[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 133 (Thursday, October 10, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H7799-H7802]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
WAIVING POINTS OF ORDER AGAINST CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 5010,
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2003
Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I
call up House Resolution 579 and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 579
Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be
in order to consider the conference report to accompany the
bill (H.R. 5010) making appropriations for the Department of
Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2003, and
for other purposes. All points of order against the
conference report and against its consideration are waived.
The conference report shall be considered as read.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Thornberry). The gentlewoman from North
Carolina (Mrs. Myrick) is recognized for 1 hour.
Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the
customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Frost), pending
which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration
of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.
Mr. Speaker, the rule waives all points of order against the
conference report to accompany H.R. 5010, the Department of Defense
Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2003, and against its consideration.
The rule provides that the conference report shall be considered as
read.
The defense appropriations conference report provides the tools and
[[Page H7800]]
the resources for our military to wage an aggressive war against
terrorism while defending our Nation against ever-changing military
threats.
Mr. Speaker, each generation of Americans has been called to defend
our freedom. Each time, our forefathers and mothers have answered the
call. Our generation's time of national trial has come. We are being
called to stop a new kind of enemy, different from any we have ever
fought before. This enemy is patient, building resources and striking
where and when we are least prepared. The enemy uses a different method
each time. This enemy requires a new kind of defense, and that is what
this conference report is attempting to build.
I agree with President Bush when he says that our Armed Forces must
be ready to confront every threat from any source that could bring
sudden terror and suffering to America. Our forces must be ready to
deploy to any point on the globe on short notice.
This bill increases operation and maintenance by over $9.7 billion.
This Nation must have, will have, ready forces that can bring victory
to our country and safety to our people.
The world's best soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines also deserve
the world's best weaponry; and, to ensure that, our Nation must invest
in procurement accounts. This defense conference report contains $71.6
billion for procurement. Our Nation must give our military the weapons
it needs to meet future threats. If the war against terror means that
we must find terror wherever it exists, pull it out by its roots, and
bring people to justice, our military must have the means to achieve
that objective.
I am also pleased this bill makes significant improvements in the
quality of life for the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces.
These improvements include a 4.1 percent military personnel pay raise
and targeted pay raises to midgrade noncommissioned officers, generous
housing allowances that will significantly decrease service personnel's
out-of-pocket expenses, and access to high-quality health care.
We can never pay our men and women in uniform on a scale that matches
the magnitude of their sacrifice.
{time} 1515
But this bill reflects our respect for their selfless service. I feel
very strongly that we need a strong national defense and we need to be
prepared and, indeed, we are with this defense conference reports.
The primary responsibility for us as elected officials is to provide
for the common defense of our fellow countrymen; and to that end, I
urge my colleagues to support the rule and support the underlying bill.
Now more than ever we must improve our national security.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Mr. FROST asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, earlier today the House demonstrated its
bipartisan resolve to end the threat posed by Saddam Hussein. Now with
this conference report, funding the Department of Defense for the next
fiscal year, Democrats and Republicans once again demonstrate our
bipartisan support for America's national defense and for the men and
women of the United States Armed Forces.
Over the past year, Mr. Speaker, the world has been reminded of the
skill, courage, and professionalism of the U.S. military. America's men
and women in uniform have done everything this country has asked of
them and they have done it well. So I would like to commend the
chairman and ranking members of the Committee on Appropriations and the
Subcommittee on Defense, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), the
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), the gentleman from California (Mr.
Lewis), and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha) for the
tremendous job they have done to bring this conference report to the
floor.
It provides U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines with the
resources they need to ensure our national security. It represents our
bipartisan commitment to our troops and to the war on terrorism.
Overall, it provides $355.4 billion for the Department of Defense for
fiscal year 2003, which is an increase of $37.8 billion over last
year's level. It continues to fund the wide range of weapons programs
that ensure America's military superiority throughout the world. And,
very significantly, it provides for a substantial quality-of-life
improvement for America's men and women in uniform and their families.
In particular, this conference report includes funds for a 4.1 percent
military pay raise; and it provides $14.8 billion for military health
care and $7.7 billion for Tricare-for-Life, the health care plan for
military retirees over age 65.
