Michael Turner

Mr. TURNER

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Major General Maggie H. Woodward, who is retiring after 31 years of faithful and distinguished service to her nation. Throughout her career, and especially as a senior officer, General Woodward has provided invaluable testimony, advice, and service to this body. Specifically and most recently, General Woodward provided updates and insight in relation to sexual assault in the military and on her progress in leading the fight against this scourge as Director of the new Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office. Inspired by her grandfather, one of the United States' first military pilots, General Woodward sought to fly aircraft in defense of her nation. She entered the Air Force in 1983 as an ROTC graduate of Arizona State University. Over the course of her distinguished career, she commanded at the squadron, group, wing, and numbered Air Force levels, including Air Forces Africa in Germany and the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force base, home of Air Force One. General Woodward flew and commanded in Operations Just Cause, Northern and Southern Watch, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Additionally, General Woodward served as Coalition Forces Air Component Commander during Operation Odyssey Dawn--the first female Component Commander in our nation's history. Her most lasting impact will be the momentum she provided in turning back the tide of sexual assault in our military; her compassion for victims, relentless pursuit of perpetrators, and dedication to reinforcing a climate of dignity and respect within the Air Force has set a new standard for military leaders everywhere. She retires as a command pilot with more than 3,800 flying hours in multiple aircraft, and the respect of both military members and civilians alike. For 31 years General Woodward has performed her job professionally, honestly, and passionately. We will miss her leadership, courage, and dedication, and wish her all the best as she retires from active duty service to our great nation.

Mr. TURNER

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 50. If my vote had been counted, I would have voted ``yea'' on passage of H.R. 3964.

Mr. TURNER

Mr. TURNER. Madam Speaker, my hometown of Dayton, Ohio, is the birthplace of aviation. At the turn of the 20th century, Orville and Wilbur Wright, bicycle repair shop owners in Dayton, invented the first airplane, ushering in the era of modern aviation. From their efforts, America led the development of an entire new industry. It revolutionized commerce, communication, travel, and our national defense. Today, Ohio continues to help the Nation reach new heights in aviation and in the aerospace industry. For example, in Dayton, the field where the Wright brothers developed and flew ``the world's first practical aeroplane'' is now part of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the largest Air Force base in the world and home to the Air Force Research Laboratory, dedicated to advancing aerospace technologies. That is why I am here today to congratulate the efforts of the Wright Image Group, a team of resolute individuals who are preparing to construct a new monument for America to promote our Nation's accomplishments in air and space. Calling it the ``Triumph of Flight,'' seen here, they will place a massive replica of the 1905 Wright flyer 250 feet in the air above the crossroads intersection of Interstates 70 and 75. Madam Speaker, this monument's innovative design will remind us of the Wright brothers' achievements and excite and inspire future generations. This monument site will honor the great achievements of Ohio aviation and aerospace leaders, including the Wright brothers, John Glenn, and Neil Armstrong. I congratulate them again on the innovative design, and we look forward to this monument rising between Interstates 70 and 75.

Mr. TURNER

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I support the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2014, the 52nd consecutive National Defense Authorization Act. I have had the privilege of serving as the chairman of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee of our Armed Services Committee. Under the full leadership of Chairman McKeon and Ranking Member Smith, the support of Loretta Sanchez, our subcommittee's ranking member, and a superb staff, ours is truly a bipartisan effort. This year's bill reflects Congress' substantial bipartisan and bicameral efforts to construct meaningful reforms aimed at combating the pervasive issue of sexual assault within our military. I want to thank Chairman McKeon and Ranking Member Smith for their dedication so that this body's solution on these issues has been absolutely bipartisan. These legislative initiatives are unprecedented and the most powerful steps made to date toward the eradication of sexual assault in the military. Specifically, the bill includes all provisions of the BE SAFE Act and Coast Guard Strong, which were introduced in both the House and Senate by Congresswoman Tsongas and myself and Senators McCaskill and Collins, respectively. It includes bipartisan measures introduced by Representatives Heck, Walorski, Noem, Castro, Davis, Sanchez, and Duckworth. Additionally, it includes the significant efforts made by Senator Boxer and Representatives Speier, Tsongas, and myself in the past month to reform the article 32 process and ensure victims are not subjected to unnecessary intimidation tactics. Instead of searching for ways to remove a commander's authority, this bill establishes systemic process and reforms which will provide military leaders with the tools they need to ensure that victims are cared for, that perpetrators are brought to justice, and that commanders are held accountable for what goes on within their units. This bill enhances the rights of victims, strengthens military whistleblower protection laws, increases training requirements, and improves the ways the services respond to sexual assault reporting. It ensures that perpetrators are appropriately held accountable for these serious and violent crimes. In addition to the sexual assault provisions, the bill includes an additional $90 million for Abrams tank upgrades and $75 million for heavy improved recovery vehicles that would ensure that our armored vehicle industrial base remains active. Lastly, the bill strongly supports the Joint Strike Fighter program. I urge Members to support the bill.

