[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 174 (Friday, November 9, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2387]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008--CONFERENCE REPORT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 8, 2007

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3222) making 
     appropriations for the Department of Defense for fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 2008, and for other purposes:

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this measure, which will 
give our men and women in uniform the resources they need to help 
protect our Nation and its people.
  Taking care of our military families is a vital responsibility, and 
this bill meets that obligation. It provides a 3.5 percent pay raise 
for all military personnel, rejects the President's proposed increases 
in TRICARE co-pays by fully funding the $1.9 billion TRICARE shortfall 
without cost to our troops, and allocates $2.6 billion to provide more 
counselors, teachers, and child care providers to reinforce the support 
network serving military families. The bill also provides $615.7 
million for Army facilities to upgrade barracks, improve child care 
facilities and enhance community services at bases throughout the U.S., 
Europe and Korea. All of these things will improve the quality of life 
of our military families, and I appreciate what Chairman Murtha has 
done on their behalf.
  Providing our deployed troops with the equipment they need is our 
other vital responsibility. This bill provides $11.6 billion for Mine 
Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles and for body armor and other 
protective equipment. Earlier this year, I joined a number of my 
colleagues in a letter to Defense Secretary Gates urging him to make 
the acquisition of MRAP vehicles a priority, and I'm pleased he has 
worked with the Congress to expedite the acquisition of these life-
saving vehicles.
  Our Guard and Reserve units will also benefit from a $980 million 
appropriation in this bill for new equipment. I think just about all of 
us in this House have Guard and Reserve units in our districts that 
have been short of key equipment, a situation that not only has 
compromised the deployability of those units overseas but has also made 
it harder for Guard units to provide disaster support to communities in 
the wake of floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. I'm glad 
these equipment shortages are being addressed in this bill, and I hope 
we'll continue working this problem until all Guard and Reserve units 
have their full allocation of needed equipment.
  Finally, to help those who return from war wounded, this bill 
provides $70 million for the Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors 
Act (H.R. 1538), which passed the Congress in July 2007. That 
legislation mandated improvements in the care of wounded service 
members and in the services provided to them, including improving the 
system of case managers for wounded service members, creating a system 
of patient advocates, and the creation of a formal transition process 
from the Armed Forces to the VA for service members who are being 
retired or separated for health reasons. I'm pleased we're finally 
funding this important bill, which was passed in the wake of the Walter 
Reed Medical Center scandal in January. However, I view this as just 
the first step in properly funding these programs, and I hope we can do 
even more in next year's budget.
  Mr. Chairman, this bill will help us give our men and women in 
uniform and their families the support and resources they need, and I 
urge my colleagues to join me in voting for it.

                          ____________________