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For the last couple of years, the Armed Forces in the United States has had a problem.

They can't seem to find enough soldiers.

Good afternoon, and welcome to the first personnel subcommittee hearing of the 118th Congress.

This is not a secret. The Army's missed its recruitment goal by 25 percent.

Military leaders went to Congress a few months back to ask for more money to get troops in the

door. They talked about doing more intense outreach, telling their story better.

And then, Senator Tammy Duckworth brought up something else. Why not make it easier for immigrants

to join. This year, I'm introducing the Enlist Act. This legislation enables the Department

of Defense to expand its recruiting pool to include individuals like Duckworth recipients and

other longtime residents of this country who can pass a DOD background check and meet the

services high standards for enlistment. This is the sort of suggestion that makes Sophia

...