[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 135 (Thursday, October 3, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H6177-H6178]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               PASS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SPENDING BILLS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Alabama (Mr. Brooks) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to represent 
Redstone Arsenal, one of America's premier military bases and home to 
the

[[Page H6178]]

Army Materiel Command, Aviation and Missile Command, Security 
Assistance Command, Contracting Command, Expeditionary Contracting 
Command, Space and Missile Defense Command, and numerous other program 
executive offices, agencies, and centers.
  According to the Department of Defense, ``of the Department's 800,000 
civilian workers, about half will be furloughed.'' That means President 
Obama, our Commander in Chief, in his sole discretion, publicly 
declared that roughly 400,000 DOD civilian employees are not 
``essential'' to America's national security.
  While I disagree and question why any Commander in Chief would, in 
his sole discretion, slight 400,000 defense workers by declaring them 
superfluous to America's national security, that is not why I address 
the House of Representatives today. What I want to know is: Why do 
President Obama, Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and their 
allies pointlessly insist on shutting down the DOD?
  Let me elaborate.
  On June 14, 2013, almost 4 months ago, the House of Representatives 
passed H.R. 1960, the National Defense Authorization Act, on a 315-108 
bipartisan vote; 103 House Democrats, a Democrat majority, joined 212 
Republicans to pass the National Defense Authorization Act.
  On July 24, 2013, almost 3 months ago, the House passed H.R. 2397, 
the Defense appropriations bill on a 315-109 bipartisan vote; 95 House 
Democrats joined 220 Republicans in passing the Defense appropriations 
bill.
  I publicly thank the House Democrats who supported the programs and 
funding that help America's warfighters protect American lives. 
Collectively, these defense bills restore funding lost because of 
sequestration and fully fund America's military and national defense. 
If these defense bills become law, then national defense is exempt from 
President Obama's shutdown orders.
  Unfortunately, there is an unhappy ending to the House's bipartisan 
support for national defense. Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry 
Reid needlessly obstructs votes on both bills, thus causing them to 
languish 3 and 4 months in the United States Senate.
  Senate intransigence means the Department of Defense is subject to 
President Obama's shutdown orders and 400,000 defense workers are, as 
of today, barred from helping our warfighters who risk their lives for 
America both here and abroad. Each day these 400,000 defense workers do 
not work is another day America's warfighters are without their help, 
is another delay that denies our warfighters the cutting edge in high-
tech weaponry needed to defeat America's enemies with minimal loss of 
life.
  Mr. Speaker, Democrat Senator Harry Reid should stop his 
obstructionism and allow a vote--just a vote--on the defense bills that 
have passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support. If he 
does, both bills will pass and become law and national defense will be 
fully funded and exempt from President Obama's shutdown orders.
  Mr. Speaker, the Senate, White House, and Congress agree on close to 
99 percent of our appropriations bills. The White House and Senate must 
stop using a Federal Government shutdown and the loss of 400,000 
national defense jobs to coerce the House of Representatives into 
spending money America does not have on a socialized medicine program 
that does not work and that a majority of Americans do not want. The 
responsible thing to do is to fund the 99 percent, end the Federal 
Government shutdown, and then debate and negotiate the 1 percent that 
we legitimately disagree on.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to 
join our bipartisan House effort to compromise--yes, compromise--and 
pass the National Defense Authorization Act and Defense appropriations 
bill, thereby securing America's national security while at the same 
time restoring 400,000 jobs America's economy sorely needs.

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