Providing for Consideration of H.R. 1585, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008
Floor Speech
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1585, NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2008 -- (House of Representatives - May 16, 2007)
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Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, House Resolution 403 provides for consideration of H.R. 1585, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 under a structured rule. The rule provides 90 minutes of general debate, equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Armed Services. The rule waives all points of order against the bill's consideration, except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. The rule makes in order and provides appropriate waivers for 50 amendments. The rule also permits the Chair of the Committee on Armed Services or his designee to offer amendments not earlier disposed of en bloc and debated for 20 minutes, equally divided and controlled by the Chair and ranking member of the Armed Services Committee. The Chair of the Armed Services Committee also may request that amendments printed and ordered in the Rules Committee report be offered out of that order with appropriate notice on the floor.
Madam Speaker, today the new Congress, under Democratic leadership, will chart a new direction for a stronger and safer America through the adoption of the Defense authorization bill, H.R. 1585, and this rule. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I am pleased to report that our committee, under the leadership of Chairman IKE SKELTON, passed the bill out of committee unanimously in a bipartisan way, 58-0.
The Defense bill provides $648.6 billion to support our brave American men and women in uniform, but it does much more. The provisions in the bill would repair the damage done to America's national security by this White House by improving the readiness of our Armed Forces, requiring accountability from the White House in its Iraq policy and making more strategic investments for the protection of the American people and our interests across the globe.
On readiness, we are going to take care of our troops and their families. We are going to fully fund the needs of our armed services. We are going to strengthen the National Guard and Reserves.
Here are a few details. We have authorized $1.2 billion for body armor; $2.5 billion for up-armored Humvees; $1.2 billion for vehicle add-on armor; and $509 million for the armored security vehicles. We are going to increase the end-strength of our armed services with 36,000 new soldiers in the Army, 9,000 new troops in the Marine Corps and 1,300 troops in the Army National Guard.
This bill authorizes $4.5 billion to fund the anti-IED, improvised explosive device, efforts of the Joint Improved Explosive Device Defeat Organization.
In addition, Madam Speaker, although the President called for only a 3 percent pay raise for our brave men and women in uniform, we have gone far beyond that because we recognize the sacrifice that they are providing for the benefit of the American people, and we have provided a pay raise in this bill for our troops of 3.5 percent.
Inexplicably, in this time of conflict and war the Bush administration also proposed increases in health insurance premiums for our military retirees and troops under TRICARE and proposed cuts to active military medical services. We have blocked that measure. It is the wrong time for the White House to propose health insurance premium increases, when we are asking so much of our brave American men and women in uniform.
Madam Speaker, in this bill we have also included provisions that we passed last month, the Wounded Warrior Assistance Act, because we remain committed to seeing that our wounded servicemembers receive the best health care possible. Indeed, Madam Speaker, under that Wounded Warrior Assistance Act, we are answering the call of the American people. This new Congress is demanding, through this rule and through this legislation, that the executive branch move beyond the rhetoric of ``support our troops'' to concrete actions that sustain our brave men and women in uniform and their families by providing the quality health care they deserve when they return from the battlefield.
Supporting our troops does not mean that you simply salute and send them off to war, ask them to serve and sacrifice for our great country. But it also means that they are supported when they return home, their families are respected and our wounded warriors receive superior health care for their physical injuries and mental health care.
We are going to improve the health care-mental health care for our wounded warriors in this bill. We are going to tackle the bureaucracy that has blocked their access to health care. We are going to require expedited action, provide medical advocates, improve support services for families and really tackle the traumatic brain injuries and aid the polytrauma centers and VA hospitals across this country that are serving the most crucially wounded.
Madam Speaker, this bill also calls for greater accountability from the White House. In this bill, we are requiring more in-depth reports on operations in Iraq. We want to know what is truly happening on the ground with the Iraqi security forces.
There has been so much waste and fraud in contracting in Iraq and under this White House that we are not going to put up with it any longer. The Department of Defense, the Department of State, USAID, must have additional oversight of the multibillion dollar contracts that have been approved during this war in Iraq. We require reports on the proficiencies of the Iraqi Army, the police, and all security forces there.
To the credit of this Armed Services Committee, we have not forgotten about Afghanistan. In fact, in this bill, as an additional accountability measure, we have established an Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, as we cannot sanction the waste and fraud that has accompanied the administration's Iraq reconstruction.
Madam Speaker, we are also going to be more strategic in the defense of our national security. Like I said, Afghanistan cannot be the forgotten war. In fact, in this bill we direct more attention to operations there, in addition to the Inspector General that will oversee the reconstruction efforts. This bill contains a detailed plan to achieve long-term stability in what has been an unstable country in Afghanistan for many years.
Madam Speaker, we will hear debate today about missile defense. Now, this bill provides great investment in the protection and missile defense of this country. It also reinvigorates the nonproliferation and threat reduction initiatives that have suffered under the Bush administration. We are going to refocus our efforts strategically on terrorism and the true threats to our national security.
