Ellen Tauscher

Mrs. TAUSCHER

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleagues that opposing this bill is to ratify the status quo; and if my colleagues choose to say that things are going just great, that we are not damaging our readiness, that we are not damaging the ability for the Guard to be home when they are needed by their Governors to do emergencies here, that we are not overstressing our troops, then I urge my colleagues not to support my bill. They are then ratifying the status quo. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings).

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to offer H.R. 3159, a bipartisan bill to mandate minimum periods of rest, training and recuperation for units and members of the regular and Reserve components of our Armed Forces between deployment. Fixing our troops' unpredictable rest and retraining policy is long overdue. In an interview last Monday, Marine Corps Commander General James Conway highlighted repeated deployments and short periods of time between them to rest as factors contributing to increased mental stress and burdens on families of service men and women. As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I am intimately acquainted with how this war has damaged our national security, our diplomatic standing and the readiness of our military; and, as a Californian, I am well aware of how it is draining the defense and security resources of my home State and others. As we speak, a unit from Walnut Creek, California, in my district, is leading a task force comprised of six units that come from armories throughout the East Bay and Northern California. The California Army National Guard indicates that the unit of 824 soldiers is the largest single California National Guard unit to be deployed since the Korean War. These are men and women who will benefit from this legislation in real time. We are sending more and more men and women to Iraq every day. The Bush administration is failing to accurately account for all of the costs of these repeated deployments. On the microlevel, our deployed men and women are being taken away from their families in a revolving door of service because the war has gone on much longer than the President believed it would. And on a larger scale, we are damaging the readiness for our Armed Forces to defend against future attacks here at home and around the world, as well as national emergencies here at home. Mr. Speaker, my bill simply states that if a unit or a member of a regular component of the Armed Forces deploys to Iraq, they will have an equivalent amount of time at home before they are redeployed. No unit or member of a Reserve component, including the National Guard, could be redeployed to Iraq within 3 years of their previous deployment. In the event of an operational emergency posing a threat to vital national security interests, the President may waive the amendment's limitations by certifying to Congress that deployment of the unit or a member is necessary for national security. The military departments also are provided waiver authority in the bill for individual volunteers who seek to redeploy before the expiration of the mandated time of rest between the deployments. This bill in no way, shape or form hinders the Commander in Chief's ability to manage military personnel. Mr. Speaker, it is critical that we come together and take a very critical step to preserve the readiness of our men and women in uniform for them and for our national security. If we are honest about wanting to support our troops, there is no better place to start than to correct our troop rotation policy. For far too long, the members of the Guard and Reserve have been unrepresented in Congress. Today, every Member has an opportunity to help them. Mr. Speaker, I include the following letters of support for my bill from the Reserve Enlisted Association and Veterans for America. Reserve Enlisted Association, July 27, 2007. Hon. Ellen Tauscher, Washington, DC. Dear Congresswoman Tauscher: Thank you on behalf of the members of the Reserve Enlisted Association of the United States (REA) for keeping enlisted men and women serving in the Reserve Component in the forefront of your work as evidenced by your introduction of a bill to mandate minimum periods of rest and recuperation between deployments. REA appreciates the intent of the bill to provide predictability for serving reservists, their families and their employers. Your continued support of the Reserve Components is greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Lani Burnett, CMSgt, USAFR (RET), Executive Director.

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I am happy to yield 1 minute to my friend and colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews). (Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I want to respond to my colleague, because I think it's important that we make sure that we have everything on the table and that we are very clear about who we are standing for and who we are putting the burdens on. What is clear to me is that we have the finest military in the world, that we have men and women, sons and daughters, spouses, brothers and sisters, employees, friends and neighbors that have decided to give their country their time, ultimately, perhaps, pay the sacrifice, the ultimate sacrifice, and go fight for the American people and their ideals to protect us here at home. We have an opportunity today to do what is right, to do what the Pentagon has not done for many reasons. I know my colleagues want to make this about the Iraq war, but I know this is really about our families and our troops. If we cannot guarantee them some predictability for their dwell time at home, for retraining and rest, we are going to continue to degrade the readiness of our military. We are in no shape in this very dangerous world to continue on that path. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my friend and colleague, the gentlelady from California (Ms. Waters).

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones).

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, at this time I am very happy to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest).

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I'm so happy to yield 1 minute to my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Loebsack).

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 3159.

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I'm honored to yield 2 minutes to my friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Shea-Porter) who's a cosponsor of this legislation.

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I'm happy to yield 1 minute to my friend, colleague and neighbor from California (Ms. Lee).

