Mac Thornberry

Mr. THORNBERRY

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chair, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. THORNBERRY. I also urge support for en bloc No. 1. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, I have no requests for time for this en bloc package. I urge its adoption, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, pursuant to House Resolution 905, I offer amendments en bloc.

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, pursuant to House Resolution 905, I offer amendments en bloc.

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that amendment No. 55 in House Report 115-698 be modified in the form I have placed at the desk.

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, pursuant to House Resolution 905, I offer amendments en bloc.

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, pursuant to House Resolution 905, I offer amendments en bloc.

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chair, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Smucker).

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, I urge adoption of this en bloc package, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, pursuant to House Resolution 905, I offer amendments en bloc.

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time on this amendment.

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, I have no speakers for this en bloc package. I urge its adoption, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THORNBERRY

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, I oppose the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chair, I would just say the gentleman is right. I don't mean to say that inclusion in a formal program of record is the only measure of success. I just think we need to track this to see: Do those small businesses continue to do business with the Department of Defense? Are their technologies taken up or not? That is the goal here. Mr. Chair, I appreciate the gentleman, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition.

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

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 3 minutes. Mr. Chair, I was interested to hear the gentleman's reasoning behind his amendment. Just to clarify for all Members, the overseas contingency account existed before the Budget Control Act existed. The reason it was created was because we live in a volatile, dynamic world, and there needed to be some accounting mechanism that would be responsive to particular kinds of conflicts so that, if we needed more people, more weapons to be successful, for example, fighting a terrorist in a particular location, you would have that flexibility. But those funds are authorized and appropriated just like every other part of the defense budget is. So the assertion that one sometimes reads that these are slush funds that can be spent as wanted by the Pentagon is, of course, absolutely not true. Mr. Chairman, it is true that our forces are engaged in more countries where there are conflicts going on--not that we are in all of those conflicts, but we are engaged with local militaries in more countries than we had been in the past. Part of the reason is because the terrorism problem has spread to more countries than it has in the past, and most of us think that it is better to engage terrorists over there rather than just stick our heads in the sand and wait for them to come attack us over here. So that has been part of what has happened, at least in the past 17 years, as we try to prevent terrorist attacks here at home. I have to say thanks to our military and intelligence community and law enforcement, they have been remarkably successful. I would just say, finally, Mr. Chairman, as I mentioned before, 15-- one, five--15 percent of the Federal budget is spent to defend this country. The rest, 85 percent is spent on other things. When John Kennedy was President, it was 50 percent of the Federal budget that was spent defending the country. As Secretary Mattis says: I think we can afford survival. So I understand the sentiment that we wish all of this conflict would go away and the world would just be a peaceful place. It hasn't quite happened yet, and until it does, it is important for the United States to be strong, to keep terrorists engaged overseas rather than here, and that is exactly what the overseas contingency account tries to help accomplish. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith), the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee.

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chair, I include in the Record the following exchange of letters during consideration of H.R. 5515: House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, DC, May 14, 2018. Hon. William M. ``Mac'' Thornberry, Chairman, House Armed Services Committee, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: I write to confirm our mutual understanding regarding H.R. 5515, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, which contains substantial matter that falls within the Rule X legislative jurisdiction of the Foreign Affairs Committee. I appreciate the cooperation that allowed us to work out mutually agreeable text on numerous matters prior to your markup. Based on that cooperation and our associated understandings, the Foreign Affairs Committee will not seek a sequential referral or object to floor consideration of the bill text approved at your Committee markup. This decision in no way diminishes or alters the jurisdictional interests of the Foreign Affairs Committee in this bill, any subsequent amendments, or similar legislation. I request your support for the appointment of House Foreign Affairs conferees during any House-Senate conference on this legislation. Finally, I respectfully request that you include this letter and your response in your committee report on the bill and in the Congressional Record during consideration of H.R. 5515 on the House floor. Sincerely, Edward R. Royce, Chairman.

