[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 83 (Friday, May 28, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E994-E995]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2011

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. EARL POMEROY

                            of north dakota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 27, 2010

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 5136) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2011 for military 
     activities of the Department of Defense, to prescribe 
     military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
     other purposes:

  Mr. POMEROY. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 5136, the National 
Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2011, though I have 
concerns about certain provisions that have been included in the bill.
  While I strongly support many aspects of the bill, I am concerned 
about the inclusion of language to overturn the military's ``Don't Ask, 
Don't Tell'' policy. Earlier this year, the Secretary of Defense 
ordered a study of the issue of repealing ``Don't Ask Don't Tell.'' He 
said that while he believes it should be repealed, he first wanted to 
gather input from the troops before moving forward with repeal. I agree 
with the approach of Secretary Gates. I also agree with our military's 
service chiefs, including Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton 
Schwartz, who said we should complete the Secretary's review before 
passing legislation to repeal ``Don't Ask Don't Tell.'' I believe we 
should follow the lead of our military leaders. That means following 
the process we set up earlier this year to gather input from our troops 
and study the effect of repeal on our military forces. That is the best 
way to make sure our troops have their views heard, and that the right 
decision is made for the men and women in our armed forces.
  While I voted against the amendment to end the ``Don't Ask, Don't 
Tell'' policy, I will be voting in favor of final passage of the 2011 
NDAA. I believe that it is vitally important that Congress enact its 
yearly Defense Department authorization bill in a timely matter. This 
legislation helps to set military policy and any delay

[[Page E995]]

in its enactment will have a negative effect on the department's 
ability to effectively and efficiently make decisions to execute that 
policy.
  This bill also includes an important pay increase for our soldiers, 
authorizes funding for badly needed equipment for our Guard and Reserve 
and includes my amendment to continue the Joint Family Support 
Assistance Program. Additionally, the bill authorizes important 
military construction projects in North Dakota including nearly $19 
million to construct a new Air Traffic Control Complex at Minot Air 
Force Base, $11.2 million to renovate and expand the Readiness Center 
at Camp Grafton and $500,000 to begin planning and design of a Central 
Deployment Center at the Grand Forks Air Force Base. These programs 
must be authorized so that the DoD can put these important initiatives 
in place. My vote in favor of this bill is a vote to move the important 
process of authorizing the activities of the Defense Department forward 
in a timely manner and a vote in support of our soldiers.

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