[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 87 (Thursday, June 13, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H6333-H6341]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1997

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hastings of Washington). Pursuant to 
House Resolution 453 and rule XXIII, the Chair declares the House in 
the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the 
consideration of the bill, H.R. 3610.

                              {time}  1420


                     in the committee of the whole

  Accordingly the House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union for the consideration of the bill (H.R. 
3610) making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the 
fiscal year ending September 30, 1997, and for other purposes, with Mr. 
Camp in the chair.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered as having 
been read the first time.
  Under the rule, the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Young] and the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Murtha] each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Young].
  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Chairman, I am very happy to present to the House what I think is 
an excellent national defense appropriations bill. There will be those 
who disagree with that statement, but I have to say this, that this 
bill was created by Members of both parties in a bipartisan fashion and 
the bill that we bring to the floor is agreed to by the vast majority 
of the subcommittee and the full Committee on Appropriations.
  We did this because of the tremendous cooperation that the Members 
showed toward each other in dealing with the issues. And those issues 
were decided based on the merit, based on whether or not they 
contributed something to our national security, and based on whether or 
not there actually was a requirement for what we included in the bill.
  There was no question about who did it help politically or where did 
it create jobs or not create jobs. The decisions were based on what is 
good to provide for the security of this Nation, and our interests, 
wherever they might be.
  And not only the Members who are outstanding members of this 
committee on both sides, I wanted to take just a minute and call 
attention to those who serve us at the staff level, those staffers who 
work here hours and hours late at night after we have done our work and 
gone home.
  And I want to point out Kevin Roper, for whom this Congress is his 
first time as the chief clerk of this subcommittee and has done such an 
outstanding job. His brain is like a computer. He is able to call up 
information without any hesitation when he is called upon to do that.
  John Plashal, Dave Kilian, Alicia Jones, Juliet Pacquing, Greg 
Walters, Trish Keenan, Doug Gregory, Paul Juola, Tina Jonas, Steve 
Nixon, Stacy Trimble; Paige Schreiner, who by the way is on maternity 
leave, just having had a lovely new daughter; and Cynthia Hill, who was 
a detailee from Navy; and Mr. Greg Dahlberg, who works as a partner 
with Kevin Roper, who also is a tremendous asset to the work of this 
subcommittee; and Carmen Scialabba, who is in Mr. Murtha's office.
  These ladies and gentlemen have all made tremendous contributions to 
helping this subcommittee do its work with the thousands and thousands 
of items and thousands and thousands of decisions that we have make 
during our markup.
  Mr. Chairman, I wanted to say this: This bill that we present, we 
started with the President's budget request. There are those who say 
that, ``Well, you are a Republican Congress. When the President's 
budget gets there, it is going to be dead on arrival.'' And we assured 
them all that is not the case.
  We worked in cooperation with the administration. We began with the 
President's budget. We believed then, and we still believe, that it was 
short in a number of areas; so we made some additions. But basically 
and budget requested by the President is provided for in this bill.
  But I will call to the attention of the Members some of the adds that 
we included, but let me tell Members about the numbers. We began with a 
602(b) allocation of $246.6 billion and we marked to that amount, and 
we did the best we could to get the most for the money that we possibly 
could. At that, based on real growth, counting for inflation, is 
actually $4 billion under last year's bill.
  By the time we got to the full committee, we had to make another $800 
million reduction. So again we stood up to the plate, and we made that 
$800 billion reduction based on what the leadership thought would be 
the budget split between the House number and the Senate number.

  Well, now we come to the floor, and that number is not low enough, 
based on the budget resolution we passed yesterday. So we will have to 
offer an amendment today that will cut an additional $500 million out 
of this bill. and that amendment has been prepared with the cooperation 
and work of all of the members of the subcommittee. By the time we 
finish with that amendment, this bill will be down to $245.3 billion. 
That is $4.7 billion under last year if we adjust for inflation, which 
is the realistic thing to do, and it is $1.6 billion under the 
authorized levels.
  We have worked closely with the authorizers, with the chairman of the 
Committee on National Security and with the chairman of the Permanent 
Select Committee on Intelligence, to fashion this bill. We have worked 
in lock step. We cannot provide everything that they authorize because 
we do not have that much money available. But the bill we are going to 
vote on today is very close to the bill that Members have already voted 
in large numbers to support for the intelligence authorization bill and 
as well as the national security authorization bill. As we get into the 
amendments, we will then get into more debate about the bill.
  Mr. Chairman, I submit the following tabular material for the Record:

[[Page H6334]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH13JN96.000


[[Page H6335]]


[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH13JN96.001


[[Page H6336]]


[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TH13JN96.002


[[Page H6337]]


