Robert Wittman

Mr. WITTMAN

Mr. WITTMAN. Madam Chair, on rollcall Nos. 695 and 696, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on 695 and ``aye'' on 696.

Mr. WITTMAN

Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding group of students from Cople Elementary School in Westmoreland County, Virginia. The ``R.E.A.D.E.R.L.E.A.D.E.R.S.'' took part in the Community Problem Solving contest of the Future Problem Solving Program International competition, which involves students using problem- solving skills to tackle an important issue in their community. The team from Cople chose to promote youth reading, a goal highlighted in their name, which stands for, ``Reading Each And every Day and Educating others to Read and become Lifelong readers so Every Cople student is Able to Dream, imagine, love, and Experience how Reading can be Super fun.'' Among other endeavors, the members of the R.E.A.D.E.R.L.E.A.D.E.R.S. sponsored book fairs, read to fellow students, promoted book giveaways, and even composed a resolution urging that March be named ``Young Reader's Month'' by the Westmoreland County School Board. The group's hard work paid off, with their efforts culminating in First Place awards in the Junior Division at both the state and national levels. The students represented America's First District with the highest degree of dedication and perseverance, exhibiting skills of reasoning and team work that will certainly serve them well in the future. At the same time, I am impressed with the devotion these students have shown for serving their community. I am proud of the R.E.A.D.E.R.L.E.A.D.E.R.S. of Cople Elementary School, and I commend them on their impressive achievements.

Mr. WITTMAN

Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Chair, I would like to address some concerns from my constituents about the Army Corps of Engineers permitting process. As I travel around Virginia's First District, I hear from many constituents about their frustration with policies and regulations from Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, large federal government bureaucracies can get out of control and fail to protect the citizens and taxpayers. The Army Corps of Engineers is an important agency in coastal Virginia. They have many responsibilities to promote navigation, commerce and environmental restoration. However, there are some occasions where I believe the multiple levels of bureaucracy and lack of accountability of decision makers can lead to situations that are unfair to Americans. I've worked on the behalf of one of my constituents, a small marina owner who believes he was harmed due to a permitting mistake by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In this case a permitting decision ultimately cost this small business a significant amount of money. I raise these issues to highlight the impact Agency action can have on main street businesses. I raise these issues to suggest the need for additional accountability to ensure that Army Corps permitting decisions are made appropriately and that the Corps works hand in hand with small businesses to mitigate financial harm.

Mr. WITTMAN

Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 526, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Amendment Offered by Mr. Flake

Mr. WITTMAN

Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to speak in favor of the en bloc amendments, specifically amendment No. 124, introduced by my colleague Mr. Moran of Virginia. I think it is absolutely critical that this gets passed. Mr. Moran knows the potential problems with the BRAC facility there in Alexandria if we don't limit the number of parking spaces there. He knows clearly there are a number of challenges that if not addressed in a timely fashion are going to create unacceptable traffic problems in the region. We have worked with the Governor, and we have worked with the Congress to make sure that resources are flowing in a proper way and to make sure that we have a breather by which to put in the infrastructure to make sure that traffic can efficiently get in and out of that facility. If we're going to be creating bigger problems than what we're trying to solve with this, then we are not going to be doing what is in the best interest of the public. Limiting the spaces there to 1,000 gives us that breathing space as well as makes sure that the Federal Government and the State government put in the necessary traffic infrastructure improvements there to make sure we can accommodate that traffic and to make sure we aren't interfering with what is happening elsewhere. Again, I urge my colleagues to support the amendment.

Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Chairman, I too was recently in Afghanistan there visiting our troops, visiting the folks on the ground there, getting briefings about what's going on. This amendment assumes that they are sitting there twiddling their thumbs saying, you know something, we really want to stay here for a long period of time. Folks, that is not the case. They are doing everything as quickly as they can. I was there where they were training Afghans to be able to take control of that country while I was there. They turned over control of seven regions in that country. To somehow believe that nothing is going on, that we need to accelerate is just ludicrous. They are going as fast as they can, but they are going at a rate to ensure that we are going to be there and be there successfully in helping the Afghan Government do what they need to do to make sure they assume control of the country and that they can maintain control and can make sure that they are there to defeat the Taliban. That's what the focus is. That's what this mission is, and they are there doing that in a tremendous way. Somehow saying that we are going to go ahead and accelerate this, create artificial time frames without being aware of what's going on on the ground and saying somehow our military leaders aren't doing things as quickly and efficiently as they should, I think denies the reality of what they are doing, which is going as quickly as they can and doing a fantastic job of doing that. Also, if you look at the requirements of the bill about determining time frames for negotiations, to me, requiring time frames on negotiations creates weakness in negotiations. I think you ought to make sure that it's the back and forth with the Taliban and the Afghan Government that determines where the negotiations are going, not artificial time frames. I think that creates, unfortunately, an imbalance in those deliberations, getting to what I believe is a satisfactory completion to the conflict there, but also to having an outcome that's satisfactory to the country, not just in the short term, but in the long term. So I believe strongly that this amendment is not what we need to be doing there. Our effort needs to be left in the hands of our military leaders there and they are going as quickly as they can in their responsible way.

