Buck McKeon

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert), who's been very helpful in putting together the final bill.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and a member of the conference committee.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Hartzler), my friend and colleague, a member of the Armed Services Committee.

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

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my friend and colleague, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson), a member of the conference committee.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield 2 minutes to my friend and colleague, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Readiness, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Forbes).

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my friend and colleague, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, a member of the conference committee, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Turner).

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of the time. Mr. Speaker, I once again rise in support of this bipartisan fiscal year 2013 National Defense Authorization Conference Report, and I concur totally with the concluding remarks of Mr. Smith. Our staff has done a fantastic job. And I have enjoyed working with him, and we will continue to work together in a bipartisan way. This NDAA bill passed the Armed Services Committee on a vote of 56-5. It passed the full House by nearly 300 votes; and, likewise, the Senate adopted its version of the bill unanimously. However, I fully acknowledge we had to tackle tough issues in a very compressed timeframe, as Mr. Smith pointed out. Every one of us could find something in this bill that we would rather change, but none of us can deny that this bill has been exhaustively debated. It's the only major authorization bill that's been able to proceed through regular order in both the House and the Senate this year. The House considered 303 amendments, between the committee and the floor. The Senate considered at least 151 amendments. We've all had a chance to have our say on this bill and to have the Congress act its will. I urge my colleagues to join me in ushering this bill across the finish line and vote ``yes'' on adoption of the conference report. This is a good piece of legislation that's critically needed by our troops. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. I yield such time as he may consume to my friend and colleague, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Bartlett).

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my friend and colleague, the vice chairman of the Armed Services Committee and the chairman of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Thornberry).

Mr. McKEON. That's correct. This council will be an important mechanism for improving communication, and the rest of section 4102 is defunct.

Mr. McKEON. That's correct. To further affirm that, I've sent a letter to the Secretary of Energy making clear the striking of this section in no way affects the Secretary's authorities.

