Norm Dicks

Mr. DICKS

Mr. DICKS. I withdraw my reservation.

Mr. DICKS

Mr. DICKS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. DICKS. Thank you.

Mr. DICKS. I just wanted to make sure everybody got the full picture.

Mr. DICKS. It was not just a few years ago, Mr. Chairman. Well, this is my birthday. We didn't plan it this way. I want to make sure that the chairman of the Rules Committee--

Mr. DICKS. I thank the ranking member of the Rules Committee for yielding. I just want to say that this has been a bipartisan collaborative, bipartisan effort to put this bill here, and Mr. McGovern and others have explained some of the concerns about the process, and they're legitimate, and we hope to do better next year. I am committed to working together with the chairman to bring all 12 appropriations bills to the floor separately next year so that we can exercise regular order. We did have to do H.R. 1 in the spring, which was all 12 bills from '11, and we spent a week on it, and we also had over 500 amendments. And it just showed that the Members want to have a chance to amend these bills. And if you don't bring them to the floor under regular order, you don't have an opportunity to do that. So we're going to try to improve on our record. We got six to the floor this year. I think we can do better next year if we get started early, so we make a pledge to work from that. I want to compliment our chairman, Mr. Rogers, for his openness, his willingness to consider all points of view. He could not have done a better job, and to have the patience of Job to listen to everybody, and still debating the last few items in this bill this week. Now, my good friend, Mr. Dreier, whom I have enormous respect for, we work together on trade issues all the time. The only thing I would say about the other body is that they weren't doing something that was evil. They were trying to get an unemployment compensation bill enacted; they're trying to get an extension of the payroll tax bill and some other important provisions that are crucial to the American people. And so what they did by slowing us down a little bit was to give an opportunity to get that work done.

Mr. DICKS. As much as I would have preferred to go forward, we had to acknowledge that this was important work that needed to be accomplished.

Mr. DICKS. I yield to the chairman.

Mr. DICKS

Mr. DICKS. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. DICKS

Mr. DICKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes. The conference report before us contains nine separate bills: Defense; Energy and Water; Financial Services; Homeland Security; Interior; Labor-HHS and Education; Legislative Branch; Military Construction and VA; and State and Foreign Operations. It is a bipartisan agreement reached after many hours of deliberation and debate. It reflects the fact that neither party can pass this bill on its own in either the House or the Senate. The conference report is a remarkable product of the hard work of all members of the Appropriations Committee and, as the chairman mentioned, especially the ranking members and the cardinals, the chairmen of the subcommittees. I especially want to congratulate the staff. I was a staff person myself, and as the chairman has said, I have never seen people work harder than the staff on the House Appropriations Committee. And I want to commend Bill Inglee and David Pomerantz for their work all during this year, their cooperation, and their leadership of the staff. And we have a great staff. You know, these people have enormous experience, they have great background, and we're proud of all of them. I also want to congratulate Bill Young, my chairman on the Defense Subcommittee, former chairman of the full committee. We've been good friends, and I want to wish him a happy birthday. It's ironic that here we are on the last day getting this big bill passed on both of our birthdays. So somebody smiled on us. Maybe it was the other body by slowing things down. We're going to have our ranking members present their statements after the chairmen on the other side. I want to thank Mr. Rogers again for all of his courtesy and his great work. He had to have the patience of Job in order to get this thing done, but he did it and I commend him.

Mr. DICKS. I yield myself an additional 15 seconds. I just want to commend him for his patience and his determination, and next year we're going to get all 12 bills to the floor. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DICKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The Department of Defense appropriations bill is part of this package: This bill includes the base funding of $518 billion, a reduction of $21 billion below the President's budget request; The bill also provides $115 billion for overseas contingency operations, $2.8 billion below the budget request; The bill balances funding essential for U.S. troops and their families with readiness, weapons acquisition, and technology development; For military personnel and family programs, the bill includes full funding of the military pay accounts, including a 1.6 percent pay raise for our troops. For community support programs, the bill includes $40 million above the request for Impact Aid and $250 million to replace inadequate schools located on DOD bases that are owned and operated by our local educational authorities and by the U.S. Department of Education; For readiness, the bill includes $163 billion for operations and maintenance. With this account, the bill includes $150 million above the request for ship depot maintenance and $34 million to fully fund the Reserve Officers' Training Corps program; For procurement and research programs, the bill includes $255 million to prevent the shutdown of the M-1 tank production; $1 billion for National Guard and Reserve equipment; $200 million for Rapid Innovation Funding; $230 million to procure equipment needed to enhance special operations; $130 million above the request for ongoing cooperative missile defense programs with Israel; and $100 million above the request to mature technologies for the next-generation bomber; For overseas contingencies, the bill includes $115 billion, $2.8 billion below the request and $43 billion below 2011. The decline compared to that of last year reflects the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. The bill provides for the withdrawal of U.S. personnel from Iraq by the end of this month; the operation of U.S. forces in Afghanistan; and programs to train and equip Afghan security forces so they are capable of assuming security responsibility. This bill is essential to maintaining the readiness and capabilities of U.S. forces. It provides for the need of our men and women in uniform and their families. The bill also includes responsible reductions from the budget request, recognizing the fiscal realities that our Nation faces. This is a must-pass bill, which I support. Again, I commend Chairman Young and the staff of the Defense Subcommittee for their extraordinary work. This is the largest appropriations bill. It is essential to national security. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DICKS. I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina, the ranking member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee, Mr. Price.

Mr. DICKS. I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. DICKS. I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New York, the ranking member of the Financial Services Subcommittee, Mr. Serrano.

Mr. DICKS. I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from New York, the ranking member of the State-Foreign Operations Subcommittee, Mrs. Lowey.

Mr. DICKS. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland, the Democratic whip, Mr. Hoyer, my good friend and a former member of the Appropriations Committee who has worked very strongly with us all year to move these bills forward.

Mr. DICKS. I yield the gentleman an additional minute.

Mr. DICKS. I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. DICKS. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California, the ranking member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee, Mr. Honda.

Mr. DICKS. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. DICKS. I just want to commend the gentleman for his work in support of Indian Country, both the Indian Health Service and the BIA. You have been a tireless advocate. Our subcommittee on the Interior has had bipartisan work on this issue, and I commend you for your strong leadership on that important issue.

Mr. DICKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Connecticut, the ranking member of the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro.

Mr. DICKS. I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia, the ranking member of the Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee, Mr. Bishop.

Mr. DICKS. I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), a distinguished member of the Appropriations Committee.