Mr. WITTMAN

Mr. WITTMAN. We have to make sure that we meet that need. Our Marine Corps travels around the world needing this ship capability. It is critical to this Nation, critical to our defense. This must be funded today.

Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment. As we debate detainee transfer policies today, and we try to determine the appropriate path forward, a picture stands out in my mind from a recent trip to Afghanistan. It is the face of a young marine who had just been killed by insurgents in Kandahar and whose photo was recently displayed on his unit's ``Hero Wall.'' As I picture his face, I am reminded that the decisions we make here today directly impact our troops serving in Afghanistan and their families, particularly when we make decisions about detainee transfers. We know that the reengagement rate for former detainees is approximately 25 percent, but percentages are not informative in and of themselves. It helps to understand the facts supporting them. One fact we should keep in mind that is included in that 25 percent figure is Mullah Abdullah Zakir, internment serial No. 8 who was captured in Afghanistan in 2001, sent to Gitmo and released in 2007. Zakir is one of the most feared insurgents in Afghanistan and directs the Taliban's combat operations throughout the country.

Mr. WITTMAN. It should be no surprise then that he has been targeting U.S. forces in Helmand province and has been directly linked to the deaths of at least 11 marines. This story highlights why it is time to strengthen the detainee transfer review process, not weaken it. It is time that Congress took a leadership role in shaping how transfers are negotiated and determining whether they are appropriate. This amendment takes away the strength to make sure that we are doing the right thing. It is time to move forward, not backward, and I hope you join me in opposing this amendment.

Mr. WITTMAN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to remind folks that we've learned some lessons through these years of conflict. I want to remind folks of what General Petraeus has learned through that process and knowing that counterterrorism has not been successful in the long term in getting us to where we need to be strategically in these areas and that the counterinsurgency strategy has worked. What we are seeing in Afghanistan is just that. Let's make sure that we're allowing that to work. When I was there recently, we've seen what's happening. We are training the Afghans to be able to take over their country, to make sure that they're going to be successful in maintaining order in that country; making sure that, as we have pushed terrorists out, those terrorists stay out. That is a long-term successful strategy--to secure, hold, build, and transition. Let's make sure that we allow that to happen. It's critical that we don't make an arbitrary transition to another strategy that we've seen in the past hasn't worked. And all of us want to make sure that we are getting our troops out of there. But we also want to make sure that those sacrifices are not in vain. And we can go back and forth about what the end result is, but the end result is that we want to make sure that we're successful there in the long term.

Mr. WITTMAN. Madam Chairman, although I am not opposed to the amendment, I request time in opposition.

Mr. WITTMAN. I yield myself such time as I may consume. We are certainly in agreement with the intention of this amendment, by requiring appropriations not be authorized for operations on the ground there in Libya. We believe that preventing these funds purposely puts in place Congress as a decision-maker. We believe that that is critical in this situation, and we believe that it's very appropriate that Congress assume its role in decision-making involving U.S. conflict in Libya. I think that we all know that decisions are difficult with these sorts of conflicts and that Congress does have a very specific role in this effort. So we want to make sure that that's preserved. Certainly this amendment does that. So we are in agreement with the amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WITTMAN. Madam Chair, I just want to emphasize the need for our amphibious ships. The requirement, the national requirement is 38 ships. The Marine Corps says they can live with 33. We have 28 today.

Mr. WITTMAN. No, I will not yield.

Mr. WITTMAN. The requirement is 33. We have 28.

Mr. WITTMAN. Madam Chairman, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WITTMAN. The math is very, very simple. It is a specific need.

Mr. WITTMAN

Mr. WITTMAN. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chairman, I would first like to thank Chairman McKeon for his hard work and leadership on bringing the NDAA to the floor. Thank you so much, we appreciate that. I also want to recognize Ranking Member Smith for his efforts. This is a long and arduous process, and I know that the hours to come on the floor will be very fruitful, I'm sure, for everybody to have the opportunity to speak on this bill. I rise today to offer an amendment to address how we build Ford-class aircraft carriers, our Nation's next class of nuclear-powered carriers that will sail throughout the 21st century. This amendment simply grants the Secretary of the Navy the authority for advance purchase of major components for the next two aircraft carriers. This would allow the Navy to achieve cost savings and would ensure critical skills in the aircraft carrier industrial base are maintained. Furthermore, this amendment ensures that carriers are constructed on a 5-year cycle with continuous and incremental funding for carrier procurement. Given these tight budgetary constraints, we need to be looking for ways to spend taxpayer dollars to support our national defense in the most efficient way possible. Madam Chairman, this amendment allows us to do just that. It allows us to properly space construction, and it allows us to get out in front to purchase materials when we can purchase them in the most cost-effective manner possible. So I would urge my colleagues to support this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WITTMAN. Madam Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. WITTMAN. Madam Chairman, I urge my colleagues to adopt this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WITTMAN

