Ike Skelton

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire if I have any additional time?

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, we will accept this amendment.

Mr. SKELTON. I will yield to the gentleman from California 15 seconds.

Mr. SKELTON. That was not the same amendment, I must point out to my friend from California; that was not the one that was offered to the Rules Committee. Nevertheless, let's point out that we have fully funded. We have worked with in the past and we will continue to work with Israel. It is of primary importance. No one can doubt the commitment of the Armed Services Committee in this regard.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the instructions of the House on the motion to recommit, I hereby report H.R. 1585 back to the House with an amendment.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that in the engrossment of the bill, H.R. 1585, the Clerk be authorized to correct section numbers, punctuation, cross-references, and the table of contents, and to make such other technical and conforming changes as may be necessary to reflect the actions of the House in amending the bill, and that the Clerk be authorized to make additional technical corrections, which are at the desk.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Chairman, I yield 2 minutes at this time to the gentleman from Georgia, my friend, Mr. Marshall, who is also a member of the Armed Services Committee.

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman, my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings), who is also a member of the Armed Services Committee.

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Boswell).

Mr. SKELTON. I yield 2 minutes to my friend, the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy).

Mr. SKELTON. At this time I yield 2 minutes to my colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Carney).

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Chair, may I inquire on the time, and may I also inquire if the gentleman from California has additional speakers.

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy).

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Chair, we are nearing the end of the general debate portion of the consideration of this bill. I want to thank my ranking member, my friend, Duncan Hunter, for his hard work and for his cooperation in getting us to this point. And it was difficult at times, but we have gotten here. So I just want him to know that I am appreciative. And I also want to say that the purpose of our affection and attention is the young men and young women in uniform. Despite all of the procedural motions that we have had, out of all of this at the end of the day, and maybe at the end of tomorrow, we will have done an excellent job, because this bill is basically a very good bill for the defense and for the young people of our Nation in uniform. So let's not forget the purpose of what we are doing here. Let's not forget that we are doing this in a bipartisan effort. Let's not forget that, at the end of the day, we will make America one major step safer by passing a good piece of legislation for our country.

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie) for the purpose of making a unanimous consent request. (Mr. ABERCROMBIE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to my colleague and friend, the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor), who is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces.

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Chairman, pursuant to sections 3 and 4 of House Resolution 403, and as the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, I request that during further consideration of H.R. 1585 in the Committee of the Whole and following general debate, the following amendments be considered in this order: amendment No. 33, amendment No. 29, amendment No. 49, the en bloc package, and amendment No. 8, amendment No. 14, amendment No. 21, and amendment No. 38. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith), who is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism and Unconventional Threats and Capabilities.

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Tauscher) who is the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces.

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Chairman, may I inquire as to the time remaining on each side on general debate, please.

Mr. SKELTON. I yield myself such time as I may consume. This is deadly serious business, Madam Chairwoman. I have witnessed here the number of procedural motions, which I have refrained from commenting upon, but this is deadly serious business. This is a bill to authorize funds for the United States military. That is our constitutional job to do. And procedural motions are fine, but let's get on with taking care of the troops and giving them their pay raise and the medical care and the equipment that they need. As we say back in Missouri, ``'nough said.'' I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes).

