J. Forbes

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017. I want to thank Chairman Thornberry for his leadership in bringing to the floor this National Defense Authorization Act and for his incredible contribution to the national defense of this country. I also would like to recognize the efforts of Congressman Smith, who is the ranking member, for his dedication and commitment to get this bill to the floor. During the last 8 years, our military readiness has been impacted and our force structure has declined. For example, naval aviation has only 3 in 10 Navy jet aircraft that are fully mission capable. Aircraft carrier gaps in critical regions persist. Navy ship deployments have increased almost 40 percent, and submarine demand continues to outpace availability. As to the Air Force, our B-1 fleet was pulled back from the Persian Gulf this year because of engine maintenance issues and replaced with B-52s that are over 50 years old. I think everyone would agree that these are disturbing trends. It is obvious that we need to concurrently increase readiness and invest in critical capabilities to ensure that our Nation is capable of projecting force and deterring conflict in the future. A 350-ship Navy is a minimal investment in ensuring our Nation's strategic priorities. I urge that our NDAA does a good job in arresting our national security's general decline. With the increases in force structure for the Army and the Marine Corps and a 2.1 percent pay raise for our servicemembers, these are good first steps, but we have a long way to go with getting our military ready to defend our Nation. With the election of President-elect Trump, I am optimistic as to our ability to make our military truly great again. With this being my last NDAA, I want to thank all the members of the House Armed Services Committee and, most specifically, Ranking Member Joe Courtney. I have often said that our Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee is likely the most bipartisan subcommittee in Congress, and I think that Ranking Member Courtney has been a resolute supporter of our national security. I will miss working with him on a daily basis to improve our Nation's military. Once again, I thank Chairman Thornberry and urge my colleagues to support the National Defense Authorization Act.

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Lamborn for his work in this area and for doing this Special Order. Mr. Lamborn talked about the impact the Bible had on his life. The Bible began having an impact on my life long before I was born. This little book is over 75 years old. It is called the ``Heart- Shield Bible.'' Inside of it, it has my father's name, and it says: ``From Mother and Daddy.'' It was given to him when he was 19 years old, just before he left to go fight in World War II. He ended up at Normandy, not with the initial invasion, but a little while after that. Somewhere in Europe--I don't know where it was--he opened this book and he read it. Now, the theory of this book was it had a gold plate on the front, and it was supposed to be put in your pocket and protect your heart if you were shot. I don't know that it ever did that, but it changed his heart. He made a promise in those foxholes that if he got back home, he would have his family--which he didn't have at the time--in church every single Sunday. I know a lot of GIs made promises that they left when they got on the ship to come back. He never did. So that little book that he read not only transformed his life, not only gave him the courage and the faith to get through that war, but it changed his children and his grandchildren, and it continues to change his great-grandchildren to this day. In my office I always kept a Scripture and something that was offered by Chaplain Peter Marshall on the floor of the Senate on March 18, 1948. It said this: ``Our Father in Heaven, save us from the conceit which refuses to believe that God knows more about government than we do, and the stubbornness that will not seek God's help. Today we claim Thy promise: `If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and it shall be given to him.' Thou knowest, Lord, how much we need it. Make us willing to ask for it and eager to have it. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.'' That Scripture from James 1:5 should serve as a guidepost for those in leadership today. Our Nation is on the cusp of great opportunities, but our future, nevertheless, remains fraught with challenges. America is at a crossroads. Each of us must, with humility, seek wisdom and truth as we make decisions in the days ahead. I can think of no single book that offers that wisdom and truth more than the Bible. I thank Mr. Lamborn again for allowing me to be here.

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Messer), my friend and colleague.

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Stefanik), my friend and colleague.

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Hartzler), my friend and colleague.

