Duncan Hunter

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. No one has more respect for the gentleman from New York than I. I just want to remind my colleagues that we had a vote on the gentleman's amendment in committee, and we did put it in, and it was an amendment to a provision that we put into the bill that was, I thought, an excellent provision; I think, most members of the committee agreed. I think that is reflected by the 60-1 vote that ultimately discharged the bill, agreed with, that was what it said, that chaplains of all faiths, all faiths, would be allowed to pray according to the dictates of their own conscience. Now, I know you can add a word or two or a comma or a change of phrase, and the effect of a small group of words can have 60 different interpretations by various members of the committee. But the provision that we left with, because I think there has been a concern that we have commanders, I think there is concern that chaplains be allowed to pray according to the dictates of their own conscience. We asserted in a positive statement that they would be able to do that. That was something I think most members agreed with. In fact, they did agree with it on a bipartisan basis. The gentleman offered a change to that, and that was rejected. So I just want my colleagues to know that we thought, and I think today, that a statement that says that all chaplains, no matter what faith, are able to pray according to the dictates of their own conscience. It is a statement of fairness and serves the military well.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to, once again, echo my great respect for my partner on this committee, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), and just offer that one thing we have done in this package is to take down the cost of pharmaceutical drugs to zero for those enlisted families if they simply get them through the mail; and they can now get a 90-day supply rather than a 30-day supply, and that is what we are trying to incentivize them to do. It is better for them. They have got no cost of transportation to go pick up their medicine, and it is better for the taxpayers. And that is the direction that we are trying to take our military families.

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to section 4 of House Resolution 811, as the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, I request that during further consideration of H.R. 5122 in the Committee of the Whole, and following consideration of en bloc packages numbers one and two, the following amendments be considered in the following order: Amendment No. 8 printed in House Report 109-461; Amendment No. 15 printed in House Report 109-461; Amendment No. 16 printed in House Report 109-461; Amendment No. 6 printed in House Report 109-461; Amendment No. 7 printed in House Report 109-461; Amendment No. 9 printed in House Report 109-461; Amendment No. 13 printed in House Report 109-461; Amendment No. 10 printed in House Report 109-461; Amendment No. 22 printed in House Report 109-461; Amendment No. 18 printed in House Report 109-461; Amendment No. 11 printed in House Report 109-461; Amendment No. 12 printed in House Report 109-461; Amendment No. 14 printed in House Report 109-461; Amendment No. 23 printed in House Report 109-461; Amendment No. 21 printed in House Report 109-461.

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, I submit the following letters for the Congressional Record. House of Representatives, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Washington, DC, May 9, 2006. Hon. Duncan Hunter, Chairman, Committee on Armed Services, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Hunter: On May 5, 2006, the Committee on Armed Services ordered reported H.R. 5122, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007. As ordered reported by the Committee on Armed Services, this legislation contains a number of provisions that fall within the, jurisdiction of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. These provisions include the following: Sec. 312. Munitions Disposal in Ocean Waters Sec. 313. Reimbursement for Moses Lake Sec. 314. Funding of Cooperative Agreements Sec. 2917. [Now Sec 2822]--Restrictive Easements Sec. 3111. Plan for transformation of National Nuclear Security Administration nuclear weapons complex Sec. 3112. Extension of Facilities and Infrastructure Recapitalization Program Sec. 3115. Two-year extension of authority for appointment of certain scientific, engineering, and technical personnel Sec. 3117. Consolidation of counterintelligence programs of Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration Recognizing your interest in bringing this legislation before the House expeditiously, the Committee on Energy and Commerce agrees not to seek a sequential referral of the bill. By the being not to seek a sequential referral, the Committee on Energy and Commerce does not waive its jurisdiction over these provisions or any other provisions of the bill that may fall within its jurisdiction. In addition, the Committee on Energy and Commerce reserves its right to seek conferees on any provisions within its jurisdiction which are considered in the House-Senate conference, and asks for your support in being accorded such conferees. I request that you include this letter and your response as part of the report on H.R. 5122 and as part of the Congressional Record during consideration of this bill by the House. Sincerely, Joe Barton, Chairman.

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I want to reinforce and echo the very eloquent words of the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel). I listened to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Franks) when he brought in Operation Smile, and I saw the pictures and I listened to his description of how important this is. This is part of the American ripple. It is part of the effect that those 138,000 ambassadors in desert camouflage uniforms have in that theater on a human basis, on a personal basis. If the gentleman would just tell us, because I thought this was the neatest part of your presentation when you brought Operation Smile in, the effects of this operation, because you had these kids with cleft palates. I saw the pictures of their fathers and mothers with their children after the operation. If the gentleman could describe that, I think we would all appreciate it.