I am very proud to say that the headquarters of Special Operations Command is located in my district in Tampa, Florida, at the McDill Air Force Base. This Defense bill, under Democratic leadership, not only fully funds our Special Operations Forces, but it went beyond the Bush administration's budget request, and we have funded their five unfunded needs under the Bush proposal.
We have also authorized a 25 percent increase in Special Forces by the year 2013, because we recognize that we cannot rely solely any longer on the conventional threats to our country. We have got to be smarter, we have to be more strategic, and the Democratic Defense bill authorizes the increase in Special Forces and also a new emphasis on indirect action.
Oftentimes, to win the hearts and minds, you don't go in with guns blazing. In fact, you institute a smarter policy where you work with folks on the ground to prevent any terrorist initiative from ever developing. And this bill does that.
We have reinvested additional resources to improve education and analytical intelligence surveillance. We harness the science and technology innovation in this country by investing in information technology and other technologies to make sure that our troops on the ground have the best technology available across the globe.
Yes, Madam Speaker, this Defense bill charts a new direction for true readiness, accountability and more strategic investments to protect our national security.
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Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, when it comes to the Rules Committee, I think the record should reflect the true reality.
On this Defense bill, over 130 amendments were filed and reviewed in committee, and a record-breaking number of 50 amendments have been allowed on this bill today.
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Ms. CASTOR. I thank my colleague from the Rules Committee because he is aware, and anyone who attended that committee meeting would be aware, that certain second-degree amendments were in fact offered by the other side of the aisle and were debated and voted upon in committee.
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Ms. CASTOR. I thank the gentleman.
The fact remains over 135 amendments were submitted on time to the Rules Committee, and a record-breaking number of 50 amendments are being allowed and made in order on this Defense bill.
I think it is also important to respond to the claims that missile defense is not funded through this bill. Indeed, that is incorrect. The record should reflect that only in Washington can a program be provided and funded with billions and billions of dollars for numerous decades; and then say, oh, we are suffering. In fact, that is not the case.
Madam Speaker, I yield 2 1/2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Udall), a member of the Armed Services Committee.
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Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
We did have a debate over missile defense in the Armed Services Committee, but at the end of the day, recall we had a unanimous vote, 58-0, bipartisan vote, to send this bill to the floor.
I would offer, there is no debate. We must protect this great country from nuclear threats, missile threats; and in fact, this bill does that.
We have provided $1.4 billion for Patriot PAC-3 and MEADS. These funds will be used to purchase additional interceptors, upgrade remaining firing units' configuration, continue the development of the MEADS program and purchase equipment for two additional Patriot battalions.
The committee also authorized $1.1 billion for Aegis BMD, an increase of $78 million above the budget request from the White House. These funds will be used to continue and expand the fielding of Standard Missile-3, improve the discrimination capabilities of the Aegis SPY1 radar, and continue the joint development with Japan of the SM-3 Block IIA missile.
We have authorized $2.3 billion for ground-based missile defense.
The committee supports THAAD and authorizes $858 million to continue the purchase of two THAAD firing units. So to come to the floor and say that missile defense is not provided for in this bill is incorrect.
What we are facing, though, is because of this war in Iraq, we have growing needs for the troops on the ground. So our committee made the decision that the troops on the ground come first; that they will have the body armor, they will have the MRAP vehicles, the mine-resistant vehicles, because that is the priority today. Tough decisions, but our troops come first on the ground.
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Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I think it is also very important for the record to reflect that the Army is fully funded in its needs. Indeed, $13.6 billion are authorized through this Defense bill to fully address the equipment reset of the Army.
What has happened, because of the war in Iraq and in Afghanistan, and we all know this, but readiness of our Armed Forces has suffered. Indeed, the Army Chief of Staff testified before the Armed Services Committee that the escalation of the war creates a terrible strategic risk for this country.
If there was any other threat from across the globe that threatened our national security, it would be very difficult for us to respond because all of the equipment, all of the trucks, the Humvees, are there in Iraq. When the units are deployed and go over to Iraq, they are not able to bring the equipment back.
This was highlighted recently in the State of Kansas with these terrible tornados, when the governor of Kansas told us directly that they were not able to respond as quickly. I'll tell you, coming from the State of Florida, at the beginning of the hurricane season, this is an issue.
We have also had to make these tough decisions about equipping our
warriors on the ground with the equipment that they need.
The Army came forward during their budget discussion in Armed Services and said our most critical need are these mine-resistant ambush vehicles that have the armor to withstand the IEDs that has caused so much death and destruction. The Bush administration did not have a funding plan for those MRAP vehicles. So what do we do?
We have got to provide the troops on the ground with the equipment they need to stay safe and survive. Does that mean that some other programs that aren't as tested and aren't as proven get a slight cut? Yes, it does. Yes, it does, because that is a priority, protecting the troops on the ground today.
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Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman and before I reserve the balance of my time, on the future combat systems, so the record is clear, only in Washington can you provide $2.8 billion to a program and then say that's not enough.
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Ms. CASTOR. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
We did have, in over 5 months of the Armed Services Committee, many opportunities to hear from Members across the aisle. I question why this wasn't brought up before the committee at that time.
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