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let me, first of all, say I have enormous respect for the ranking member, and he has done an admirable job today, as he always does, of defending the President and the President's actions in Guantanamo Bay. Unfortunately, the President's actions in Guantanamo Bay have not been quite as admirable. We have heard throughout the discussion today several catchphrases. We have heard that we wanted to discuss what was actually true. We wanted to discuss what the facts actually were. We talked about this incredible vetting process this administration had. We talked about the need to have a process and to have that process work before they took action. We have heard the phrase, We don't want to turn the American justice system on its ears. And we have also heard that, We don't want to hold up the process for a few months because that could be problematic. Mr. Speaker, let me try to take us back a little bit and put some facts around this whole debate as to why we got here in the first place. The reality of this situation is that this administration, before they ever took office, before the President ever raised his hand and took the oath, before any cabinet members were appointed, or before anybody had been placed in his administration, this President and this Vice President made a commitment to close Guantanamo Bay before they ever went down there and actually investigated and looked at what was there. The other situation is that when they made that promise, they had made no vetting process. They had no process in place. The other fact, Mr. Speaker, is that when this President raised that hand and took that oath, the former administration that my good friend, the ranking member, has talked about how terrible they were, they had a prosecutor and a team of prosecutors who were prosecuting some of the worst terrorists this country had ever seen. Most Americans don't know the names of the people in Guantanamo Bay, but they know we had co- conspirators in 9/11 who were sitting down there, and that former administration had a prosecutorial team who had gone through months after months after months with a stack of motions this high, and that prosecutor said to anyone who would go down there, including me and the former chairman of the committee, Ike Skelton, that he would have had guilty verdicts or guilty pleas by those co- conspirators within 6 months. When this administration came in with their great vetting and their great process without talking to that prosecutor, without looking at that at all, he disbanded that entire prosecution, terminated that prosecutor, terminated that entire team. And, to this day, no one on that side of the aisle can even tell us when they are going to have convictions on those conspirators of the worst terrorists this country has ever seen. When I hear the President and the Vice President stand up and say, We haven't given up on the promise to close Guantanamo Bay, I listen and I listen and I listen to deafness for the President or the Vice President to say, We haven't given up on getting convictions of the worst terrorists in the United States. So when I look at Guantanamo Bay and I hear, We are not really going to close it, forget what the President is saying, forget what the Vice President is saying, they don't really mean they want to close Guantanamo Bay. All they want to do is bring those terrorists to the United States. We have stood on this floor and fought that for 8 years, and here is the reason. Because let me ask which of you want those terrorists brought to your community with every single act of terrorism we are seeing now and the repercussions of that? Because the moment you put them in your community in any jail or any prison, it is not a matter of whether we can hold them there, but you have just put a target on every school, every business, every mall in that community. When you talk about justice and you talk about fairness, we just believe that is wrong. So when you talk about just giving a little more time to the President for a few months, doesn't it make a little bit of sense that if this administration was given the time to come in and stop the prosecution of the worst terrorists the United States has ever seen, that maybe, just maybe we ought to have a temporary hold and let the next President, whoever that President might be, have a few months to determine before we release these terrorists whether or not they want to prosecute them and they really want to bring them to a conviction instead of just talking about it for 8 years? Let me close, Mr. Speaker, with this. Years ago, when I stood on this floor on one of the first motions we had, it was a motion to recommit for the defense authorization bill to stop this administration from bringing these detainees to the United States. My friend and chairman on the other side of the aisle, Ike Skelton, stood on the floor right where my good friend, Mr. Smith, is sitting today, and Mr. Skelton said this: When it comes to terrorism, there shouldn't be any light between the Republicans and the Democrats. And he supported that motion not to bring those terrorists to the United States. So, Mr. Speaker, today, after all of the rhetoric, it is a pretty simple deal, prosecute them if you want to prosecute them, but don't fulfill some campaign promise of shutting down Guantanamo Bay and the impact that could have on these terrorists. And I would say, as my good friend, Ike Skelton, said today, there shouldn't be any light between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to terrorists, but there certainly shouldn't be any light in with any Member of this Congress when it comes to defending and protecting the United States from these terrorists who have one goal in mind, and that is to kill Americans. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson), my friend and colleague.

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Walorski), my friend and colleague who has done such a great job in working this piece of legislation.

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, could I inquire as to how much time I have remaining?