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, there is widespread, bipartisan support for efforts to expand the number of small businesses that do business with the Department of Defense. I particularly want to thank Chairman Chabot and Ranking Member Velazquez of the Small Business Committee for their partnership in working toward that goal. Unfortunately, I believe that a number of small businesses that may receive some initial funding to do business with the Department of Defense and develop their technologies have found that they do not continue to do business with the Department of Defense or their technologies are not taken up into a program of record so that it is a temporary, one-time infusion of cash which does not fully accomplish the goals that so many of us want to achieve. This amendment requires the Department of Defense to set up a database of small business innovators, specifically those who receive grants through the Small Business Innovation Research program and the Small Business Technology Transfer program, so that we can track these businesses and see: Do their technologies get taken up in a program of record? Do these small businesses do further business with the Department of Defense? I think that is in doubt, but we won't know until we have this database. That is the purpose of this amendment. I recommend its adoption, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chair, I include in the Record the following exchange of letters during consideration of H.R. 5515: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on the Budget, Washington, DC, May 10, 2018. Hon. William M. ``Mac'' Thornberry, Chairman, Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Thornberry: I am writing regarding H.R. 5515, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. This legislation contains subject matter within the jurisdiction of the Committee on the Budget. However, in order to expedite floor consideration of this important legislation, the Committee waive consideration of the bill. The Committee on the Budget takes this action only with the understanding that the Committee's jurisdictional interests over this and similar legislation are in no way diminished or altered. I also ask that the Committee on the Budget be appropriately consulted and involved as this bill or similar legislation moves forward so that the Committee may address any remaining issues that fall within its jurisdiction. The Committee also reserves the right to seek appointment to any House-Senate conference on this legislation and requests your support if such a request is made. I would appreciate your response to this letter, confirming this understanding with respect to H.R. 5515 and would ask that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the Congressional Record during House Floor consideration. Thank you for your attention to these matters. Sincerely, Steve Womack, Chairman, Committee on the Budget.

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of the time. Mr. Chairman, I would just pick up on a couple of the points the ranking member made, largely in agreement with him. We do have fiscal challenges in this country, and that is even more reason that, together, we need to continue to work to see that the taxpayers get more value for the money that is spent by the Pentagon. That is part of the reason that we have put such an effort, again, on a bipartisan basis, on defense reform, on buying things and services smarter, so that we can get more value for the taxpayer, but also, so we can make decisions faster. With the world moving so quickly around us, we have to be able to be more agile, and our reform efforts are a part of that goal. But I do think Secretary Mattis has cut to the heart of the matter when he says, We can afford survival. Currently, defense is roughly 15 percent of the Federal budget, not much for all that it provides for the American people and for the country. Yes, the country can afford to survive. Lastly, Mr. Chairman, I just want to make the point that over the next 3 days we are going to consider many amendments. We are going to hear debate about some of them. We got a taste of that tonight with a difference, for example, on some of the policies in the nuclear posture review, and we will have to vote on some of those amendments. There will be people pro and con. Some Members, including me, may not have our position prevail on all of those amendments. But none of that should take away from the fact that there is far more in this bill upon which we agree than upon which we disagree. I think that is a very important message for friends and allies around the world to hear, for adversaries or potential adversaries around the world to hear, and, most importantly, for the men and women who have volunteered to risk their lives, to serve our Nation, to protect our freedoms, defend our country, they need to hear that there is far more in this bill upon which there is agreement on a bipartisan basis than any of the disagreements that we may discuss and, ultimately, vote on. The country has to be defended. I am very proud, on a bipartisan basis and a vote of 60-1, this bill has been reported favorably to the House floor, and I look forward to its consideration over the next 3 days. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chair, I include in the Record the following exchange of letters during consideration of H.R. 5515: House of Representatives, Committee on Armed Services, Washington, DC, May 14, 2018. Hon. David P. Roe, M.D., Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for your letter regarding H.R. 5515, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. I agree that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs has valid jurisdictional claims to certain provisions in this important legislation, and I am most appreciative of your decision not to request a referral in the interest of expediting consideration of the bill. I agree that by foregoing a sequential referral, the Committee on Veterans' Affairs is not waiving its jurisdiction. Further, this exchange of letters will be included in the committee report on the bill. Sincerely, William M. ``Mac'' Thornberry, Chairman.