National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005

NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2005 -- (House of Representatives - May 19, 2004)

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 648 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. 4200.

[Time: 14:33]

IN THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the consideration of the bill (H.R. 4200) to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2005 for military activities of the Department of Defense, to prescribe military personnel strengths for fiscal year 2005, and for other purposes, with Mr. Hastings of Washington in the chair.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered as having been read the first time.

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Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon), a very distinguished member of the committee.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4200, the National Defense Authorization Act For Fiscal Year 2005.

First, I would like to commend the gentleman from California (Chairman Hunter) and the ranking member, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), for their leadership in bringing this good bill to the floor. The gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) was referred to this morning in our conference as the troop's chairman, and I think that is exactly what he is; and he has brought a bill that is great for the troops.

Mr. Chairman, hundreds of thousands of brave American soldiers, including mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers, are fighting to protect our freedom and liberty throughout the world; and we owe it to them and to their families to pass this bill today.

The cornerstone of H.R. 4200 is the $2 billion plan to equip our troops with the latest and most state-of-the-art safety equipment, including body armor, armored Humvees, and armor add-on kits for thin-skinned vehicles.

Many times the best and most innovative of these technologies are developed by our Nation's small businesses who are able to produce cutting-edge military equipment at a lower cost. That is why we have included language in the bill to encourage the Department of Defense to provide greater consideration to the advantages and innovations offered by small business.

The bill also directs the Department to award more contracts to small businesses through broader utilization of phase 3 of the Small Business Innovative Research Program. I thank the gentleman from California (Chairman Hunter), the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Chairman Weldon), and the committee staff for working with me to include this language in the bill.

I cannot overstate the strong impact that small businesses have on the Department of Defense. Our country's small businesses are the engines of American technological innovation, and they will significantly enhance the ability of the American war fighter and help save many lives.

Mr. Chairman, H.R. 4200 is a solid bill which focuses on protecting our troops on the battlefield and strengthening our support for them at home. It contains several other provisions that I support, including a solid pay raise for our troops, increases in their hardship pay, and elimination of their out-of-pocket expenses for housing, among other things.

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This package is the least we could do for our brave men and women of the Armed Forces who risk their lives every day to protect America and our freedoms around the world. I urge all of my colleagues to vote "yes" on H.R. 4200.

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