Mike Rogers

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk made in order under the rule, amendment No. 1.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself as much time as I might consume. Mr. Chairman, this is a manager's amendment to the bill, and very simply--and I don't want to waste a lot of time on it--it would simply strike two technical provisions to allow us to resolve any potential issues going forward. There were two technical issues that were deemed by the Parliamentarian as appropriation language. We just wanted to take that language out to make sure that there were no issues. It doesn't change the nature of the bill in any way, and it has bipartisan support. I would urge the body's support of the Rogers amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, while I do not oppose the amendment, I rise to control the time in opposition.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to thank Mr. Thompson for working with us, not only on the overall bill, but on any amendment that might strengthen the process. I am committed to continue to work with Mr. Thompson on these very issues, and I would support the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, while I do not oppose the amendment, I rise to control the time in opposition.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This is an interesting amendment. This is something that we do as a matter of course in the committee, and it is as serious a matter as we consider: issues of war. It is also interesting that the consequences of a nuclear Iran are not a part of this. We would encourage that to happen, and we will engage in that discussion in the committee. A nuclear arms race in the Middle East is a catastrophe that is the worst part of a nightmare. Saudi Arabia has said, Hey, if Iran goes nuclear, we very well can't not go nuclear. We believe that other nations--Turkey, Egypt, others--have said it's probably in our best interests not to be the ones without a nuclear weapon program if Iran gets a nuclear weapon. The proliferation of nuclear weapons across the Middle East is dangerous, incredibly dangerous. That's one outcome. We also have to consider that outcome as well. Think about where Israel is today. This is a talk about U.S. action against Iran, something that we should consider. We should be very careful about all of those considerations. Now think about Israel and what they may or may not have to do when it comes to taking out a nuclear weapon program where they know one of its destinations will impact the very existence of the people of Israel. They live in a dangerous neighborhood. Egypt is now an uncertain partner in peace. There is violence breaking out in the Sinai because of the turmoil and the changes happening in Egypt. Hamas is well armed, as well armed as we have ever seen them, with missiles aimed at Israel. Hezbollah has about 30,000-- the public number--we believe of very accurate missile systems pointed at Israel. Iran is moving and marching forward. Clearly the IAEA just recently reported a 27 percent enrichment rate on traces of uranium. That doesn't get you to the all-important 95, but it crosses a very critical threshold and a dangerous one, that 20 percent enrichment rate. That is a dangerous place for them to be. You hit 20, it's a lot easier to get to 95. They have certainly shown that they are bad actors in the world. We should consider that as well, and we do in the Intelligence Committee. Imagine the fact that somebody would make the calculation, a nation- state, to assassinate an ambassador of another nation in our Nation's capital. And if they killed U.S. civilians, so be it. We have seen a proliferation of these types of attacks from Iran. They haven't been very good at it yet. We've caught most of them. But they're learning from every event. And it's happening in places like Turkey, Pakistan, Argentina, and other places around the world. We are in a scary place indeed. I won't oppose this amendment, but we need to look at this in total. I will tell you that if you want to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapons program, we have to step up. We're doing a fine job on the sanctions now--thanks to this body leading the way for sanctions working--but they also have to believe that military options are on the table. If they do not believe it, they'll continue down this path that is dangerous for the national security interests of the United States, of the Middle East, and indeed the world. Nuclear weapons in the hands of rogue elements is a thing that keeps me up every single night. I can't imagine that arms race in the Middle East making the job of stopping that any easier indeed. I will not oppose this amendment, but I do think it's important that we put it in all of the context of the threat that a nuclear Iran poses, not just to the Middle East but to the world. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, while I do not oppose the amendment, I ask unanimous consent to control the time in opposition.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to compliment the gentleman for his work in bringing attention to this very important issue. We have a serious problem on our southern border with our friend, neighbor, and ally, Mexico. They are under siege by organized criminal narcotrafficking organizations. If you have just looked at the sheer death count and the murder and mayhem in some of the provinces along our southern border, it is shocking; and I think this will serve to at least make an advance on trying to help our southern neighbors get a handle on what is a serious and growing violent problem to our neighbor to the south. And I commend the gentleman and look forward to working with him in the future on this very important issue, and I would support the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, while I do not oppose the amendment, I ask unanimous consent to control the time in opposition.