Mr. TURNER

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, over the past year, I have heard from thousands of people in the Dayton area who have been affected by the unilateral and irresponsible spending cuts known as sequestration, which I have strongly opposed. Among those are numerous business owners who have contacted my office with details about the need to cut hours and eliminate full-time jobs in an effort to keep their doors open in this time of budgetary uncertainty. Because of this continued uncertainty in contracts and the military's ability to make commitments, thousands of jobs in the Dayton area are at risk as we head into the second year of sequestration. Many of these subcontractors are critical to the training and further education of our military personnel. As a result of these cutbacks, our readiness and the ability to deal with global conflicts are greatly diminished. Hundreds of hardworking civilian employees are struggling to pay their personal bills as a result of furloughs, and many more will suffer in 2014 as reductions in force will be necessary if the burdens of sequestration are not lifted. I encourage those members of the Budget Committee to find targeted and meaningful spending cuts that will alleviate the pressure that sequestration is having on Dayton and similar communities across the country that serve as strong supporters of our military.

Mr. TURNER

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Chairman, the DeFazio amendment is ill-conceived. Creating jobs in the energy sector is creating American jobs, and this amendment would, in fact, inhibit our ability to reduce our trade deficit and also affects an issue of providing natural gas to our strategic allies. As a result of increased natural gas production, the price of natural gas has fallen over the last few years, making it competitive in the global marketplace. This presents an opportunity to export U.S. natural gas. Many of our allies rely heavily upon a single source or unstable regions for natural gas. For example, Russia has used its European market dominance to influence other countries, cutting off natural gas supplies over various disputes. Poland is so eager to wean itself off Russia for natural gas that it plans to buy LNG from Qatar at a price estimated to be 40 to 50 percent higher than the rate charged by Gazprom, Russia's state-owned monopoly, just to be able to have some independence. Increasing natural gas exports would provide our allies with an alternative and reliable source of energy, helping to strengthen our economic and geopolitical partnerships. It should be noted that the boom in natural gas production has already made an impact. Supplies previously destined for our shores but no longer needed as a result of increased production have been diverted elsewhere. This increase in global supply has helped several European countries successfully renegotiate their long-term contracts with Gazprom, Russia's state-owned monopoly. Mr. Chair, in general, when it comes to trade, we often talk about barriers that other countries have to U.S. producers, ones that we must overcome in order to export. In this case, these are regulatory burdens we are placing upon ourselves that are preventing our ability to create jobs and preventing our ability to lower our overall trade deficits. Restraining U.S. natural gas exports would only hurt our abilities to bolster strategic partnerships and create jobs right here at home. The DeFazio amendment does nothing to decrease the cost currently of natural gas. This is an important ability to create jobs and lower our trade deficit.