  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. POMEROY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the fiscal year 1997 
Department of Defense appropriations bill.
  The bill before contains many valuable provisions that will enhance 
the readiness of our Armed Forces and improve the quality of life for 
the men and women who serve in our Nation's military. The 3 percent pay 
raise for military personnel, the additional funding for medical care 
for active duty members and military retirees, and the resources 
dedicated to repair and upgrade substandard military barracks are three 
important provisions that will strengthen troop morale and in turn 
improve the combat readiness of our military.
  I also take this opportunity to highlight two items in this bill that 
are critically important to the Nation's defense and to my State of 
North Dakota. First, this bill fully funds the Minuteman III life 
extension/modernization program to preserve the viability and 
reliability of our ICBM force well into the next century as recommended 
by the Nuclear Posture Review. Second, the legislation maintains the 
number of fighters assigned to the Nation's general purpose Air 
National Guard fighter units at 15 Primary Assigned Aircraft. Given the 
increasing reliance on the National Guard to defend our national 
interest, it makes good sense to maintain current fighter force levels.
  Mr. Chairman, I am disappointed that this bill does not include a 
provision similar to Section 1302 of the fiscal year 1997 Defense 
Authorization bill to strictly prohibit the retirement of B-52 bombers. 
The B-52 remains our Nation's most combat capable bomber and should not 
be prematurely retired as proposed by the administration. While I 
understand that the Appropriation bill provision may suffice in 
blocking the retirement of B-52s, I am hopeful and confident that the 
final Defense Appropriations will include a similar provision.
  Finally, Mr. Chairman, I do have concern regarding the $10.2 billion 
increase this bill provides over and above the Pentagon's request. I 
voted in favor of both the Schroeder and the Shays amendments to reduce 
bill's funding and make it more consistent with our effort to balance 
the Federal budget. Although I am disappointed that these amendments 
failed, I will support passage of the bill because, in the final 
analysis, it fulfills an important commitment to our troops and the 
Nation's defense.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 3610, the 
National Security Appropriations bill, and to thank my friend and 
colleague from the great State of Florida, Chairman Bill Young, for all 
his good work on this bill that is so important to U.S. interests at 
home and abroad.
  Defense spending, adjusted for inflation, has been cut each and every 
year since 1985. Despite this decline, the President's budget called 
for a $10 billion cut in fiscal year 1997. During testimony before the 
House Committee on National Security, all of the Joint Chiefs have 
suggested the President's budget was not adequate to address the needs 
of our national defense.
  Mr. Chairman, H.R. 3610 provides the funds needed to ensure that we 
have the best equipped troops in the world prepared to defend our 
Nation. Chairman Young has made great strides at increasing military 
readiness by increasing the quality of life for our troops. The world 
remains a dangerous place at the same time the U.S. force structure has 
hit its lowest level in 50 years. The frequent deployment of our troops 
has created many problems for our soldiers and their families. To 
address this situation, this bill provides a needed 3 percent pay raise 
for the brave men and women who have volunteered to defend our Nation.
  Another important issue addressed in this bill is the need to 
maintain adequate health care for our soldiers. By adding $475 million 
to the President's request for defense health care, we are insuring 
that our troops will be ready for whatever mission might surface. If 
this House had not supported a higher level of health care funding, the 
services would have had to make deep reductions in the medical care we 
promised our service members.
  This bill also adds $400 million for the repair and upgrade of 
military barracks. Two-thirds of this housing is currently rated by the 
DOD as substandard. This is an important component of maintaining a 
high level of readiness for our Armed Forces. Our sailors and soldiers 
make many personal sacrifices to provide for our Nation's defense. We 
owe it to them to provide a decent place for these men and women and 
their families to live.
  H.R. 3610 also addresses the concerns of the Joint Chiefs by adding 
necessary funds for the weapons procurement needs identified by our 
field commanders. The Joint Chiefs and the Chairman know that funding 
for weapons procurement has declined by nearly 75 percent in real terms 
over the past 11 years. With a smaller force structure, our troops will 
have an even greater need for the most modern and capable weapons 
available. This bill ensures that our troops will be equipped with 
these weapons.
  I will gladly support this bill and urge my colleagues to do the 
same. Again, thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your hard work on this bill 
that balances the need for a fiscally sound defense program with the 
needs our men and women who serve our great Nation. Your work is truly 
appreciated.
  Mr. MONTGOMERY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 3610, and 
particularly want to commend the Committee for including funds for 
cooperative DOD/VA medical research. In providing $25 million in 
funding for this important activity, the Committee is helping foster 
valuable research that serves not only our active duty personnel, but 
veterans as well.
  These moneys will help fund research into such areas as combat 
casualty care, Persian Gulf veterans' illnesses, and post-traumatic 
stress disorder.
  Members may not be fully aware of the kind of bang Congress and the 
Nation have gotten from putting bucks into VA research. By way of 
example, the contributions VA research program has given us over the 
years include such developments as:
  Surgical transplanting of kidneys using drugs to suppress organ 
rejection; an artificial foot that allows amputees to jog and play 
sports; drugs for the treatment of diseases including tuberculosis; and 
a taking computer for the blind.
  The military and this Nation will benefit by providing funds that 
encourage cooperative VA and DOD research efforts.
  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The CHAIRMAN. All time for general debate has expired.
  Pursuant to the rule, the bill shall be considered for amendment 
under the 5-minute rule.
  Before consideration of any other amendment, it shall be in order to 
consider the amendment printed in House Report 104-619 if offered by 
the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Young] or his designee. That amendment 
shall be considered read, may amend portions of the bill not yet read 
for amendment, shall be debatable for 20 minutes, equally divided and 
controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to 
amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the 
question.
  If that amendment is adopted, the bill, as amended, shall be 
considered as an original bill for the purpose of further amendment.
  During consideration of the bill for amendment, the Chair may accord 
priority in recognition to a Member offering an amendment that he has 
printed in the designated place in the Congressional Record. Those 
amendments will be considered read.
  The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole may postpone until a time 
during further consideration in the Committee of the Whole a request 
for a recorded vote on any amendment and may reduce to not less that 5 
minutes the time for voting by electronic device on any postponed 
question that immediately follows another vote by electronic device 
without intervening business, provided that the time for voting by 
electronic device on the first in any series of questions shall not be 
less than 15 minutes.
  After the reading of the final lines of the bill, a motion that the 
Committee of the Whole rise and report the bill to the House with such 
amendments as may have been adopted shall, if offered by the majority 
leader or a designee, have precedence over a motion to amend.


