Conference Report on H.R. National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019
Floor Speech
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Mr. THORNBERRY. 5515.
Mr. Speaker, first, I want to express my appreciation to the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, Mr. Smith, not only for his work on this conference, but also for his work throughout the process of bringing this bill to fruition. However strongly he and I may disagree on some particular issues, it is always clear that he seeks, first and foremost, to do the right thing for our military personnel and our country's national security, and I very much appreciate the opportunity to work with him.
Second, I want to thank all the members of the conference committee and of the House Armed Services Committee. Each of them has contributed to this final product, although I suspect none of them is pleased with everything that is or is not in it.
It is the result of a negotiation between House and Senate Members with a variety of interests. Taken as a whole, however, I think all Members who participated, whether in committee, in conference, or here on the floor, can be proud of the result.
Third, I want to thank our staff, both committee staff and personal staff. They worked long and hard to get this done and get it done earlier than we have in many years. I especially want to thank the committee staff director Jen Stewart, as well Paul Arcangeli and my personal chief of staff, Josh Martin, for all of their work.
Mr. Speaker, next, I want to express particular appreciation to a group of folks who often do not get publicly recognized in order to do this conference report and do it on the timeframe we have had available. Those working in legislative counsel have had to work extraordinarily hard, and I am grateful to each of them. Some of those in legislative counsel who have worked on this product include Hadley Ross, Sherry Chriss, Tony Sciascia, Noah Wofsy, Ken Cox, Brendan Gallagher, and Mat Eckstein. There are others who will be named shortly.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Rules Committee and that staff for helping us work through a procedural issue in the last couple of days.
Mr. Speaker, this bill takes a major step forward in rebuilding our military, reforming the Pentagon, and better preparing this country to deal with the national security challenges that lay before us. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore
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Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, this bill continues to make readiness a key focus, for if we send our men and women out on missions, then they deserve to have the best equipment, the best training, and the best support that this country can provide.
It advances implementation of the new National Defense Strategy, so we can be better prepared against threats from peer or near-peer adversaries, such as Russia and China. In fact, there are many, many provisions in this bill, Mr. Speaker, directly related to countering the aggressive actions we have seen from each of those countries.
One section of this conference report is the first update to our foreign investment laws in many years. I commend Chairman Hensarling, Chairman Royce, and, of course, Speaker Ryan for negotiating a strong CFIUS bill, which helps protect our Nation's security.
This conference report also prohibits the Federal Government from buying products or services from Chinese telecommunications companies, such as ZTE and Huawei. And, importantly, it prohibits the Federal Government from doing business with any company that buys their products or services.
A more complete summary of the provisions has been provided to all Members, but the top priority of this bill and of our committee remains the men and women who volunteer to serve our Nation in the military. This bill authorizes the largest pay increase in 9 years. It provides additional assistance for spouses seeking employment; it makes transition assistance more tailored to the individual; and it prohibits the closure of military healthcare facilities; all of that and more focused on our people, who are our most valuable asset.
Mr. Speaker, speaking of patriotic Americans serving our country, one provision on which the House receded to the Senate was the title of the bill. We happily agreed to name this legislation after Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. We do so not just because of his current position but in recognition and in tribute to a lifetime of patriotic service to our Nation.
Navy pilot, prisoner of war, Member of the House, Member of the Senate, Presidential nominee, whatever his job, whatever his role, John McCain has carried it out with passion and intensity and with a love for our country that knows no bounds. History will find Senator John McCain to be one of the giants of our time.
While battling cancer at home in Arizona, he has helped guide this year's NDAA throughout the process. Now, that does not mean that he agrees with every one of the outcomes in this conference report. I know from firsthand experience that he can be a fierce advocate and a tough negotiator.
Mr. Speaker, Senator Inhofe has done a great job on Senator McCain's behalf, and this conference report bears Senator McCain's unmistakable stamp. He has, once again, made a strong, positive difference for the men and women in uniform and for the national security of the United States of America.
We certainly wish him and his family the best in his current fight. We thank him, and we attempt to honor him and his outstanding record of service to our Nation with this legislation.
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Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I want to express my appreciation to all of the Members who came to speak on the conference report today. Yet, I have the feeling we have only begun to scratch the surface of all of the issues that are addressed in this bill.
Mr. Speaker, this is a big bill. It is about 1,800 pages big. About 200 pages of that is the CFIUS reform, led by the Financial Services Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee, but there is a lot that is in this bill. The distinguished ranking member just talked a bit about reform.
This bill eliminates a number of requirements that Congress had put on the Department of Defense in previous years. It streamlines some decisionmaking. It begins to put in some sort of comprehensible order all of the laws related to acquisition. It requires that there be savings of overhead expenses of a number of DOD agencies that have not been addressed before. I could go on and on.
There was a Secretary of Defense who wrote a book a few years ago, who complained about this bill, who said that it is too much that Congress is doing to tell us what to do.
Yet, I would remind all of us, Mr. Speaker, that the Constitution puts that exact responsibility on our shoulders. It says that it is Congress' job to raise and support, provide and maintain, and make the rules and regulations for military forces of the United States.
This is the bill by which we carry out that responsibility. It is our job to do it. And this bill is the product, as you have heard, of Members of both sides of the aisle throughout the process.
There have been, approximately, 1,005 amendments that have been proposed at some point in this process: subcommittee, full committee, floor consideration, and then on to conference. About an equal number of them were Republicans and Democrats.
We have come together, as we have for each of the past 57 years, to exercise our constitutional responsibilities on behalf of the men and women who risk their lives to protect us.
I would certainly join with the ranking member and other Members, who have said: Now, in order to get the full benefit of this, we need to have an appropriations bill that matches, on time, before the end of the fiscal year.
Mr. Speaker, over the course of this debate today, you have heard a lot of thanks. It is appropriate because, obviously, it takes a lot of work, by a lot of people, to put together an 1,800-page bill and try to think through the consequences of what it means for us, what it means for our servicemembers, and what it means for our allies around the world.
It truly is a team effort, a bipartisan team effort. And I believe the reason that is so, the reason it has passed every year, and has been signed into law every year for the past 57 years, is because of the men and women, of whom we are so proud, who risk their lives to protect us and our freedom. They continue to be at the forefront of our thoughts. It is on their behalf, and for their benefit, that we bring this conference report, urge its adoption, and appreciate their service to the United States of America.
Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
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