Providing for Consideration of H.R.1268, Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War of Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1268, EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT FOR DEFENSE, THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR, AND TSUNAMI RELIEF, 2005 -- (House of Representatives - March 15, 2005)
Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 151 and ask for its immediate consideration.
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Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Res. 151.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Oklahoma?
There was no objection.
Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.
Mr. Speaker, on March 14, the Committee on Rules met and granted an open rule on House Resolution 151, with 1 hour of debate equally divided between the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations. This rule accords priority of recognition to Members who have preprinted their amendments in the Congressional Record and provides one motion to recommit, with or without instructions.
Additionally, this rule attaches the text of H.R. 418, as passed, to the base text of the bill. H.R. 418 previously passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 261 to 161 on February 10 of this year.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud today to be able to manage this rule. This rule provides for an emergency supplemental funding package to sustain our troops in the ongoing war on terror. Most of these funds are directed towards operations in Iraq. Just last week, I returned from Iraq where I personally received numerous briefings regarding our readiness and our operational capabilities. I heard from our commanders, military personnel, and diplomats on the ground in Iraq. My colleagues and I also had the opportunity to meet with senior and provincial Iraqi political leaders.
Their collective message was clear, compelling, and optimistic. First, things are getting better. Second, our soldiers, Marines, sailors, and airmen believe in their mission. Third, continued congressional support, both moral and financial, is absolutely essential to bring our operations to a successful conclusion. The bulk of H.R. 1268 moves us closer to that objective.
This supplemental appropriations package is the fifth supplemental since September 11 that focuses on meeting the challenges imposed on us by the ongoing global war on terrorism.
Specifically, this supplemental provides for the replenishing of those accounts that the military has exhausted during sustained operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other areas of the world. Additionally, it provides important funding to assist in our efforts to address the disastrous results of the recent tsunami in South Asia and the Indian Ocean. Finally, there are important measures dedicated to improving the benefits due to our soldiers and meeting the diplomatic costs that our efforts have necessitated.
Important obligations are met in this legislation. Specifically, this bill provides saving $76.8 billion for total defense expenditures, a full $1.8 billion over the President's request, funding other important military shortfalls identified by committees of the Congress. The vast majority of these dollars will directly support our servicemen in the area of operations. These include purchases such as an additional 47,000 sets of body armor, 1,700 new armored Humvees and $408 million to harden the facilities that protect our servicemen from indirect fire.
Mr. Speaker, the Committee on Appropriations also addressed several other issues inside the supplemental that are essential to successfully prosecuting our global war on terror. Among them are the inclusion of Army modularity reform and the construction of a new American embassy in Baghdad.
Specifically, with respect to Army modularity, the committee took some important steps to ensure that our troops who will deploy in the near future are able to leverage more combat power from their current formations by adding a brigade at the division level. This ultimately supports the Army's attempt to transform the service to make it lighter, faster, more efficient and to reorient itself to its core competencies. Put simply, Army modularity, the movement to new brigade formations, will put more soldiers in the fight and allow us to use our combat personnel much more efficiently.
With respect to the embassy in Baghdad, the committee took a close look at the State Department's request and reduced it by 10 percent. Mr. Speaker, with respect to the embassy, I am aware that many Members have concerns about its high cost. However, let me be clear about the need for this extraordinary expenditure.
Having visited the Baghdad embassy twice before, it is clear to me that a new facility is required. This is not an optional item. The United States should not occupy one of Saddam Hussein's palaces indefinitely, for to do so only reinforces the impression in parts of the Arab world that the United States is an occupying power.
More importantly, Iraq is a very dangerous diplomatic post. Indeed, it is so dangerous that essentially every State Department employee based in Baghdad is a volunteer. Like our soldiers, these brave career civil servants need and deserve the best security we can provide them while they perform their vital functions. A new, secure embassy is indispensable to achieving this objective.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1268 takes a number of important steps forward in addressing the needs of our military. Today, we are likely to debate several amendments that would have a gutting effect on this underlying legislation. I would strongly urge Members to closely examine such amendments and reject them.
Our debate today is not over the war. The President and the Congress have already made that decision. Our focus should be to give our forces the resources they need to successfully complete their dangerous and challenging mission.
The bill we have before us today is an excellent and timely piece of legislation with strong bipartisan input and support. Therefore, I urge the support for the rule and the underlying bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, just for an informational point, the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter) makes an excellent point about sections 1113 and 1114. I want to inform the gentlewoman that at the conclusion I will be offering an amendment to protect those sections from points of order.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite).
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Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Let me just make a couple of quick points. I was not in Congress when the decision, on a bipartisan basis, was made to give the President the authority to commence hostilities in Iraq, but I do think it was the right decision, and I do think that it has been vindicated frankly by things that have happened recently not only in Iraq but throughout the Middle East.
Regardless of that, I think my friend makes a good point, and I appreciate his support for this particular piece of legislation. I know it is very difficult. But the real question here is not the war, as I tried to mention in my opening comments. That is a decision that has already been made by Congress. The real question on this particular piece of legislation on this rule is are we going to provide people the resources they need to get the job done that we asked them to do. I think it is very important that we do that on a bipartisan basis. I think that will be a very powerful message in Iraq and a very powerful message around the Middle East.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a few moments just to go through some of the specific provisions of this particular legislation because I think the vote that we are getting ready to cast is so exceptionally important.
Mr. Speaker, in terms of the defense portion of this particular appropriation, it includes a total of $76.8 billion for total defense expenditures. That is again $1.8 billion over what the administration requested. The additions over the request are in support of deployed and soon to be deployed or returning troops and to assist in force protection and to increase the survivability of troops in the field.
