John Murtha

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. We did have a meeting, and I explained the part of our bill to the subcommittee, and we had no dissension at all. We had a lot of suggestions. We spent a long time on the bill. We spent at least an hour, much more time than we usually spend on a bill.

Mr. MURTHA. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Madam Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the Yough Cougar Rocketry team from Yough High School in Herminie, Pennsylvania. The Cougar Rocketry was the only team from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania chosen to participate in the 2008 NASA Student Launch Initiative and is one of only eighteen teams selected nationally. The team was also selected in 2007. NASA describes the Student Launch Initiative as a program which ``involves middle and high school students in designing, building and testing reusable rockets with associated scientific payloads.'' The program allows students to demonstrate their design's proof-of-concept and allows them to apply previously abstract concepts to hands-on work. Each team works to build a vehicle that is to reach an altitude of one mile above ground level. The finale of each team's work ends with a launch at Marshall Space Flight Center. Madam Speaker, the members of the Yough Cougar Rocketry team, whom I would like to personally recognize, include Ms. Stephanie Abbott, Ms. Amy Bickerstaff, Ms. Alicia Bowser, Mr. Josh Sarosinski, and Ms. Ashley Wiley. Mr. Donald Gilbert, Jr. is the team's teacher and advisor and Mr. Eric Haberman is the team's mentor from Westinghouse Corporation. I commend them all for their tremendous work.

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of L. Robert Kimball & Associates to recognize the service and work of L. Robert Kimball, founder and chairman of the board. As a military veteran and respected businessman, Mr. Kimball is the epitome of the American entrepreneur. His original two- person civil engineering company, founded in 1953, has grown to a full-service architecture, engineering, technology, and consulting firm of over 600 staff serving a wide variety of clients, including the Federal Government. Mr. Kimball served as a U.S. Army Air Corps Captain in World War II and as a Major in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Korean conflict. Among his World War II military decorations are the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, and the French Croix de Guerre. He is also a recipient of the Chapel of the Four Chaplains Legion of Honor Award. Following his military service, Mr. Kimball returned to his hometown of Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, and established the company known as ``L. Robert Kimball, Civil Engineer.'' In the 1960s, the firm began providing service to branches of the United States military. Today, Kimball provides professional services to, among others, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Those services include cutting-edge building, innovative modeling, laser terrain scanning, and telecommunication system modernization. The firm's reputation for consistent delivery of high-caliber services is a direct result of the discipline and integrity that L. Robert Kimball instilled throughout the company. The example he sets of leadership and teamwork can be traced back to his military service to the United States of America as a lead navigator for the 100th Bomb Group, where he set the flight course. It was a matter of life and death to make the right decisions and to work as a team to look out for the others in the squadron. Those principles apply to the course he sets for staff. He encourages every employee to be a good professional and a good citizen. With that, Madam Speaker, I recognize and congratulate Mr. L. Robert Kimball.

