Sue Myrick

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that my name be removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 3889.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 686 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday the Committee on Rules met and granted a structured rule for H.R. 4548, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005. This bill would authorize appropriations for the fiscal year for intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the United States Government, the Community Management Account, and the Central Intelligence Agency retirement and disability system. This is must-do legislation. It is also the most robust Intelligence Authorization Act the House has ever considered, and it is consistent with the Defense appropriations bill the House passed yesterday by an overwhelming vote of 403 to 17. The classified annex to the committee report, which includes information on the budget and personnel levels, is available to all Members of the House of Representatives, subject to a requirement of clause 13 of rule XXIII. This rule permits only those Members of the House who have signed the oath set out in clause 13 of House rule XXIII to have access to the classified information. Simply, this means they must agree not to release the information they see. Intelligence has been, rightly so, recognized as a critical weapon in the global war on terrorism. Resources for, and demands on, the U.S. intelligence community have increased dramatically in the 2\3/4\ years since September 11, 2001, and the attacks we all remember. This increase is even more dramatic when one takes into consideration the depth of the cutbacks, underinvestment, and the near fatal loss of political support for the intelligence community in the prior administration. That is why I am pleased that this bill authorizes more money than last year, even including the supplemental. This is the type of investment that our intelligence community deserves. This legislation continues the sustained effort and long-term strategy to bring human intelligence, signals intelligence, imagery intelligence, and other intelligence systems and disciplines to life successfully. H.R. 4548 also continues a similar commitment to build and maintain the analytic expertise and depth of coverage necessary to make wise and timely use of the information collected. I want to take this opportunity to thank the CIA and all the members of our intelligence community who do make a vital contribution to our Nation's security. I agree with President Bush that this is a mission of service and sacrifice in a world of great uncertainty and risk. America's commitments and responsibilities span the world in every time zone. Every day our intelligence community helps us to meet those responsibilities. This bill provides the President with the intelligence tools needed to win the war on terrorism; and to that end, I urge my colleagues to support the rule. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert). (Mr. BOEHLERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr), another member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. (Mr. BURR asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), chairman of the Committee on Rules. (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham). (Mr. CUNNINGHAM asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons). (Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Foley).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Mrs. Wilson); and, I might add, she is the only female military officer in this body.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to remind my colleagues in closing that there is more money in this bill than ever before. There is more money for counterterrorism than ever before. And whatever is needed will be provided, as always been the manner of this House and the other body to do. I want to close by thanking the gentleman from Florida (Chairman Goss) because he has always worked in a very bipartisan manner on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which all of us appreciate greatly, and with his background in intelligence, of course, that has been extremely important to have him there. We are going to miss him greatly, both as a chairman and as a long-serving, well respected Member of Congress from Florida. So we wish him only the best as he goes on whatever new challenges he may take on.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mrs. MYRICK

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Tiahrt).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 683 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Frost), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Committee on Rules met and granted an open rule for H.R. 4613, the Fiscal Year 2005 Department of Defense Appropriations Act. The rule provides for 1 hour of general debate, equally divided between the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations. The rule also ensures that the United States Government shall take all steps necessary to guarantee the full faith and credit of the government. Mr. Speaker, this is a fair and open rule for a very important bill. It cannot get any better than that. The rule allows any Member to offer any amendment to the bill as long as their amendment complies within the normal Rules of the House. H.R. 4613 comes at a particularly crucial time for our Nation's Armed Forces. The Iraqi conflict and our continuing war on terrorism have brought a renewed and proper focus on national defense. In our global campaign against global terror, our military must have every resource, every tool, every weapon, and every advantage that they need for the missions to come. This legislation addresses the needs of a Nation at war on multiple fronts. It contains $391.1 billion for the Department of Defense. It also provides an additional $25 billion requested by the President for early fiscal year 2005 costs associated with operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The primary focus of the legislation is protecting our troops on the battlefield. Our men and women in uniform depend on having the necessary systems and equipment to be successful in accomplishing their mission. Many of us have been concerned about the lack of armor available for our Humvees and other trucks. This bill addresses that concern by providing $674 million for an additional 2,996 up-armored Humvees, and $198 million for ballistic protection. These improved ballistic Humvees will protect our soldiers from anti-personnel armor-piercing munitions, and improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. In the near term, the outcome of our war against terror depends on the courage of our personnel on the frontlines. I am pleased that this bill makes significant improvements in the quality of life of the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces. These improvements include a 3.5 percent military personnel pay raise, and increased levels for basic allowances for housing by eliminating service members' average out-of-pocket expenses from 3.5 percent to zero in 2005. We can never pay our men and women in uniform on a scale that matches the magnitude of their sacrifice, but this bill reflects our respect for their selfless service. Today, more than ever, we also owe those in uniform the resources they need to maintain a very high state of readiness. Our enemies rely upon surprise and deception. They used to rely upon the fact that they thought we were soft. Well, they have gotten the message that we are not. Our forces must be ready to deploy to any place around the globe on short notice, and this bill provides over $120.6 billion for operation and maintenance. This Nation must have and will have ready forces that can bring victory to our country and safety to our people. The world's best soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines also deserve the world's best weaponry. To ensure this, our Nation must invest in procurement. This defense bill contains $77.3 billion for procurement. The continued development and procurement of the M-Gator is also made a priority in this year's bill. The U.S. has deployed the M-Gator to the Balkans, Afghanistan, and Iraq, providing our troops with the support and the mobility they need to successfully wage war. With the continued support and commitment from Congress, researchers will be able to enhance the M-Gator's capabilities with silent operation, precision control, and machine intelligence. These technological enhancements will continue to help make the United States military the most technologically advanced and best prepared force in the world. This Nation must give our military the weapons it needs to meet future threats. If the war against terror means that we must find terror wherever it exists, pull it out by its roots and bring people to justice, our military must have the means to achieve that objective. Now, more than any time in our Nation's history, we are relying on the men and women who so faithfully serve our country in the National Guard. H.R. 4613 contains language that will help us continue to provide strong support for our National Guard. In my State of North Carolina, universities and community organizations are coming together to help develop a comprehensive program to effectively support our citizen soldiers. This bill recognizes the importance of this program and provides language to help integrate the National Program For Citizen Soldiers Support with the Defense Department's ongoing efforts to support our men and women in uniform. Some of our greatest defense resources are found in the classrooms and the labs of our universities. This bill continues to recognize the important role our universities play in research and development for the Department of Defense. Funding in this year's bill will help researchers at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte study optoelectronics and superlattice nanotechnology, two technologies that are on the cutting edge of defense R&D. To that end, I urge my colleagues to support this rule and support the underlying bill. Now, more than ever, we must improve our national security. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Tiahrt).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, this really is a very simple procedure to add language to the bill and that will allow for the possible future consideration of an increase in the national debt limit. That is what this does is allow for that to happen in the future. It is the same language that was done in 2002 in the supplemental.

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would just remind the gentleman, when we passed the bill through the House recently for the budget, we did put a freeze on discretionary spending for the first time in a long time which is the beginning of paying that down. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Tiahrt).

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.