               amendment offered by mr. young of florida

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment made in 
order by the rule.
  The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment offered by Mr. Young of Florida: On page 17, line 
     9, strike ``$1,044,767,000'' and insert ``$988,567,000''.
       On page 17, line 10, strike all after ``1999'' through the 
     end of line 12, except the period.
       On page 22, line 6, strike ``$4,719,930,000'' and insert 
     ``$4,469,930,000''.
       On page 24, line 17, strike ``$7,326,628,000'' and insert 
     ``$7,274,628,000''.
       On page 24, line 19, strike ``$54,700,000'' and insert 
     ``$2,700,000''.
       On page 29, line 10, strike ``$14,969,573,000'' and insert 
     ``$14,869,573,000''.
       On page 29, line 15, strike ``$1,698,486,000'' and insert 
     ``$1,598,486,000''.

[[Page H6338]]

       On page 82, line 6, strike ``$350,000,000''' and insert 
     ``$400,000,000''.
       On page 82, line 11, strike ``$226,400,000'' and insert 
     ``$276,400,000''.

  The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida [Mr. 
Young] and a Member opposed will each control 10 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Young].
  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Chairman, as I explained during general debate, in order to 
conform this bill to the budget resolution that was adopted yesterday 
in the House, it was necessary to cut another $500 million, actually 
$508 million, over a half billion, from this bill, and that is the 
purpose of the amendment that I just offered, and I will submit a 
statement that will explain in detail how we had to arrive at this 
point. But I wanted to point out for the Record so that it would be 
clear exactly what it is that we are doing so that no one has any 
questions.
  We have reduced the MLRS launcher line by $56.2 million. That leaves 
an increase over the budget of $10 million. We eliminate, basically 
eliminate the TAGS ship. We leave $4 million in that account but we 
take $50 million. The third Seawolf, we reduce by $100 million. That 
still leaves $599 million in the budget. The new attack submarine 
program line, we have reduced by $100 million; that still leaves $704 
million in that account.

                              {time}  1430

  The C-130, the airborne command and control version of that aircraft, 
we would eliminate one that we had added. That is $52 million. And then 
we have a classified item that we are not able to discuss on the floor 
but those Members cleared for the information are aware of it. That is 
another $100 million cut. That comes to $508 million. I would hope that 
we could expedite the consideration of this amendment. It is necessary 
to conform this bill to the budget request or to the budget resolution 
as passed.
  Mr. Chairman, pursuant to the rule, I send to the desk an amendment 
made in order by the rule.
  Mr. Chairman, as I explained during general debate, in order to 
conform this bill to the conference agreement on the budget resolution, 
it is necessary to cut the funds in this bill by an additional $500 
million.
  That is the purpose of the amendment I just offered--to bring this 
bill in line with the budget resolution.
  In the budget resolution process, the House originally recommended a 
total for Defense which was $1.6 billion higher than the Senate.
  The House position was higher. And when we passed the Defense 
authorization bill 4 weeks ago, that bill was marked to the higher 
House level.
  And when we marked up this bill, we also went to the original House-
passed level.
  We brought this bill to the full Appropriations Committee last week. 
Based on tentative discussions in the budget conference, we were led to 
believe the House and Senate would split the difference in the defense 
number. That meant the House number would come down by $800 million.
  So in full committee, I offered an amendment which cut our 
subcommittee bill by $800 million.
  So the bill before the House right now is already $800 million under 
our original target.
  But when the final budget agreement was reached, it turns out we did 
not get a split, we went all the way to the lower Senate figure.
  That means we have to cut this bill, again.
  So, I find myself in the somewhat awkward position of offering this 
amendment.
  For those of you who know me, I think if you had approached me a few 
years ago, or even a few weeks ago, and said Bill, we want you to offer 
amendments to cut your committee's Defense appropriations bill by $1.3 
billion, I probably would have told you not on your life.
  Our subcommittee wrote a good bill. Floyd Spence, and his committee, 
and Larry Combest and the Intelligence Committee, they wrote good 
bills.
  We are trying to take care of the troops and their families. We are 
trying to make sure our personnel have the best equipment, the best 
training, the best intelligence to do their jobs around the world.