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the late Lt. Col. Albert P. Barry, USMC (Ret.). On December 2, 2007, Lt. Col. Barry passed away at his South Carolina home with his loving wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Taylor Barry, by his side. On January 16, 2008, he received full U.S. Marine Corps honors at Arlington National Cemetery. The date was very special in that it would have been Al and Liz's 20th wedding anniversary. Madam Speaker, Al lived a full and courageous life even through his battle with glioblastoma, terminal brain cancer. He refused to give up and he and Liz filled their last year with hope, prayer, and as much laughter as possible. Sustained by family and all those who knew him well, Al's reaction was typical of the Marine within. He had been given his ``orders''--by physicians this time--and he set out to ``beat it.'' He never complained--and never failed to be Al Barry. Albert P. Barry was born on April 12, 1936, in New Haven, Connecticut. He earned a Bachelor's Degree at Tufts University and a Master's Degree at Syracuse University. In 1958, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps, was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in December 1959, and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1979. His 21-year active duty service in the Marine Corps included tours with three Marine Divisions. He served as a Marine Barracks Commanding Officer in the Personnel Management and Assignment Office at Marine Corps Headquarters, and completed his career in the Liaison Office to the United States Senate from July 1975 until November 1979. He spent two tours in the Vietnam War with duty as an Aerial Observer; he served as a Battery Commander twice, a Battalion Operations Officer, an Assistant Regimental Operations Officer, and a Marine Amphibious Unit Operations Officer and Fire Support Coordinator. He received many notable personal decorations during his military service, which include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star with Combat ``V,'' the Air Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal with the Combat ``V,'' the Navy Achievement Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Navy Unit Citation, the Vietnam Staff Service Honor Medal and other campaign medals. Following his U.S. Marine Corps Service, Mr. Barry served as a Legislative Director in the U.S. Senate and was appointed in 1981 as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Reagan Administration. He was awarded the Department of Defense Civilian Distinguished Service Medal in 1985. Mr. Barry's professional positions included Director of Legislative Affairs for Sikorsky Aircraft, Director of Washington Operations for Pneumo Abex Corporation, and Vice President of Washington Operations for AAI Corporation. He was active in defense and industrial associations, and officially retired in March of 2006. Surviving family in addition to his wife, Elizabeth, include eight children, two step-children, five sons-in-law, one daughter-in-law, and eleven grandchildren. The children are Barbara Barry, Emily Helm, Paul Barry, Kathleen Mullins, Eileen Macleay, Beatrice McMurrer, Sarah Smith, Matthew Barry, Tanya Taylor, and Tom Taylor. Madam Speaker, Lt. Col. Albert Barry was a true American Patriot. He was a man who loved his family and did his duty to his country. He was unselfish in service and he was a great friend to many, including myself. I want to conclude my remarks by commending him for his life well lived and I want to thank him for his many years of service in helping to make our country great.

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. As the gentleman from Florida said, we just passed a $459 billion bipartisan Defense appropriation bill, and it funds the troops, it funds the health care, it funds almost all the Defense Department. It does not fund the war in Iraq. Now, when I spoke out 2 years ago, I said we need stability in the Middle East. All of us want stability in the Middle East. We can talk about Iraq, but it's not in isolation that you talk about Iraq. You have to talk about Pakistan and what's happening in Pakistan and why we haven't had an overall diplomatic success there. You can talk about Turkey, on the verge with tanks moving towards the border and might go into Kyrkystan, which would completely disrupt what is going on in Iraq. You can talk about Iran and the policy that we have had in Iraq and how it has disappointed us with the influence that Iran has gained. When we were attacked, Iran was one of the first countries to come to the support of the United States with their concern about what had happened, their concern about al Qaeda. What we are trying to do here today is stop torture. We do it by saying the Army Field Manual has to be the guideline for torture. If you're going to have prisoners, and I have talked to service people, Colin Powell agrees with this, Gates agrees with this, almost all the military understands if you don't have guidelines set by the Army Field Manual, it hurts our troops. It's pretty hard to argue. If you're for torture, I don't say you vote for this or you vote against this bill, but this stops torture by saying you've got to comply with the Army Field Manual. The other thing we say in this bill is you have to have fully equipped and fully trained troops. Can anybody argue about that? Is there anybody that can say to me we shouldn't have fully trained and fully equipped troops? I don't think so. The other thing, it sets a goal. And the goal is to start the redeployment out of Iraq and have them out within a year. That doesn't mean that we are going to necessarily get it, but we have to start it. At some time we have to convince the Iraqis that we need to change the direction and they are going to have to take responsibility. I think they have started that. I think we have backed off a little bit. What we did in Vietnam was make the mistake that every time they made a mistake, we took over. In this particular case, we have to let the Iraqis continue to do their job. Now, the government has let us down; there is no question about it. The government has not changed the policies. There has been ethnic cleansing. There have been 4 million people ethnically cleansed either by sending them out of the country or by moving them from Sunni areas into Shiite areas or vice versa. This is one of the reasons that the military commanders have said over and over, the Iraqis are finally taking an interest. The al Qaeda has been defeated, according to what the military commanders are saying. What is the point in us being there if al Qaeda has been defeated? I said a couple of years ago, there are only 2 or 3,000 al Qaeda, and the Iraqis know where they are and know what they have to do to take care of them. I am convinced that this bill starts to force the Congress to have oversight. We are the board of directors, somebody said to me today. The President is the executive officer. We are the board of directors. When the board of directors sees the policies going in the wrong way, and actually, the people of the United States are the board of directors and we act for the board of directors by the people of the United States. If we think it is going the wrong way, we have to change the policy. This is a change in policy. This holds the President accountable for the decisions he is making. It doesn't tie the commanders' hands. No torture. They are supplied with equipment and training. That is not tying the hands of the commanders. And we are starting to get them out already. Al Qaeda has been defeated. The civil war has wound down. It is time to get us out. Let's remember, stability in the Middle East doesn't depend just on Iraq. It depends on Pakistan with nuclear weapons or the possibility of nuclear weapons. Stability depends on Iran. Stability depends on Syria. Stability depends on Turkey, our allies. We need a diplomatic effort. As I said and the Chief of the Joint Chiefs said, we cannot win this militarily; it has to be won by the Iraqis and it has to be won diplomatically. This helps us hold the administration accountable, and I would ask for all Members to vote for a bill that changes the direction of this Congress and this country in this effort in Iraq. [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH14NO07.001 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH14NO07.002 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH14NO07.003 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH14NO07.004 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH14NO07.005 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH14NO07.006 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH14NO07.007 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH14NO07.008

