[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 86 (Monday, June 17, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E887-E888]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2014

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 12, 2013

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1960) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2014 for military 
     activities of the Department of Defense and for military 
     construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for 
     such fiscal year, and for other purposes:

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I rise to speak on House consideration of 
the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014.
  I thank Chairman McKeon, Ranking Member Smith and the Rules 
Committee, and the Armed Services Committee for their work on the 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014.
  The National Defense Authorization Act's purpose is to address the 
threats our nation must deal with not just today, but into the future. 
This makes our work vital to our national interest and it should 
reflect our strong commitment to ensure that the men and women of our 
Armed Services receive the benefits and support that they deserve for 
their faithful service.
  This is the 52nd consecutive National Defense Authorization Act, 
which speaks to the long-term commitment of the Congress and successive 
Administrations to provide for National Defense. This bill encompasses 
a number of initiatives designed to confront sexual assault in the 
military, making more efficient the work of protecting America, 
addresses the mental health needs of men and women in the armed 
services, and extends economic opportunity to small minority and women 
owned businesses.
  We do live in a dangerous world, where threats are not always easily 
identifiable, and our enemies are not bound by borders. The recent 
Boston terrorist attack reminds us of how fragile our nation's security 
could be without a well trained and equipped military.
  The definition of war has changed and with it our understanding about 
what is needed to combat a unique type of enemy that fights under no 
flag or for any nation.
  U.S. Special Operations Command, a vital part of our military, 
provides much of the special skills needed to defend our nation today. 
This legislation continues to build on previous efforts to support 
their important work.
  I am still deeply concerned about the President's authority, as 
stipulated by the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force, 
AUMF, to indefinitely detain individuals apprehended in the United 
States--including citizens of the United States--without due process 
and with little independent review or oversight. As a senior member of 
the House Judiciary Committee, I am committed to making sure that the 
Constitution and its protections are enforced. The purpose to defend 
this nation is not just on the grounds of this Capitol, but also the 
foundation that supports the principles of liberty, freedom and 
democratic values.
  The bill includes several provisions that recognize the strain of 
more than a decade of war has placed on our troops and the equipment, 
technology, and tools that they use. It supports a 1.8 percent pay 
raise. I had wanted a 2 percent raise for our troops.
  This Congress must communicate its wholehearted support for the 
security of the nation by addressing mindless cuts created by 
sequestration, the $174.6 billion in operation and maintenance funding 
the bill provides will help mend some of the damage that has been done 
to overused equipment and neglected facilities. It also strengthens our 
ability to confront cyber threats, and provides important authorities 
to protect vital information. The bill also continues to lay the 
foundation for enabling competition in military space launch.
  I am also pleased that so much has occurred to improve the bill 
during its consideration on the House Floor, including the adoption of 
seven amendments that I offered. Combined, these amendments will help 
our military families have access to mental health counseling when 
needed and that contracting opportunities with the Department of 
Defense are extended to women and minority owned businesses. In 
addition, the bill has been improved to include provisions that are 
critically important to women, including provisions to prevent and 
respond to sexual assault and research to combat Triple Negative Breast 
Cancer.
  The bill amended on the House floor now also contains provisions that 
will help secure our borders and make the defense logistics management 
system more efficient.
  Let me discuss briefly the amendments I offered that were adopted by 
the House and included in the final version of the bill.
  Jackson Lee Amendment #1 directs the DoD and NIH to collaborate be to 
combat Triple Negative Breast Cancer. The amendment directs the 
Department of Defense to identify specific genetic and molecular 
targets and biomarkers for TNBC.
  Triple Negative Breast Cancer is a term used to describe breast 
cancers whose cells do not have estrogen receptors and progesterone 
receptors, and do not have an excess of the ``HER2'' protein on their 
cell membrane of tumor cells. This makes commonly used test and methods 
to detect breast cancer not as effective.
  This is a serious illness that effects between 10-17 percent of 
female breast cancer patients and this condition is more likely to 
cause death than the most common form of breast cancer. Seventy percent 
of women with metastatic triple negative breast cancer do not live more 
than five years after being diagnosed.
  Jackson Lee Amendment #1 will help to save lives. TNBC 
disproportionately impacts younger women, African American women, 
Hispanic/Latina women, and women with a ``BRCA1'' genetic mutation, 
which is prevalent in Jewish women. TNBC usually affects women under 50 
years of age and makes up more than 30 percent of all breast cancer 
diagnoses in African American. Black women are far more susceptible to 
this dangerous subtype than white or Hispanic women
  Jackson Lee Amendment that #2 directs the Department of Defense to 
post information on sexual assault prevention and response resources 
online for ease of access by men and women in the armed services.
  There is no greater crime that an individual can commit than the 
crime of sexual molestation and sexual assault. The perpetrators of 
these crimes rob victims of their dignity and sense of wellbeing. 
Victimization is not easily relieved by treating the immediate physical 
injuries that may result, but can last for years. Moreover, victims of 
sexual assault are profoundly affected for the rest of their lives 
often with PTSD or other medical conditions. As elected officials, we 
have an obligation to condemn this violence, work for stronger 
enforcement of laws and provide adequate funding for programs to assist 
individuals who may have experienced such abuse.
  In 2012, we know that victims of sexual violence or abuse among 
civilians are routinely under reported. The Defense Department report 
states that of the 26,000 estimated victims only 3,374 crimes were 
reported and just 302 of the 2,558 incidents pursued by victims were 
prosecuted.
  Jackson Lee Amendment #2 will make sure that information is available 
and easily accessible to military personnel for the purpose of raising 
awareness, promoting education and the long term goal of influencing 
organizational culture around the issue of sexual violence.
  Many in the military are just learning that there is a huge 
difference between sex and sexual violence. Jackson Lee Amendment #3 
would educate both victims, potential victims, witnesses or victimizers 
that these are acts of violence and should be treated as such. It may 
also help influence thinking among military leaders on the nature of 
these crimes and promote changes in policy to aggressively provide 
support to victims and judicial remedies to prosecute and punish 
criminal behavior.
  Jackson Lee Amendment #4 expresses the sense of the Congress that the 
Secretary of Defense should develop a plan to ensure a sustainable flow 
of qualified mental health counselors to meet the long-term needs of