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in support of H.R. 5351 offered by Mrs. Walorski of Indiana. H.R. 5351 would temporarily suspend the transfer of detainees held at the detention facility at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. Under this bill, the suspension would last until either the National Defense Authorization Act for the next fiscal year becomes law or until the new President takes office on January 21, 2017. Mr. Speaker, the circumstances of the last several months have brought the need for such legislation to light. In 2009, a special panel convened by the Obama administration evaluated every detainee then at GTMO. The Obama administration made it clear at the time that it was lawful for some detainees to be held, without charges, pursuant to the laws of war. Such detainees, the Obama administration believed, included those who had a ``significant organizational role with al Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces.'' Other detainees, the Obama administration believed, should continue to be lawfully held in 2009 included those who had ``advanced training or experience,'' a ``history of associations with extremist activity,'' or had ``expressed recidivist intent.'' In other cases, the Obama administration has recommended that certain detainees be prosecuted and some sent to other countries. But even for those GTMO detainees to be sent elsewhere, the Obama administration noted that the United States had the legal authority to hold these detainees, and the detainees could still be threatening. The Obama administration argued then and since that a few selected detainees could be transferred to other countries from GTMO only if ``feasible'' and ``appropriate'' security measures could be instituted to mitigate the dangers posed by these very threatening individuals. Mr. Speaker, this is precisely why this legislation is needed. Since January, the Obama administration has sent 46 detainees from GTMO to other countries. In August alone, 15 detainees were transferred. I worry that whatever arrangements might exist in the receiving countries will be woefully insufficient to keep the danger at bay. I am concerned that these detainees will again threaten the United States or our partners, just as other detainees have done. I fear detainees are being hurriedly moved from GTMO in order to fulfill an 8- year-old campaign promise to close GTMO. Mr. Speaker, this bill is a sensible and sound response. Today, there are 61 detainees in GTMO. The Obama administration has made it clear that at least 20 of these detainees should be sent elsewhere. H.R. 5351 prevents any GTMO detainee transfers for the next several months. The bill prohibits GTMO transfers to the United States or to other countries until the National Defense Authorization Act for this fiscal year takes effect or until the new administration assumes office, whichever happens first. This means the new President will be able to consider anew the grave risks which GTMO transfers pose. It will also mean that the new administration will know how the provisions of a bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act will govern its actions. The United States military notes that it is ``committed to ensuring detainees are kept in a safe, secure, humane environment'' at GTMO. It also reports that ``intelligence gained at GTMO has prevented terrorist attacks and saved lives.'' A pause in GTMO transfers prevents rash and sudden actions to empty GTMO on an arbitrary and self-imposed deadline. Mr. Speaker, that is why I strongly support H.R. 5351, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 5351.

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 863, I call up the bill (H.R. 5351) to prohibit the transfer of any individual detained at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, today I ask my colleagues in the House to join me in honoring the Department of the Navy Office of the General Counsel as it celebrates 75 years of providing timely, effective, and candid legal advice and counsel to the Navy and Marine Corps. The origins of DON OGC can be traced back to 1862, when the first civilian attorney was appointed to serve as Solicitor of the Navy. However, it was not until September 10, 1941, when James Forrestal, then Under Secretary of the Navy, recruited attorneys from private practice and formally established DON OGC's predecessor organization, the Procurement Legal Division, to consistently address the numerous legal issues surrounding the rapid increase in volume and complexity of ship and aircraft acquisition during World War II mobilization efforts. Over the last three quarters of a century, what began as a small cadre of civilian attorneys has evolved into an elite government law firm composed of civilian and military attorneys, and professional support staff, located in 140 offices worldwide. In addition, DON OGC has expanded its practice areas beyond business and commercial law to include acquisition integrity, federal employment/labor law, environmental law, fiscal law, intellectual property law, real estate law, ethics and standards of conduct, energy law, Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act, intelligence law, cyber security law, arms control law, legislation, and litigation, to ensure its attorneys possess the expertise needed to support the multifaceted mission of the warfighter. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate DON OGC on 75 years of dedicated service to our Sailors and Marines across the globe, and wish DON OGC continued success in expertly navigating the legal challenges confronting the Navy and the Marine Corps and significantly contributing to the national defense.