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I'm happy to yield 1 minute to my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Georgia, who is the vice chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Scott.

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I'm happy to yield 2 minutes to my friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee). (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I'm happy to yield 2 minutes to my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Admiral Sestak.

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to my friend and colleague, the gentlelady from Ohio (Mrs. Jones). (Mrs. JONES of Ohio asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, what I continuously hear from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are arguments that speak for poor Pentagon planners that are going to have to work a little harder to put units together and handcuffing the Commander in Chief. Let me remind my colleagues that this Presidential waiver, which is inside of this bill, is not only substantive, but it is there to prevent further degrading of our military readiness. I think we all understand that we have heard from people like General McCaffrey, who most recently reported to Congress that 88 percent of nondeployed Army Guard units are rated not ready or poorly equipped, that the Army is overextended, and that we will soon be unable to meet our Homeland Security commitments and meet any new threats if we maintain the current abusive and untenable dwell-time policy. The question for the Members of the House today is who do you stand for. Do you stand for military planners or other members of the Pentagon who have the executive branch to speak for them, or do you stand with the American people, the families of our troops, and the troops themselves, to be sure that we increase our readiness to make sure that we honor their service and their valor and their sacrifice by making sure that they are not only retrained and ready, but they have time to be home with their family before they are redeployed. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. TAUSCHER. I don't have the time, sir. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit.

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I want to make it very clear what this motion to recommit does. This motion to recommit guts our bill and prevents us from giving the dwell time necessary to our troops so that they are not overcommitted, that they can be rested, that they can be retrained, and that they can be resuscitated and spend time with their family. This motion to recommit prevents us from having the readiness that we need for our national security. It prevents the 50 Governors from having their National Guard back home and rested, with good equipment, to deal with contingencies here at home. This motion to commit is just another delaying tactic by the minority to deny our troops the dwell time that they need to train, equip, and rest. The best part about this is the motion to recommit is absolutely unnecessary. If the Secretary of Defense determines that the proposed dwell times in this bill will cause tour lengths of currently deployed units to be extended, or increases the operational risk to deployed units, the underlying bill already provides the President's ability to waive the deployment mandate. So this motion to recommit is not necessary. It is, once again, perhaps the last fig leaf on the last fig tree that my colleagues can find to not stand with the troops and their families to provide them the dwell time they need at home to be ready for the next deployment. At this time, Mr. Speaker, I close by saying I urge my colleagues to defeat the motion to recommit and vote ``aye'' on H.R. 3159. I yield to the chairman of the committee.

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to defeat the motion to recommit, which will deny our troops the dwell time that they desperately need and will deny the American people the readiness in their military. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3159, and vote for its passage. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. TAUSCHER

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mrs. TAUSCHER

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Joann DiGennaro, president of the Center for Excellence in Education, for her hard work and dedication. As an honorary member of the Board of Trustees for the Center for Excellence in Education, I have witnessed firsthand the important work that Joann has undertook in her role as President of the Center, and I could not be more impressed by her years of effort and accomplishment. Recognizing a need to make an essential investment in our national and global future, Joann founded the Center for Excellence in Education 1983 along with the late ADM H.G. Rickover, the father of the nuclear navy and discoverer of many civilian uses of nuclear power. Since its establishment the Center has a successful history of contributing to the scientific leadership of this country. The Center's commendable mission is to nurture young scholars to careers of excellence in science and technology through providing cost-free programs, such as the Research Science Institute (RSI) and the USA Biology Olympiad (USABO), to its student scholars. Joann is one of the special few in our world who are willing to take dramatic steps to address the current and future needs of our Nation, and she has striven to provide countless opportunities for thousands of students from around the globe in order to promote the development of scientific and technological leaders. Her global approach makes it no surprise that she was honored by the Bulgarian Government and the Sts. Cyril and Methodius Foundation. As a co-chair of the Bulgarian Caucus, I applaud Joann's efforts in creating strong business relationships between the U.S. and Bulgaria. I know that she is just as likely to be honored by any number of our Nation's partners for her work in developing partnerships around the world. Madam Speaker, I ask you and all of my colleagues to rise and honor Joann DiGennaro for her dedicated spirit and the important work she continues to perform today as president of the Center for Excellence in Education.

