[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 126 (Thursday, July 26, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H7699-H7709]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 5515, NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR
FISCAL YEAR 2019
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1027, I
call up the conference report on the bill (H.R. 5515) to authorize
appropriations for fiscal year 2019 for military activities of the
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel
strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes, and ask for its
immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1027, the
conference report is considered read.
(For conference report and statement, see proceedings of the House of
July 25, 2018, at page H7202.)
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Thornberry)
and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith) each will control 30
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
{time} 1030
General Leave
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
insert extraneous material on the conference report to accompany H.R.
5515.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, first, I want to express my appreciation to the ranking
member of the Armed Services Committee, Mr. Smith, not only for his
work on this conference, but also for his work throughout the process
of bringing this bill to fruition. However strongly he and I may
disagree on some particular issues, it is always clear that he seeks,
first and foremost, to do the right thing for our military personnel
and our country's national security, and I very much appreciate the
opportunity to work with him.
Second, I want to thank all the members of the conference committee
and of the House Armed Services Committee. Each of them has contributed
to this final product, although I suspect none of them is pleased with
everything that is or is not in it.
It is the result of a negotiation between House and Senate Members
with a variety of interests. Taken as a whole, however, I think all
Members who participated, whether in committee, in conference, or here
on the floor, can be proud of the result.
[[Page H7700]]
Third, I want to thank our staff, both committee staff and personal
staff. They worked long and hard to get this done and get it done
earlier than we have in many years. I especially want to thank the
committee staff director Jen Stewart, as well Paul Arcangeli and my
personal chief of staff, Josh Martin, for all of their work.
Mr. Speaker, next, I want to express particular appreciation to a
group of folks who often do not get publicly recognized in order to do
this conference report and do it on the timeframe we have had
available. Those working in legislative counsel have had to work
extraordinarily hard, and I am grateful to each of them. Some of those
in legislative counsel who have worked on this product include Hadley
Ross, Sherry Chriss, Tony Sciascia, Noah Wofsy, Ken Cox, Brendan
Gallagher, and Mat Eckstein. There are others who will be named
shortly.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Rules Committee and that
staff for helping us work through a procedural issue in the last couple
of days.
Mr. Speaker, this bill takes a major step forward in rebuilding our
military, reforming the Pentagon, and better preparing this country to
deal with the national security challenges that lay before us.
Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will suspend.
The Chair will remind visitors and guests to keep their voices down.
The gentleman from Texas is recognized.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, this bill continues to make readiness a
key focus, for if we send our men and women out on missions, then they
deserve to have the best equipment, the best training, and the best
support that this country can provide.
It advances implementation of the new National Defense Strategy, so
we can be better prepared against threats from peer or near-peer
adversaries, such as Russia and China. In fact, there are many, many
provisions in this bill, Mr. Speaker, directly related to countering
the aggressive actions we have seen from each of those countries.
One section of this conference report is the first update to our
foreign investment laws in many years. I commend Chairman Hensarling,
Chairman Royce, and, of course, Speaker Ryan for negotiating a strong
CFIUS bill, which helps protect our Nation's security.
This conference report also prohibits the Federal Government from
buying products or services from Chinese telecommunications companies,
such as ZTE and Huawei. And, importantly, it prohibits the Federal
Government from doing business with any company that buys their
products or services.
A more complete summary of the provisions has been provided to all
Members, but the top priority of this bill and of our committee remains
the men and women who volunteer to serve our Nation in the military.
This bill authorizes the largest pay increase in 9 years. It provides
additional assistance for spouses seeking employment; it makes
transition assistance more tailored to the individual; and it prohibits
the closure of military healthcare facilities; all of that and more
focused on our people, who are our most valuable asset.
Mr. Speaker, speaking of patriotic Americans serving our country, one
provision on which the House receded to the Senate was the title of the
bill. We happily agreed to name this legislation after Senator John
McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. We do so not
just because of his current position but in recognition and in tribute
to a lifetime of patriotic service to our Nation.
Navy pilot, prisoner of war, Member of the House, Member of the
Senate, Presidential nominee, whatever his job, whatever his role, John
McCain has carried it out with passion and intensity and with a love
for our country that knows no bounds. History will find Senator John
McCain to be one of the giants of our time.
While battling cancer at home in Arizona, he has helped guide this
year's NDAA throughout the process. Now, that does not mean that he
agrees with every one of the outcomes in this conference report. I know
from firsthand experience that he can be a fierce advocate and a tough
negotiator.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself an additional 1 minute.
Mr. Speaker, Senator Inhofe has done a great job on Senator McCain's
behalf, and this conference report bears Senator McCain's unmistakable
stamp. He has, once again, made a strong, positive difference for the
men and women in uniform and for the national security of the United
States of America.
We certainly wish him and his family the best in his current fight.
We thank him, and we attempt to honor him and his outstanding record of
service to our Nation with this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman for his leadership of the
committee. Our committee is committed to completing this process every
year, and I think it is a great example of how the legislative process
should work. It is bipartisan; it follows regular order; and the
chairman deserves a great deal of credit for making sure that both of
those things happened.