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to thank the gentlelady for her concern on these very important issues. One of the things that's so important, I think, to our country, is that we do have a strong and robust national security service of all sorts. In order for that to work and be the most effective, people have to have trust in it. They have to understand that their rights are protected, and I think this amendment states exactly where they are and where they should be. And, therefore, I won't oppose the amendment, and I applaud the gentlelady's concern and effort. It will serve as a valuable reminder, I think, to the men and women who are standing tall in our defense what it's all about and why they do it. I support the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, though I do not oppose the amendment, I ask unanimous consent to control the time in opposition.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I thank the gentlelady for her amendment. Certainly, the good news is, as she said, she has pointed out the progress that has been made. And that's right, they have done an exceptionally good job of understanding that diversity is part of the success of our intelligence services. So restating that policy is probably a good idea. I will not oppose the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to thank the gentlelady. Civil liberties are incredibly important. It's important that the American people have faith in their intelligence services that they are, in fact, catching bad guys and protecting Americans' civil liberties. The good news is that as a part of the Director of National Intelligence they have a Civil Liberties Protection Officer. This is a reaffirmation, I think, of that valuable work that that particular officer does, and really all of the members of our intelligence community need be reminded that protection of American civil liberties is an important value and an important thing to do while in fact you're catching the bad guys. I support the amendment and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. I want to thank the gentlelady from North Carolina, say thank you very, very much for her work on the supply chain and its vulnerabilities. She has spent a lot of time on our committee making sure that we're doing all the right things to try to protect the supply chain when it comes to cyberthreats and other vulnerabilities that may exist, so I couldn't support the amendment more. Lastly, I would just like to thank the gentlelady. This will be her last authorization bill. She has been a fantastic member of this committee and has brought a lot of stature to the issues she's engaged in--everything from home-grown terrorism to cyber to supply chain management. She has been a national treasure on that committee. She will be sorely missed. I wanted to offer our congratulations and our thanks to a job well done.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. I object.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. First of all, this is a motion to recommit. Let's not fool ourselves. And I understand this is the loyal opposition portion of the debate. It happens in each and every bill; I get it. We've spent a lot of time in a bipartisan way getting the bill, and I think it's one of our better products given the detail with which we went over every budget line and operational detail in this budget. So when I read this, it looks like it was prepared fairly quickly in order to meet the time demand here, and it's very concerning. In some of the things that we've done--even in this Chamber, we debated the cybersecurity bill and people had strong passions on both sides of the aisle of that bill about protection of civil liberties and just making sure there were checks and balances on our ability just to share information, a very small little piece. When you read this bill, that makes our cybersecurity bill look like a walk in the park. This is an expansion of the government involved in the Internet in a way that I find a little bit scary and shocking that they would allow it to get this far. Let me read it: The intelligence community shall take all steps necessary to protect and ensure that-- Sensitive information pertaining to economic, financial, and consumer information is protected from cybersecurity attacks. That means you've got to reach way out into the Internet. Now you've just empowered the intelligence community--the very people we said we want to keep separate--into the Internet. This is dangerous. That's what happens when you get in a hurry and try to have a political amendment on a very bipartisan bill, and that's unfortunate about this. The first paragraph, I would submit, we should make as a part of the ``department of redundancy department.'' All of that already happens. We do that as a matter of course and mission. Again, it's a little bit surprising that they would allow this. I would even hope that your Members would take a very close look at this. You have just put your Members in a pretty bad spot about making them vote on something that will actually have the government involved in your Internet. Welcome to the laptop near you. Very concerning to me. I will passionately oppose this, would urge all of my colleagues to passionately oppose this, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that in the engrossment of the bill, H.R. 5743, the Clerk be authorized to make such technical and conforming changes as necessary to reflect the actions of the House.