Mrs. TAUSCHER

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be discharged from further consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 541) recognizing the Marines of Company M (or ``Mike Company'') of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Regiment, 1st Marine Division on the occasion of their 25th Annual Reunion, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mrs. TAUSCHER

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to voice my very strong support for Chairman Skelton's legislation. It represents an unequivocal belief that the United States cannot and should not be in the business of fighting Iraq's civil war. For over 4 years, it has been clear to me that our troops successfully and bravely accomplished the mission authorized by the President in the fall of 2002. Today's report that our troops have done their job but the Iraqi Government has not underscores the deep problems with the Bush administration's approach. We are no longer at war with Iraq's Government; instead, our forces are caught in the middle of an escalating sectarian conflict in Iraq, with no end in sight. Yet, the President continues to blindly stay the course, with disastrous and deadly consequences. Chairman Skelton's bill would make significant reductions in our troop presence by April of 2008. Democrats, along with our Republican colleagues who no longer trust the President's leadership, are doing all we can to change the President's full speed ahead mismanagement of the war in Iraq and divert the policy toward returning our troops home sooner and safer. This more responsible presence, which limits U.S. presence to fighting terrorism and training Iraq forces, will be a first step in restoring stability in Iraq and the readiness of our military which has been badly damaged over the last 4 years. I appreciate Chairman Skelton's leadership on this matter, and I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense approach.

Mrs. TAUSCHER

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor a life of service and achievements. Major General George Walter Titus passed away this month at the age of 81. Major General Titus started his military career as a private in the 354th Infantry, 89th Division. He saw action in the European Theatre during World War II where he crossed the Rhine River at Remagen. Later, as a Lieutenant Colonel, Mr. Titus held command of 2 Battalions in succession: the 2/143rd Field Artillery and the 1/143rd Field Artillery. As a Colonel, Mr. Titus went on to serve as Commandant of the California Military Academy, from which he retired in 1981. Upon retirement, the Governor of the State of California promoted Colonel Titus to Brigadier General and assigned him as Commander of the Second Infantry Brigade, California State Military Reserve. Thereafter, the Governor promoted Brigadier General Titus to Major General and bestowed the command of the entire California State Military Reserve. Among MG Titus' major awards are the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal (third award), and the Order of California. Major General Titus was an honor graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College. General Titus was a life member of the Association of the United States Army. Walt, and his beloved Lucie Marx Titus, through their leadership in the William F. Dean Chapter of the Association of the United States Army, demonstrated a true devotion to the men and women of our armed services, both in our community, and throughout the country. Today, I am humbled to recognize General Titus' numerous achievements, and I share my deepest sympathies with his wife Lucie and children Matthew and Chris.

Mrs. TAUSCHER

Mrs. TAUSCHER. Madam Speaker, I rise with the support of my colleagues, Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Hon. Anna G. Eshoo, Hon. Mike Honda, Hon. Barbara Lee, Hon. Tom Lantos, Hon. Zoe Lofgren, Hon. Jerry McNerney, Hon. George Miller, Hon. Pete Stark, Hon. Lynn Woolsey of California, in the House of Representatives--to recognize Thomas E. Margro who has served the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District as general manager since September 1996. Mr. Margro is the longest serving general manager in the district's history and held the post of assistant general manager, transit system development from 1990 to 1995, after a distinguished career with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. Mr. Margro guided the development, design, and construction of the $2.7 billion BART extensions program, expanding the system in the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Mateo including extensions to Pittsburg/Bay Point, Dublin/Pleasanton, and also spearheaded the successful modernization of the district with a 10 year, $1.2 billion system renovation program. In addition, he lead the development of the $1.5 billion San Francisco Airport, SFO, extension in partnership with the Bay Area congressional delegation, which created a state-of-the-art train to plane connection at SFO and also created an 9.8, 5-station extension through the Peninsula cities of Colma, South San Francisco, Bruno, Millbrae and Burlingame. Mr. Margro also partnered with the Bay Area congressional delegation to highlight the security needs of transit systems, and advocated for additional Federal transit dollars and greater regional cooperation to ensure that BART riders would receive their fair share of Federal security dollars. Along with the Bay Area congressional delegation, he successfully partnered to boost the amount of transit dollars returning to California as a part of the SAFETEA-LU authorization process-- successfully getting significant increases in BART formula funding through that process. Managing the district through difficult financial times, Mr. Margro ensured that BART maintained a stellar safety record, a 92 percent on- time performance rating and an 85 percent customer satisfaction rating all the while; the efforts culminated in BART being awarded the coveted title ``#1 Transit System in America'' in 2004 by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). The members of the San Francisco Bay area congressional delegation recognizance the immeasurable contribution Mr. Margro has made to the bay area region and we wish him success and happiness in his future endeavors.