Mr. MURTHA. I would say to my good friend from New Jersey, he voted for the $459 billion bill where we had a CR that fully funded the MRAPs, fully funded, $16 billion for the year. We are not holding up the MRAPs. And we provided the transportation. We were very careful with this bill. The gentleman knows how careful I am in taking care of the troops. The gentleman knows how careful he is in taking care of the troops. None of us are trying to put roadblocks in the way. What we are trying to do is hold the administration accountable for what they have done. We want stability in the whole Middle East, not just in Iraq. So we have got to focus also on the future of the country. Russia is starting to come up, China is starting to come up. And in our bill, which the gentleman from New Jersey was a part of, we started to look ahead. Iraq is occupying us as well as we occupying Iraq. So I have to say to the gentleman, I just want to make sure we keep the facts straight. We have fully funded the MRAPS, even though it's costing $150,000 per MRAP to get them overseas because of the lateness of the request.

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. I want the Members to know I carry in my pocket the names of 18 people who have been killed from my district. Two years ago, I said this is a failed policy wrapped in illusion. I am absolutely convinced that there's more instability in the Middle East today than there was then. This recommittal motion works against everything we are trying to do. We want a plan. We want a plan in Iraq. We want stability in the Middle East. We don't have stability. Pakistan, Afghanistan, and of course Turkey might even go into the Middle East. So when you talk about victory, you're talking about stability, which we don't have. It's absolutely essential to put a plan in place that holds the President accountable. All this time the President has asked for things and we have given them to him. For 5 years we have said to the President of the United States, You need money, we are going to give to it you. Now we are saying we are going to have a new plan, and that plan is going to change the direction of this war, and we are going to bring those troops who fought so honorably home to their families.

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 806, I call up the conference report on the bill (H.R. 3222) making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2008, and for other purposes.

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include tabular and extraneous material on the conference report to accompany H.R. 3222.