  So when as chairman of this subcommittee, I get the pleasure of 
trying to find $1.3 billion in cuts to what we thought was a pretty 
good Defense appropriations bill, it is not a job I enjoy.
  But we all have to deal with the hand we have been dealt. So here we 
are, cutting half a billion dollars out of the Defense bill.
  Finding this money has not been easy. We have been working over a 
week to come up with a balanced package, one that does not do 
irreparable harm.
  And when I say we, I mean myself and our ranking minority member, Mr. 
Murtha. I worked with Mr. Murtha from the start on this. We went back 
and forth, and believe me, neither of us enjoyed it because we had to 
make some tough decisions. Everybody had to give something.
  We also ran this past our subcommittee, getting their input as well 
as the members of the committee.
  So this is not a perfect amendment, but it is one we tried to develop 
on a bipartisan basis, one that was fair and that did the least harm.
  This amendment cuts a total of $508.2 million.
  We propose cutting $50 million out of excess spare parts inventories. 
This a cut we found based on audit work done at the Pentagon that shows 
in certain instances we have overbudgeted for spare parts.
  That was the easy one. To find the other $458 million, we had to cut, 
or trim back, money we recommended in modernization programs, each one 
important to the services.
  The amendment cuts $56.2 million from Army missile procurement, which 
we recommend to come from the total in the bill for MLRS launchers.
  We originally proposed an add over the President's budget of $66.2 
million--we would cut that back by $56 million.
  We take out $52 million from Air Force aircraft procurement, that 
being for one airborne command, control, and communications aircraft--
or A-B-Triple C.
  This was on the Air Force shortfall list, as a top unfunded item. We 
originally added funds for three A-B-Triple C's, but the amendment 
takes out money for one of the three.
  Navy shipbuilding--there would be a reduction of $250 million.
  This comes in three pieces.
  Fifty million dollars is from an oceanographic ship, the TAGS ship. 
Again, this was on the Navy's shortfall list so we had $54 million in 
the bill. We take out $50 million in the amendment, which leaves $4 
million which could be used with money we provided last year for long-
lead purchases needed to build a TAGS ship.
  One hundred million dollars comes from the new attack submarine line. 
Right now the bill has $800 million for the new attack submarine, 
providing long lead money for the first sub, which is being built in 
Groton, CT, and the second sub which will be done at Newport News, VA.
  The amendment cuts this back by $100 million. It does not specify 
which sub it will come out of. This leaves $700 million, still an 
increase of $404 million over the budget which we think is enough to 
keep this program underway.
  And the final shipbuilding piece comes from the SSN-23, the third 
Seawolf.
  Before this year, we had appropriated $1.6 billion for the third 
Seawolf.
  The budget for this year requested $699 million. The last increment 
for the Seawolf is budgeted for next year, at $100 million for a total 
cost of $2.4 billion.
  We think we can take $100 million out from the $699 million in the 
bill, without really disrupting the program.
  Most of the money in the request this year is for Government-
furnished equipment, or GFE, which means components like pumps and 
valves, and electronics. These go into the submarine after it is 
basically built and so we think taking this money out will not really 
impact the construction schedule.
  That brings us to one last item, a $100 million reduction in Air 
Force research and development.
  This is for classified activities, and I'm constrained from 
describing what this is because of the sensitivity of the issues.
  Let me just say the bill had recommended additions over the budget to 
accelerate certain activities. This reduction of $100 million will not 
stop this effort, and in fact still allows these projects to move out.
  On all these items, we know we may need to make adjustments down the 
line and I expect if we have taken out too much we will have another 
chance to deal with them in conference.

  That's our proposal, a $508.2 million cut.
  If adopted, this would bring the bill down to a total of $245.3 
billion.
  This level is significantly less than last year, if you adjust for 
inflation.
  We would be 2 percent less than fiscal year 1996, or about $4.7 
billion less than 1996 when adjusted for inflation.
  In fact, if this amendment is adopted, we will be at a level which 
you could consider as being below the 1996 enacted level, if you back 
out the pay raise and the extra $475 million for medical care we have 
in the bill to restore the cuts for medical care proposed by the 
President.

