Martin Frost

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), the dean of the House. (Mr. DINGELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt), the former Democratic leader of the House.

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from New York (Mr. McNulty).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell). (Mr. PASCRELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. John).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman), the ranking member on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. FROST asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, the annual defense authorization bill is always one of the most important bills this Congress considers. Having spent my last 25 years in Congress working hard to ensure a strong national defense, it is a bill that I have always supported, and this year the defense authorization bill is more important than ever. This past December, I spent several days in Iraq where I had the opportunity to meet with rank-and-file soldiers on the front lines and thank them personally for their distinguished service and personal sacrifice. And I was reminded of this enormous sacrifice upon my return. The cargo plane that took us out of Baghdad carried the coffins of two American soldiers who had been killed just 3 days before Christmas. It seems like almost every night, Americans turn on the news at home and see nothing but reports of the violence in Iraq and hear comments from politicians and pundits debating decisions made here in Washington. But when I turn on NBC News or CNN or any of the other networks, I cannot help but recall the selflessness and courage that I saw in our soldiers, and the mix of pride and sorrow I felt on that flight home. America's sons and daughters in Iraq represent our country well, but their job continues to be very difficult and very dangerous, and it will not be over anytime soon. It is clear that American troops will be based in Iraq for at least the next year and possibly longer. And that is why the bill before us today is so important. Before anything else, the defense authorization bill is a bill to support our troops. The funding in the bill today will keep our service men and women in Iraq and around the world safe, provide them with the tools they need to fight the war on terror, and give them and their families a better quality of life. First and foremost, we provide $25 billion in supplemental funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to ensure that our troops have everything they need to conduct the war on terror and return home to their families safely. We provide over $1 billion for armored Humvees and body armor. We help ensure the strength of our military by adding 39,000 more Army and Marine Corps troops. We make sure that our troops experience a good quality of life by giving them a 3.5 percent pay raise, and we help ensure that all of our fighting men and women receive health care by expanding TRICARE coverage to Reservists and their dependents. The bill also helps those who have served our country so honorably over the years by making sure that those who are left behind when a soldier falls receive the full benefits that they deserve through the Survivor Benefit Plan. And while there are a great many provisions here we can take pride in, Mr. Speaker, the bill before us today is by no means perfect. There remain a number of serious issues that we must resolve. This morning, in the Committee on Rules, my colleagues and I tried to offer an amendment to the rule which would have more than doubled the amount authorized for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in the supplemental. Similarly, we tried to provide $414 million to provide fair pay and benefits for our troops. There are a great many Members who support these provisions, Mr. Speaker. They have broad support throughout the House, but they were, like dozens of other important amendments offered in the Committee on Rules, denied a vote on the floor by the Republican leadership. That is a shame, Mr. Speaker, because we all want what is best for our troops. Because this House was denied the opportunity to consider a great many important amendments, I will be voting ``no'' on today's rule. I will also be urging a ``no'' vote on the previous question so that we may consider one of the amendments that was denied, the amendment of the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt) to provide fair pay and benefits for the troops. That said, despite what happened at the Committee on Rules this morning, I stand in strong support of the underlying bill and our troops. There has never been any doubt that this House, this Nation, and its people stand 100 percent behind our men and women in uniform, fighting to secure peace the world over. I hope we can soon continue the discussion on how best to provide for our service men and women and keep our Nation safe. And although I will be voting against the rule today, I will be voting for the underlying bill. It is the right thing to do, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on the authorization bill today. I only wish that the majority leadership, in the spirit of bipartisanship that normally surrounds defense measures, had permitted some very important amendments to be offered. And we will be hearing from some of my colleagues in the rest of the debate on this rule about how strongly they feel about their rights being denied here on the floor today. When we are trying to promote our military and trying to do the right thing around the world, we should promote democracy here on the floor of the House and not stifle it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), the ranking member of the Committee on Armed Services, who was denied the opportunity to offer key amendments. (Mr. SKELTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt). (Mr. SPRATT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cooper).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I would ask the time remaining on each side.

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, how much time remains on our side?

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt).

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Tyler Street Boys Track Team of Dallas, on their 2-A State Title. The Crusaders upset the two-time defending champions, Muenster Sacred Heart, to capture the title. The Tyler Street Relay Teams won both the 4x200 and 4x400 relays, no doubt the result of hard work throughout the season. The Tyler street track team also finished in the top three positions in the field events, including a first place finish in the shot put. This year's championship team includes members: Bobby Lewis, Darrian Sanders, Daunte Bornen, Jared Carter, Cshammah Reed, E.J. Rusher, Richard Solis, Britt Jones, Austin Alburtis, Freddy Holland, Nicholas Wright, Cjabrione Reed, and Joshua Carter. This year's team is coached by Walter Favors. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the Tyler Street Track team on their championship and also on a great season.