Ike Skelton

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, all one has to do is listen to the debate that we have had on this floor today. We are short of troops in the United States Army. We help correct that in this bill by authorizing, through the supplemental, 10,000 additional Army troops, 3,000 additional Marine troops; and, hopefully, this will continue for the next 3 years. We are short of troops. Go anywhere you can and talk to our soldiers, whether it be here within the continental United States, Fort Leonard Wood, or wherever, Fort Jackson, you pick it, or go somewhere overseas; go to Iraq, Afghanistan, and talk to those young folks in uniform. They are stretched, and they are strained. As a matter of fact, we brought it up on the floor earlier today; 4,000 Army soldiers are being transferred out of South Korea, a brigade, into Iraq. This is exhibit A. It is not a good idea to do this. This is for Border Patrol and police work.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I claim time.

Mr. SKELTON. I will support the amendment, but I claim the time to speak.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. I have made my statement regarding my request to the White House for the information, and I hope I do not have to make another phone call tomorrow to receive the letter. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I do support the amendment; however, if I may, I wish to point out a couple of things. The Hunter-Meehan language that is in the base bill takes a major step towards this whole matter of the Abu Ghraib Prison situation, which of course is deplorable, and I think it is a good provision that is already in the bill. I wish, however, that four Democratic amendments had been made in order on the prisoner abuse situation: one by the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Dicks) that specifically lists prohibited interrogation techniques, which makes them very clear; one by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel) that requires very detailed reporting on the role of contractors as interrogators; one by the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price) that would close loopholes in existing law on how contractors who commit crimes can be prosecuted; and one by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), which would make a database of detainee names available to families and create an international commission to monitor detainee treatment. Each one of those, individually and collectively, I think, would have made this bill all the better. But I must express my position in support of this amendment, because we do know that there are major steps to be taken, and we further know that there are so many young men and young women doing positive work in Iraq and Afghanistan; and we hope that the terrible and deplorable situation in that prison that has dominated the news now for a good number of days does not detract from their excellent work. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), as the ranking member of the Committee on Government Reform.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In line with my responsibility for oversight, I made a request a good number of days ago in a letter to the President asking when the White House, when the Defense Department, when the State Department received the International Red Cross report that was provided to me just recently, but dated back in February of this year. In line with that, I am expecting to hear from the White House day by day, and I call them day by day. That is part of my oversight responsibility, to find out these matters as to when they received that International Red Cross document concerning the prison abuse. Hopefully, they will get an answer to me to help me fulfill my oversight responsibility. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman).

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis), a member of the Committee on Armed Services.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I happen to think the gentleman has a good amendment. In my opening statement on the bill in the committee, if the gentleman will recall, I suggested this very, very strongly. And without going into great detail, I will just reiterate what I said then and I will agree with the amendment of the gentleman.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, let me take a moment. I rise in support of this amendment offered by my good friend from Florida. When the Secretary of Defense appeared before the House Committee on Armed Services testifying about the prison abuses, he stated he could not possibly monitor each of the thousands of ongoing cases which might be important enough to warrant his needed attention. He does not need to do that. He needs to monitor only those ones that have potential strategic impact; and during that hearing and in subsequent discussions and investigations, it has become apparent that he has no mechanism to lift those sorts of matters to his attention expeditiously. The gentleman from Florida's (Mr. Meek) amendment does just that, and I support it.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I think this is a good amendment, and I join the gentleman; and I urge its adoption. We support the Iraqis. Everyone in America knows that, and we are supporting them with nearly 140,000 troops, $87 billion-plus in reconstruction funds, and I think the Americans expect this oil-rich country to help pay for reconstruction. This is not unreasonable to expect that they start investing in their own future as well. As their oil sector recovers, they should be reinvesting those revenues in their own future. I think all across our country people will say why not, what is wrong with the Iraqis paying for their very own reconstruction and helping us in the process. So I congratulate the gentleman, and I urge the adoption of this.