DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2005 -- (House of Representatives - June 22, 2004)
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 683 and rule XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 4613.
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Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
It is my privilege today to present to the House the appropriations for National Defense for Fiscal Year 2005. This bill includes a total amount for the Defense Department of $416.1 billion. Within that dollar amount, which is an enormous amount, there also is included approximately $25 billion that is a part of a bridge fund amendment providing funds for operations in Iraq. This recognizes that the Congress may be in recess for an extended period of time, perhaps even adjourn for the year for a period of time, before we have another supplemental coming forward. That additional funding is to make certain that we do not have any of the funds that are very important in terms of meeting our world challenges today run short or run dry.
Indeed, this bill is a package that is designed to meet the country's need in this ever-shrinking and ever-complex world.
It is a very, very important bill, that first and foremost is designed to support our troops wherever they may be deployed around the world. Most significantly, in doing that, we are providing the funding that is necessary to carry forward the current effort in Iraq and around Afghanistan as well.
I would like to outline just briefly what the bill does. It supports those operations in Iraq, as I have suggested; but it also supports our troops by making certain that funding is there for their housing, for their training needs, their clothing needs, et cetera. But above and beyond that, it provides for full funding for the 3.5 percent pay increase that is a part of the President's budget.
The bill further increases additional funding for readiness for our troops, providing for the training as well as the equipment of their efforts worldwide.
The bill provides a very significant level of funding for our intelligence efforts, including an increase beyond the President's original budget. Further than that, within the supplemental package that is here, there is a very significant addition to our Intelligence funding. The bill provides for funding for a number of very important assets across the board, including funding for the Virginia-class submarine, for example, funding for the Joint Strike Fighter, the F-22 fighter, et cetera.
This bill also includes language that is designed to improve or increase the reporting requirements that we provide for the Department of Defense and the various branches to make sure that the Congress is getting the kind of oversight that allows us all the assurance we need that the funding that has been appropriated by the Congress is being spent along those guidelines that the Congress has extended.
At this point, Mr. Chairman, I would like to provide for the RECORD a summary of the funding provided in this bill.
Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), the chairman of the full committee.
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Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I cannot tell my colleague how much I appreciate his remarks and his great support throughout the development of this bill. And to say the least, to suggest that he is a partner in this subcommittee's work would be understating it, for he not only has been chairman of this subcommittee but as full committee chairman, he has been absolutely fantastic.
I would further say the same about my colleague the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha). This partnership has produced very positive results over the years and, indeed, it has been my great privilege and honor to work with the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha).
Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to my colleague from California (Mr. Cunningham), who would probably like to do the same.
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Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I might consume for purposes of having a colloquy with the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson).
Mr. Chairman, as chairman of the Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, I have the privilege of working closely with the Department of Defense. I see in here firsthand the skill, commitment, and bravery of our men and women serving in Iraq and elsewhere in the world.
We all know of the enormous contributions of our allies as well. And I must say the contribution of the United Kingdom is hard to overstate, but we have had great assistance from other allies, for example, Italy has 2,800 personnel working in Iraq and has donated some $210 million to the process that is here. We have had help from countries like Portugal, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Poland, and Kuwait.
So across the board, I must say that we have been helped greatly by allies who were willing to step up and pay a piece of the price of this very important venture.
I particularly wanted to mention the role played by our friends, the Japanese. For over the years, the Japanese have been very hesitant in the military front since World War II. But in this circumstance, they have really been a great ally.
There are presently 1,000 Japanese troops known as the Self-Defense Forces, including some 600 ground troops in Iraq today. They have consistently indicated a willingness to support us in our effort there. I cannot compliment them enough.
Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Chairman, would the gentleman yield?
Mr. LEWIS. I would be happy to yield to my colleague who has similar feelings and wants to have some discussion about this.
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Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. SANDERS. I yield to the gentleman from California.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman from Vermont and the gentleman from Connecticut have both been very active in the fight for a cure and treatment of Gulf War Illness for many years, and the committee will work with both of them to increase funding for research in this area.
Mr. SANDERS. Does that commitment include the gentleman's willingness to support higher funding for Gulf War Illness research that might be included in the Senate version of the bill?
Mr. LEWIS of California. Yes.
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, would the gentlemen be willing to work with the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays) and me to develop conference report language that would indicate the conference's expectation that the Department of Defense make a significant commitment to continue the breakthrough research which has recently indicated that the neurological damage associated with Gulf War Illness is caused by low-level chemical exposure?
Mr. LEWIS of California. Yes.
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Mr. LEWIS of California. If the gentlewoman will yield, I will be very happy to work with the gentlewoman. I appreciate her withdrawing her amendment.
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Mr. LEWIS of California (during the reading). Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the remainder of the bill through page 33, line 9, be considered as read, printed in the RECORD, and open to amendment at any point.
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Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the gentleman's amendment.
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Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, first I withdraw my point of order.
The CHAIRMAN. The point of order is withdrawn.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. I am very empathetic to the gentleman's concern as expressed here. We have discussed it on many occasions between the two of us. The fact is that currently the DOD is spending some $200 million a year in this arena. There is $204 million already in the bill. It seems senseless to me to say withdraw $5 million from other accounts and pass it here. It seems to me that this is unnecessary; and because of that, I would oppose the amendment.
Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. LEWIS of California. I yield to the gentleman from Oregon.
Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Chairman, the point I was trying to make earlier, with all due respect, is that the couple of hundred million dollars that we have here leaves the vast majority of sites with no expenditure whatsoever. Over 1,400, no expenditure. I just mentioned on the floor that we are having to suspend the work on the campus of American University and in Spring Valley because they are running out of money.
My question is, why should we be continuing to play this sort of shell game when for a reasonable expenditure of funds we could clear 8 million acres or more from having this signage and having this risk?
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I am very empathetic to the Member's expression of concern in this arena.
There is report language in the bill that says the following that I would bring to his attention:
"The Defense Science Board and the General Accounting Office both express concerns with the efficiency of the Department of Defense plan for remediation of UXO, unexploded ordnance. Therefore, in the fiscal year 2005 DOD appropriations report, we have requested a comprehensive plan and cost estimates from the department on all identified sites by April 1, 2005."
We are attempting, Mr. Chairman, to deal with this problem by dealing with the Department. We recognize that they are not as efficient as we might like.
Mr. BLUMENAUER. If the gentleman will yield further, I have four studies here now from 2001 that detail the deficiencies and inadequacies of the program. I am wondering what the gentleman expects to be accomplished by one more study that has not been already highlighted, documented and discussed with the gentleman and the committee over the course of the last 4 years?
Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. LEWIS of California. I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
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Mr. LEWIS of California. As we have discussed before, I am always willing to try to help the gentleman.