He has been very inclusive of all the members of the committee,
Democrats and Republicans, and also all the Members of this House who
have had interest in what goes into this bill to make sure that we have
the strongest possible national security policy.
I really appreciate his leadership, but I also share with him the
gratitude that we have for our staff and the incredible hard work that
they do to pull this process together. As the chairman mentioned, this
is the soonest we have completed the NDAA--knock on wood, assuming we
complete it--in my entire time in Congress. That took a lot of people
doing a lot of work, Members and staff alike.
The chairman mentioned some of the legislative counsel staff. These
are the people who when at the absolute last minute we decide, oh, we
prefer it done this way, they are the ones who have to go back in and
rewrite the entire thing and redo the entire thing at all hours of the
night. They do a spectacular job and are frequently unrecognized.
The chairman mentioned some of them. I want to mention the rest: Mark
Synnes, Hank Savage, I am going to do my best on this name--Kalyani
Parthasarathy, Tom Cassidy, Casey Ebner, and Paul Kubicki. These folks
do an amazing job for our country and for the men and women in the
military. I really appreciate their tireless work and the outstanding
product they produce for us each year.
I agree with the chairman that we have a very strong bill this year.
I also agree with the chairman that if any one of us were to write it,
we would write it differently. There are things we would like to see in
that were left out and things that are in that we prefer were not. But
that is the nature of the legislative process. It is a compromise, an
effort to work together to hopefully come up with a good product, and I
think that is what we did this time.
The chairman mentioned a number of the highlights.
I am particularly focused on the fact that we do have language in
this bill to take a look at the issue of civilian casualties as a
result of some of our military action throughout the world, to get a
better read on exactly what is happening and how we can minimize those.
There is also language for a review of exactly what our military is
doing in Yemen, to make sure that it complies with the law and complies
with the interests of the United States.
I am also pleased that, once again, we were able to avoid putting any
environmental riders into this bill.
Also, I agree with the chairman that this bill really shores up our
ability to contend with the adversaries that most threaten us.
On Russia, we have the largest increase in the European defense
initiative that we have had in a defense bill. We also shore up our
support for Ukraine and the rest of our NATO allies by reaffirming our
commitment to NATO and our commitment to defending them from any
Russian aggression.
Where China is concerned, as the chairman mentioned, we have very
strict restrictions on ZTE and also on Huawei and other Chinese
companies to make sure they can't do business
[[Page H7701]]
with the U.S. Government or with companies that do business with the
U.S. Government.
I do want to address one issue that I heard brought up during the
rule. I think there is a popular misunderstanding that somehow our bill
is responsible for the deal that led ZTE back into the U.S. market.
That is not true. The President of the United States decided to undo
what he had done previously, blocking ZTE from doing any business in
the U.S., and basically fined them $1 billion. ZTE is paying $1 billion
to get out from under the effective death penalty and be allowed back
into the U.S. market.
For our bill to have undone that, as the Senate bill did, it would
have required us to cut $1 billion in mandatory spending. Now, I don't
agree necessarily with the Parliamentarian's ruling there, that the $1
billion that ZTE paid is something that we should have had to offset if
we undid the deal. But we have to live by the law. This is also
mandatory spending, so if we were going to get rid of the ZTE deal and
get rid of that $1 billion, we would have literally had to cut
retirement healthcare for the men and women who served in the military.
I don't think that is something that anyone on this floor would have
been willing to do.
So this bill does step up to confront our adversaries in Russia and
China. I also think it reflects the values, as I mentioned, of dealing
with the civilian casualty issue and trying to get a bead on what is
going on with Yemen. And it reflects a reasonable compromise between
the House and the Senate.
Mr. Speaker, I would just like to close by echoing the words of our
chairman in being grateful that this bill is named after Senator
McCain. I knew Senator McCain before I even got into politics, just as
a prominent national figure, a war hero, and someone to be greatly
admired. It is one of the great honors of my career that I have had the
privilege to work with him on the Armed Services Committee process over
the course of the last 5 years as ranking member.
John McCain is as tough, smart, and committed to this country as
anyone you will ever find. It is truly fitting that this bill is named
after him. He will be remembered as one of the great heroes of our
country.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson), who is the chairman of the
Subcommittee on Readiness.
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to support
the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act.
Appropriately named after an American hero, the conference report
contains policy and funding initiatives that provide our military with
the resources necessary to restore readiness and rebuild combat
capability. Chairman Mac Thornberry has been very successful, with
leadership, to expedite this critical legislation in record time.
As Readiness Subcommittee chairman, I appreciate that the conference
report authorizes additional funding for training, spare parts,
equipment, and weapons systems maintenance.
The conference report also focuses on aviation readiness by
increasing flying hours, funding for spare parts, and establishing a
commission to examine the tragic rise in military aviation accidents.
Both the House and Senate bills address Navy surface forces
improvements in response to last year's collisions and tragic loss of
17 lives on the Fitzgerald and McCain. I appreciate the conference
report because it contains a range of provisions that improves the
operation of surface fleets.