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, this bill provides for a 3.5 percent pay raise for military personnel. It rejects the President's proposed increase in TRICARE copays and funds TRICARE by $1.9 billion, appropriates $2.6 billion to provide our military families with the immediate need for more counselors, teachers and child care providers. It also looks to the future. The bill provides $938 billion above the President's request for advance construction funding for additional ships, provides an additional $980 million to purchase essential National Guard and Reserve equipment. We're looking beyond Iraq, trying to take care of any threat that may threaten this country in the future. Conference Agreement Totals and OverView The President requested $463.1 billion in total FY 2008 new budget authority for the Department of Defense and intelligence community programs that fall under the purview of the Defense Subcommittee. This is an increase of $43.3 billion over last year's enacted level--a 10.3 percent increase in nominal terms. The lion's share of the increase over FY 2007 (some 80 percent) was allocated to operation and maintenance and procurement programs. The conference agreement meets the budget authority allocation of $459.6 billion for FY 2008. This figure is a little more than $3.5 billion below the President's budget request. Nonetheless, the conference agreement provides an increase for Defense of $39.7 billion over the FY 2007 enacted level, or about 9.5 percent in nominal growth. The House bill shifted funding for certain programs between the FY 2008 base budget bill and the FY 2008 war supplemental in order to meet the budget authority allocation. However, because consideration of the FY 2008 supplemental has been delayed, some items deferred in the House bill have been restored to the base bill in the conference agreement to prevent production gaps and other consequences that might arise if funding were delayed until next May. This largely affected appropriations for the Department's operation and maintenance activities and ammunition procurement accounts. The House bill recommended an overall reduction to the operation and maintenance accounts of some $5.7 billion below the request. The conference agreement includes a total reduction of $2.8 billion. Nonetheless, the conference agreement fully funds home-station training, equipment maintenance, and other key military readiness programs covered in these accounts. Meeting the allocation also required deferring consideration of several high profile programs until the FY 2008 war supplemental is taken up. These include: The Air Force Reserve Basic Allowance for Housing shortfall War-Related Special Pays--Hostile Fire Pay, Hardship Duty Pay, Foreign Language Proficiency Pay. The ground forces' strategic reserve readiness and equipment rehabilitation. Funding for additional Stryker vehicles ($1.1 billion). The purchase of at least 10 C-17 cargo aircraft ($2.9 billion). The purchase of additional Black Hawk MEDEVAC helicopters. The Department's Global Train and Equip program. Highlights The conference agreement achieves a balance between preparing units for near-term deployments, supporting our military members and their families, and modernizing our forces to meet future threats. Highlights of the agreement are: Supporting Our Troops and Their Families: First and foremost, the conference agreement recommends robust funding for programs important to the health, well-being, and readiness of our forces. In addition, the agreement proposes several initiatives that address issues raised by troops, their families, and Department of Defense officials in testimony before the Committee and visits to military bases in the United States and overseas. The conference agreement includes funding of about $2.2 billion to cover the full cost of a 3.5 percent military pay raise, supported by both the House and Senate version of the Fiscal Year 2008 National Defense Authorization bill. Under their ``grow-the-force'' initiatives, the Army and Marine Corps propose to add 7,000 and 5,000 new troops, respectively. The personnel costs of these increases are fully covered in the conference agreement, as are the associated equipping and outfitting costs. For the Army the equipping costs for these new troops amount to more than $4 billion; for the Marines the costs exceed $2 billion. Home-stationing training, optempo, and flying-hour costs are funded at robust levels. All told, the conference agreement provides for a 19 percent increase in funding for these activities over last year's level. Home station training dollars increase by 32 percent and 45 percent for Army and Marine Corps respectively. The military services' force structure and basing infrastructure are in a state of transition. The Army, in particular, has been forced to manage significant changes in force structure (known as Army Modularity), base closures, and a global repositioning of forces, all while meeting the demands of war. Based on detailed information provided by the Army, the conference agreement includes a House initiative to assist the service in meeting this challenge. The conference agreement adds $615.7 million to the Army's facilities sus- tainment and restoration budget request to offset the growing infrastructure costs associated with the global repositioning of its forces. This funding, however, will only partially cover the Army's needs. It will be necessary to address additional infrastructure requirements of approximately $686 million in operation and maintenance costs and over a billion in military construction costs during consideration of the FY 2008 emergency supplemental request. The conference agreement also includes a House initiative to directly respond to the needs of our military families. Total funding of $2.6 billion is recommended for the military's family advocacy programs, childcare centers, and dependent's education programs. This amount is an increase of $237 million over the Administration's request, with most of the increase