have publicly called for his resignation.
A couple of weeks ago, when I approached leadership and a few of us - actually all five House Republican freshmen from Long Island - asked them to pay more attention to this. A couple days later, he was removed from committees. He said he did it voluntarily, but I credit leadership for being proactive and listening to us. I expect more of that going forward.
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Well, if you look at what Democrats are doing right now, Democrats have sponsored a bill to remove him and the five of us that said we would support that bill. But that bill only has 27 House Democrats supporting it. That's only 13 percent of the house Democrat Congress.
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I think the better question is, why aren't the Democrats unify to remove George Santos? And answer is they know he is a distraction and I expect the ranks of Republicans to only grow the more time that goes by.
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Thank you.
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