Rodney Frelinghuysen

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter), the chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations. As I learned this morning, he is a true son of Houston, whose eloquence and compassion we heard this morning.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert), who is the chairman of the Appropriations Committee's Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert).

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart), chairman of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Appropriations.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert).

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter).

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt).

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Yoho).

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, how much time is remaining on each side? I am prepared to yield back, if the gentlewoman is prepared.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, as we begin to conclude debate on H.R. 3219, the Make America Secure Appropriations Act, I am sure I join with Ranking Member Nita Lowey in thanking all the Members of the House for the manner in which this debate has been conducted over the last couple of days. I thank the subcommittee chairs, the ranking members, and the Members who presented well over 120 amendments that were made in order. Let me reiterate why this package of appropriations bills is so important. From 2010 to 2014, defense spending was cut 21 percent in real terms. We heard that from Chairman Thornberry of the Armed Services Committee. Yet, as we know, the world did not get 21 percent safer. In fact, we ask more of our military than ever before, and we need to support them here at home and abroad. Today--and I said this earlier in the debate--we have the oldest Air Force in history, the Navy's fleet is smaller than it has been in decades, and the Army has just three combat brigade teams fully prepared to fight. Moreover, we have too many aircraft that can't fly, too many ships that cannot sail, too many troops who cannot deploy. We need better equipment and training for our warfighters, and we need more of the warfighters. We need a cyber component that is really effective. In April--it seems like years ago--we began to rebuild our Armed Forces with the fiscal year 2017 consolidated appropriations bill. Today, this legislation we are considering continues that critical work. Mr. Chairman, this four-bill package is carefully crafted to fund our critical military priorities, reinforce our nuclear deterrent, support veterans, make our borders more secure, and strengthen protection for our constituents and for Members. Once again, I thank Chairwoman Kay Granger; Chairmen Mike Simpson, Charlie Dent, Kevin Yoder; all chairmen and their ranking counterparts; and our remarkable staff for bringing us to the finish line this afternoon, earlier than we thought. I also thank the rest of the Members and the staff of the Appropriations Committee for their extraordinary efforts over the past several months. It was full speed ahead, and they performed in a remarkable way. I would like to note the work of our clerk Nancy Fox and her team, Jim Kulikowski, Carol Murphy, Shannon O'Keefe, Stephen Sepp, Maureen Holohan, Jennifer Hing, Marta Dehmlow Hernandez, Tammy Hughes, Rachel Kahler, David Roth. And in my personal office: Katie Hazlett. And those who work with Mrs. Lowey--and this may be the short list-- Shalanda Young, Chris Bigelow, Adam Berg, and Becky Leggieri. May I say that I didn't mean to leave out Chairman Carter of the Homeland Security Committee for the work that he has done. My colleagues, each and every one of these bills deserves to be sent to the President's desk. I look forward to completing our work on all 12 appropriations bills when we return from the recess, or perhaps even before then. Mr. Chairman, I urge support of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I claim time in opposition to the motion to recommit.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, as we gather here, nearly 250,000 men and women in uniform are deployed in nearly 177 countries in all corners of the globe. Another 2 million Active Guard and Reserve are standing watch back here at home in the United States. They are doing their jobs. We should do our jobs by providing them with everything they need to complete their mission. They are trusting us to do our jobs. Defeat the motion to recommit, support national security, and vote ``yes'' on final passage. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent), chairman of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Appropriations.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the consideration of H.R. 3219, and that I may include tabular material on the same.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 6 minutes. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to present an amendment to H.R. 3219, the Make America Secure Appropriations Act. This legislative package provides critical appropriations for national security, including for the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Energy's nuclear programs, and the Legislative Branch bill. My colleagues, this is the primary constitutional duty of the Congress: to ensure the safety of the homeland and the American people. This legislation is carefully crafted to meet that responsibility: funding our critical military priorities, supporting veterans, and making our borders more secure. The core of this package is full-year funding for the Department of Defense and the intelligence community. I thank Chairwoman Granger for her leadership. In total, the Defense portion of the bill provides $658.1 billion for these functions, an increase of $68.1 billion in base discretionary funding above the fiscal year 2017 enacted levels. There is no doubt that this is a significant increase from the current spending levels, and certainly from the last 8 years. But this increase is vitally important to continue the process we started this spring: to rebuild, repair, and re-equip our Armed Forces that we started in the 2017 appropriations package. Mr. Chairman, Secretary of Defense Mattis has quite correctly made readiness and modernization of our forces his top priorities. It is a fact today that we have too many aircraft that cannot fly, too many ships that cannot sail, and too many troops who cannot deploy either because they are not properly trained or there are not enough of them. So how did we get there? Because in recent years, we have been just getting by--reducing investments in our military as the world becomes more dangerous, and avoiding tough choices. The package before us today will sustain a much-needed rebuilding of our military after a half decade of cuts, while our troops remained in constant combat, as they do today. We provided prioritized funding to necessary but unfunded equipment and weapons platforms. We have boosted missile defense, a program that has taken on critical importance as North Korea, unabatedly, tries to marry its nuclear warheads with new ballistic missiles. We increased funding for the vital training that prepares our warfighter for any contingency. This legislation also supports our military families. After all, they serve, too. We included a 2.4 percent pay increase for our servicemen and -women, the largest such raise in 8 years, and they deserve it. Within the Military Construction and Veterans portion of this bill-- and I thank Chairman Dent for his leadership--military infrastructure funding has increased by 25 percent above current levels. We continue our efforts to rebuild our Armed Forces by ensuring that our warfighters have the support they need. We cannot forget those who have served. This measure increases funding to the Department of Veterans Affairs to 5 percent over current levels to provide veterans and their families with access to medical care and other benefits they have earned and deserve. Within the Energy and Water section of this legislation--I thank Chairman Simpson for his leadership--funding is prioritized for critical nuclear programs that will help strengthen our security and deter threats around the globe. We also support the maintenance of our Nation's waterways and support the work of the Army Corps to also ensure the resilience and security of our electricity infrastructure. We recommit to opening Yucca Mountain as a safe and secure location to permanently store the Nation's nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive wastes, and we promote basic science programs, which lay the foundation for new energy technologies. Finally, Mr. Chairman, this package also includes funding for important legislative branch functions--and I thank Chairman Yoder for his leadership--improving security to ensure that our Members, our staffs, and visitors to this wonderful Capitol complex are always well protected. Mr. Chairman, before I close, I offer thanks to members of the Appropriations Committee for their hard work and tough decisions over the past few months producing two appropriations bills, fiscal year 2017 and 2018, in less than 3 months. As you know, we received the President's budget on May 23, just over 2 months ago, and since then, we have worked nonstop to put all 12 bills through the committee in record time. Each and every one of these bills deserves to be sent to the President's desk. I look forward to completing our work on all of our bills. I also would like to extend my personal thanks to the entire committee and to our remarkable staff for their hard work on these bills and the eight yet to come. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time. 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Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chair, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers), the former chairman of the full committee and now the chairman of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger) who is the chair of the Defense Subcommittee.