[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 75 (Wednesday, June 8, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1172-E1173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2006

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 25, 2005

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1815) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2006 for military 
     activities of the Department of Defense,

[[Page E1173]]

     to prescribe military personnel strengths for fiscal year 
     2006, and for other purposes:

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise today unfortunately 
with the news that the Rules Committee rejected several major 
Democratic amendments that could have greatly strengthened the National 
Defense Authorization Act. It is sad to see that so many relevant and 
necessary amendments to this Defense Authorization were not ruled in 
order. Among the most relevant amendment were those submitted by my 
distinguished colleagues including Mr. Waxman's amendment on government 
contracting, Mr. Skelton's amendment on women in combat, Mr. Tierney's 
amendment on the Truman Commission, Mr. Markey's amendment on torture, 
Mr. Salazar's amendment on Survivors Benefit Plans, Mr. Taylor's 
amendment on TRICARE, Mr. Marshall's amendment on concurrent receipt 
and Mr. Spratt's amendment on nonproliferation. It is truly unfortunate 
that such pertinent amendments were not ruled in order and debated by 
this entire body. When the amendment process is compromised like it has 
been here then the legislative process suffers and unfortunately that 
means our Armed Forces will suffer as a result of this Defense 
Authorization.
  I am most outraged by the fact that there will be no consideration of 
the Taylor amendment on TRICARE for reservists, the Salazar amendment 
on ending the Military Families Tax, and the Marshall amendment on 
ending the Disabled Veterans Tax. These amendments are three key 
provisions in the GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century, which House 
Democrats unveiled in March. It seems blatant, that the Rules Committee 
would not allow the full body to consider these vital amendments which 
could have greatly strengthened this Defense Authorization.
  My colleague Mr. Taylor's amendment would have provided full TRICARE 
to all members of the Guard and Reserve and their families. Currently, 
the Guard and Reserve are covered by TRICARE only when they are 
mobilized for active duty. Under the Taylor amendment, all members of 
the Guard and Reserve could buy into TRICARE for an affordable monthly 
premium. The Taylor amendment was in fact adopted by the Armed Services 
Committee by a vote of 32 to 30. However, after the mark-up, Chairman 
Hunter stripped the amendment from the bill based on a violation of the 
Budget Act, instead of allowing Representative Taylor to make a slight 
modification to his amendment which would have addressed the violation. 
It is the slightly modified version that Representative Taylor had 
sought the Rules Committee to make in order and which the Rules 
Committee has egregiously rejected for consideration. It is a travesty 
indeed because this amendment could have done so much good for so many 
Guardsmen and Reservists. The simple fact is that more than 433,000 of 
our National Guard and Reserves have been called up over the past two 
and one-half years. Reserve Components make up almost 50 percent of our 
forces in Iraq. It is time that we as a body recognize their service to 
our Nation by providing TRICARE for Reserve Component personnel on a 
permanent basis. It is disgraceful that this Congress will not 
demonstrate the level of commitment for its citizen-soldiers that they 
so richly deserve.
  I am also greatly disturbed by the fact that there will be no 
consideration of Mr. Spratt's amendment on nuclear nonproliferation. 
The amendment offered by Mr. Spratt would have provided an additional 
$80 million for nuclear nonproliferation activities. These vital 
activities would have been paid for by a modest decrease to future silo 
construction of ground-based missile defense. Clearly, this 
Administration and this Congress would rather waste money on futile 
missile defense systems that have proven not to work instead of 
safeguarding against the proliferation of nuclear weapons which pose a 
threat to our entire Nation and indeed the world. I can not even fathom 
how so many officials elected by the people can have such misplaced 
priorities. I can only pray that clearer judgment will prevail one day 
soon before we have to face the consequences of these misplaced 
priorities.
  Mr. Salazar's amendment would have ended the Military Families Tax. 
Currently, the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) penalizes survivors, mostly 
widows of those killed as a result of combat. These widows lose their 
survivor benefits if they receive Dependency and Indemnity Compensation 
(DIC) benefits because their spouse has died of a service-connected 
injury. The Salazar amendment would have ended this offset 
requirement--the Military Families Tax--for the 53,000 spouses who 
continue to pay this unfair tax, which affects families that have made 
the greatest sacrifice for our country. Again, I find it disgraceful 
that this Congress will not have the opportunity to aid those military 
families that are penalized under the Military Families Tax and who 
have made the ultimate sacrifice to our Nation.
  Mr. Marshall's amendment would have completely ended the Disabled 
Veterans' Tax for about 400,000 military retirees who were left behind 
under the partial repeal which the GOP-controlled Congress reluctantly 
enacted in 2003 and would speed up the end of the Disabled Veterans' 
Tax for the remaining disabled military retirees. For almost two years 
Democrats have been working to end the Disabled Veterans' Tax, and we 
have only been partially successful because the Republican leadership 
has put up roadblock after roadblock to eliminating this most unfair 
tax. Now, the Republican leadership and the Rules Committee have 
completed a hat trick of disgrace by rejecting the Marshall amendment 
for consideration which would have completely ended the Disabled 
Veterans Tax for all disabled military retirees.
  I can only hope in the future that such significant legislation as 
this will involve the debate and full consideration of all necessary 
and relevant amendments. The men and women of our Armed Forces and 
indeed the American people as a whole deserve as much.

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