Mr. McKEON. Yes, you have my commitment and my thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Mr. McKEON. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky for the purpose of a colloquy.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 840, I call up the conference report on the bill (H.R. 4310) to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2013 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. McKEON. I do.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act Conference Report. As you know, the NDAA is the key instrument by which the Congress fulfills its primary constitutional responsibility to provide for the common defense. This year will mark the 51st straight year we've successfully completed our work. We have long prided ourselves on our ability to reach across the aisle and build strong bipartisan legislation on behalf of our troops. This year is no exception. The bill authorizes $552.2 billion for national defense and $88.5 billion for overseas contingency operations. In fact, though our troops are at war and a significant share of our equipment inventory is exceeding retirement age, this year's funding is a reduction in real terms from last year. Recognizing the magnitude of the cuts imposed upon the military over the past year is important. We must acknowledge the significant contribution defense has already made to deficit reduction. Half of the savings has come out of defense, even though the defense accounts for only 17 percent of the overall budget. Yet in a matter of days, sequestration will go into effect and, without further action, will do incredible injury to a military that took generations to build. It will take generations to fix. And the blow will not come from an enemy, but from our own inability to fulfill the basic obligations of governance. That is why I am pleased that today the House not only considers this critical piece of legislation, but will also vote--once more--to stop sequestration. It's imperative that both the President and the Senate show similar leadership and resolve sequestration before the end of this year. Despite these challenges, this conference agreement ensures that we can safeguard military readiness in a time of declining budgets and increased strains on our Armed Forces. We support missile defense, global strike, strategic and tactical airlift, and were able to preserve critical military capabilities. The bill supports pay and benefits for our military and their families, including a 1.7 percent pay raise, and rejects administration proposals to significantly accelerate increases in TRICARE pharmacy copays for our retirees. Unfortunately, there has been some inaccurate reporting regarding our detainee provisions. The protections included in the House-passed bill have been preserved in the conference agreement, and we worked closely during the conference negotiations with our House colleagues, who exercised leadership on this issue, to ensure that we retain their support. We did not include an amendment adopted 2 weeks ago on the Senate floor because we could not reach consensus on what the effect of the language would be. Rest assured, this conference report ensures that every American's constitutional rights, including the right to habeas corpus, remain unaffected, and every American can challenge the legality of their detention in Federal court. The ``great writ'' of habeas corpus is a citizen's most fundamental protection against unlawful deprivations of liberty. This reflects a consensus built after exhaustive debate over several years in both Chambers. The conference report covers many more critical issues, but I will close in the interest of time. Before I do, I would like to thank all our Members for their hard work, but in particular, my partner on the committee, Ranking Member Smith from Washington. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise an extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on the conference report to accompany H.R. 4310.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I speak in favor of S. 925, to name a peak in the Eastern Sierra in honor of Andrea Mead Lawrence. This legislation is a companion bill to my House version, H.R. 1818. I would like to thank Senator Boxer for working with me to ensure the legacy of a great woman who called the Eastern Sierra home. Let me also express my appreciation to the leaders of the Committee on Natural Resources, Chairman Hastings and Ranking Member Markey who worked to help bring this legislation to the floor today, as well as Majority Leader Cantor for allowing this bill to move. Andrea Mead Lawrence was a remarkable woman. I was honored to know and work with her for the protection of the Eastern Sierra, a cause she championed for much of her life. Born in Rutland County, Vermont on April 19, 1932, she developed a life-long love of winter sports and appreciation for the environment. A skilled skier, she competed in the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland as well as the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. She also served as the torch lighter at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California. In the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway, she won two Gold Medals in the Olympic special and giant slalom races. For her significant accomplishments, she was inducted into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1958, at the age of 25. These remarkable achievements at a young age, however, were just the beginning of a life of service to her community and environmental preservation. In 1968, Andrea moved to Mammoth Lakes in the spectacularly beautiful Eastern Sierra of California. It was in this special region she spent the rest of her life working to protect the area's natural treasures. Never one to rest on her accomplishments, she founded the Friends of Mammoth to maintain the beauty and serenity of Mammoth Lakes and the Eastern Sierra. She served for 16 years on the Mono County Board of Supervisors, where she worked tirelessly to protect and restore Mono Lake, Bodie State Historic Park, and other important natural and cultural landscapes of the Eastern Sierra. As a member of the Great Basin Air Pollution Control District, she worked to reduce air pollution caused by the dewatering of Owens Lake. In 2003, she founded the Andrea Lawrence Institute for Mountains and Rivers to protect the environment and the economic vitality of this important region. In 2008, she testified before the Mono County Board of Supervisors in favor of the Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel Wild Heritage Act, a bill enacted the day before she died on March 31, 2009 at the age of 76. Andrea left a rich legacy of a family of five children and four grandchildren, as well as a distinguished record in skiing. Her tireless efforts have left a better legacy for the people who live and recreate in the Eastern Sierra. Andrea Mead Lawrence's life philosophy is summed up in her quote ``Your life doesn't stop by winning medals. It's only the beginning. And if you have the true Olympic spirit, you have to put it back into the world in meaningful ways.'' Mr. Speaker, it is very fitting to name Peak 12,240 ``Mt. Andrea Lawrence''; both in her honor, and as a visible point of inspiration for future generations.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 12 of rule XXII, I move that meetings of the conference between the House and Senate on H.R. 4310 may be closed to the public at such times as classified national security information may be broached, provided that any sitting Member of Congress shall be entitled to attend any meeting of the conference.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlelady.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to close. I want to thank the gentlelady for bringing this issue. I think it is something that we can totally support on our side, and I would encourage all Members of this body to support this issue. I thank all of the women who have made the trips over there to Afghanistan because they have really added to the cause. Our men and women in the military that have fought for all these many years--one of the major benefits from this war is the freedoms that these women and girls are able to enjoy right now, and it's my hope that we can leave sufficient force there to complete the mission, to guarantee the safety of these women and children, young girls, going forward. To leave precipitously without having completed that mission and put these women and girls in jeopardy, after they've seen a whole new life emerge, a whole new opportunity presented to them that they never conceived of before, would be a disaster. So I thank again the gentlelady from California (Mrs. Davis) for her efforts here, and all the women who have spoken on this issue and traveled to Afghanistan, and urge that we all support this issue. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert).

Mr. McKEON. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.