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter), the principal author of this amendment, and that she be allowed to control that time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I urge the adoption of this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time at this moment.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, as the designee of the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter), I offer an amendment. The Chairman pro tempore. The Clerk will designate the amendment.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, and I shall not object at this point, but I wish to offer a brief explanation to one aspect of one of the amendments addressed by this request offered by the gentleman from California, and I do so on behalf of my colleague, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Marshall). Mr. Speaker, if you read the text of the amendment, it is very difficult to decipher, so the unanimous consent request makes in order this amendment to correct a mistake in the drafting of the bill. The amendment proposes to add a military construction project to replace the fire crash/rescue station for Warner Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. The amendment offsets this addition by deleting another military construction project, the Visitors Quarters at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida. With that explanation, Mr. Speaker, I agree with the chairman in his request. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, let me take this means to recognize Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc. The organization, which provides support and encouragement to families of law enforcement officers who have given their lives, observes its 20th anniversary on May 14. The organization, also known as COPS, has grown into an international non- profit organization comprised of 13,000 families in the United States, with an affiliate in the United Kingdom. The genesis of COPS occurred in 1983, when ten survivors of fallen officers gathered to talk about the difficulties they faced when their loved ones were killed. Within a year they decided there was a need for a support organization that could understand the trauma inflicted on surviving families and agencies when an officer was killed in the line of duty. COPS was officially organized on May 14, 1984, with 110 police survivors attending the first National Police Survivors' Conference in Washington, DC. It organized independently from other police organizations in order to allow members to reach out to any survivor regardless of their loved one's police organization affiliation. COPS sponsors weekend retreats for surviving spouses, parents, adult children, siblings, and in-laws. The organization also hosts a week- long summer camp and a weekend wilderness experience in the Colorado Rockies for surviving children. With funding from the Department of Justice, COPS presents training that teaches officers how to help surviving families, affected co-workers, and communities deal with the tragedy of line-of-duty deaths. Mr. Speaker, COPS is providing an important service to those families and coworkers of officers who have lost their lives. From humble beginnings in a basement office to a brand new facility in Camdenton, Missouri, COPS has brought healing and support to those who have lost a friend or loved one. I know my fellow Members will join with me in thanking members of this organization for their work and dedication.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I have the regrettable duty to inform the House of the death of Rev. Tracy Allen Carroll of Camdenton, MO. Reverend Carroll was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, and was raised in Des Moines, Iowa, where he was baptized at the Park Avenue Christian Church. He attended Northwest Christian College in Eugene, OR, where he met Colleen Troxell, whom he married in 1980. In Eugene, Reverend Carroll was ordained at the Allison Park Christian Church after earning his Masters of Divinity from Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX, in 1988. Reverend Carroll served many communities in Oregon and Texas, and arrived in Missouri to minister to the people of Cape Girardeau and Camdenton. He also spent a year in Tokyo, Japan, and served as chaplain at the Edna Galdney Maternity Home and Adoption Agency in Fort Worth, TX. Reverend Carroll's compassion extended beyond the doors of his congregation. Benefiting from his many philanthropic activities in the Camdenton area were the LAMB House, Camdenton Manor, Citizens Against Domestic Violence, Missouri Mental Health Association, Helping Hands Shelter, Habitat for Humanity, and the Salvation Army. He was also the volunteer mediator for the Missouri Bar Association, a position he filled from the program's inception in 1991. As you no doubt recall, on January 29, 2003, Reverend Carroll served as Guest Chaplain for the House of Representatives. I know we all found wisdom and guidance in his words that day. Mr. Speaker, Reverend Carroll will be missed. His care and compassion touched many people, probably more than he ever knew. His life of service is an example to us all. I know my fellow Members of the House will join me in extending heartfelt condolences to his wife, Colleen; his son, Nathaniel; his daughter, Tabitha; and the rest of his family and friends.