Mr. HUNTER. I yield to the gentleman from Arizona.

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, this is a manager's amendment that has been worked out with both sides. And briefly, Mr. Chairman, this adds a section to add $4 million for the call of the fire trainer/joint fires and effects trainer with an offset of $4 million from the Joint Tactical Radio System. It adds a section to add $6 million to the Air Force Science Engineering Lab Data Integration with an offset of $6 million from IT, PE 0602301E. It adds an exception for the non-line-of-sight cannon system from the requirement in section 346, subsection C. It adds a section requiring the Secretary of Defense to submit a report on means to improve retention of members of the Special Operations Forces. It strikes and replaces section 662 requiring the Secretary of Defense to conduct a pilot project for disabled persons accessible golf carts at military golf courses that allows our disabled personnel and wounded personnel to be able to participate in golf. It incorporates a technical correction to the TRICARE effective dates in section 704 and 709 of the bill. It adds a section conveying Army Reserve Center land in Allison Park, Pennsylvania, to the local school districts; and it strikes sections 2853, 2854, 2855. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, I just wanted to say to my colleagues that this, the story of this global war against terror with the special focus in Iraq and Afghanistan, is a story of families. It is a story of enormous sacrifice, not just by the people that wear the uniform in the theater, but by their families back home, their moms, their dads, their wives, their husbands, their children. And there is a particular family, the Holley family from San Diego, California, that brought an issue to the attention of the Armed Services Committee here over this last year when their great 101st Airborne Trooper, Matthew Holley, was killed in the Iraq theater. And they pointed out that in the present chain of transportation of our fallen heroes home, where they come through Dover, Delaware, and ultimately go to their final resting place at their particular hometown or community in America, that part of that chain of transportation has been carried out by commercial airlines. And despite the best wishes and the best efforts on the part of those people who operate the commercial airlines, the proper amount of respect, the extreme respect that should be afforded those fallen heroes is in some cases, has in some cases been lacking. And that came to the attention of the Holley family. And they talked to me and to other members of the committee, and we looked at the issue and as a result of that, we have, in the law, in this bill or in the proposed law, some very clear and strong directives to the administration to utilize military aircraft in taking our fallen heroes from Dover, Delaware, from where they land on American shores, to the military base that is closest to their hometown, unless otherwise directed by the family, and to use those military aircraft and to accompany those fallen heroes with American military personnel, and to greet that military aircraft when it arrives at that military base closest to their hometown with an honor guard. And so we have laid out very directive language, very clear language for the administration. And I want to thank John and Stacy, who really brought this to our attention in honor of their son, Matthew Holley. And I think that we have talked to the other body and I think that this will have clear support all the way through. But this is an important part of this bill because part of this bill is about respect. And this particular provision is about respect for those people who have given that last full measure of devotion to our country. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that during consideration of H.R. 5122, pursuant to House Resolution 806, general debate shall not exceed 2 hours equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Armed Services.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, the heart of this bill is the 2.5 million Americans that wear the uniform of the United States, and the subcommittee that oversees personnel issues and sets the pay raises and does personnel policy is headed by the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh). This is an enormous job, and he has done a great job. I yield the gentleman 6 minutes.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, from the mountains of Afghanistan to the desert country of Iraq to the jungles of many hemispheres, Special Operations and Special Forces personnel in the U.S. military are cognizant of an individual in this House who works for them night and day, and that is Jim Saxton, who is the chairman of the Terrorism and Special Operations Subcommittee, and I want to recognize the gentleman for 4 minutes.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, the Strategic Forces Subcommittee is extremely important to our country, and the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Everett) does a wonderful job of overseeing this very important dimension of national security. Mr. Chairman, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Everett).