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, on July 30 we celebrate the 60th anniversary of our national motto, In God We Trust, which is displayed directly above your chair. Throughout our history as a nation, we have often struggled to find the right words in time of crisis or great challenge. In the War of 1812, we found those words in our national anthem when Francis Scott Key wrote: ``And this be our motto: In God is our trust.'' In 1864, Congress found them when it authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to add the inscription ``In God We Trust'' on coins. In 1955, Congress found those words when it extended the ``In God We Trust'' to be included on our currency, and in 1956, Congress found them when it adopted ``In God We Trust'' as the official motto of the United States. Today, as we see a divided Nation, a nation polarized in almost every area, today as we witness a nation facing crisis and challenge in a magnitude we have not seen in many years, as we search for the right words, let us hope we find them once again in the simple but powerful phrase, ``In God We Trust.'' So today, we celebrate the anniversary of this motto and pray for God's continued blessing on our land.

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to cast my vote yesterday for two pieces of legislation. Had I been in the chamber I would have voted YES on the United States-Caribbean Strategic Engagement Act, H.R. 4939 and YES on the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Modernization Act, H.R. 5312.

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment. I know how committed he is to national defense and to fiscal responsibility in the country. However, one of the things that we haven't talked about in this amendment is it asks us to look at outsourcing this to foreign countries to be able to do, and I think today I rise not just as chairman of the Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, but also on behalf of my good friend Mr. Courtney, who is the ranking member on that subcommittee and who has given us authority to say that he is opposed to this as well for these reasons. The sealift, if we lose that sealift, we have lost the lifeblood to our warfighters because that is the vessel, that is the lifeline that keeps them and sustains them. The very question for us is this: If that balloon goes up and the bell rings, are we going to trust a foreign power to hold in their hand that very lifeblood for our men and women and our warfighters? I want to remind everyone in the House that in World War II, 1 in 26 merchant mariners were actually killed. It was a higher rate of loss than any other service. The rate was so high, in fact, that the merchant marine concealed it because they were afraid they couldn't find enough mariners if the true danger of the services were known. So our big question here is, even if we came back with a study that said it might be cheaper to outsource it, would anyone in this room dare place that trust in a foreign country? I think very clearly we would not. Mr. Chairman, also these decisions are probably best made by military transportation command, sealift command, and maritime command, and they have said there is no guarantee whatsoever that a foreign-flagged fleet will sail into harm's way if we need them. They have said a 60-ship capability is extremely important, and they have said that foreign- flagged ships which might be cheaper cannot be relied on for critical national security missions. Mr. Chairman, I hope we will oppose this amendment, we will reject it.

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, due to the recent passing of my mother I was unable to cast my vote yesterday on two important pieces of legislation. Had I been in the chamber I would have voted YES on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and pass the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act of 2016, H.R. 4743, and YES on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and pass the Counterterrorism Advisory Board Act of 2016, H.R. 4407.

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017. I want to first commend the leadership of Chairman Thornberry in bringing this bill to the floor. His leadership has been instrumental in tackling many of the tough issues this committee has had to address. I am particularly impressed with the chairman's leadership to make sure that this Congress provides the required equipment and readiness that will begin to turn some disconcerting trend lines with our national security. For example, Navy aviation has only 3 in 10 Navy jet aircraft that are fully mission capable; aircraft carriers are not available in sufficient quantities, and our Nation had a carrier gap of almost 3 months in Central Command last year; Navy ship deployments have increased almost 40 percent, and submarine demand continues to outpace availability, with the Navy projecting they will meet only 42 percent of the combatant commanders' demand, and this is before we reduce another 20 percent of our submarines by the end of the 2020s. As to the Air Force, our B-1 fleet was pulled back from the Arabian Gulf this year because of engine maintenance issues and replaced with B-52s that are over 50 years old; and in the last 4 years, we have reduced our tactical airlift by 20 percent. I think everyone would agree that these are disturbing trends. It is time we invest in these capabilities. This bill goes a long way to reversing this trajectory and authorizes funds to meet the 350-ship Navy that our Nation needs. I believe it is a national security imperative to arrest the decline of our projection forces. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017.