allocated to DoD's family advocacy programs. This program provides counseling, education, and support to military families affected by the demands of war and episodes of child or spouse abuse. The agreement includes several initiatives and additional funding to address health care issues raised over the past year, including improving the Department's electronic medical records and fostering better coordination between DoD and the Department of Veterans Affairs, enhancing preventative medicine programs, and advancing military medical research. Also, the conference agreement fully covers the $1.9 billion shortfall in health funding created by the disapproval of DoD's proposed fee and premium increases. Preparing for the Future: The conference agreement provides robust funding for weapons systems purchases and research programs designed to meet future threats. The conference agreement supports full funding, as requested, for the F-22 tactical fighter aircraft procurement programs. The conference agreement includes increases above the President's request allocated for development programs that address so-called ``asymmetric'' threats from weapons of mass destruction and cruise missiles. Additional funding of $10 million is provided to pursue cruise missile defense, $20 million for chemical and biological defense research programs, $21 million to improve fissile material detection systems, and $50 million for the Former Soviet Union Threat Reduction account to counter weapons proliferation and chemical/biological agents. Finally, the conferees agreed to add $100 million to improve U.S. space situational awareness in light of the Chinese anti-satellite missile test in January of this year. To support the Army's evolution to a larger, more lethal, and more rapidly deployable force, the conference agreement recommends $3.4 billion for continued development of Future Combat Systems, a cut of slightly more than $200 million, $925 million for additional Stryker vehicles, and full funding for procurement of four Joint Cargo Aircraft. Testimony before the committee revealed that our National Guard and Reserve forces continue to suffer from equipment shortfalls. To address this need the conference agreement recommends providing an additional $980 million to purchase Guard and Reserve equipment. These additional funds will enhance these forces' ability to meet overseas deployment demands, and respond to natural disasters here at home. Economic Stability: Fostering economic stability in DoD's weapons modernization programs has been a consistent theme of the Committee. As such, the conference agreement includes a series of recommendations that will help stabilize certain programs by adding funds and/or adjusting procurement or development schedules. The Navy's shipbuilding program has been beset by planning and resource instability for many years, resulting in ever-increasing costs to the American taxpayer. Clearly, at current production rates and price levels, the Navy will be unable to meet its force structure requirements in the future. The conferees respond by providing advance procurement funding for an additional five ships. To purchase these ships or to initiate planning and construction, the conference agreement provides an additional $938 million above the Navy's request for shipbuilding and sealift. The success of the Department's Joint Strike Fighter, F-35, program is critical to our nation's ability to field a modern, capable fighter aircraft fleet for decades to come. To maintain stability in this program--and limit the potential for cost increases over time--the conference agreement recommends an increase of $200 million for F-35 production enhancements. These funds are to be used to outfit facilities with the latest in production line equipment and work-flow technology. In addition, the conference agreement recommends adding $480 million to continue development of an alternative engine for this aircraft, thereby ensuring a competitive base for engine production. The conference agreement reduces the JSF budget request by $266 million to account for payments the program will receive in fiscal year 2008 for double billing by the contractor. This reduction does not adversely affect the aircraft production schedule. Accountability: The Committee's fiduciary responsibility to the American taxpayer requires holding accountable organizations, officials, and programs that have performed poorly. The conference agreement focuses attention on the following issues: Fiscal discipline: The conference agreement affirms several important House initiatives to improve DoD's fiscal discipline and Congressional oversight. (These are described in an appendix to this memorandum.) Contracting Out: The conference report also includes recommendations to adequately manage and oversee the growth in and cost-effectiveness of contracting out. (These are described in an appendix to this memo.) Basic research: The conference agreement includes a 35 percent cap on the amount of overhead charges that can be charged on a basic research grant or contract. Summary of Recommendations by Title Military personnel The conference agreement provides $105.3 billion for military personnel pay and benefits accounts, a slight decrease of $111 million to the President's FY 2008 request, but an increase of $5.4 billion over the FY 2007 level. The military personnel pay raise of 3.5 percent is funded at $2.2 billion. This rate is 0.5 percent greater than the President requested. Also, the conference agreement includes $2.4 billion for retention bonuses and recruiting incentives. The conference agreement increases the Basic Allowance for Housing, BAH, 4.2 percent to $15 billion, which is $1.6 billion over the projected FY 2007 enacted level. This continues to ensure no out-of- pocket expenses for service personnel and supports the privatization of housing units for military families. Army end-strength is increased by 7,000 in the conference agreement, to a total of 489,400, or $5.7 billion over the FY 2007 enacted budget