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, I might add the gentleman who just spoke, the gentleman from Texas, has been to the warfighting theaters more than any other Member of either body in this Congress and we appreciate his great efforts. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson), who took the place of the great Floyd Spence, former chairman of this committee, and nobody has devoted more in terms of their personal effort toward national security or, in Mr. Wilson's case, more of their family members. The Wilson family wears the uniform of the United States.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Bartlett), who heads the Projection Forces Subcommittee, which oversees the construction of the platforms and our ships and our bomber forces and our airlift that projects American power around the world. (Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey), a former member of the Armed Services Committee, who is still very devoted to national security and exercises that role as a member of the Rules Committee.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Last week the Committee on Armed Services reported out a bill that very clearly reflects our steadfast support for our service members and their families, our deep appreciation for their many sacrifices, and the strong bipartisan spirit that characterizes this committee. Passing with a committee vote of 60-1, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 provides for both near and long- term military personnel and force structure requirements, and highlights the need for improvements in acquisition processes and cooperation among key Federal agencies. Mr. Chairman, the legislation provides $512.9 billion for the Department of Defense and the security programs of the Department of Energy. We include a recommendation of active duty growth of 30,000 for the Army and 5,000 for the Marine Corps above the President's budget request. We also include a supplemental bridge fund of some $50 billion to support our troops operating in Afghanistan, Iraq and other places in the global war on terrorism, and this, Mr. Chairman, is to provide for a seamless continuity in the waning calendar months of this year so that our troops continue to be well supplied before any supplementals in the following year. Mr. Chairman, we appreciate the National Guard and Reserve, and we have provided for additional end strength up to 350,000, and we also have right now a series of other enhancements that are being looked at by the special commission chartered by this body and the other body and the President to address National Guard issues. We are going to be doing that. We are going to be getting their recommendations shortly, and those recommendations may be manifested in a bill to follow this one. But this year, taking care of our troops and protecting our troops has been a real priority, and we have included additional money, in excess of $100 million, for jamming devices to handle roadside bombs. We have included additional money for greater armor in our platforms, better armor with our new technology in the body armor units that are issued so our Army and Marine Corps personnel, in fact all personnel who are stationed in this theater, and we are spending a lot of resources protecting our forces, protecting the troops. Additionally, Mr. Chairman, we look over the horizon and we look at potential trouble spots around the world, security challenges over the next 5, 10, 15, 20 years, and we do a few other things, and our very able chairmen of the subcommittees are going to describe a lot of the things that we do with respect to equipment and personnel in detail. But we keep a little more insurance, perhaps, than the administration has in a couple of areas. One is stealth attack aircraft. We used just a few percentage of these great F-117 stealth aircraft in the first gulf war, and yet they knocked out over 20 percent of the targets. This combination of stealth and precision munitions has been a very critical and important factor in the American security apparatus. We don't allow the Air Force to move so quickly to retire those stealth aircraft until we get others online. We also retain a greater part of our bomber force. That has been the backbone of our deep strike for many, many years. We don't have a new bomber program right now and we don't want to let quite as many of those birds go before we are well embarked on this new bomber program. As you move across the modernization spectrum, Mr. Chairman, our members have done an extraordinary job in putting together packages for our special operators, for our line troops, for our Guard and Reserve. We have also done some great things for people, for families. We have extended TRICARE. We have completed this movement of coverage of TRICARE to our National Guard personnel. We have made prescription drugs more affordable. We have put an emphasis and an incentive on getting your medicine through the mail, because that is a much lower burden for the taxpayers of the United States and very convenient now for those recipients. Mr. Chairman, we have great subcommittee chairmen and great ranking members. We are going to be recognizing them to tell us about this bill. I want to give my thanks to them and my special partner and friend, Ike Skelton, who has put in countless hours leading on issues and developing issues and working to ensure that the people that wear the uniform of the United States have the very finest conditions and the very finest treatment for themselves and their family, and that America's defense remains the envy of the world. I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Chairman, with many thanks to all the committee, and all the staff, who helped to put this bill together.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman who just spoke. I share his focus on IEDs, and we will work together. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes), who represents so many great people in uniform in North Carolina and has spent so much time working for their quality of life and for their effectiveness on the battlefield, and also for all of the people who work in the defense industry so we can make sure when the American taxpayer pays for defense items, since we defend the free world, that those items are made by Americans and represent American jobs.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado, Joel Hefley, who has done remarkable work in this Readiness Subcommittee, which controls such a big portion of the defense bill. The gentleman is a great friend to everyone who wears a uniform and is probably the best rodeo cowboy who has ever served in this House.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, we are at a crossroads on a lot of our defense weapons systems. There is no one more capable or better trained to lead in these very important decisions than the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon), who is the chairman of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee. Mr. Chairman, I yield the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon) 6 minutes.

Mr. HUNTER. I would say to my good colleague, I have just one additional thing that I would like to mention about a provision in the bill. But outside of that, we are ready to wrap up the general debate. So I have got just maybe a minute or two.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.