[[Page H6339]]

  I mention all this because you will hear throughout the debate today 
that this bill is over last year's level--and you will be asked to vote 
on any number of cutting amendments to bring the bill down even 
further.
  I want to say again--if you vote for this amendment, then we will be 
nearly $5 billion less than last year, adjusting for inflation. The DOD 
will be asked to operate with $4.7 billion less in terms of buying 
power. This will be the twelfth straight year Defense budgets will have 
lost ground.
  And we will actually be below a hard freeze, if you give us credit 
for the pay raise and the medical funding in the bill.
  The CHAIRMAN. Does any Member seek time in opposition to the 
amendment?
  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Florida [Mr. Young].
  The question was taken; and the Chairman announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.
  The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the rule, further proceedings on the 
amendment offered by the gentleman from Florida [Mr.Young] will be 
postponed.
  The Clerk will read.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the 
     following sums are appropriated, out of any money in the 
     Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 1997, for military functions 
     administered by the Department of Defense, and for other 
     purposes, namely:

                                TITLE I

                           MILITARY PERSONNEL

                        Military Personnel, Army

       For pay, allowances, individual clothing, subsistence, 
     interest on deposits, gratuities, permanent change of station 
     travel (including all expenses thereof for organizational 
     movements), and expenses of temporary duty travel between 
     permanent duty stations, for members of the Army on active 
     duty (except members of reserve components provided for 
     elsewhere), cadets, and aviation cadets; and for payments 
     pursuant to section 156 of Public Law 97-377, as amended (42 
     U.S.C. 402 note), to section 229(b) of the Social Security 
     Act (42 U.S.C. 429(b)), and to the Department of Defense 
     Military Retirement Fund; $20,692,838,000.

                        Military Personnel, Navy

       For pay, allowances, individual clothing, subsistence, 
     interest on deposits, gratuities, permanent change of station 
     travel (including all expenses thereof for organizational 
     movements), and expenses of temporary duty travel between 
     permanent duty stations, for members of the Navy on active 
     duty (except members of the Reserve provided for elsewhere), 
     midshipmen, and aviation cadets; and for payments pursuant to 
     section 156 of Public Law 97-377, as amended (42 U.S.C. 402 
     note), to section 229(b) of the Social Security Act (42 
     U.S.C. 429(b)), and to the Department of Defense Military 
     Retirement Fund; $17,000,856,000.

                    Military Personnel, Marine Corps

       For pay, allowances, individual clothing, subsistence, 
     interest on deposits, gratuities, permanent change of station 
     travel (including all expenses thereof for organizational 
     movements), and expenses of temporary duty travel between 
     permanent duty stations, for members of the Marine Corps on 
     active duty (except members of the Reserve provided for 
     elsewhere); and for payments pursuant to section 156 of 
     Public Law 97-377, as amended (42 U.S.C. 402 note), to 
     section 229(b) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 429(b)), 
     and to the Department of Defense Military Retirement Fund; 
     $6,103,808,000.

                     Military Personnel, Air Force

       For pay, allowances, individual clothing, subsistence, 
     interest on deposits, gratuities, permanent change of station 
     travel (including all expenses thereof for organizational 
     movements), and expenses for temporary duty travel between 
     permanent duty stations, for members of the Air Force on 
     active duty (except members of reserve components provided 
     for elsewhere), cadets, and aviation cadets; and for payments 
     pursuant to section 156 of public Law 97-377, as amended (42 
     U.S.C. 402 note), to section 229(b) of the Social Security 
     Act (42 U.S.C.(b)), and to the Department of Defense Military 
     Retirement Fund; $17,099,550,000.

                         Reserve Personnel Army

       For pay, allowances, clothing, subsistence, gratuities, 
     travel, and related expenses for personnel of the Army 
     Reserve on active duty under sections 10211, 10302, and 3038 
     of title 10, United States Code, or while serving on active 
     duty under section 12301(d) of title 10, United States Code, 
     or while serving on active duty under section 12301(d) of 
     title 10, United States Code, in connection with performing 
     duty specified in section 12310(a) of title 10, United States 
     Code, or while undergoing reserve training, or while 
     performing drills or equivalent duty or other duty, and for 
     members of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, and expenses 
     authorized by section 16131 of title 10, United States Code; 
     and for payments to the Department of Defense Military 
     Retirement Fund; $2,083,379,000.

                         Reserve Personnel, Navy

       For pay, allowances, clothing, subsistence, gratuities, 
     travel, and related expenses for personnel of the Navy 
     Reserve on active duty under section 10211 of title 10, 
     United States Code, or while serving on active duty under 
     section 12301(d) of title 10, United States Code, in 
     connection with performing duty specified in section 12310(a) 
     of title 10, United States Code, or while undergoing reserve 
     training, or while performing drills or equivalent duty, and 
     for members of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, and 
     expenses authorized by section 16131 of title 10, United 
     States Code; and for payments to the Department of Defense 
     Military Retirement Fund; $1,392,406,000.

                    Reserve Personnel, Marine Corps

       For pay, allowances, clothing, subsistence, gratuities, 
     travel, and related expenses for personnel of the Marine 
     Corps Reserve on active duty under section 10211 of title 10, 
     United States Code, or while serving on active duty under 
     section 12301(d) of title 10, United States Code, in 
     connection with performing duty specified in section 12310(a) 
     of title 10, United States Code, or while undergoing reserve 
     training, or while performing drills or equivalent duty, and 
     for members of the Marine Corps platoon leaders class, and 
     expenses authorized by section 16131 to title 10, United 
     States Code; and for payments to the Department of Defense 
     Military Retirement Fund; $387,943,000.