amount. The conferees increase and fully fund Marine Corps end-strength by 5,000 to a total of 180,000. The Navy and Air Force, on the other hand, will continue to reduce their manpower levels. Navy plans to cut 12,300 in 2007; Air Force intends to reduce their force by about 5,600. The conference agreement includes a mandated review of Air Force end-strength requirements. The conference agreement assumes the Special Operations Command will grow to a level of about 54,250 personnel, up about 6,400 over FY 2007 levels. By FY 2013, the Command projects its end-strength to grow to about 59,000. Operation and maintenance The conference agreement provides a total of $140.1 billion for operation and maintenance accounts, a decrease of $2.8 billion from the request, but an increase of $12.8 billion or 10 percent over the FY 2007 baseline O&M enacted level. The conference agreement makes significant reductions to the military services' O&M accounts, particularly the Army and Air Force, for the following reasons: Unjustified growth over FY 2007 funding levels, beyond amounts necessary to fully fund all training, optempo, and maintenance activities. Excessive buildups of spare parts inventories. Excess cash in working capital funds, beyond levels necessary to ensure cash flow. The conference agreement fully funds a 3 percent civilian pay raise, which is scheduled to take effect January 1, 2008. Procurement and R&D Procurement is funded at $98.2 billion, $1.4 billion below the request and the House bill. This is still an increase of 21 percent, the largest percentage increase of all the major accounts in the DoD budget. R&D is funded at a total of $77.3 billion, about $2.1 billion more than requested. Of note, the conference agreement provides funding for shipbuilding that totals $15 billion. This funding allows for the procurement of 5 ships and advance construction funding for an additional 5 ships above the President's request. Funding of $3.9 billion is provided to fund the purchase of 20 F-22 aircraft, as requested. Additionally, the conference agreement recommends $2.7 billion for the procurement of 12 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft and $2.0 billion for the procurement of 24 F/A-18E/F aircraft. The conference agreement includes $99 million for modifications to the Air Force's combat search and rescue platform, the HH-60. Funding for the Missile Defense Agency decreases to $8.6 billion from last year's level of $9.4 billion. Defense Health Program The Defense Health Program is funded at $23.5 billion, an increase of $0.9 billion above the President's request. Major increases for this activity include: $70 million for the Wounded Warrior Assistance program; $138 million for peer reviewed breast cancer research; $80 million for prostate cancer research; and $10 million for ovarian cancer research. HIV/AIDS research and prevention programs receive a total increase of $16 million in the conference agreement. The conference agreement includes $50 million for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program. The conference agreement also includes $379 million to cover the ``efficiency wedge'' shortfall. Special Operations Command The conference agreement for the Special Operations Command is $5.5 billion, a slight increase to the President's request. This amount includes $3.3 billion for operation and maintenance, a reduction of $23 million from the President's request based on past obligations data and other reductions provided by the Command. For procurement, the conferees recommend $1.8 billion, a decrease of $50 million from the request. This reduction includes a decrease of $23 million for equipment and modifications associated with one CV-22; the agreement provides that funding for one of the five mods requested can slip based on the ability of the contractor to outfit the aircraft. The conference agreement also includes a $19 million reduction for C-130 modifications associated with the 30 mm weapons program and problems assimilating this weapon onto the C-130. Within the funding provided, an increase of $17 million is included for SPEAR body armor and eye protection. Finally, for R&D the conference agreement includes $450 million, an increase of $5 million above the request. Within this amount, an increase of $5 million is provided for an ongoing Special OpslNavy joint program to improve UAV systems. This initiative is a high priority of the House Armed Services Committee. Notable General Provisions A provision is included allowing the Department of Defense general transfer authority of $3.7 billion. The Department requested transfer authority of $5 billion. The conference agreement includes a general provision limiting the amount of reimbursable indirect costs on a basic research contract to not more than 35 percent of the total cost of the contract. A new provision is included permitting a competitive expansion of domestic VIM/VAR steel production capacity. A provision is retained from previous Defense Appropriations acts which prohibits the sale of F-22 fighters to foreign countries. A provision is included appropriating $10 million for Fisher Houses. Funds are provided to the joint U.S.-Israeli Arrow missile defense system in a general provision. Also, funds are added for a study of future Israeli missile defense requirements. A new provision is included which prohibits the Department from initiating new programs through reprogramming requests, as proposed by the House. Another new provision proposed by the House is included which establishes a separate ``major force program'' budget and program designation for DoD's space programs. This will improve the Committee's oversight of these activities. The conference agreement includes two provisions restricting the establishment of permanent bases in Iraq and prohibiting torture as carried in the House bill. These provisions are consistent with existing law. The conference agreement includes a provision restricting the payment of any award fees to contractors who fail to meet contractual requirements.