Mr. Speaker, maintaining our status as the world's premier military
power requires continued investments in the advanced weapons upon which
our troops rely. The conference report makes these investments. It
includes $4 billion for 23 F-22 Raptor aircraft, the high-technology
air dominance fighter for the Air Force. It also provides $3.5 billion
for the Joint Strike Fighter, the next generation, multi-role fighter
for the future of the Air Force, the Navy and the Marines. And it
includes nearly $1.5 billion for the V-22 Osprey aircraft, and $129
million to procure three Global Hawk UAWs, which have been instrumental
in the war in Afghanistan.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to note that the conference report provides
$136 million, an increase of $70 million over the Pentagon's request
for the joint U.S.-Israel ARROW program to provide effective theater-
missile defense.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that our Armed Forces
depend heavily on the men and women who serve in the National Guard and
Reserve. So I am pleased this conference report provides more than $28
million in personnel and readiness funding for the Guard and Reserve,
and $100 million more than the President requested for the equipment
they need.
I urge the Republican leadership after we have completed this
conference report to allow the House to pass a Senate-amended version
of H.R. 5557, the Armed Forces Tax Fairness Act of 2002. This important
bill will restore the tax deductibility of the training expenses
incurred by our National Guard and Reservists. These Americans are
serving their country honorably, and they should not have to pay out of
their own pockets to get to their duty stations.
All in all, however, this conference report does a good job providing
our troops with the resources they need to do the jobs we ask of them.
For that reason, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting it and
the rule to bring it up.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr.
Obey), the ranking member of the full Committee on Appropriations.
Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I have no quarrel with the bill that will come
to the floor after this resolution. But I do most certainly have a
quarrel with the fact that the conferees deep-sixed the Wellstone
amendment, an amendment which would have said that no American
corporation which tries to move its mailing address to Bermuda or some
other exotic place in order to escape their fair share of taxes may
participate in obtaining government contracts.
I think the practice of American corporations moving their mailing
address, especially in time of war, to escape their duty to help pay
for the services which they are provided with by the government, and to
help pay for the common defense, is outrageous and indefensible. I
think it is un-American. And I find it ironic that the bill which goes
to the heart of our obligation to defend our country does not take that
added step of also protecting our taxpayers.
Just 8 days ago, the General Accounting Office reported that $2.7
billion in Federal contracts in fiscal 2001 went to four corporate
expatriates. The GAO estimated that a substantial share of those
contracts were defense related. The joint tax committee has estimated
that over the next 10 years corporate expatriates will cost us more
than $4 billion in funds that could help pay for our Nation's security
or any other government obligation.
Now, these are not foreign corporations. These are American
corporations
[[Page H7801]]
with their plants, employees and headquarters in your districts and
mine all around the country. They simply incorporated in Bermuda or
some other exotic place with nothing more than a post office box, and
they do so for no other reason than to avoid helping pay their fair
share of the Nation's costs, including the Nation's defense costs. That
action is obscene.
Those companies have abandoned our country at its most critical hour,
but they still seek to profit directly from the challenges we face.
They should be ashamed of themselves and so should any Congress that
avoids their responsibilities in bringing that kind of behavior under
control.
This House adopted the DeLauro amendment, which was aimed at this
same item; and the Senate adopted the Wellstone amendment. And, yet,
the Congress, as usual, has found a way to make it easy for some of the
most privileged corporations in this country to avoid their
responsibilities to the Nation, to their workers, and to the taxpayers.
It is a shameful sham. We should not reward them with defense contracts
or any other contracts with the Federal Government.
We have now finished debating Iraq. My question is, What is next,
boys and girls? Are we going to do anything at all to deal with our
domestic problems before we run home to our constituents pretending
that we have finished our job? I want to know what we will do to
protect pensions. I want to know what we will do to provide a decent
education budget, a decent housing budget, a decent environmental
protection budget. I want to know what we are going to do to protect
family security as well as national security.
But, evidently, what this institution is going to do is to pass two
appropriations bills, military construction and DOD, and then cut and
run and go home.
I do not think this ought to be known as the 107th Congress. I think
it ought to be known as the Cut and Run Crowd.
Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
California (Mr. Cunningham).
Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, my friend and colleague, the gentleman
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha), just told me to cut it off. So instead
of 3 minutes, I will take a minute or 30 seconds. But I was going to
spend the time talking about the chairman, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Lewis), and the ranking member, the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha). He still wants me to cut my time.
