Expressing Continued Support of Congress for Equal Access of Military Recruiters to Institutions of Higher Education

EXPRESSING CONTINUED SUPPORT OF CONGRESS FOR EQUAL ACCESS OF MILITARY RECRUITERS TO INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION -- (House of Representatives - February 02, 2005)

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Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, let me thank my colleague for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support of this resolution, which shows our Nation's unwavering commitment to both higher education and providing a strong national defense. At no time in recent memory has our country placed more responsibility on the shoulders of our men and women in uniform. We are fighting a war on terrorism on multiple fronts, in Afghanistan and Iraq. And it is essential that if we are to be victorious in defending our freedom and protecting our homeland that we promote military service as an option to college students across the United States.

When this Congress passed and President Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act, the bill made it easier for military recruiters to inform America's high school students about their options to serve their country, while also giving parents a choice about whether or not they want their sons and daughters to be contacted individually by military recruiters.

Now in this resolution we are reiterating the choices given to institutions of higher education. The Solomon Act, originally passed in 1995, grants the Secretary of Defense power to deny Federal funding to institutions of higher learning if they prohibit military recruitment on campus. This law recognizes the importance of having a capable, educated and well-prepared military, one that is ready to defend American liberties such as freedom of speech and higher education.

If we deny Armed Forces recruiters the opportunity to actively recruit in schools, we not only disrespect the sacrifices of military men and women who have made our freedom possible; we also rob our students of the valuable opportunities that military service can be to our Nation and what they can help provide. There is no reason not to allow the Nation's armed services to make their best case to college students and to do so in the same manner as private sector employers that colleges and universities seem to relish having on campus.

Denial of access and equality to military recruiters by colleges that receive Federal funds is an insult to the taxpayers who help subsidize higher education in this country. Many nations have mandatory military service for their citizens. We do not. The very core of our system of homeland security and national defense depends on young men and women deciding that they wish to serve our country.

Successful recruitment of the best officers in our military relies heavily on our military recruiters' access to the best and the brightest. And it seems a bit disingenuous for the elite institutions of higher education, such as Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Georgetown, and New York University, to condemn the lack of the wealthy and privileged in the ranks of our military while these schools deny their students the option of even hearing about a career in our United States military.

This resolution should not be politicized. It is a straightforward reaffirmation of our Armed Forces and our students. Congress does not force colleges and universities to accept Federal funding. If an institution of higher learning wishes to bar military recruiters from recruiting, it is free to do so. But Federal funding is not an entitlement and such institutions should not expect that decision to be endorsed and subsidized by the taxpayers of the United States. The resolution reaffirms our commitment to that principle.

And I want to commend the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) and I also want to thank the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kline) for bringing this resolution to the floor and urge my colleagues to support it.

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