[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 155 (Saturday, September 27, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2037]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      CONSOLIDATED SECURITY, DISASTER ASSISTANCE, AND CONTINUING 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. BOB ETHERIDGE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 24, 2008

  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2638, the 
Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing 
Appropriations Act for 2009. This bill provides vital funding for our 
national security needs by including regular appropriations for the 
Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, and the 
Department of Veterans Affairs. It also provides continuing funding for 
the regular operations of other areas of the Federal Government to 
prevent any interruption in vital services for our citizens.
  As a veteran of the U.S. Army, I am proud that this bill keeps our 
commitments to our troops and their families, those who are serving in 
Iraq, Afghanistan, and other areas around the world and those who have 
served our Nation honorably in this war or previous times of strife.
  H.R. 2638 provides $487.7 billion for our military needs. It 
addresses equipment shortfalls for our troops, improves training, and 
ensures that our military men and women, and their families, receive 
first class medical care. The bill increases military pay by 3.9 
percent, rejects the President's attempts to increase TRICARE fees, and 
continues our commitment to the well-being of our soldiers. It provides 
critical support to the people who support our troops, making $2.8 
billion available for family advocacy, education, and daycare. It 
improves barracks and military hospitals with a $734 million increase 
over the President's request, ensuring our soldiers have quality 
facilities when they serve our Nation.
  Like the House-passed Military Construction and Veterans Affairs 
Appropriations Act, H.R. 6599, this bill makes veterans a top priority. 
It includes a total of $47.6 billion for the Department of Veterans 
Affairs, more than 10 percent over last year's appropriation. $41 
billion supports the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and Veterans 
Medical Services, which expects to serve more than 5.8 million patients 
next year. To improve access to care for our veterans, particularly in 
rural areas without a VHA facility, the bill provides $200 million for 
fee-based providers where VHA services are not available. This bill 
also helps our soldiers returning today from Iraq and Afghanistan, 
increasing funding for traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress 
disorder treatment, as well as supporting prosthetics and new 
prosthetic technology.
  As the Representative of Fort Bragg, one of the largest United States 
Army bases in the country, I am pleased that this bill addresses the 
needs of our military installations. H.R. 2638 includes $25 billion for 
military construction. With a commitment of $8.8 billion, this bill 
addresses the costs of implementing the Base Realignment and Closure 
(BRAC), which is bringing unprecedented growth to Fort Bragg.
  As a Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I am pleased 
that this bill makes investments in our security needs while cutting 
funding for low priority and poorly managed programs. It also demands 
long-needed oversight for contracting and procurement to ensure 
taxpayer funds are well spent. Homeland security begins with hometown 
security, and this bill provides $4.2 billion, nearly twice the funding 
requested by the President, for first responders who provide the first 
line of defense against disaster, whether natural or man-made. It 
provides funding for a record number of border patrol agents and other 
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, enhancing our ability to 
enforce our laws and keep our borders secure. The bill pays for 4,361 
new CBP personnel and 1,400 more detention beds for Immigration and 
Customs Enforcement (ICE), and adds $1 billion for ICE's enforcement 
efforts and $775 million for border security fencing and technology. 
Overall it includes nearly $40 billion in funding to keep Americans 
secure and ensure that our Nation is prepared for every emergency.
  H.R. 2638 provides additional money for Community Development Block 
Grants, Social Services Block Grants, and disaster relief to address 
the emerging needs of communities responding to recent natural 
disasters. It also provides an additional $2.5 billion over last year 
for Pell Grants to prevent cuts that were facing college students in 
the middle of the year.
  This is not a perfect bill, and compromises needed to be made in 
order to ensure our Nation's vital priorities can be addressed. I am 
disappointed that H.R. 2638 does not include any restrictions on 
offshore drilling, ending 25 years of Congressional protection for our 
beaches and shorelines, and allowing oil rigs to be built just three 
miles from our coast. I am disappointed that this bill does not include 
a balanced energy strategy, like that in the House-passed H.R. 6899, 
the Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act, 
to give states control over their coastlines and target drilling and 
exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) beyond 50 miles of our 
coastlines. I am disappointed that this bill does not significantly 
address our desperate need for school construction and modernization, 
as our schools are bursting at the seams and our economy could use the 
new jobs it would create. I am disappointed that in this time of 
financial crisis, this bill does not address state shortfalls for 
Medicaid and other pressing needs. I look forward to working to address 
these shortfalls when the 111th Congress takes up appropriations for 
the rest of FY2009 in the new year.
  I support H.R. 2638, the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, 
and Continuing Appropriations Act for 2009, and I urge my colleagues to 
join me in voting for its passage.

                          ____________________