Mr. Speaker, I wanted to say there is no better committee to serve
on. One does not know Republican from Democrat on that committee. They
are there to help the men and women in this armed services, and I am
very, very proud to serve on that committee and with the men and the
women that serve and with the staff. God bless them.
Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of
funding our Defense Department, but also to oppose the efforts of those
who excuse corporate expatriation.
Since September 11, this nation has pulled together to fight the war
on terrorism. And now, with more military action looming, we must face
the fact that war costs money. To fully fund the needs of our military,
every American taxpayer, individual and corporation alike, must be
prepared to pay their fair share.
If corporate expatriates are not paying their tax bills (and evidence
shows they avoid paying $4 billion worth), the American people know
that someone will have to pick up the slack. We should use everything
in our arsenal to stop corporate expatriation. No more government
contracts for financial traitors. No more tax benefits for runaway
corporations.
I regret that the Conferees struck the very reasonable federal
contract ban from this bill.
Corporate expatriates cheat the federal government out of needed tax
revenues and then have the audacity to return for a federal hand-out.
Let's take Tyco, formerly of New Hampshire, now of Bermuda, for
example. Tyco avoids paying $400 million a year in U.S. taxes by
setting up a shell headquarters offshore, but was awarded $156 million
in lucrative Defense Department contracts in 2001 alone. If Tyco had
just paid it tax bill, the conferees could have easily awarded the
Coast Guard the extra $300 million that was left out of this bill.
Or let's examine corporate expatriate Ingersoll-Rand, formerly of New
Jersey, and now also in Bermuda. Ingersoll-Rand's tax avoidance would
pay for half the money we've going to spend in order to protect Israel
from Iraqi Scud missiles.
Mr. Speaker, the leadership of this House has thwarted all efforts to
have a legitimate debate and vote on the Neal-Maloney Corporate Patriot
Enforcement Act, a bipartisan bill to deny the benefits to corporations
who flee to tax havens. We must show the American people that this
Congress will not coddle corporate abusers. These financial traitors
are escaping income taxes, and then, profiting from the very government
they had left behind.
I urge my colleagues to fight for tax fairness, any way we can get
it.
Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I
move the previous question on the resolution.
The previous question was ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Thornberry). The question is on the
resolution.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not
present.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Evidently a quorum is not present.
The Sergeant at Arms will notify absent Members.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 374,
nays 37, not voting 20, as follows:
[Roll No. 456]
YEAS--374
Abercrombie
Ackerman
Aderholt
Akin
Allen
Andrews
Armey
Baca
Bachus
Baird
Baker
Ballenger
Barcia
Bartlett
Barton
Bass
Becerra
Bentsen
Bereuter
Berkley
Berry
Biggert
Bilirakis
Bishop
Blagojevich
Blumenauer
Blunt
Boehlert
Boehner
Bonilla
Bono
Boozman
Borski
Boswell
Boucher
Boyd
Brady (PA)
Brown (FL)
Brown (SC)
Bryant
Burton
Buyer
Callahan
Calvert
Camp
Cannon
Cantor
Capito
Capps
Capuano
Cardin
Carson (IN)
Carson (OK)
Castle
Chabot
Chambliss
Clay
Clement
Clyburn
Coble
Collins
Combest
Condit
Costello
Cox
Cramer
Crane
Crenshaw
Crowley
Cubin
Culberson
Cummings
Cunningham
Davis (CA)
Davis (FL)
Davis (IL)
Davis, Jo Ann
Davis, Tom
Deal
DeLauro
DeLay
DeMint
Deutsch
Diaz-Balart
Dicks
Dingell
Dooley
Doolittle
Doyle
Dreier
Duncan
Dunn
Edwards
Ehlers
Ehrlich
Emerson
Engel
English
Eshoo
Etheridge
Evans
Everett
Farr
Fattah
Ferguson
Flake
Fletcher
Foley
Forbes
Ford
Fossella
Frelinghuysen
Frost
Gallegly
Ganske
Gekas
Gibbons
Gilchrest
Gillmor
Gilman
Gonzalez
Goode
Goodlatte
Gordon
Goss
Graham
Granger
Graves
Green (TX)
Green (WI)
Grucci
Gutierrez
Gutknecht
Hall (TX)
Hansen
Harman
Hart
Hastings (FL)
Hastings (WA)
Hayes
Hayworth
Hefley
Herger
Hill
Hinojosa
Hobson
Hoeffel
Hoekstra
Holden
Honda
Hooley
Horn
Hostettler
Houghton
Hoyer
Hulshof
Hunter
Hyde
Inslee
Isakson
Israel
Issa
Istook
Jackson (IL)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Jefferson
Jenkins
John
Johnson (CT)
Johnson (IL)
Johnson, E. B.
