WASHINGTON – Thursday, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) joined POLITICO’s Security Summit to discuss defense spending, retaining the Department of Defense’s (DOD) access to wireless frequencies in the lower 3 gigahertz (GHz) and key portions of the 7/8 GHz spectrum bands, and how the Trump administration could not complete its Golden Dome Missile Defense Shield should the DOD be forced to vacate spectrum frequencies.
Click here to watch the full conversation.
Fischer on Supporting a Strong Defense Budget:
“On the Senate Armed Services Committee, for the last 3 years of the previous administration, President Biden sent us a budget, and in a bipartisan way in the Senate we’ve, for the most part, a strong majority of the Committee agreed that it was not enough.”
“I am not happy with the way OMB is trying to turn this. President Trump has said he wants peace through strength. In order to have peace through strength, we have to continue to have a defense budget that meets the needs of our military, of our military members, and to meet those growing threats that we see in this world.”
“There are a number of us that would like to see a much more robust budget.”
Fischer on DOD Retaining Spectrum Access:
“It’s extremely important for the Department of Defense to maintain their ownership and access of the lower 3 but also parts of 7 and 8 [GHz].”
Fischer on House Spectrum Provisions in Reconciliation:
“I think it needed to go much further, much further. I personally cannot accept it as it came out of the E&C Committee.”
“I’m also on the Commerce Committee, and that Committee is looking at spectrum as well in having a pipeline established and also a spectrum auction.”
“In the E&C bill, it put the pipeline in and somewhat defined it for the lower three. But there’s no definition for auction authority for the FCC, so they could go outside of that since they have the authority and be able to auction other bands, whether it’s the lower three or seven – eight [GHz].”
“I believe in the Senate, we must be able to have complete definitions on what bands DOD needs. And this is again, for a number of radars, a number of sensors, and a number of assets I can’t tell you about, how important that is.”
“When it comes to the idea that this is going to be the silver bullet for reconciliation, I disagree with that as well.”
Fischer on Golden Dome Execution:
“We’ve been working closely with the White House, and they have been very supportive working closely with the Department of Defense. And every time a military commander is asked about Golden Dome and spectrum, the need for spectrum, they will bluntly say … it [Golden Dome] will not happen if the Department loses access to the spectrum they have.”
