Martin Frost

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I would inquire of the remaining time.

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield one minute to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Allen).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bonior), the Democratic whip.

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Fazio), the chairman of the Democratic Caucus.

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield one minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm). (Mr. STENHOLM asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Meehan).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur). (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

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

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin). (Mr. LEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. For the record, there were 50 amendments made in order, 15 of those are Democratic amendments, and 35 of those are Republican amendments, not exactly a balance. The chairman of the committee was trying to suggest that there was some sort of an equal division; there was not an equal division of amendments, Mr. Chairman. There were 15 Democratic amendments out of the 50 made in order, if we want to discuss the merits of the individual amendments as to whether they should have been made in order. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Sisisky).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this is an important rule. This is an important piece of legislation. I support the rule. I would advise the Chair at this point that there will be a Member on our side who will seek a vote on the previous question. I would ask the Chair to recognize that Member at the appropriate time. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield five minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today our Nation is strong and free. We owe much of our strength and freedom to the men and women in uniform who have throughout the history of our great country been willing to stand ready to defend our country and our way of life. We should be proud of our military services and the difficult tasks we as a country have asked them to perform for us. In asking so much of them, the Congress must in turn assure each and every soldier, sailor, airman and marine, from the four-star general to the newest recruit, that the Congress will provide them with the means to carry out their difficult mission. It is our responsibility, our duty really, to examine the state of our national defenses each year. In doing so, we often find shortcomings in our ability to adequately fund the programs, missions and operations of the military. But it is important to remember that in today's world, Federal dollars are finite, and, given the fiscal restraints that the Congress has imposed upon itself in the budget agreement that has led us to a balanced budget, the Committee on National Security has done an admirable job in balancing the needs and imperatives of our far-flung security forces. H.R. 3616 keeps the promise of our budget agreement, and, in doing so, strives to fulfill our responsibilities to the armed services. To be sure, there is not enough money to do everything we should, but this bill balances the hardware needs of all branches of the military, while, at the same time, trying to assure that the human needs of our military and their families are addressed. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 3616. I am pleased that the Committee on National Security has continued its commitment to the development of the next generation of tactical fighter by providing $1.6 billion in research and development funding for the F-22 Raptor. As we approach the 21st Century, the development of this next-generation fighter will be an increasingly important component in our ability to defend our borders and our troops, no matter where they may be deployed. In addition, the bill contains $595 million for two test F-22s and $190 million for advanced procurement of six low-rate initial production aircraft in fiscal year 2000. The Committee on National Security has continued to show its strong commitment to the production of the V-22 Osprey tiltroter aircraft, a medium lift capability aircraft specifically designed for Marine Corps and Special Operations Forces assaults. H.R. 3616 provides $735 million for the production of eight aircraft in fiscal year 1999, and an additional $54 million for advanced procurement. The committee has also endorsed an increase of production to 30 aircraft per year by the year 2004, which is also supported by the findings of the recent Quadrennial Defense Review. In addition, Mr. Speaker, the Committee on National Security has signalled its ongoing support for the B-2 Stealth Bomber program by providing $276 million for B-2 post-production support. These funds will enhance the operational effectiveness of the current B-2 fleet, while both the Defense Department and the Congress examine the needs of the Air Force in a long-term bomber force structure plan. The Committee on National Security has wisely included a provision in this bill which directs the Secretary of the Air Force to prepare such a long-range plan and submit it to Congress by next March 1st. Mr. Speaker, the Committee on Rules has reported a rule which makes in order a wide variety of amendments to this vital legislation. Those amendments range from transfers of missile-related technologies to foreign governments, including China, to using military forces to patrol our borders, to capping U.S. contributions to NATO expansion. However, the committee chose not to make in order a very significant amendment to a controversial section of the reported Committee on National Security bill. As Members know, last year's defense authorization created a Federal advisory committee on gender integrated training, now commonly known as the Kassebaum-Baker panel. In March, former Senator Kassebaum-Baker's panel reported recommendations that all basic training and housing be segregated by gender. The committee bill adopts this recommendation by requiring each of the military services to assign male and female recruits to separate units during basic training, and further requires each of the services to house male and female recruits in separate buildings beginning on April 15th of next year. While the bill does provide for some waiver of this last requirement because of facility limitations at certain installations, this requirement sets in motion a procedure which will drastically change basic training for all recruits in the Army, Navy and Air Force. The Marine Corps, of course, is currently the only branch of the service which currently separates male and female recruits during basic training. Mr. Speaker, the branch chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force have indicated they do not support the recommendations of the Kassebaum- Baker panel. In spite of their opposition to these recommendations, the Committee on Rules did not provide the opportunity to fully debate this issue. An amendment was proposed by the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) which would have stricken these provisions from the bill, but, because the Committee on Rules did not make it in order, the House has been denied the opportunity to examine this issue. This is a major shortcoming of this rule, Mr. Speaker. The committee did not make in order several other worthy amendments offered by Democratic Members. But in spite of the fact the House will not be able to debate these worthy issues, I will support the rule. I support it because it is necessary to move this authorization through the legislative process. We may do little else of great value in the 105th Congress, but, at the very least, we should assure the passage of legislation which serves the needs of our military and the interests of our national security. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, today marks the retirement of one of the most prominent figures in American aviation. After twenty five years, the last thirteen as Chairman and CEO, Bob Crandall is leaving American Airlines. His legacy is immense. A vehement opponent of deregulation in the 1970s, Bob Crandall guided American and, in turn, other airlines through the tumultuous 1980s. Bob Crandall's innovations--computer reservations systems, frequent flier programs, super saver fares and the hub and spoke system, to name a few--have become industry standards. American Airlines has tripled in size since moving its headquarters to Dallas-Fort Worth, which has grown with American to become one of the busiest airports in the United States. We congratulate him as he leaves American and thank him for his visionary leadership both in the aviation community and in the Metroplex. We do not know exactly what his future holds, but we hope we have not heard the last of Bob Crandall.

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Thurman).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor).

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This is the rule for general debate only. We will have the opportunity tomorrow to consider a rule which will provide for the consideration of various amendments. I urge the adoption of this rule, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I do not intend to ask for a vote on this rule. I know of no one on my side of the aisle who is going to ask for a vote on this rule.