[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 114 (Wednesday, September 3, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H6760-H6761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     APPOINTMENT OF CONFEREES ON H.R. 2266, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1998

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take 
from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 2266) making appropriations for 
the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
1998, and for other purposes, with Senate amendments thereto, disagree 
to the Senate amendments and agree to the conference asked by the 
Senate.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.


                 Motion to Instruct Offered by Mr. Obey

  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to instruct conferees.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Mr. Obey moves that the managers on the part of the House 
     at the conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses 
     on the amendment of the Senate to the bill H.R. 2266 be 
     instructed to insist on the House position prohibiting the 
     use of funds to approve or license the sale of the F-22 
     advanced tactical fighter to any foreign government.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Wisconsin [Mr. Obey] and the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Young] will 
each be recognized for 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Obey]).
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

[[Page H6761]]

  Mr. Chairman, I do not intend to take the 30 minutes. Let me simply 
explain what is in the motion.
  We are about evidently to proceed to spend $80 to $100 billion to 
build a new fighter aircraft, the F-22, to take the place of the F-15 
and the F-16. We are being told that the reason we have to do that is 
because we have sold some 1,700 F-16's to other countries around the 
world plus a good many F-15's, and so therefore we must develop a new 
generation fighter aircraft.
  We are told that we have to proceed to do this because we sold so 
many F-15's and F-16's to other countries around the world that we have 
to build a new generation aircraft in order to regain our technology 
edge.
  All this amendment says is that if indeed we are going to proceed to 
build the F-22 and spend $80 to $100 billion on that project to regain 
that technology edge that we ought to keep that technology at home and 
we ought not then sell that advanced technology to other countries. We 
are already being told that the contractor for the new F-22 is already 
talking about fully marketing that technology abroad. That is how we 
got into this problem in the first place.
  Mr. Speaker, it seems to me if we want to stop chasing our tail, we 
will adopt this amendment and simply spell out that if we are going to 
spend $80 to $100 billion in order to regain a technology edge around 
the world, we are not then going to sell off that technology to other 
countries. That is all the amendment says, and I would simply suggest 
that if we do not do that, we will be back here in 10 years having to 
supply more money to replace the F-22 with an F-44, and 10 years after 
that replace it with an F-88 because we will have given away our 
technology edge time and time again. If we are going to spend 
taxpayers' money, we ought to keep the benefit of that technology here 
at home.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I would announce to our colleagues 
in the House that it is my intention to support all of the provisions 
in H.R. 2266 that the House agreed to when we go to conference. The 
matter that the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Obey] has made a motion 
to instruct is part of that bill, and I would advise him that we intend 
to support that provision in the bill in conference, and we support his 
motion.
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield back my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is 
ordered on the motion to instruct.
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to instruct 
offered by the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Obey].
  The motion was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the Chair appoints the 
following conferees: Messrs. Young of Florida, McDade, Lewis of 
California, Skeen, Hobson, Bonilla, Nethercutt, Istook, Cunningham, 
Livingston, Murtha, Dicks, Hefner, Sabo, Dixon, Visclosky, and Obey.
  There was no objection.

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