[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 79 (Friday, May 23, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E837-E838]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 H.R. 4435, THE NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2015

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 20, 2014

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4435) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2015 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:

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Chair, I want to thank the Chairman and the Ranking 
Member of the Armed Services Committee and their staffs for working 
with me on several amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act 
for Fiscal Year 2015, H.R. 4435.
  This legislation reaffirms our commitment to our men and women in 
uniform, ensuring they have the necessary tools to support our national 
defense. In addition to my amendments, which will help create savings 
and improve department management, the bill before the House preserves 
essential benefits that are important to the thousands of active and 
retired military personnel and their families living in my Northern 
Virginia district. It also sustains the critical collaboration with the 
private sector in my district which partners with the Department on a 
wide variety of defense priorities, including cybersecurity, logistics, 
and information technology services.
  With respect to federal investments in IT, I was pleased to co-author 
a comprehensive reform proposal with Chairman Issa of the Committee on 
Oversight and Government Reform. It is based on our bipartisan bill, 
known as the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act, or 
FITARA, which passed the House with unanimous support earlier this 
year. I also want to thank our Committee's Ranking Member, Mr. 
Cummings, for his generosity and leadership on these issues.
  In the 21st century, effective governance is inextricably linked with 
how well government leverages technology to serve its citizens. Yet our 
current laws governing Federal IT procurement are antiquated, 
cumbersome, and out of step with technological change.
  Our bipartisan FITARA amendment addresses this by comprehensively 
streamlining and strengthening the Federal IT acquisition process. 
FITARA recognizes that effective Federal IT procurement reform must 
begin with leadership and accountability. It enhances CIO authorities 
to ensure agency heads have talented leaders to serve as their primary 
advisers on IT management; to recruit and retain talented IT staff; and 
to oversee critical IT investments across the organization.
  FITARA also accelerates data center optimization and strengthens the 
accountability and transparency of Federal IT programs. If enacted, 80 
percent of the approximately $80 billion spent annually on Federal IT 
investment would be required to be posted on the online IT Dashboard 
for the public to review, compared to the 50 percent or less that is 
available today. Fortunately, a bipartisan consensus is forming around 
the urgent need to streamline and strengthen how the Federal Government 
acquires and deploys information technology. Now is the time to ensure 
IT reforms are adopted government-wide and given the force of law.
  I also was pleased to offer an amendment that will permanently 
authorize the use of simplified acquisition procedures for certain 
commercial items, which has the support of Department of Defense and 
other agencies, as well as industry partners, such as the Professional 
Services Council. This activity was originally authorized as a 3-year 
test program under the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996. The program aimed to 
simplify the contracting process by providing contracting officers with 
additional discretion and flexibility for the acquisition of commercial 
items not exceeding $5 million. Since being enacted, Congress has 
extended this authority eight separate times, and it is now set to 
expire on January 1, 2015.
  Earlier this year, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) 
submitted a report to Congress, discussing the use of the test 
authority by the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and 
Interior. GAO found that the test program reduced contracting lead time 
and administrative burdens with manageable risks. In responding to the 
GAO report, DHS and DOI both stated that the temporary nature of the 
test program hindered its use and recommended the authority be made 
permanent.
  The Department of Defense offered the following comments in support 
of preserving this authority: ``The test program provides benefits in 
terms of reducing lead time and administrative workload and enables 
faster delivery of much needed supplies and equipment to the 
Warfighter. For example, the U.S. Army Contracting Command Rock Island 
Contracting Center, which provides reach-back support to the theater, 
used this authority to execute several contract requirements in direct 
support of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) theater of 
operations in FY 2011. Without this authority, the procurement lead 
time would have doubled. This could have led to mission failure in 
contingency operations, particularly those in the CENTCOM theater of 
operations. In addition, this authority is extremely beneficial in 
responding to domestic crises such as Hurricane Katrina, Midwest 
flooding, and recent tornados.''
  In addition, I offered an amendment to extend for five years a 
successful hiring authority to allow Federal retirees to be temporarily 
re-hired on a part-time basis to fill critical skills gaps, mentor and 
train younger workers, and stave off a ``brain drain'' as more and more 
Federal employees become eligible to retire. First adopted as part of 
the NDAA for FY2010, this authority allows the heads of federal 
agencies to bring back a limited number of Federal retirees for a 
limited time without them incurring a penalty on the annuity.
  Over the past five years, agency leaders report this has been a 
valuable tool in providing them with flexibility to address staffing 
needs as retirements have begun to increase. Nearly half of the 
management staff within some agencies is eligible to retire today, and 
agencies face further challenges as positions are being left vacant due 
to budget shortfalls and hiring freezes. Thanks to this re-hiring 
authority, agencies are able to bring back experienced staff to bridge 
knowledge gaps and help prepare future leaders. This program is limited 
in scope so as not to supplant the urgent need to hire and train new 
federal workers. I was pleased to have the support of the National 
Active and Retired Federal Employees Association and the Government 
Management Coalition, which called this a ``good-government 
initiative.''
  I also worked with the Armed Services Committee on two foreign 
affairs-related amendments. The first is a bipartisan amendment that I 
was pleased to introduce with my fellow co-chairs of the Congressional 
Taiwan Caucus Reps. Diaz-Balart (FL), Sires (NJ), and Carter (TX). Our 
amendment directs the

