Ike Skelton

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, regarding H.R. 5136, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and in which to insert extraneous materials in the Record.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I object.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Today, we as a Congress perform a duty in compliance with the Constitution of the United States. Article I, section 8 states that Congress shall have the power to provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States. It also provides for and maintaining a Navy and making all rules for the government and regulation of land and naval forces. So today I rise in support of H.R. 5136, the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2011. I'm pleased to be joined here today with my friend, my colleague, the ranking member, Buck McKeon. Buck's been a true partner in this effort to bring forward a bipartisan bill that addresses the national security needs of our country. The committee passed the Defense Authorization Bill by a vote of 59- 0. Our Nation's been at war for nearly a decade. Our troops are worn, and their families are tired, and the Nation recognizes their sacrifices. The bill addresses many of the concerns that they've raised. I'm proud that this bill is a result of the committee's engagement with the military community and our citizens to determine what issues were important to them as we developed the programs and policies that are included in this bill. This bill authorizes $567 billion in budget authority for the Department of Defense and the national security programs of the Department of Energy. The bill also authorizes $159 billion to support ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan during fiscal year 2011. These amendments are essentially equal to the President's budget request for items in the jurisdiction of the Armed Services Committee. H.R. 5136 continues Congress' deep commitment to supporting U.S. servicemembers and their families and to provide the necessary resources to keep America safe. The bill provides our military personnel a 1.9 percent pay raise, which is an increase of a half a percent above the President's request. The bill also includes a number of initiatives to support military families, including extending health care coverage to adult dependent children up to the age of 26. We also have the single most comprehensive legislative proposal to address sexual assault in the military. The bill also fully funds the President's budget request for military training, equipment, maintenance and the facilities upkeep, which continues the committee's efforts to address readiness shortfalls that have developed over previous years. The bill provides an increase of $12 billion above the fiscal year 2010 budget for operations and maintenance, including $345 million to fully fund the first increment of construction necessary to modernize Department of Defense schools. There is 13.6 billion for training of an all active- duty Reserve force to increase readiness; an increase of $500 million for day-to-day operations of Army bases, which is a direct impact on our soldiers. It also provides an increase of $700 million above the administration's budget to address the equipment shortfalls on National Guard and Reserve units. The war in Afghanistan is a critical mission that is essential to our national security. To ensure that our strategies in both Iraq and Afghanistan are effective and achieve the intended goals within well- defined timelines, the bill requires the President to assess U.S. efforts and regularly report on progress, including providing timelines by which he plans to achieve his goals. It also extends the authorization of the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Fund through fiscal year 2011 to allow commanders to help Pakistan quickly and more effectively go after terrorist safe havens. The bill also provides $1.6 billion for Coalition Support Funds to reimburse nations that are providing logistical, military, and other support to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. On Iraq, the bill upholds Congress's responsibility to provide oversight to the process of drawing down the mountain of material purchased, transported, and built up in Iraq at tremendous expense to the taxpayer. In the area of nonproliferation, the bill continues our focus on keeping weapons of mass destruction and related materials out of the hands of terrorists and strengthens our nonproliferation programs and activities. The bill increases funding for the Department of Energy's nonproliferation programs and adds funding to continue the administration's plan to secure and remove all known vulnerable nuclear materials that could be used for weapons. There are other good things in this bill, which my colleagues will cover. I want to recognize the members of the Armed Services Committee for their contributions in making this bill one of the best that the committee has put forward in recent years. I also, Mr. Chair, want to brag about the wonderful staff that we have on the Armed Services Committee. They make it all work well. Mr. Chair, our committee has been and will continue to be strong proponents of our Nation's security and the people that it defends. We will continue to do what is right and necessary to ensure that our country is safe and secure. We must continue to work with the President to ensure that our citizens are safe and our Nation's security is paramount. I urge my colleagues to support our troops and their families and vote for the defense authorization bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I now yield 2\1/2\ minutes to my friend, the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces. (Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SKELTON. I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to my colleague, the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Tsongas).

Mr. SKELTON. I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.

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

Mr. SKELTON. I yield 2 minutes to my friend and colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko).

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. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to my friend, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman). (Ms. HARMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. SKELTON. I yield 1 minute to a friend, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews). (Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SKELTON. I yield 2 minutes to my friend, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Driehaus).

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I speak in favor of the committee position, which is to have an alternate engine for the F-35. If one looks at the graph of the F-16 alternate engine program, one will clearly notice that from the mid-1980s, the cost of the engines went down because of the competition. Competition is important. Single source often causes a steep increase in price. Last year, this House passed the Weapons System Acquisition Reform Act, which requires more competition in Department of Defense programs, not less. What this position of the Armed Services Committee does is live up to that reform act, requiring more competition. It is as simple as that.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, pursuant to House Resolution 1404, I offer amendments en bloc No. 4, including modifications to amendment No. 18.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), my friend and colleague. (Mr. DINGELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, pursuant to section 4 of House Resolution 1404, I hereby give notice that amendment Nos. 68 and 81 may be offered out of order.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee). (Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

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. Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hinchey).

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to my friend, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran).

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Chairman, I yield 1 minute to my colleague, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the majority leader.

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Chairwoman, I yield 1 minute to my colleague, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Foster).

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Chairman, the bill before us is an excellent piece of legislation; it's one of the best that our committee has written. It's strong on our attempt to quell terrorism, it takes care of the troops, and it looks after their families. On this issue before us, inquiry was made of Secretary Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen. A letter dated April 30 states: ``Therefore, I strongly oppose any legislation that seeks to change this policy prior to the completion of this vital assessment process. Further, I hope Congress will not do so as it would send a very damaging message to our men and women in uniform that, in essence, their views, concerns, and perspectives do not matter on an issue with such direct impact and consequence for them and their families.'' I oppose the amendment.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, pursuant to House Resolution 1404, I offer amendments en bloc No. 9, including modifications to amendment No. 32.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to my friend, a member of the Armed Services Committee, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney).

Mr. SKELTON. I might make a comment about the gentleman from Missouri. It was our fellow Missourian, Harry Truman, upon awarding a Medal of Honor to a World War II marine, said he would rather have that than be President. And it is quite an honor, and it's a good thing that you do. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to my friend, the gentlelady from Colorado (Ms. Markey).