Mr. TURNER

Mr. TURNER. Madam Speaker, yesterday in Dayton, I hosted a community forum regarding the impacts of sequestration on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in the Dayton community. We had a distinguished group of local leaders who participated in the event. The expert panel included Colonel Cassie B. Barlow, 88th Air Base Wing and installation commander; Jeffrey C. Hoagland, president and CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition; Chris Kershner of the Dayton Chamber of Commerce; and Carl Francis of Dayton Defense, a nonprofit group that is an advocacy group for the defense community in Dayton, Ohio. Each of these local leaders explained how sequestration has affected our community in 2013, and what the effect would be if the sequester continues. For a community like Dayton with such a strong relationship to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio's largest single-site employer, the message was devastating. The Budget Control Act of 2011, which I voted against, was signed into law on August 2, 2011. The Budget Control Act established a series of spending caps and forced reductions designed to indiscriminately reduce government spending by nearly $2 trillion over 10 years. These forced reductions, also known as sequestration, greatly impact our national security by requiring the Department of Defense to reduce its budget by roughly $500 billion. Already in its second year, this poorly conceived and flawed process continues to compromise our defense capabilities and greatly impacts military communities like Dayton, Ohio. Reducing Federal spending is important, but the sequester, as proposed by President Obama, applies 50 percent of the cuts to less than 18 percent of the spending. The Department of Defense represents less than 18 percent of overall Federal spending. Due to the President's sequester, this year roughly 14,000 Air Force civilian men and women have been furloughed in the State of Ohio as a direct result of the sequester. These forced furloughs have not only cost our State tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue but have negatively impacted nearly 30,000 men and women who work at Wright-Patterson and reside in our community. If allowed to continue, I fear the effects of sequestration will devastate the region and potentially result in a loss of 13,000 jobs. The loss of jobs, matched with reductions in spending, could cost our community in Dayton roughly $8.6 billion. While it is important to note the impacts to Dayton, we must also take into consideration the impacts to our national security and the future of our country. The President promised sequester would not happen, and yet, the Department of Defense suffers under the effects of these drastic cuts. As many of the experts pointed out, sequestration will greatly compromise military readiness and modernization for years to come. Without a ready and able force, our military will no longer possess the capabilities necessary to rapidly and effectively respond to conflicts around the globe. During recent testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, the various service chiefs have made numerous statements outlining the devastating effects. Of note, the Army has been forced to cancel all combat training center rotations for those brigade combat teams not slated to deploy to Afghanistan or to be part of the global response force. That means that we only have two out of 42 combat Army brigades fully trained and ready to deploy in a crisis. The Navy has canceled multiple ship deployments as a result of the devastating budget cuts, including the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group that was scheduled to deploy to the Middle East earlier this year. Due to the cuts in training and maintenance, we have had to reduce deterrent presence in order to retain the ability to surge our ships if needed in a crisis. Important modernization efforts are also taking a hit as a result of sequestration. Air Force leaders have told Congress that ``modernization forecasts are bleak.'' These modernization efforts are critical as many of the assets in our current inventory are decades old. It is imperative that we find spending cuts to offset sequestration on the Department of Defense. Our military leaders have come to Congress on numerous occasions to explain the limitations the budget cuts are putting on our national security. It is legislative malpractice for this Congress to continue to put our Nation at greater risk. The President needs to come to this Congress with a proposal to offset sequestration in a responsible manner so the Department of Defense can be restored, our national security protected, and the community of Dayton, Ohio, no longer suffers the effects of sequestration.

Mr. TURNER

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman for his diligence on a provision of this bill that would protect the custody rights of our servicemembers. I also want to thank the ranking member and the staff of the VA Committee for also being so diligent as to include this provision. This provision has passed the House five times as part of the National Defense Authorization Act and three times as provisions coming from the VA Committee. It is an essential provision that would provide servicemembers the confidence and protection of the custody arrangements once they are deployed. Unbelievably, across this Nation, family law court judges have been taking custody away from servicemembers upon their return from deployment, using their time against them in deciding a custody case. There are even cases in our Nation where the family law court judge took custody away based on the potential threat of deployment of servicemembers. I don't think anyone believes that it is in the best interest of the child for them to believe that there is something wrong with serving your country. We have a national military that needs a national standard. Men and women who are serving need to know what standard is going to be applied. Many of these cases have multiple State provisions. This does not provide Federal jurisdiction for custody cases. It retains the State's authority on this, but merely provides a minimum standard upon which servicemembers can rely that says that their custody decisions will not be based solely upon the issue of their past or future deployment. This is the minimum that we could do for our servicemembers. This arises in part out of the case of Eva Slusher, who was a Kentucky National Guard member. Her daughter, Sara, she had raised for 6 years alone after divorce. Upon returning from deployment, the court awarded her ex-husband custody. She fought for 2 years and spent $25,000 to get her daughter back. She should be the type of servicemember who knows that there is a standard so that when she returns, that her time away will not be used against her. This is important also so that servicemembers, when they are making arrangements upon departure, do not have the anxiety, when they are deployed, that when they return they might not get their families back.