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1 of rule XXII and by direction of the Committee on Appropriations, I move to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 3222) making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2008, and for other purposes, with a Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the Senate amendment, and agree to the conference asked by the Senate.

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 12 of rule XXII, I move that meetings of the conference between the House and the Senate on H.R. 3222 be closed to the public at such times as classified national security information may be broached, providing that any sitting Member of the Congress shall be entitled to attend any meetings of the conference.

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Madam Speaker, I rise before the House to congratulate the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (UPJ) as it celebrates its 80th anniversary and inaugurates its fifth president, Dr. Jem Spectar. In announcing Dr. Spectar's appointment, Pitt Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg offered, ``Dr. Spectar is a visionary leader and a celebrated teacher with the skills and experience necessary to build effectively upon the strengths of our Johnstown campus and to enrich the lives of students, faculty, staff and administration.'' Officially founded in 1927, UPJ was first established in a wing of Johnstown Senior High School. A growing number of G.I. Bill students made it necessary for the college to relocate in 1946 to the Cyprus Avenue Elementary School. In the 1960s, the college and community led a drive to relocate UPJ from downtown Johnstown to its current location in Richland Township, a 635-acre wooded area with, initially, six academic buildings, a library, a student union-physical education complex and five residence halls. The current campus was dedicated by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower in September 1967, almost 40 years to the day after UPJ first set up operations in Johnstown Senior High School. The campus has come a long way in 80 years. UPJ now boasts some 2,700 full-time and 450 part-time students, 70 student organizations, 143 faculty, 210 staff, nearly 40 campus buildings and more than 15,000 alumni. Again, I offer my congratulations to UPJ for reaching the milestone of its 80th anniversary. I am confident that this excellent educational institution will continue to be a vital asset to the region for another 80 years to come.

Mr. MURTHA

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Chairman, it is not a matter of being in opposition. We are going to work something out. It is not a matter of being in opposition. The gentleman from Michigan is going to withdraw his amendment.

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the remainder of the bill through page 55, line 2, be considered as read, printed in the Record, and open to amendment at any point.

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the remainder of the bill through page 106, line 16, be considered as read, printed in the Record, and open to amendment at any point.

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Chairman, I oppose the amendment.

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Chairman, we put money in where there used to be bases before it went to the Park Service to be sure they were secure for the Park Service, so I oppose the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. MURTHA. We will accept the amendment.

Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. MURTHA. You can see the hearings we've had on this issue. We felt that the missile defense cuts we made were because of schedule more than anything else, and I appreciate your determination to put it in. We'll take another look at conference, but right now we are convinced, and you can see the hearings we've had this year. We started on January 17. We just don't feel this is necessary at this point. It was a cut made on schedule more than anything else.

Mr. MURTHA. No. What I will say to you is that we'll look at it in conference, but we believe that we did the right thing. We believe we cut it because of the schedule.