[[Page E888]]

members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their families.
  Houston is home to one of the largest populations of military service 
members and their families in the nation. There are over 200,000 
veterans of military service who live and work in Houston; more than 
13,000 are veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan. For the brave men 
and women who have been wounded in combat, help is on the way.
  Although some of a soldier's wounds are invisible to the naked eye 
they are still wounds that should be properly treated. One of the best 
ways to increase access to treatment is to increase the number of 
medical facilities and mental health professionals who are available to 
serve the needs of men and women currently serving and those who have 
become veterans.
  Jackson Lee Amendment #5 will improve the efficiency of the 
management system and how the Department of Defense inventory will 
support modernization that uses technology to tag and track items 
purchased to increase transparency to the agency on what it has and 
where it is located. This change could mean tens of millions in savings 
if implemented DoD wide by reducing labor cost for tracking and moving 
equipment, but more important prevent repurchasing of items that agency 
already owns, but may not be able to locate.
  The private sector has leaped forward in using inventory tracking 
technology and protocols to monitor large and small products from the 
time they leave manufacturing facilities until they are sold at retail 
or wholesale stores.
  The DoD is one of the largest customers for products in the nation 
and should have the benefit of the best knowledge and technology 
available to more efficiently manage its inventory.
  The most advanced warehouse inventory management systems are fully 
automated and biometrically controlled to track items and create 
records of people who make request to transport items from storage to 
use. These systems make sure that persons seeking to move items have 
the authority to do so and that the requests create records that can be 
tracked as well as track the items moved. These fully automated 
warehouses have no staff, but rely upon technology that is designed to 
store and retrieve items in the most cost effective and efficient 
manner possible.
  Jackson Lee Amendment #5 will extend economic opportunity to small 
businesses by requiring DoD to small business concerns owned and 
controlled by women and minorities before conversion of certain 
functions to contractor performance would aid the economy. Federal 
contracting can be an important revenue source for businesses of any 
size. In fiscal year 2011, federal agencies obligated a total of around 
$537 billion in government contracts to businesses. However, federal 
agencies' goal for contracting with women and minority owned businesses 
is five percent.
  The Department of Defense is a major consumer of products and 
services that range from office products to military specific 
equipment. The wide ranges of business opportunities provide ample 
reasons to engage women and minority owned businesses as contractors or 
subcontractors.
  In addition to the Jackson Lee Amendments offered to this bill, I 
joined my Colleagues on the Committee on Homeland Security in 
supporting an amendment to promote collaboration and cooperation 
between the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security 
regarding the identification of equipment, either declared excess, or 
made available to DHS on a long-term loan basis that will help increase 
security along the border.
  I also request that my colleagues support another amendment that I 
joined in sponsoring along with the leadership of the House Committee 
on Homeland Security which would allow the transfer of technology from 
DoD to state and local law enforcement. Before the creation of DHS a 
program was created to facilitate this type of equipment transfer and 
this amendment adds the Secretary of Homeland Security in a 
consultative role in the equipment transfer process. This amendment 
also gives applicants seek DoD equipment for use in border security 
preference in this statute. This will facilitate expedited transfer of 
equipment that Federal, state and local first responders can use to 
strengthen our border security efforts.
  I do have grave concerns about some features of the National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. For example this bill assumes 
adoption of the House Budget Resolution framework, which would hurt our 
economy and require draconian cuts to middle-class priorities. This is 
a serious concern for me because of how it would impact my constituents 
in the 18th Congressional District.
  The Administration has communicated that it would veto this bill in 
its current for and I hope that the conference process will resolve the 
issues that are the most troubling like the treatment of the Guantanamo 
detainees. This issue is a mark against everything the United States 
stands for and it is damaging our reputation and credibility around the 
world.
  The detentions should end and people properly processed to other 
facilities or tried in courts of law to address charges or crimes 
against the United States. My hope is that this provision will be 
dropped from the bill as the legislative process goes forward.
  We must continue to direct our efforts as a body to ensure that our 
troops remain the best equipped and prepared military force in the 
world. They are not just soldiers they are sons and daughters, husbands 
and wives, brothers and sisters--they are some of the people we 
represent as members of Congress. Support of them is a sacred 
obligation of Congress both to those who are at risk on battlefields 
and serving as the guard against threats around the world, but they are 
also those who have returned home from war.
  I thank Chairman McKeon and Ranking Member Smith for their work on 
this bill.

                          ____________________