[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 125 (Friday, August 26, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 26, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                E X T E N S I O N   O F   R E M A R K S


        FISCAL YEAR 1995 DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION CONFERENCE REPORT

                                 ______


                               speech of

                          HON. ELIZABETH FURSE

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, August 17, 1994

  Ms. FURSE. Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege to serve with 
Chairman Dellums on the House Armed Services Committee and I commend 
his visionary leadership as we move into the next century.
  This conference report continues the reconfiguration of national 
security spending priorities called for in the post-cold-war era. There 
is, however, much more we can do to orient ourselves toward this 
changed reality. I remain concerned that we have not made the necessary 
adjustments in force structure and acquisition programs to enable us to 
respond to today's priorities. I look forward to addressing these 
issues in the coming years.
  I was successful in my effort to require Nuclear Weapons Council 
approval of DOE study, development, production, and retirement of 
nuclear warheads and an annual report of those activities to Congress. 
This will end DOE's authority to unilaterally initiate this R&D and 
will put more sunshine on these activities.
  I am very supportive of the enhancements made to the independent 
Roles and Missions Commission that was established last year. In their 
work through the coming year, I am hopeful they will make a 
comprehensive new analysis that we can use in our policymaking for 
today's realities, rather than relying on those developed for 
yesteryear.
  One of my priorities this year has been to make sure we get the 
airlift we need at a price we can afford. The sense of Congress 
language in this bill regarding the importance of maintaining our 
aggregate airlift capacity should be made mandatory next year since our 
current plan to rely on a C-17-only procurement strategy will cause an 
airlift deficit for several years as we retire our core airlifter, the 
C-141.
  I have been a strong supporter of efforts toward a comprehensive test 
ban and was pleased to see the House's language included in this bill 
urging the Conference on Disarmament to make all possible progress 
toward a CTB.
  International peacekeeping is one key way to share the costs of 
defense and makes a great deal of sense if the United States does not 
want to play the role of top cop. If we engage in more international 
cooperation, we should be able to lower our defense costs. I am 
disappointed that House conferees refused to include any of the 
Senate's $300 million funding for peacekeeping.
  Representatives Frank, Shays, and Upton and I sponsored an amendment 
in the House requiring increased burdensharing by our European allies 
that would have saved $5 to $10 billion over 5 years. The vote in the 
House was 268-144, yet this bill only states the goal that NATO allies 
pay 37.5 percent of nonpersonnel costs of U.S. presence there by the 
end of fiscal year 1996. According to DOD's calculations, they pay 36 
percent now although their actual cash contributions are only 4 to 6 
percent. The U.S. taxpayers are not being well-served by this massive 
subsidy to nations whose economies are, in many cases, healthier than 
our own.
  The commercial derivative aircraft pilot program included in the bill 
is important in order to pursue the policy of acquiring 
nondevelopmental airlift aircraft that is so vital to maintaining 
adequate airlift. Keeping the cap on the B-2 program at 20 planes as 
this bill does makes sense, as does putting aside money to study future 
bomber needs.

  Two other prudent steps taken include prohibiting the backfit of 
Trident II missiles into submarines currently carrying Trident I 
missiles and a reduction in funding from the administration request for 
ballistic missile defense.
  The language I offered authorizing funding for a battlefield surgical 
tissue replacement technology was included; this holds tremendous 
promise for civilian medical applications as well, in cases of trauma 
wounds.
  I am very excited about the potential for sharing with the Department 
of Justice the nonlethal technologies that have been developed by the 
Department of Defense. Support for that cooperation is contained in 
this bill. Law enforcement officials in my district found it very 
helpful to learn about those technologies at an event I sponsored there 
earlier this year where representatives of the Departments of Defense 
and Justice demonstrated some of these items.
  There is substantial funding for advanced lithography in the bill 
even though it was reduced from the House-passed level. This successful 
cooperation with our private semiconductor industry has helped us 
regain our competitiveness in the world marketplace.
  Our highly capable National Guard was given authority to serve 
medically underserved areas and a communication and electronics 
training facility at Camp Rilea in my district was funded.
  I was pleased to see my request included for the Marine Environmental 
Research and Training Station. It will provide educational and training 
opportunities in environmental, marine industrial, and maritime studies 
to help foster regional economic prosperity and environmental 
integrity.
  Funding at near the request level was included for environmental 
restoration and waste management activities at DOE defense sites. We 
have a responsibility to clear up after the excesses of the nuclear 
age.
  I was particularly pleased that my amendments were included 
reauthorizing the Hanford Health Information Network and prohibiting 
disclosure of information gathered by the network.
  I requested language that is in this bill funding market 
diversification feasibility studies, requiring notice for employees 
related to adverse budget actions, directing the Secretary to encourage 
greater participation in the technology reinvestment project by labor 
organizations, and requiring the Secretary to ensure that job creation 
resulting from TRP awards accrue to the U.S. economy. I also assisted 
in gaining loan guarantee assistance for small- and medium-sized 
defense firms to engage in dual use technologies.
  I cosponsored legislation that was included in the bill assuring 
equity between military and civilian retirees as to when they receive 
their cost-of-living-adjustments. This restores deserved fairness.
  The deadline was extended for a health maintenance organization-type 
program to be considered under the CHAMPUS reform initiative and 
several actions were taken to improve DOD's medical treatment of 
Persian Gulf war veterans.
  Funding was added for the Defense Women's Health Program that we 
established last year. I cosponsored legislation that supports this 
bill's authorization on a reimbursable basis construction of the Women 
in Military Service for America Memorial. Programs on discrimination 
and sexual harassment are enhanced by this bill. As was demonstrated in 
this year's hearing with victims of sexual harassment, it is imperative 
that we strengthen those programs; we are losing too many outstanding 
members of our military forces.
  Finally, we did two helpful things for families of Korea/cold war 
missing. A single point of contact within the Defense POW/MIA Office 
was established and policies for Vietnam era POW/MIA's regarding 
information disclosure were extended to Korea/cold war missing.

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