Rodney Frelinghuysen

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. The Fisher House Foundation does incredible work. Both my predecessors, Mr. Murtha and Mr. Young, were strong supporters. Just for the record, my bill already includes an additional $5 million for the Department as a grant to the Fisher House Foundation and allows each service to transfer up to $11 million for Fisher House operations, so each of our services recognizes the incredible private contribution and also the U.S. taxpayer contribution. I support the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. The gentleman brings up a huge issue, EMP, electromagnetic pulse. I accept the amendment.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I would like to thank the gentleman for his previous amendment, which I supported, and also for this amendment, which supports greater funds for prostate cancer research. Mr. Chairman, as a matter of history, my predecessor died from prostate cancer, and, of course, around this room and around the country, we know too many men who haven't done what they should do to look after their health and, therefore, the welfare of their families. I want to commend the gentleman for his advocacy in this area and also remind those who are on the Hill that I think next week the House will be sponsoring a screening for all men here. It is a good way not only to look after yourself, but the people who love you. I want to commend the gentleman for his advocacy on an annual basis and thank him for yielding the time. I accept the amendment.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve my point of order. We are doing a little more homework on the amendment. Certainly, I am supportive of it. I claim the time in opposition, although I support the amendment.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I think we wanted to make sure we have the figures that go with what it is set against. Mr. Chairman, we want to make sure it comports to the rule of the House. We are not against it. We just want to make sure it is in order. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. While I check the figures to make sure that it is properly offset, I continue to reserve my point of order.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. While I continue to reserve, let me compliment the gentleman on his amendment, as we do further investigation on the offsets. Medical research for diseases that affect our military members and their families are a priority of our committee; you can be sure of that. That is why our bill includes $3.2 million, again, this year for the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Research Program. The committee has provided, which I think would be of interest, more than $43 million for this research area since fiscal year 2003, and you have alluded to it, but research breakthroughs in this area will only help those suffering from this debilitating disease, but will also help research in other various muscular and motor neuron diseases. I think the research is absolutely essential, and I think we are closer to a resolution of the issue that would allow me to withdraw my reservation. I thank the gentleman for his indulgence. I would be happy to withdraw my reservation of the point of order and support the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the gentleman's amendment.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Allow me to commend the gentleman from Colorado for pointing up the value of what he talks about here. And let me promise to him that I am sure I will be working very closely with Mr. Visclosky to see what we can do to elevate our investment and our knowledge and support for this program. I do appreciate your willingness to withdraw the amendment and regret that the outlay issue somewhat has complicated matters on the floor this evening.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I very much regret that I rise in opposition to the amendment, knowing what a strong supporter of our national defense the gentleman from Nevada is and what a strong supporter he is of the National Guard, not only across the Nation, but in his own State. And I regret even more so since we have been talking about this for several weeks. I feel badly that I have to rise. The amendment, as the gentleman has stated, directs the Secretary of the Army to repurpose approximately one-half of the $225 million in the budget request that was requested and included for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle Upgrade Program. The amendment would direct the Army to revise the schedule for the Bradley Upgrade Program by accelerating the schedule for providing more modern Bradley Fighting Vehicles to the 1st Squadron of the 221st Armored Cavalry of the Nevada National Guard, which I am sure is most deserving because, as he said, they have the oldest of the oldest. Having said that, the schedule change would disrupt, as I am advised, a carefully synchronized plan for Abrams Tank and Bradley Fighting Vehicle modernization and would cause production breaks at both manufacturing lines. The production break would also add significant startup costs to the Bradley Engineering Change Proposal 2. In other words, this amendment would throw out of balance the Army-wide armor modernization plans and drive up costs in order for one squadron of one State's Guard forces to receive more modern vehicles. As you can tell, Mr. Chairman, from my rather convoluted response, I am prepared to work with the gentleman from Nevada to assist him, but at this point, I need to regretfully oppose his amendment.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Reclaiming my time, I do recommend a ``no'' vote, but I certainly make a, I hope, valid offer to work with the gentleman because I know that he is going to be working on me to make sure that this occurs, and I want to be helpful to him. I thank the gentleman. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the gentleman's amendment.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to speak on the gentleman's amendment.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to thank the gentleman from Ohio for his strong support of national defense, his incredible dedication to the National Guard, and his great service to the State of Ohio. His amendment, while it will be withdrawn, as he said, is intended to provide radio equipment for the Air National Guard F-16s but was only recently brought to our committee's attention. Should the Air Guard choose to purchase the ARC-210 radios with NGREA funding, which the committee has provided quite a lot of money for, the committee would support their decision. We are sensitive to the need of the Air Guard, yet the committee needs to do its due diligence. Ranking Member Visclosky and I look forward to working with you and your staff on this important issue, as we have already been doing, and appreciate your indulgence and willingness to withdraw the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I seek time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to use this time to heap compliments upon my colleague from New Jersey who heads up the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force and has been providing that leadership and support, and it is certainly bipartisan. Just for the record, our committee has been very active in supporting this type of work and research. And for the record, our bill provides $155 million, which includes a plus up of $100 million above the request level of $55 million for traumatic brain injury and psychological health research. In addition, our bill provides $676 million in operation and maintenance funding within the Defense Health Program to care for servicemembers affected by traumatic brain injuries and psychological maladies. There has been an issue about the slow spend down of some of the money. Of course, if we are here on the floor advocating, as we should, for such an important program, we need to ensure that the bureaucracy gets the money spent. I am sure my colleague from New Jersey would agree that if we are going to put money on the table, let's make sure they spend it rapidly to address this ever-growing problem which affects so many people who come off the battlefield. I commend the gentleman and support his amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I am not an expert in coal, and I am not an expert in what these men describe as an earmark, but I do know that coal is reliable, that it is cost-effective, that it is domestically produced, and that it has been used at this Air Force base for a long time. This provision both promotes domestic resources of energy and ensures that our bases and that particular base have a reliable, continuous source of energy for their daily operations. I don't think we ought to dismiss the notion that Germany is under attack by Russian aggression, and Russia would at any time cut off fuel supplies, as they have done to other countries in Eastern Europe. Europe, as an area, as a continent, remains heavily reliant on Russia for its energy, and Russia uses its leverage on an annual basis to quiet potential opposition to that aggression in Ukraine and other parts of the region. This is a stark reminder of how important it is to ensure that our military has a reliable domestic source of energy wherever it is in the world. This may be an unusual circumstance, but I see no reason to change it. I urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.