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, due to the recent passing of my mother I was unable to cast my vote today for an important piece of legislation. Had I been in the chamber, I would have voted YES on the House amendment to S. 524, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016. This legislation will help to strengthen a variety of different treatment and prevention programs to combat heroin and opioid addiction.

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I gather today with Representatives from the Virginia delegation, the South Carolina delegation, Mississippi, and Louisiana. We would like to take this opportunity to remember the victims who lost their lives during the devastating storms that ravaged the Gulf and East Coast last week. In my district, our prayers and deep sympathy are with the loved ones of Larry Turner, Devine Stringfield, and Ian Lewis, who tragically lost their lives after their home was destroyed by the tornado that ripped through Waverly, Virginia, on Wednesday, February 24, 2016. Our thoughts and prayers are also with the many who were injured and whose daily lives were disrupted or, in some instances, permanently altered by this storm. As communities, we extend our deep gratitude to our local law enforcement, first responders, and emergency personnel for their quick, courageous, and compassionate response in the aftermath of these storms. We are proud, though not surprised, by the way citizens and communities in Virginia and across the East Coast are coming together to support those most affected. Mr. Speaker, please join me in a moment of silence honoring those who lost their lives, their loved ones, the entire Waverly community, and all those across Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana who have been impacted by this storm.

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Steve Watson of Suffolk, Virginia. For the past five years, Steve--a 31-year employee of the Planter's peanut plant in Suffolk--and his wife Patricia have selflessly led an effort to help ensure nearly 100 local students have the supplies they need for the school year ahead. Annually, Steve and Patricia hold a back-to-school cookout that includes donating backpacks filled with school supplies for children in their neighborhood. On Thursday, February 11, 2016, Steve will be recognized as the 2015 Kraft Heinz Hero, an award which is given to the Kraft Heinz employee who demonstrates upstanding values and community excellence. Over 40,000 employees worldwide were eligible to be nominated for this award, and I am proud to recognize Steve for receiving this prestigious honor. Steve Watson is a beloved pillar in the Suffolk community. When he is not manning the Bar-b-que, Steve can be found cooking and serving meals at his church for those in need, assisting the elderly with maintenance and home repairs and donating his time and money to wherever community help is needed. I salute Steve and Patricia for their efforts to give back to the students and families of Suffolk and commend Steve on receiving this tremendous award.

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize the 240th anniversary of the Navy Chaplain Corps. For 240 years, Navy chaplains have served with honor, courage, and selflessness, ensuring that our Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen are able to practice and grow in their faith, regardless of where they serve. Our Navy chaplains are an invaluable pillar of their military communities. The role of a chaplain is inherently religious. As the makeup of our service members has expanded, the chaplaincy has expanded with it to include representatives reflecting the many faith traditions of our troops, including Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist. When religious leaders become military chaplains, they pledge to equally serve all members of the armed forces, regardless of religious belief. Chaplains faithfully carry out this sacred duty each and every day. While military chaplains are noncombatants and do not carry weapons, they still serve in harm's way. Sixteen Navy chaplains have given their lives providing religious and spiritual support for our men and women at war. Two Navy chaplains were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for their sacrificial ministry to their Sailors and Marines. Lieutenant Commander Joseph T. O'Callahan braved a fiery inferno to administer last rites and direct damage control operations aboard the stricken USS Franklin in 1945. Lieutenant Vincent R. Capodanno repeatedly exposed himself to intense enemy fire in Vietnam while administering last rites to dead and dying Marines, refusing treatment of his own wounds and directing corpsmen to his wounded comrades, before being killed while coming to the aide of another. Six naval ships have been named after chaplains with one, the destroyer USS Laboon, still in service. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join with me today in recognizing the brave and honorable service of Navy chaplains over the last 240 years.