[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 75 (Friday, May 27, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E987]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2012

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                               speech of

                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 24, 2011

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1540) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2012 for military 
     activities of the Department of Defense and for military 
     construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for 
     fiscal year 2012, and for other purposes:

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Chair, today I will vote against the National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (NDAA). While nothing is 
more important than providing the resources needed to keep America and 
our men and women in uniform safe, this authorization spends too much 
while falling short in important areas.
  The bill authorizes $690.1 billion for defense programs in FY12. This 
level of defense spending is almost as much as the rest of the world 
combined--most of which is done by friendly allies such as NATO 
(approximately $350 billion). It also includes an additional $118.9 
billion in specific funds for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan without 
a plan for a full redeployment from the region. I am disappointed that 
amendments to require a rapid and thoughtful withdrawal from 
Afghanistan were not approved. For me, this is reason enough not to 
support this legislation.
  The bill continues the misguided affront on civil liberties by 
further stalling the implementation of ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell,'' and 
requires that ``marriage'' for any regulation or benefit program at DoD 
means only a legal union between one man and one woman. This is a step 
backwards and unacceptable.
  It reverses the House victory from earlier this year that finally 
eliminated the unnecessary alternate engine for the F-35 Joint Strike 
Fighter. Similarly, the bill continues to fund the Marine Corps' 
Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) which has also been cited as 
uneconomical and unwanted by the Secretary of Defense.
  Embarrassingly, this authorization contains two key provisions that 
continue to tie the President's hands by restricting his ability to 
transfer detainees to the United States for trial in Federal court and 
to release detainees to countries willing to take them. It is absurd to 
think that the United States, which currently has thousands of 
dangerous criminals locked safely behind bars, is incapable of doing 
the same for terrorists. These provisions continue the Guantanamo 
quagmire which is ill-advised and a sign of failure at home and to 
those observing abroad.
  There are many positive elements in the bill, such as new rights and 
protections for victims of sexual assault in the military and increased 
access to mental health providers for our Reserves. I am pleased three 
of my amendments were included in the legislation. One amendment lifts 
the veil on classified immunity for defense contractors, a practice 
that exposed 36 of our Oregon National Guardsmen to toxic chemicals in 
Iraq. The other two will help protect our troops on the battlefield and 
save billions of dollars through energy efficiency initiatives. Their 
inclusion, however, does not offset the overall authorization which 
fails to reflect America's priorities or our national security 
realities.
  At a time when Americans are calling for reform, this bill--despite 
some positives--continues our operations in Afghanistan with no plan 
for withdrawal, ramps up spending and discriminates against our service 
members. I am hopeful that my colleagues in the Senate can remove some 
of the provisions that do little to make America secure while we 
continue to spend almost as much on defense as the rest of the world 
combined.

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