Ike Skelton

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I ask unanimous consent that during further consideration of H.R. 2647, pursuant to House Resolution 572, debate on amendment Nos. 3 and 9 each be extended to 20 minutes, and that amendment No. 2 be modified in the form that is now placed at the desk.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. SKELTON. At this time, Mr. Chairman, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Adler) seeks recognition for a colloquy.

Mr. SKELTON. I thank the gentleman for his comments. And in response, I will tell the gentleman I will work with him, the committee of jurisdiction, and the relevant government agencies to resolve the issue and help the joint base transition.

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

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Miller has a request for a colloquy at this time.

Mr. SKELTON. In response, I might tell you that, as the gentleman knows, our committee and I work tirelessly to protect the rights of servicemembers and their families; at the same time, I know it can be improved. I would be happy to work with this gentleman to address the issues that you have raised this morning.

Mr. SKELTON. Thank you. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, the gentlelady from California (Mrs. Capps) seeks recognition for a colloquy.

Mr. SKELTON. I certainly thank the gentlelady for raising this important issue, and I assure her that I certainly share her concern for our Federal firefighters. While protecting our national interests in military installations, nuclear facilities, VA hospitals, and other Federal facilities, Federal firefighters are routinely exposed to toxic substances, biohazards, temperature extremes, and stress. I would be pleased to continue working with the gentlelady on this important issue.

Mr. SKELTON. The gentlelady knows that I certainly share her admiration and appreciation for our Federal firefighters, and I thank her for her dedication.

Mr. SKELTON. The amendment before us is one that is technical in nature and seeks to clarify several technical misstatements and problems that arose in the drafting of the bill.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I respectfully disagree with this amendment, and I respectfully oppose it. This amendment sends exactly the wrong message, focusing on an exit strategy which may well reinforce the perception among the Afghans that we're not committed to protecting them from the Taliban and al Qaeda. Mr. Chairman, we have a new commander on the ground. We've added tens of thousands of troops. We're adding hundreds of civilian experts. We should not undermine those efforts. Commanders make a difference. As you know, we have General McChrystal who has replaced General McKiernan in Afghanistan. History shows that new commanders make a big difference. Let's give General McChrystal the opportunity to show what American troops, American civilians, the State Department and others can do. History shows that. President Lincoln replaced General McClellan, General Burnside, General Hooker, General Meade and finally ended up with a man by the name of Grant. General Auchinleck was replaced by Bernard Montgomery, and the great Battle of El Alamein came to pass. Let's give General McChrystal the opportunity. Further let me add, Mr. Chairman, this amendment is intended to get the administration to lay out its strategy; but section 1217 of our bill already requires the administration to lay out goals, to lay out timelines and conduct regular assessments. That's the way General McChrystal should be judged. Let's do that. I do oppose this amendment very respectfully.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment. The Western Hemisphere Institute has much to be proud of, including an enviable curriculum and dedicated support staff. Returning to a policy of public disclosure of student names and instructors will remove one of the lingering doubts about this school. It's come a long way, and I am very proud of what it does. I am a strong supporter of that school. Publicly revealing the names does not discourage attendance. According to statistics provided by the Department of Defense to the Center For International Policy for fiscal years 2001 through 2006, Latin American and Caribbean countries provided, on the average, more students to this institution, to this school during the time that WHINSEC made the names of students and instructors publicly available than when the institute refused to provide such information. There is no real reason to withhold those names. We should be proud of what we do there. We want them to return to their country to be proud of their studies there.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, pursuant to H. Res. 572, I offer amendments en bloc entitled No. 1.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I urge the committee to adopt the amendments en bloc, all of which have been examined by both the majority and the minority. At this time I yield 3 minutes to my friend, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, at this time I yield 1 minute to my friend, a member of the Armed Services Committee, the gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Shea-Porter).

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman from Georgia desires to have a colloquy at this point, Mr. Kingston.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to respond to the gentleman from Georgia. He has a long record of support and advocacy for Fort Stewart and our Nation's Armed Forces, and I am pleased to inform that gentleman that language has been included in this bill to direct the Secretary of Defense to carefully consider the economic impact of this policy change on local communities and to provide to the Congress information about the Department's efforts to mitigate the negative effects. This includes a report on any new enduring missions planned for the bases affected, including a summary of the Department's plans to lessen the economic hardship or investment loss. I would be happy to work with the gentleman and the Secretary of Defense, of course, to consider how to address the negative impact of recent basing decisions on the local communities that so strongly support our troops.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to my friend, a member of the Armed Services Committee, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Nye) for 1 minute.

Mr. SKELTON. I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. SKELTON. We will have to check, just a moment.

Mr. SKELTON. That is correct.

Mr. SKELTON. I yield the balance of my time to the to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly).

Mr. SKELTON. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Perriello).