[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 199 (Friday, December 23, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2339-E2340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




H.R. 1540--THE NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2012, 
                           DECEMBER 14, 2011

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE KELLY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 23, 2011

  Mr. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, under the Constitution, Congress has the 
solemn responsibility to the American people ``to provide for the 
common defense.'' Congress exercises this responsibility through 
passage of H.R. 1540, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2012. Three guiding principles for this legislation are discussed 
below.
  First, the conference report for H.R. 1540 provides the members of 
our armed forces with all of the resources necessary to complete their 
missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world. The brave men and 
women who make up our armed forces have a high calling--to protect the 
American people--and it is incumbent upon us as the Congress to do 
everything we can to give them the resources they need to get the job 
done quickly and safely.
  Further, this conference report provides military personnel and their 
families with the support that they need and which is rightfully 
theirs. Serving as a soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine is no ordinary 
job, and members of our armed forces as well as their families need to 
know that no matter what happens here in Washington, DC, there will be 
no interruption to their pay or benefits as they work night and day to 
keep us safe.
  Lastly, this conference report provides for investment in the future 
of our nation's security by ensuring that our armed forces are capable 
of responding to the threats of today and the threats of tomorrow. Our 
enemies around the world are not standing still; they are actively 
probing for any weaknesses in our nation's defenses, and we must be 
vigilant in maintaining both our current capabilities and developing 
future capabilities. For the sake of our country and our allies who 
depend on us, we must sustain a strong, flexible, and effective force 
structure.
  The conference report provides authorization for national defense 
spending in the following amounts: $554 billion for the base budget and 
$115.5 billion for overseas contingency operations, i.e. the war on 
terrorism. This is a significant reduction in funding from the original 
House-passed version to comply with the first tier of the Budget 
Control Act's

[[Page E2340]]

requirement to cut defense spending by an estimated $465 billion over 
ten years. Specifically, this authorized funding has been reduced $19 
billion from the Fiscal Year 2011 National Defense Authorization Act, 
$21.8 billion from the House-passed version of the Fiscal Year 2012 
National Defense Authorization Act, and $24.1 billion from President 
Obama's budget. While our nation's economic plight has forced us all to 
tighten our belts, we cannot put Americans at risk by engaging in 
irresponsibly deep cuts to our defense spending that would hollow out 
our nation's military. This conference report strikes the right balance 
between the important priorities of reducing wasteful government 
spending and providing for a strong, robust, national defense.
  The conference report also sets forth key policies that will help to 
ensure the safety of our nation and the effectiveness of our military. 
A few examples are discussed below.
  The conference report provides for new sanctions on entities that 
engage in financial transactions with the Central Bank of Iran, 
including other state central banks. The provisions apply to the 
purchase of petroleum, which is of course one of Iran's key natural 
resources. The threat from Iran has only grown in recent weeks and 
months. Iran has continued its relentless drive towards developing 
nuclear weapons; continued its unceasing promotion of terrorism, 
including a brazen attempt to assassinate the Ambassador from Saudi 
Arabia to the United States, on American soil; sought to exert its 
malign influence over key countries in the region, including the 
nascent democracy of Iraq; and threatened America's strongest ally in 
the Middle East, the nation of Israel. Cutting off Iran's access to 
international financial transactions will help stop Iran from making 
progress towards any of these harmful goals.
  Further, the conference report codifies conscience protections for 
military chaplains. Chaplains are crucial to the well-being of the 
members of our armed forces, who rely on them for guidance and 
spiritual nourishment especially when they are serving overseas. 
Chaplains shall never be forced to act against their consciences. 
Accordingly this conference report protects chaplains from being forced 
to perform same-sex marriages in violation of their conscience or their 
moral principles.
  Lastly, the conference report forbids government funding from being 
used to transfer or release Guantanamo Bay detainees into the United 
States. To permit known terrorists to enter the U.S. would create an 
unacceptable threat to the safety of the American people and the 
conference report rightly prevents such an unthinkable scenario from 
occurring.
  In short, this conference report provides crucial funding and sets 
forth key policies to ensure our nation's defense.
  I unequivocally urge my colleagues to vote for this important 
legislation.

                          ____________________