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that votes in series be reduced to 2 minutes.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, today the House begins consideration of H.R. 1585, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008. This bill is a collective effort in the bipartisan tradition of the House Armed Services Committee, which approved the bill in markup last week by a vote of 58-0. I want to thank our committee members, particularly our subcommittee chairmen and ranking members, for their outstanding work. And special thanks go to the ranking member, Duncan Hunter, and I appreciate his working so hard in a very bipartisan manner to make this bill come to the floor. He's been a partner in this, and I appreciate it. I am proud that we're always able to work together in our efforts to enhance our Nation's defense. Mr. Chairman, the polestar of this year's Defense authorization is readiness. Continued reports on the state of readiness for our ground forces, particularly our nondeployed and next-to-deploy forces, are of deep concern. To restore readiness and ensure our forces will be ready if they are called upon for the next fight, this bill fully funds the budget request for the Army and Marine Corps reset of equipment at $13.6 billion and $8.4 billion respectively. They add some $1 billion in a strategic readiness fund to meet critical readiness requirements identified by a new Defense Readiness Production Board. It increases training by $250 million so that our units may get more training time. It requires a plan and a timeline for replenishing prepositioned stocks. And it strengthens the National Guard by adding $1 billion for National Guard and Reserve equipment from their unfunded requirements list, ensuring that the National Guard is able to meet its homeland and civil support missions, and also adding a range of authorities through the National Guard Empowerment Act. This bill looks out for our troops in harm's way by dedicating substantial resources to improve protection, including $4.6 billion for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, known as MRAPs, and providing funds for personal body armor and up-armored Humvees. To reduce the strain on our force and in keeping with the House Armed Services Committee's long advocacy of the need to boost end strength, that is, the number of troops, the bill has authorized an increase in the size of the Army by 36,000 Army troops and Marines by 9,000. Our servicemembers and their families make countless sacrifices and our pride in them knows no bounds. We express our thanks to them through a 3.5 percent pay raise, by blocking TRICARE and pharmacy program fee increases, by expanding special compensation for combat- related disabled retirees, and establishing a special survivor indemnity allowance to begin to address the offset to the survivor benefit plan and the dependents indemnity plan. Provisions also include the Wounded Warrior Assistance Act, which addresses many of the problems identified at Walter Reed Army Medical Center; and, Mr. Chairman, you will recall we passed that as a stand- alone bill just a few weeks ago. Accountability with respect to our own ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan is also an important component of the measure. The bill requires General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker to report on the implementation of the Joint Campaign Plan for Iraq, as well as on efforts made by the Iraqi Government to achieve political reconciliation. Secretary Gates is also required to report on the proposed force levels for the 6 months following September, to discuss the missions of our forces, and to inform Congress about contingency planning. The information from this report will help us ask the right questions, the tough questions, and make frank judgments about how we are going to pass the baton on to the Iraqis. I am convinced that the sectarian violence will only be overcome by Iraqi political progress, and thus far, I haven't seen much of that since then. September's report will be an opportunity for General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker to lay out the straight facts. Time is short with the American people, and the Iraqis must act soon. This report will provide real and substantial information. Calling attention to the forgotten war in Afghanistan, the bill provides funds for the Afghanistan security forces and requires a long- term sustainment plan so that the Afghans can build the logistics and other capabilities they need for long-term security. The bill establishes a new Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction to ensure accountability in contracting there and extends the authority of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. The bill also brings more contracting accountability to both Afghanistan and Iraq by forcing the Departments of Defense and State to work together in assigning responsibility for overseeing the thousands of contractors in these places, particularly those who do carry weapons. And finally, Mr. Chairman, the bill requires that the Secretary of Defense undertake an analysis of the Department's roles and missions. In 1947, a similar effort helped shape the Pentagon through the National Security Act. After 60 years, it is time for a new analysis to help eliminate duplication among the services, identify core competencies, and strengthen the Department of Defense and the military while helping us spend money much more wisely. Before I close, let me spend just a moment talking about something that is not in this bill. The Military Commissions Act, which was made into law by the last Congress, precludes detainees in Guantanamo from petitioning courts under habeas corpus. This bill does not include a provision to restore the principle of habeas corpus for detainees at Guantanamo, even though I feel strongly it should. My judgment is that the most promising course of action will be for this House to take up this issue as a separate bill. To that end, I have prepared legislation to address the habeas corpus issue, and I intend to work with the leadership, members of our committee and with the Judiciary Committee on that issue. Mr. Chairman, this is a critical time in the defense and security of our Nation. This is a very important bill. I urge the Members in this House to support this Defense authorization bill. It does so much to restore readiness, to support our men and women in uniform, and to protect the American people. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz), who is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Readiness. (Mr. ORTIZ asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Chairman, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for his kind and supportive remarks. Madam Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to my colleague, the gentleman from Arkansas, Dr. Snyder, who is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.