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), who is the ranking member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise with heavy heart, a heavy heart for two reasons. The first reason is that a group of American soldiers forgot that they were soldiers and they forgot that the middle name of a soldier is ``honor,'' in doing the despicable acts that they did in that prison. That breaks my heart. I know it breaks the hearts of Americans who saw those pictures and learned of those acts which border on the unspeakable. But the seconds reason my heart is broken is that the occurrences happened between October and December of last year; they were reported in January of this year. A two star general in the Army, Major General Taguba was called to investigate and his report was rendered in February. And as ranking member on this committee, I found out about it this month, in May, not by any official sources, but through the news media. Mr. Speaker, that also breaks my heart. We in Congress under the Constitution are the first of the three parts of government listed. We are the ones that raise the money and write the rules for those who serve in the military. We are an important part of the national security, and I think that we should be informed as quickly as possible when these very, very tragic occurrences happen. Recently in the Wall Street Journal, on April 22, an administration official in response to the expenditure of appropriations funds regarding Iraq and the Middle East stated, ``If lawmakers do not ask questions, they do not get answers.'' Mr. Speaker, it is incumbent upon them to keep U.S. informed because we are the genesis of their funding. We are the genesis of the rules by which they in uniform operate and the defense of our Nation are concerned. This error has become a mistake. The late John F. Kennedy once said, ``An error does not become a mistake until you refuse to correct it. Without debate, without criticism, no administration, no country can succeed and no republic can survive.'' We seem, Mr. Speaker, to have forgotten that. I support this resolution, and I think it is necessary. It is a shameful series of acts. I support this resolution because it deplores and condemns the abuse of those in custody. And it is not just about isolated cases of abuse. This incident could very well be the tipping of the security and reconstruction of Iraq. I hope that is wrong. But if we lose the trust of the Iraqi people, if we lose their hearts and minds, we cannot bring anything else effectively to that part of the world. We must win back the trust, the safety of our troops, and the future of these citizens of Iraq. For that reason, I support this resolution. It urges the Secretary of the Army and the appropriate military authorities to complete a thorough investigation to bring anyone who committed crimes to justice. This applies regardless of who committed the crimes, military personnel, government agencies or private contractors. The Iraqi people must see U.S. taking swift and strong action. As a matter of fact, we here in Congress and our chairman, the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), has announced that we will have a hearing on this very subject tomorrow in the hearing room 2118 at 3 o'clock with Secretary Rumsfeld. I think that is the right thing for the gentleman to have called, and I thank him for it publicly. It is an important role for U.S. to have continuing oversight of this issue. We do need, in addition thereto, a congressional inquiry by the staff on the broader policy issues that were raised by this incident. I will underline that. Finally, I believe this resolution appropriately points out that so many of our troops have served honorably, and the chairman is correct on that, done extraordinarily well in difficult circumstances. Not long ago I attended a funeral over here at Arlington Cemetery of a staff sergeant from the Fourth District of Missouri, which I am privileged to represent. And these soldiers who forgot that they were soldiers caused his death, in so many respects, to have been in vain. We have to correct this and make sure that those who pay the ultimate sacrifice will be remembered and will be honored for the work that they do in Iraq to bring stability and some sort of representative government there. We have to look at the chain of command. We have to look at the command atmosphere that allowed these occurrences to happen. So for this reason and the reason that we were not told promptly and the fact that we need not only the hearing tomorrow, which I am pleased we will have, we need a thorough investigation to go forward on this subject. We must be successful in Iraq. We must show not just the Iraqi people, we must show the world the values of our country. We need to. And one way to do it is to proceed to investigate this and make this a very transparent, clear picture for the world to see. Mr. Speaker, I thank you for this time. It would be well for those in authority to understand the admonition that sat on the desk of the late President Harry S Truman: ``The buck stops here.'' Keeping that in mind, let U.S. move forward and do the right thing, for the Iraqi people, for those who served so honorably and so well, and for those who paid for the sacrifice of their service. Let this be a reflection of the decency and honesty and thoroughness of the values of America in what we do. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin) for the purpose of making a unanimous consent request. (Mr. CARDIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time we have remaining, please?

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), the ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. (Mr. DINGELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield for the purpose of making a unanimous consent request to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey). (Ms. WOOLSEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), a senior member of the Committee on Appropriations.