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include an exchange of letters with the chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security with respect to the bill at this point in the Record.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, Bradley Nornhold was a founding teacher at KIPP Ujima Village Academy when the public charter school opened in 2002. In the past ten years, Brad has been a transformational force in the lives of the students in Northwest Baltimore. As a middle school math teacher, his results speak for themselves. In 2011, his seventh grade students produced the highest math test scores in the city as measured by the Maryland School Assessment. Brad makes no excuses and leaves no child behind. 100 percent of his students passed the test. The advanced scores were the fourth highest in the State of Maryland. But test scores do not tell the whole story. Brad's students embrace the work that it takes to produce such results, and believe that the work they do will pay off in the future. KIPP Ujima Village Academy serves a student population where 87 percent of the students live below the poverty line, as measured by free or reduced priced lunch applications. The school's mission is preparing these students for college by giving them the academic and personal skills necessary to succeed in the most rigorous college preparatory high schools. Brad makes that mission a reality every day. Because of the work ethic and focus he has taught them, all of his current eighth graders have gained acceptance to private or public college preparatory schools with admission requirements. Every one of them will be going to a high school in which they had to earn admission. And most of his students will be starting their freshmen year in sophomore geometry. Of his 78 eighth graders, 51 have already taken and passed the High School Assessment for freshmen algebra. Brad's efforts for his students do not end with eighth grade graduation. His former students visit on a weekly, if not daily, basis. They come back to see their teacher, talk about math, and inspire his current students to follow their path to college. The students of KIPP Ujima Village Academy have been privileged to call Mr. Nornhold their teacher. For many of them, their life paths will be forever changed because of the time they spent in his classroom.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor U.S. Army Colonel Chandler C. (Skip) Sherrell who is retiring after 26 years of service to our nation as an Army Aviation Officer. During his distinguished career, COL Sherrell served the nation in peace and war in numerous positions of steadily increasing responsibility. COL Sherrell has led soldiers in combat, trained soldiers for war, and served as an advisor and assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), the Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA), and as a DoD Fellow to the United States Congress. He has served his Nation in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bosnia, Germany, and Korea, as well as in demanding assignments in the United States. His decorations for his service include awards for valor. He is an outstanding Army aviator, leader, and soldier, and he is deserving of our recognition. COL Skip Sherrell concluded an outstanding career by serving for two years as the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Life Cycle Management Command (AMCOM). He brought a wealth of expertise in aviation operations to the AMCOM Command Group. Prior to joining AMCOM, COL Sherrell performed one of the most demanding and critical assignments of his career, serving as the Commander of Task Force (TF) 49. TF 49 was the Army's designation for a composite Aviation Brigade, formed from many units to perform combat operations in Iraq. In twelve months of intensive flying in multiple locations across Iraq, COL Sherrell led TF 49 to complete mission success with an impressive safety record--an outstanding achievement. COL Sherrell served in a role that few Army officers experience: working as the Deputy Legislative Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS). Serving as a liaison to Congress as the personal representative of the CJCS is an important position, but more importantly, he also served as a soldier's advocate on Capitol Hill for equipment modernization and improved systems and protection. Therefore Mr. Speaker, I ask our colleagues to join me in honoring COL Chandler C. (Skip) Sherrell's exceptional service, dedication and devotion to duty, leadership, and professional competency. He exemplifies the fine tradition of military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the Department of the Army, and the United States of America. May he know that his nation is greatly appreciative of his dedication, and wishes him the best in all his future endeavors.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the accomplishments of U.S. Army Colonel Richard E. Crogan. His dedication to soldiers as a leader, warrior, and innovator has had a profound and lasting effect on United States Army Aviation. As the Commander for the Aviation Center Logistics Command (ACLC), COL Crogan supported an Army at war by providing maintenance, sustainment and logistics support and proficient U.S. and Allied Aviation Officers. COL Crogan was responsible for oversight and quality assurance on the largest aviation service support contract in the U.S. Army. He was tasked with maintaining 587 rotary wing aircraft, providing over 500 launches every day to support an ever increasing need for army aviation. COL Crogan was personally responsible for providing the aircraft required to professionally train aviators and provide the Army's next generation