Mr. TURNER. Eva Slusher famously said that, under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, she is required to get her job back when she returns. She believes that, under that act, she should also be able to get her child back.

Mr. TURNER

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Frelinghuysen for his dedication and commitment to the important issue of our strategic assets. When we look at the NNSA, they have had for a number of years difficulty in getting support from this administration for the important efforts of modernizing our nuclear weapons infrastructure and ensuring the strategic assets that are so essential to our Nation's security. This issue also is one that represents, I think, a great analogy to the difficulty that we are having in resolving this conflict. We have the President of the United States, who openly states that he will have negotiations with Russia on our strategic assets, on our nuclear weapons. He will even have secret negotiations--as we saw in his open mic incident--with his secret deal with the Russians concerning our missile defense systems; yet, the President openly says he will not negotiate with the legislature. He will negotiate with Syria, he will negotiate with Iran, but he won't negotiate with the legislature. Also, this issue illustrates some of the difficulties that we have in this House itself. We are putting on House bills that should have 100 percent unanimous support. Yet when these bills come to the House, these bills predominantly have been divided on a partisan basis because people want to say, Well, it doesn't fund everything. Everyone knows when you have a disagreement, you start first upon the things you agree. The bills that have been coming forth on this House floor should be the things that we agree on, but partisan politics continues to divide us where, instead of the House coming together on all of these bills and saying, yes, these are the things that we agree on, and we will put aside the things we disagree on for later, we have difficulty in getting even the important things done, and this is an important one. I want to thank Chairman Frelinghuysen for his commitment to ensure the safety of our nuclear deterrent, the workers, and the important work that is being done at the NNSA. This is a discussion, though, that needs to go beyond just this stopgap bill and even the issue of a CR. This administration has continually cut the resources for our nuclear deterrent in ways which jeopardize the future of our strategic assets. We need to make certain that this conversation continues.

Mr. TURNER

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 538, I was inadvertently detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. TURNER

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 371, I call up the bill (H.R. 3223) to provide for the compensation of furloughed Federal employees, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 3223 and to include extraneous material thereon.

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The House remains actively engaged in finding a solution to end the current impasse. The House has passed a number of commonsense bills to fund our troops, continue funding for veterans' benefits, and allow the District of Columbia to spend its own funds. The House has also passed legislation to bring defense civilian employees back to work. Unfortunately, the administration appears to be purposefully refusing to use the authority granted by the Pay Our Military Act, meaning roughly 400,000 defense civilian employees remain at home, unable to work. While we wait on the President and Senate to reach across the aisle, it is important to provide needed certainty to Federal employees who have been furloughed without pay. Each and every one of us has Federal employees in our district, most of whom are guided by a sense of civic duty and take pride in helping make their country a better place. Civilian defense personnel at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, doctors and nurses at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, records management professionals at the National Archives, and countless other dedicated men and women throughout my community are employed by Federal agencies and have been subject to furlough. In the gulf coast region and other disaster-prone areas, NOAA employees help prepare for and monitor major storms. In the aftermath of these natural disasters, FEMA workers are sent into horrible and hazardous conditions to help restore broken communities. At NASA, employees help us, figuratively and literally, to reach for the stars. They encourage future generations to not be bound by seemingly physical and intellectual barriers. Our law enforcement agencies work tirelessly to investigate and capture those who seek to do harm to the homeland as well as our allies abroad. The list goes on. H.R. 3223 ensures the Federal civilian workers will receive retroactive pay for the duration of the Federal Government shutdown regardless of their furlough status. Federal workers who have been furloughed under a shutdown have historically received their pay retroactively. H.R. 3223 provides today's workforce a guarantee that their pay will resume once the President and Senate Democrats agree to meaningful discussions that will ultimately resolve this impasse. I urge support for this bill as we continue to work on legislation to reopen critical operations of the Federal Government, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), the author of the bill we're considering today that would retroactively restore pay to Federal workers. (Mr. WOLF asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers).

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop).

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman).

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry).

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller).

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Coffman).

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis).

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Farenthold).

Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Rothfus).

Mr. TURNER. I reserve the balance of my time.