Within the total Defense fund, $3.1 billion is provided for activities under the jurisdiction of the Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. The following table summarizes, which I will submit for the RECORD, the committee's addition to the request within the Defense Subcommittee.
So we have an extensive addition that I think actually improves the administration's original request. In addition to the Defense expenditures, we have included other moneys for foreign operations. The committee has added $1.7 billion in net foreign assistance funds within the Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs Subcommittee. Within these funds, the committee has identified $1.7 billion in urgent or critical items funded in the bill as an emergency that are directly related to the War on Terror or aiding recovery to the tsunami victims. The committee also provides $1 billion of important items that further U.S. global interests but has offset this spending with a corresponding rescission of $1 billion in previously appropriated assistance to Turkey. These funds were provided in the first Iraq supplemental of 2 years ago and require a positive vote of the Turkish Parliament to be expended. There is widespread agreement that this will not take place anytime soon.
Within the $1.7 billion of emergency assistance, there is $594 million to the counternarcotics effort and for police training in Afghanistan; $400 million is requested to train Afghan police, and $194 million and $66 million below the request.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 8 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), chairman of the Committee on Rules.
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AMENDMENT OFFERED BY MR. COLE OF OKLAHOMA
Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I offer an amendment.
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Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, this amendment intends to protect sections 1113 and 1114 against points of order. The Committee on Rules last night exposed these provisions at the request of the chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, who has since asked the Committee on Rules to protect the provisions.
The amendment is necessary to protect the important Military Death Gratuity Benefits contained in the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this particular amendment to the resolution.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to say that I believe we have had an excellent debate on the rule. What is clear to me is the importance and timeliness of this legislation. With that said, I would again encourage Members to listen carefully to the following debate and to support the underlying legislation.
Additionally, I would encourage Members to be cautious when it comes to considering the amendments. This bill has been carefully crafted and worked out in a way to ensure that our servicemen receive the best equipment when they go forward into war.
Finally, I would ask the Members to remember that this is not a vote about the wisdom of the war in Iraq. The President and the Congress made that decision years ago. This vote is about giving those we have asked to execute our policy in Iraq the tools they need to do their job. The men and women serving our cause in Iraq ask for nothing more. In good conscience we should give them nothing less.
To close, I would urge my colleagues to support this rule and the underlying resolution.
The material previously referred to by Ms. SLAUGHTER is as follows:
Previous Question for H. Res. 151--Rule on H.R. 1268 March 2005 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Iraq, Afghanistan and Tsunami Relief
At the end of the resolution add the following:
SEC. 3. Before consideration of any other amendment it shall be in order to consider the amendments printed in section 4, which may be offered only in the order specified, may be offered only by the Member designated or a designee, shall be considered as read, shall not be subject to amendment except pro forma amendments for the purpose of debate, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole. All points of order against such amendments are waived.
SEC. 4. The amendments referred to in section 3 are as follows:
(a) Amendment offered by Representative Hooley:
Amendment to H.R. 1268, as Reported
(Supplemental Appropriations Bill, 2005)
OFFERED BY MS. HOOLEY OF OREGON
At the end of title V (page 69, after line 17), insert the following new section:
SEC. __. (a) In addition to amounts otherwise appropriated in this Act, there is hereby appropriated for fiscal year 2005--
(1) for "Department of Defense-Military-Military Personnel-National Guard Personnel, Army", $100,000,000, to be available for the provision of services for the reintegration into civilian life of members of the Army National Guard being released from active duty; and
(2) for "Department of Veterans Affairs-Veterans Health Administration-Medical Services", $1,200,000,000.
(b) The amounts provided under this section are designated as an emergency pursuant to section 402 of the conference report to accompany S. Con. Res. 95 (108th Congress).
(b) Amendment offered by Representative DeLauro:
Amendment to H.R. __X, as Reported
(Supplemental Appropriations, 2005)
OFFERED BY MS. DELAURO OF CONNECTICUT
At the end of title V, insert the following new section:
SEC. __. (a) In addition to amounts otherwise appropriated in this Act, there is hereby appropriated for fiscal year 2005--
(1) for "Department of Defense-Defense Health Program", $35,000,000, of which $25,000,000 shall be available for Department of Defense contracts with private mental health providers for counseling for returning servicemembers and $10,000,000 shall be available for other mental health programs within the Department of Defense; and
(2) for "Department of Veterans Affairs-Veterans Health Administration-Medial Services", $238,000,000, to be available for a post-deployment mental health initiative within the Department of Veterans Affairs.
(b) The amounts provided under this section are designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 402 of the conference report to accompany S. Con. Res. 95 (108th Congress).
Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this rule.
This rule adds to the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations legislative language by Rep. SENSENBRENNER that is completely unrelated to the Supplemental and will allow millions of people to drive our streets and freeways without insurance or a driver's license.
Yes, we are speaking about undocumented immigrants. Yes, they broke the law and are here illegally. But, do we somehow think that denying these people the ability to legally drive is going to force them back to their home countries?
That's ridiculous.
Do we want millions of unsafe, untrained drivers on our streets with no insurance?
This provision does nothing to make America safer.
It is simply anti-immigrant legislation disguised as homeland security.
No one doubts that our immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed.
The Sensenbrenner provision is not the solution to our immigration problems and does not make our country safer.
The Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill is for funding our men and women in uniform overseas, not for controversial anti-immigrant agendas.
Our men and women in uniform are risking their lives for our country, and need our financial support. They need armored personnel carriers, bulletproof vests, and the tools necessary to do their job as safely as possible.
The Senate needs to be able to discuss and vote on the driver's license issue on its own merits, and not have this sneaked into our emergency war funding.
I urge my colleagues to oppose this rule.
Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the amendment and on the resolution.
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