[[Page E838]]

President to sell F-16 C/D aircraft to Taiwan to modernize its aging 
air fleet. It is consistent with U.S. obligations to provide weapons 
for Taiwan's defense under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act.
  The Obama administration said two years ago that it would ``seriously 
consider'' selling the newer fighter jets to Taiwan. During the 112th 
Congress, 181 Members of the House sent a letter to the Administration 
urging it to ``move quickly'' to address Taiwan's critical need. Yet 
since then, it has only sold retrofit packages for Taiwan's older 
fighter models, some of which are decades old. Taiwan is a key 
strategic ally in the Pacific. It is America's 9th largest trading 
partner. Our amendment is critical to America's strategic economic and 
defense partnerships with Taiwan, and it reinforces our commitment to 
support a democratic Taiwan given the growing military gap and cyber 
security threat across the Taiwan Strait.
  The other amendment builds on language already in the bill the limit 
military contact and cooperation with the Russian Federation in the 
wake of its annexation of Crimea and its ongoing role in stoking unrest 
within eastern Ukraine. The bill already limits activity and funding 
under the Department of Defense and the National Security 
Administration with respect to Russia, including the purchase of 
Russian-made helicopters for the Afghanistan Security Force. My 
amendment would also prevent the integration of Russian missile systems 
into the missile defense systems of the United States if such 
integration undermines the security of the U.S. or NATO. It mirrors a 
similar prohibition already in the bill relating to the integration of 
Chinese missile defense systems.
  The situation in Ukraine continues to deteriorate. We are witnessing 
open and armed clashes in the streets and pro-Russian militants are 
usurping the authority of local governments. Russia's repeated attempts 
to undermine the sovereign governments of former Soviet Republics by 
stoking the discontent of ethnic minorities now constitutes Russia's 
modus operandi on foreign subterfuge. For countries seeking to shed 
authoritarian institutions, Western economic prosperity and democratic 
freedoms can be like a moth to flame. Cold War era geopolitics dictated 
that the endgame for the USSR was to extinguish that flame. In the 
post-Cold War era, Russia has its sights set on the moth. The President 
already has leveled sanctions against Russian political leaders and 
banks, and further economic sanctions are possible. To further pressure 
Russia to cease this aggression action and to reverse course, the U.S. 
and its allies should seek to limit all collaboration with the Russian 
Federation until and unless it withdraws troops from Crimea and 
Ukraine's eastern border.
  Again, I thank the Chairman and the Ranking Member for working with 
me on these amendments. I am grateful for their inclusion in the final 
bill, and I urge my colleagues to support final passage.

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