                      Reserve Personnel, Air Force

       For pay, allowances, clothing, subsistence, gratuities, 
     travel, and related expenses for personnel of the Air Force 
     Reserve on active duty under sections 10211, 10305, and 8038 
     of title 10, United States code, or while serving on active 
     duty under section 12301(d) of title 10, United States 
     Code, in connection with performing duty specified in 
     section 12310(a) of title 10, United States Code, or while 
     undergoing reserve training, or while performing drills or 
     equivalent duty or other duty, and for members of the Air 
     Reserve Officers' Training Corps, and expenses authorized 
     by section 16131 of title 10, United States Code; and for 
     payments to the Department of Defense Military Retirement 
     Fund; $780,497,000.

                     National Guard Personnel, Army

       For pay, allowances, clothing, subsistence, gratuities, 
     travel, and related expenses for personnel of the Army 
     National Guard while on duty under section 10211, 10302, or 
     12402 of title 10 or section 708 of title 32, United States 
     Code, or while serving on duty under section 12301(d) of 
     title 10 or section 502(f) of title 32, United States Code, 
     in connection with performing duty specified in section 
     12310(a) of title 10, United States Code, or while undergoing 
     training, or while performing drills or equivalent duty or 
     other duty, and expenses authorized by section 16131 of title 
     10, United States Code; and for payments to the Department of 
     Defense Military Retirement Fund; $3,279,393,000.

                  National Guard Personnel, Air Force

       For pay, allowances, clothing, subsistence, gratuities, 
     travel, and related expenses for personnel of the Air 
     National Guard on duty under section 10211, 10305, or 12402 
     of title 10 or section 708 of title 32, United States Code, 
     or while serving on duty under section 12301(d) of title 10 
     or section 502(f) of title 32, United States Code, in 
     connection with performing duty specified in section 12310(a) 
     of title 10, United States Code, or while undergoing 
     training, or while performing drills or equivalent duty or 
     other duty, and expenses authorized by section 16131 of title 
     10, United States Code; and for payments to the Department of 
     Defense Military Retirement Fund; $1,294,490,000.

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida (during the reading). Mr. Chairman, I ask 
unanimous consent that title I of the bill be considered as read, 
printed in the Record, and open to amendment at any point.
  The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from 
Florida?
  There was no objection.
  The CHAIRMAN. Are there any amendments to title I?
  If not, the Clerk will read.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                TITLE II

                       OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

                    Operation and Maintenance, Army


                     (including transfer of funds)

       For expenses, not otherwise provided for, necessary for the 
     operation and maintenance of the Army, as authorized by law; 
     and not to exceed $11,437,000 can be used for emergencies and 
     extraordinary expenses, to be expended on the approval or 
     authority of the Secretary of the Army, and payments may be 
     made on his certificate of necessity for confidential 
     military purposes; $18,365,679,000 and, in addition, 
     $50,000,000 shall be derived by transfer from the National 
     Defense Stockpile Transaction Fund: Provided, That of the 
     funds appropriated in this paragraph, not less than 
     $300,000,000 shall be made available only for conventional 
     ammunition care and maintenance: Provided further, That of 
     the funds appropriated in this paragraph,

[[Page H6340]]

     $12,084,000 shall not be obligated or expended until 
     authorized by law.

                    Operation and Maintenance, Navy


                     (including transfer of funds)

       For expenses, not otherwise provided for, necessary for the 
     operation and maintenance of the Navy and the Marine Corps, 
     as authorized by law; and not to exceed $3,995,000, can be 
     used for emergencies and extraordinary expenses, to be 
     expended on the approval or authority of the Secretary of the 
     Navy, and payments may be made on his certificate of 
     necessity for confidential military purposes; $20,390,397,000 
     and, in addition, $50,000,000 shall be derived by transfer 
     from the National Defense Stockpile Transaction Fund: 
     Provided, That of the funds appropriated in this paragraph, 
     $39,933,000 shall not be obligated or expended until 
     authorized by law.

                Operation and Maintenance, Marine Corps

       For expenses, not otherwise provided for, necessary for the 
     operation and maintenance of the Marine Corps, as authorized 
     by law; $2,465,077,000.

                  Operation and Maintenance, Air Force


                     (including transfer of funds)

       For expenses, not otherwise provided for, necessary for the 
     operation and maintenance of the Air Force, as authorized by 
     law; and not to exceed $8,362,000 can be used for emergencies 
     and extraordinary expenses, to be expended on the approval or 
     authority of the Secretary of the Air Force, and payments may 
     be made on his certificate of necessity for confidential 
     military purposes; $17,938,755,000 and, in addition, 
     $50,000,000 shall be derived by transfer from the National 
     Defense Stockpile Transaction Fund: Provided, That of the 
     funds appropriated in this paragraph, $39,133,000 shall not 
     be obligated or expended until authorized by law.

                Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide

       For expenses, not otherwise provided for, necessary for the 
     operation and maintenance of activities and agencies of the 
     Department of Defense (other than the military departments), 
     as authorized by law; $10,212,985,000, of which not to exceed 
     $25,000,000 may be available for the CINC initiative fund 
     account; and of which not to exceed $28,500,000 can be used 
     for emergencies and extraordinary expenses, to be expended 
     on the approval or authority of the Secretary of Defense, 
     and payments may be made on his certificate of necessity 
     for confidential military purposes.

                Operation and Maintenance, Army Reserve

       For expenses, not otherwise provided for, necessary for the 
     operation and maintenance, including training, organization, 
     and administration, of the Army Reserve; repair of facilities 
     and equipment; hire of passenger motor vehicles; travel and 
     transportation; care of the dead; recruiting; procurement of 
     services, supplies, and equipment; and communications; 
     $1,116,436,000.

                Operation and Maintenance, Navy Reserve

       For expenses, not otherwise provided for, necessary for the 
     operation and maintenance, including training, organization, 
     and administration, of the Army Reserve; repair of facilities 
     and equipment; hire of passenger motor vehicles; travel and 
     transportation; care of the dead; recruiting; procurement of 
     services, supplies, and equipment; and communications; 
     $882,927,000: Provided, That of the funds appropriated in 
     this paragraph, $24,000,000 shall not be obligated or 
     expended until authorized by law.

            Operation and Maintenance, Marine Corps Reserve

       For expenses, not otherwise provided for, necessary for the 
     operation and maintenance, including training, organization, 
     and administration, of the Marine Corps Reserve; repair of 
     facilities and equipment; hire of passenger motor vehicles; 
     travel and transportation; care of the dead; recruiting; 
     procurement of services, supplies, and equipment; and 
     communications; $108,467,000: Provided, That of the funds 
     appropriated in this paragraph, $2,000,000 shall not be 
     obligated or expended until authorized by law.

              Operation and Maintenance, Air Force Reserve

       For expenses, not otherwise provided for, necessary for the 
     operation and maintenance, including training, organization, 
     and administration, of the Air Force Reserve; repair of 
     facilities and equipment; hire of passenger motor vehicles; 
     travel and transportation; care of the dead; recruiting; 
     procurement of services, supplies, and equipment; and 
     communications; $1,491,553,000.

             Operation and Maintenance, Army National Guard

       For expenses of training, organizing, and administering the 
     Army National Guard, including medical and hospital treatment 
     and related expenses in non-Federal hospitals; maintenance, 
     operation, and repairs to structures and facilities; hire of 
     passenger motor vehicles; personnel services in the National 
     Guard Bureau; travel expenses (other than mileage), as 
     authorized by law for Army personnel on active duty, for Army 
     National Guard division, regimental, and battalion commanders 
     while inspecting units in compliance with National Guard 
     Bureau regulations when specifically authorized by the Chief, 
     National Guard Bureau; supplying and equipping the Army 
     National Guard as authorized by law; and expenses of repair, 
     modification, maintenance, and issue of supplies and 
     equipment (including aircraft); $2,268,477,000.

             Operation and Maintenance, Air National Guard

       For operation and maintenance of the Air National Guard, 
     including medical and hospital treatment and related expenses 
     in non-Federal hospitals; maintenance, operation, repair, and 
     other necessary expenses of facilities for the training and 
     administration of the Air National Guard, including repair of 
     facilities, maintenance, operation, and modification of 
     aircraft; transportation of things; hire of passenger motor 
     vehicles; supplies, materials, and equipment, as authorized 
     by law for the Air National Guard; and expenses incident to 
     the maintenance and use of supplies, materials, and 
     equipment, including such as may be furnished from stocks 
     under the control of agencies of the Department of Defense; 
     travel expenses (other than mileage) on the same basis as 
     authorized by law for Air National Guard personnel on active 
     Federal duty, for Air National Guard commanders while 
     inspecting units in compliance with National Guard Bureau 
     regulations when specifically authorized by the Chief, 
     National Guard Bureau; $2,671,373,000.

          United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces

       For salaries and expenses necessary for the United States 
     Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces; $6,797,000, of which 
     not to exceed $2,500 can be used for official representation 
     purposes.

                   Environmental Restoration, Defense


                     (including transfer of funds)

       For the Department of Defense; $1,333,016,000, to remain 
     available until transferred: Provided, That the Secretary of 
     Defense shall, upon determining that such funds are required 
     for environmental restoration, reduction and recycling of 
     hazardous waste, removal of unsafe buildings and debris of 
     the Department of Defense, or for similar purposes (including 
     programs and operations at sites formerly used by the 
     Department of Defense), transfer the funds made available by 
     this appropriation to other appropriations made available to 
     the Department of Defense, as the Secretary may designate, to 
     be merged with and to be available for the same purposes and 
     for the same time periods as the appropriations of funds 
     to which transferred: Provided further, That upon a 
     determination that all or part of the funds transferred 
     from this appropriation are not necessary for the purposes 
     provided herein, such amounts may be transferred back to 
     this appropriation.

             Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid

       For expenses relating to the Overseas Humanitarian, 
     Disaster, and Civic Aid programs of the Department of Defense 
     (consisting of the programs provided under sections 401, 402, 
     404, 2547, and 2551 of title 10, United States Code); 
     $60,544,000, to remain available until September 30, 1998.

                  Former Soviet Union Threat Reduction

       For assistance to the republics of the former Soviet Union, 
     including assistance provided by contract or by grants, for 
     facilitating the elimination and the safe and secure 
     transportation and storage of nuclear, chemical and other 
     weapons; for establishing programs to prevent the 
     proliferation of weapons, weapons components, and weapon-
     related technology and expertise; for programs relating to 
     the training and support of defense and military personnel 
     for demilitarization and protection of weapons, weapons 
     components and weapons technology and expertise; 
     $302,900,000, to remain available for obligation until 
     September 30, 1999.

                 QUALITY OF LIFE ENHANCEMENTS, DEFENSE


                     (including transfer of funds)

       For expenses, not otherwise provided for, resulting from 
     unfunded shortfalls in medical programs and the repair and 
     maintenance of real property of the Department of Defense 
     (including military housing and barracks); $975,000,000, of 
     which--
       (1) $475,000,000 shall be transferred to funds made 
     available under the heading ``Defense Health Program'' in 
     title VI of this Act and be available for operation and 
     maintenance; and
       (2) $500,000,000 shall be available for the maintenance of 
     real property of the Department of Defense (including minor 
     construction and major maintenance and repair) and shall 
     remain available for obligation until September 30, 1998, as 
     follows:
       Army, $165,000,000;
       Navy, $75,000,000;
       Marine Corps, $40,000,000;
       Air Force, $120,000,000;
       Army Reserve, $20,000,000;
       Navy Reserve, $20,000,000;
       Marine Corps Reserve, $2,000,000;
       Air Force Reserve, $16,000,000;
       Army National Guard, $29,000,000; and
       Air National Guard, $13,000,000.

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida (during the reading). Mr. Chairman, I ask 
unanimous consent that title II be considered as read, printed in the 
Record, and open to amendment at any point.
  The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from 
Florida?
  There was no objection.


                     Amendment Offered by Ms. Furse

  Ms. FURSE. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

[[Page H6341]]

  The Clerk read as follows:

       Amendment offered by Ms. Furse: At the end of title II 
     (page 16, after line 3), add the following new paragraph:

                           Reduction of Funds

       Amounts appropriated in other paragraphs of this title are 
     hereby reduced as follows:
       From Operation and Maintenance, Army, $12,950,000.
       From Operation and Maintenance, Navy, $3,500,000.
       From Operation and Maintenance, Marine Corps, $1,750,000.
       From Operation and Maintenance, Air Force, $7,700,000.
       From Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide, $9,100,000.

  Mr. MURTHA (during the reading). Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous 
consent that the amendment be considered as read and printed in the 
Record.
  The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. FURSE. Mr. Chairman, I am just going to thank the chairman and 
the ranking member for accepting the amendment. I will not take any 
more of the time.
  Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment that makes sense for the 
U.S. taxpayer and that makes sense for our military transportation 
system. First, however, I want to express my appreciation for the 
excellent leadership of Chairman Young and Ranking Member Murtha. Their 
collegiality is the hallmark of this fine institution in which we work.
  My amendment reduces funding for USTRANSCOM--the transportation 
command--by an additional $35 million. It will cut out layers of 
unnecessary wasteful bureaucracy so that the Department of Defense 
transportation system can operate more efficiently and adopt practices 
more similar to those utilized in the private sector.
  The U.S. Transportation Command budget is estimated at $4 billion for 
fiscal year 1997. The General Accounting Office recommended reducing 
that budget in order to encourage making needed organizational changes.
  Our defense transportation costs are much higher than necessary. The 
Department of Defense frequently pays double or triple the cost of the 
basic transportation, ocean freight, for example, because of redundant 
bureaucratic structures.
  DOD's transportation system is organized in substantially the same 
way it was more than a decade ago before the era of containerization. 
Containers are a much more efficient means of moving cargo 
intermodally--a container can be trucked overland, shipped across the 
ocean and then trucked to its ultimate destination without being 
unpacked at transfer points.
  Mr. Chairman, my State of Oregon that is perched on the Pacific rim 
knows about trade. Our industries know how to move our products around 
the world in an efficient manner. I know that we can create a seamless, 
intemodal transportation system that best serves our national security 
needs. DOD has begun to make some efforts in that direction, but I 
believe organizational changes are needed in order to achieve real 
savings.
  I urge support for my amendment which will build upon the outstanding 
work of the subcommittee in implementing those changes.
  The CHAIRMAN. The Committee will rise informally in order that the 
House may receive a message.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. McCrery) assumed the chair.

                          ____________________