Johnson, Sam
Jones (NC)
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Keller
Kelly
Kennedy (MN)
Kennedy (RI)
Kerns
Kildee
Kilpatrick
Kind (WI)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kirk
Kleczka
Knollenberg
Kolbe
LaFalce
LaHood
Lampson
Langevin
Lantos
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Latham
LaTourette
Leach
Levin
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (KY)
Linder
Lipinski
LoBiondo
Lofgren
Lowey
Lucas (KY)
Lucas (OK)
Luther
Lynch
Maloney (CT)
Maloney (NY)
Manzullo
Markey
Mascara
Matheson
Matsui
McCarthy (MO)
McCarthy (NY)
McCollum
McCrery
McGovern
McHugh
McInnis
McIntyre
McKeon
McNulty
Meehan
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Menendez
Mica
Millender-McDonald
Miller, Dan
Miller, Gary
Miller, Jeff
Mollohan
Moore
Moran (KS)
Moran (VA)
Morella
Murtha
Myrick
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Nethercutt
Ney
Northup
Norwood
Nussle
Olver
Ose
Otter
Oxley
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor
Paul
Pelosi
Pence
Peterson (MN)
Peterson (PA)
Petri
Phelps
Pickering
Pitts
Platts
Pombo
Pomeroy
Price (NC)
Pryce (OH)
Putnam
Quinn
Radanovich
Rahall
Ramstad
Regula
Rehberg
Reyes
Reynolds
Riley
Rodriguez
Roemer
Rogers (KY)
[[Page H7802]]
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Ros-Lehtinen
Ross
Rothman
Roybal-Allard
Royce
Rush
Ryan (WI)
Ryun (KS)
Sabo
Sanchez
Sanders
Sandlin
Saxton
Schaffer
Schiff
Schrock
Scott
Sensenbrenner
Serrano
Sessions
Shadegg
Shaw
Shays
Sherman
Sherwood
Shimkus
Shows
Shuster
Simmons
Simpson
Skeen
Skelton
Smith (MI)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Smith (WA)
Snyder
Solis
Souder
Spratt
Stearns
Stenholm
Stupak
Sullivan
Sununu
Sweeney
Tancredo
Tauscher
Tauzin
Taylor (MS)
Taylor (NC)
Terry
Thomas
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Thornberry
Thune
Thurman
Tiahrt
Tiberi
Toomey
Towns
Turner
Upton
Velazquez
Visclosky
Vitter
Walden
Walsh
Wamp
Watkins (OK)
Watson (CA)
Watts (OK)
Waxman
Weiner
Weldon (PA)
Weller
Wexler
Whitfield
Wicker
Wilson (NM)
Wilson (SC)
Wolf
Wu
Wynn
Young (FL)
NAYS--37
Baldwin
Barrett
Brown (OH)
Clayton
Conyers
DeFazio
DeGette
Delahunt
Doggett
Filner
Gephardt
Hilliard
Hinchey
Holt
Jones (OH)
Kucinich
Lee
Lewis (GA)
McDermott
Miller, George
Oberstar
Obey
Owens
Payne
Rangel
Rivers
Sawyer
Schakowsky
Slaughter
Stark
Strickland
Tierney
Udall (CO)
Udall (NM)
Waters
Watt (NC)
Woolsey
NOT VOTING--20
Baldacci
Barr
Berman
Bonior
Brady (TX)
Burr
Cooksey
Coyne
Frank
Greenwood
Hilleary
McKinney
Ortiz
Osborne
Portman
Roukema
Stump
Tanner
Weldon (FL)
Young (AK)
{time} 1556
Messrs. GEORGE MILLER of California, DELAHUNT and SAWYER changed
their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois and Mr. MALONEY of Connecticut changed their
vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
So the resolution was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________