[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 168 (Wednesday, November 19, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2322-E2323]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 1588, NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR 
                            FISCAL YEAR 2004

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, November 7, 2003

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, today, with our soldiers in 
harm's way around the globe, and as seemingly constant reports come on 
the television of brave men and women either killed or wounded, I rise 
in support of the FY04 National Defense Authorization Act conference 
report. This important legislation provides much-needed pay increases 
for our troops, as well as authorizes funding for important 
construction projects at New Mexico's military bases. This is, however, 
far from perfect legislation and I have very serious concerns about 
several provisions included in this year's bill. This legislation has 
traditionally been free of highly controversial issues, which, 
unfortunately, have found their way into this year's authorization.
  I would first like to touch on the exemptions to the Endangered 
Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) that were 
included in this legislation. I was a conferee on this section of the 
bill and believe that the exemptions included in the conference report 
do not strike an adequate balance between maintaining a level of high 
military readiness, which I strongly support, and protecting at-risk 
species.
  The DOD argues that the existing national security exemptions in our 
environmental laws are not good enough for the military, even though 
the GAO found that claim was without basis. The DOD Authorization 
Conference Report creates a far weaker and unwarranted regulatory 
process for the Navy. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, we should have rejected 
the exemptions to the ESA and MMPA. As Mr. Rumsfeld acknowledged in 
Qatar, we have the ``best trained, best equipped and finest troops on 
the face of the earth.'' Considering this, the military exemptions this 
legislation creates are unnecessary and should have been struck from 
the Report.

[[Page E2323]]

  Another issue that I believe is inadequately addressed in the report 
before us today has to do with the Disabled Veterans Tax, also known as 
concurrent receipt. This conference report includes a Republican 
proposal that would only partially end the tax, thereby leaving out 
two-thirds of military retirees affected by the tax and forcing those 
covered to wait 10 years for full benefits. Mr. Speaker, since I have 
been in Congress, I have cosponsored H.R. 303, to provide full 
concurrent receipt for all veterans eligible for both retirement and 
disability pay; I have signed the discharge petition to get H.R. 303 on 
the floor; I have signed numerous letters on this topic; and I strongly 
support ending this inequitable situation. For that reason, since I 
support a total fix to this unfair tax, today I will be supporting the 
Democratic motion to recommit the conference report with instructions 
to report it back with the complete elimination of the Disabled 
Veterans Tax.
  The conference agreement also contains a number of dangerous 
provisions relating to the development of a new generation of nuclear 
weapons. The agreement authorizes the administration's request of $15 
million for research on the nuclear ``bunker buster,'' the Robust 
Nuclear Earth Penetrator, plus $6 million for ``advanced concept 
initiatives.'' I strongly oppose these provisions. Instead of building 
new nuclear weapons, I believe we should fund weapons that have just as 
strong a deterrent capability, but do not encourage new uses for 
nuclear weapons or encourage a new nuclear arms race.

  Mr. Speaker, I voted against H.R. 1588 when it first passed the House 
because of many of the provisions I just discussed. However, even 
during its first time through the House, I supported the across-the-
board 4.15 percent pay increase for military personnel, and I strongly 
support these provisions again as it is included in the conference 
agreement.
  However, there are a few provisions in particular that I strongly 
support which were not included in the initial House version of the 
Defense Authorization legislation. Now that they are included in the 
conference report, I will be voting in support of this conference 
agreement today.
  One provision not included in the House version, but one that I have 
been working hard to ensure it is included in the conference report, is 
authorization of $9 million for Cannon Air Force Base located in my 
district in Clovis, New Mexico. $7.7 million of this $9 million would 
be used to construct a much-needed new Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE) 
Complex and $1.3 million would be used to install a permanent 
Simplified Short Approach Lighting System (SSALS) with sequenced 
flashers on a runway at the air force base. These are both very 
important upgrades that will improve the safety of our troops stationed 
at Cannon Air Force Base and, in turn, help improve the safety of our 
nation.
  One other provision that has helped sway me to support passage of 
this authorization is making an additional 12,000 legal permanent 
reservists who serve in the military eligible to apply to become U.S. 
citizens after a year of service for citizenship in the United States. 
I believe that if immigrants are willing to serve in war, then a 
grateful nation should give them what they are fighting for, American 
citizenship.
  Mr. Speaker, clearly there provisions that are both good and bad. In 
a bill this size, it is inevitable that this is the case. As such, 
because I believe the conference agreement includes important 
provisions that were not included in the House version of the bill, I 
will be voting in support of passage of this important legislation. 
With our men and women overseas in harms way, supporting this bill with 
its important pay raises for them and their families is a fitting way 
to show our support for them.

                          ____________________