of great warriors. Aviation maintenance is an expensive proposition and COL Crogan's innovative leadership and creative solutions have shown a total cost savings during his command of more than $750,000,000. COL Crogan's great leadership contributed significantly to the elimination of the flight training backlog at Fort Rucker which reduced the time aviators spent training from 22 months to 12 months. Aviators will now report to their units ten months earlier to begin missions and the Army will see enormous cost savings in a time of fiscal reduction. COL Crogan raises the bar for those around him, as demonstrated by ACLC winning the Army Chief of Staff Supply Excellence Award in 2011. Therefore Mr. Speaker, I ask our colleagues to join me in honoring Colonel Richard E. Crogan's exceptional service, dedication and devotion to duty, leadership, and professional competency. He exemplifies the fine tradition of military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the Department of the Army, and the United States of America. May he know that his nation is greatly appreciative of his dedication and wishes him the best in all his future endeavors.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the accomplishments U.S. Army COL Richard E. Crogan. His dedication to soldiers as a leader, warrior, and innovator has had a profound and lasting effect on United States Army Aviation. As the Commander for the Aviation Center Logistics Command, ACLC, Colonel Crogan supported an Army at war by providing maintenance, sustainment and logistics support and proficient U.S. and Allied Aviation Officers. Colonel Crogan was responsible for oversight and quality assurance on the largest aviation service support contract in the U.S. Army. He was tasked with maintaining 587 rotary wing aircraft, providing over 500 launches every day to support an ever-increasing need for army aviation. Colonel Crogan was personally responsible for providing the aircraft required to professionally train aviators and provide the Army's next generation of great warriors. Aviation maintenance is an expensive proposition and Colonel Crogan's innovative leadership and creative solutions have shown a total cost saving during his command of more than $750,000,000. Colonel Crogan's great leadership contributed significantly to the elimination of the flight training backlog on Fort Rucker which reduced the time aviators spent training from 22 months to 12 months. Aviators will now report to their units ten months earlier to begin missions and the Army will see enormous cost savings in a time of fiscal reduction. Colonel Crogan raises the bar for those around him as demonstrated by ACLC winning the Army Chief of Staff Supply Excellence Award in 2011. Therefore Mr. Speaker, I ask our colleagues to join me in honoring COL Richard E. Crogan's exceptional service, dedication and devotion to duty, leadership, and professional competency. He exemplifies the fine tradition of military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the Department of the Army, and the United States of America. May he know that his nation is greatly appreciative of his dedication, and wishes him the best in all his future endeavors.

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor U.S. Army Colonel Chandler C. (Skip) Sherrell, who is retiring after 26 years of service to our nation as an Army Aviation Officer. During his distinguished career, COL Sherrell served the nation in peace and war in numerous positions of steadily increasing responsibility. Colonel Sherrell has led soldiers in combat, trained soldiers for war, and served as an advisor and assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), the Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA), and as a DoD Fellow to the United States Congress. He has served his Nation in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bosnia, Germany, and Korea, as well as in demanding assignments in the United States. His decorations for his service include awards for valor. He is an outstanding Army aviator, leader, and soldier, and he is deserving of our recognition. COL Skip Sherrell concluded an outstanding career by serving for two years as the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Life Cycle Management Command (AMCOM). He brought a wealth of expertise in aviation operations to the AMCOM Command Group. Prior to joining AMCOM, Colonel Sherrell performed one of the most demanding and critical assignments of his career, serving as the Commander of Task Force (TF) 49. TF 49 was the Army's designation for a composite Aviation Brigade, formed from many units to perform combat operations in Iraq. In twelve months of intensive flying in multiple locations across Iraq, Colonel Sherrell led TF 49 to complete mission success with an impressive safety record--an outstanding achievement. Colonel Sherrell served in a role that few Army officers experience: working as the Deputy Legislative Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS). Serving as a liaison to Congress as the personal representative of the CJCS is an important position, but more importantly, he also served as a soldier's advocate on Capitol Hill for equipment modernization and improved systems and protection. Therefore Mr. Speaker, I ask our colleagues to join me in honoring COL Chandler C. (Skip) Sherrell's exceptional service, dedication and devotion to duty, leadership, and professional competency. He exemplifies the fine tradition of military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the Department of the Army, and the United States of America. May he know that his nation is greatly appreciative of his dedication, and wishes him the best in all his future endeavors.