Mr. WITTMAN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I want to also rise in opposition to this amendment. Passage of this amendment may result in the government being liable for the costs of maintaining these idle facilities. If we're looking at the total picture here, we want to make sure we are making the most efficient decision in right-sizing this industry. And after a thorough review and endorsement by the Department of Defense, the contractor's plans to wind down ship construction were approved back in 2010. This amendment seeks to prohibit payments under existing Federal law for restructuring costs associated with the transition of the Avondale shipyard. And I want to emphasize ``transition'' is the key word here because as the law is currently written, it allows the facility in Louisiana to potentially be reconfigured to an alternate use in the future. So if we want to transition, make sure we are using that yard, using the employees there, if we don't have the capacity needed to build ships, we want to make sure we can transition. If this amendment were to become law, there is no chance of transitioning the Avondale facility to something other than shipbuilding, and the government may be held liable for the costs of maintaining an idle shipyard. We don't want that. We want to make sure that capacity is used in a productive way. So simply put, this amendment will not prevent the closure of Avondale. And I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment.

Mr. WITTMAN

Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank Chairman McKeon for his leadership on the National Defense Authorization Act, and also recognize Ranking Member Smith for his efforts on what I believe is an extraordinarily good bill. I am pleased today to support H.R. 1540. It recognizes the need for fiscal constraint while at the same time ensuring our Nation's security and fulfills our sacred obligations to our brave men and women in uniform. The bill also strengthens protections against ill-considered efforts to release detainees held at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. In December, the Director of National Intelligence reported that 25 percent of those formerly held at Gitmo were confirmed or suspected of returning to the fight against us and our allies. This rate is alarming and unacceptable. I am concerned that the government did not conduct significant due diligence when identifying detainees for release and that this failure has potentially grave ramifications for our troops serving on the battlefield. H.R. 1540 strengthens our protections in several important ways. First, it prohibits transfers to foreign countries where there are known cases of re-engagement; it requires careful consideration of established criteria before other transfers are accomplished; and it mandates that government agencies provide Congress the information we need to properly assess the threats our Nation and our troops face from detainees who have rejoined the fight and continue to commit terrorist acts. H.R. 1540 also ensures continued oversight of Arlington National Cemetery. It directs the timely establishment of the Oversight Council and creates a date certain for record digitization. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1540. I would like to end with thanking the staff, including Michelle Pearce, for their great work on the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.

Mr. WITTMAN

Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Chair, on rollcall Nos. 323, 324, and 325, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted: 323, ``yes''; 324, ``yes''; 325, ``no.'' Amendment No. 8 Offered by Mr. Carney

Mr. WITTMAN

Mr. WITTMAN. I would like to thank the chairman of the committee for his leadership and work and for making sure we are addressing the energy needs of this Nation. Mr. Chairman, Virginia has the opportunity to develop offshore energy in an environmentally friendly and responsible manner. Like any industrial or commercial activity, energy production has its risks. However, those risks have been significantly mitigated, and offshore energy production can be conducted in a safe and responsible manner. Unfortunately, the administration has halted any further oil and gas development in the Atlantic Ocean. Our economy continues to struggle, and any further increase in energy prices will exacerbate that struggle to regain its footing as unemployment hovers at 9 percent. The unrest in the Middle East and in North Africa continues to threaten this Nation's energy security. The failure to promptly address our energy needs could negatively impact the U.S. economy, could stall any recovery, and continue to affect national security. Energy production offshore of the Commonwealth would create thousands of jobs and generate much needed revenue to reduce the deficit. The Department of the Interior has calculated that Virginia could produce 500 million barrels of oil and 2.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, natural gas being one of the most economically viable and environmentally friendly sources of fossil fuels. A recent study by ICF International concluded that offshore energy production in Virginia would create 1,888 new jobs and generate $19.5 billion in Federal, State, and local revenues. I can tell you, in Virginia, as we struggle to find dollars to clean up the Chesapeake Bay and as we struggle to find dollars for transportation, those dollars are much needed. Virginia can lead the Nation in improving our energy security and in reducing our reliance on foreign oil. To do that, we must reinstate the planned offshore oil and natural gas lease sale. With that, I urge my colleagues to support this measure.

Mr. WITTMAN

Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by recognizing Father Coughlin and his service and sacrifice to our Nation. As we look at this Nation today, we are at a tipping point, and we have two paths that we can choose. We can choose to talk in a meaningful and thoughtful way about the deficits we have before us in this national debt, or we can continue to demagogue issues and ideas that will get us to long-term prosperity for this country. I know the American people prefer us to have that thoughtful, meaningful conversation about how we get this Nation on the right path, how we rein in spending, and how we control the growth of government. Folks, today the issues are about growing our economy, not about growing government. We have seen that past efforts to grow government have not resulted in prosperity for this Nation. The time is now for us to have a meaningful, thoughtful discussion about all aspects of the budget. Let's not demagogue the issue. Let's prove to the American people that we can make the tough decisions to move this Nation in the right direction, to get this spending under control, to reduce our debt, and make sure the long-term care of this country is put first and foremost, that we are on the path to prosperity.