The conference report provides critical funding for Fort Jackson and
continues construction of the mixed oxide fuel fabrication facility at
the Savannah River site to protect the environment in South Carolina
and Georgia.
It also supports our strongest ally in the Middle East, Israel, by
establishing defense partnerships to counter Iran's terrorist
activities.
In conclusion, I want to thank Chairman Thornberry again for his
success with his dedicated, professional staff. I also appreciate the
Readiness Subcommittee's distinguished ranking member, Madeleine
Bordallo of Guam, for her contributions to this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge all of my colleagues to support the
bill.
{time} 1045
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin), the ranking member on the
Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee. I want to particularly
thank him for his leadership on climate change and alternative energy.
He has done a great job of inserting those issues in this bill. I
appreciate that leadership.
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking Chairman Thornberry,
Ranking Member Smith, Chairman McCain, Ranking Member Reed, Senator
Inhofe, and their staff for their tireless work in producing this
conference report.
I am especially pleased that this conference report is named after
Senator John McCain, a true American hero. Thank you for your service,
Senator, and Godspeed.
It was an honor to serve as a conferee throughout this process and to
be a part of this undertaking in support of our Armed Forces.
While no bill is perfect, there is much to be proud of in this
conference report. We are giving our troops a much-deserved pay raise,
taking critical steps to counter Russian aggression and resist Chinese
coercive influence, and continuing to ensure the Department of Defense
is prepared to mitigate the risks posed by climate change.
We are also increasing funding for the Virginia- and Columbia-class
submarine programs, which are made in my home State of Rhode Island,
and protect our Nation and our allies and create thousands of jobs back
home.
As ranking member of the Emerging Threats and Capabilities
Subcommittee, it has been a pleasure to work with Chairwoman Elise
Stefanik.
I am particularly glad we are making strong investments in our cyber
personnel and capabilities, providing increased support for our Special
Operations Forces and their families, and increasing funding for key
programs to maintain our technological superiority, such as railgun
development, directed energy prototyping, and unmanned vehicles.
The threats we face as a nation are diverse and challenging. There
are no easy answers for how the United States will continue to promote
stability and the rules-based international order.
But I believe that this bipartisan work of the House and Senate Armed
Services Committee, and this bill in particular, will improve our
national security and help keep our country and our servicemembers
safe.
Lastly, I want to thank Kathryn Mitchell on my personal staff, who
serves as my MLA. She is leaving for South Korea to be with her
husband, who is serving in the United States Army.
Job well done, Kathryn, and thank you.
For those reasons and more, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to
support this conference report.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Turner), the distinguished chair of the Subcommittee on
Tactical Air and Land Forces.
Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by thanking Chairman
Thornberry for his leadership in bringing this bill to the floor.
I strongly support H.R. 5515, the National Defense Authorization Act
for Fiscal Year 2019, the 58th consecutive NDAA passed by Congress.
I also want to thank our leadership--Speaker Ryan, Kevin McCarthy,
Steve Scalise, and Patrick McHenry--for their contribution to this bill
being a contribution to readiness. This is about increasing the top
line, increasing national defense spending, and increasing support for
our men and women in uniform. I want to thank them for their leadership
in accomplishing that.
I have the privilege of serving as the chairman of the Tactical Air
and Land Forces Subcommittee, and I would like to recognize our
subcommittee ranking member, Ms. Niki Tsongas. I want to thank Niki for
her support on the subcommittee and as co-chair of the Military Sexual
Assault Prevention Caucus.
[[Page H7702]]
Throughout her tenure in Congress, Niki has worked in a solidly
bipartisan fashion to support our warfighters, improve the readiness of
our military, and help our servicemembers eliminate sexual assault in
uniform. She is leaving behind a strong legacy of accomplishments.
Within our subcommittee's jurisdiction, this bill recommends
authorization for over $97 billion in modernization funding that is
necessary to regain our advantage against peer competitors.
This bill recognizes the importance of the fifth-generation strike
fighter and supports the President's budget request for 77 Joint Strike
Fighters. It also authorizes the Department to procure an additional F-
35 aircraft if funds become available through cost savings and program
efficiencies.
The bill includes several oversight provisions to combat the
physiological episodes occurring in military aircraft. We now require
the Department to certify that all new aircraft will have the latest
technology to keep our pilots healthy and safe.
In the bill, Congress reiterates the importance of the Air Force's
JSTARS program. For more than 25 years, the aircraft has provided our
warfighters command, control, and surveillance of ground battle. JSTARS
have flown over 130,000 combat hours and will be an integral piece of
the Air Force's arsenal for years to come.
For the seventh consecutive year, this bill addresses sexual assault.
I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cooper).
Mr. COOPER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank all members of the
conference committee for their record-breaking work on this National
Defense Authorization Act. This bill supports the national security, so
I am pleased to support it.
I would particularly like to thank my good friend, Chairman Rogers,
for his bipartisan leadership of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee.
In addition to authorizing core missions of our nuclear forces to
provide a strong deterrent, this defense authorization bill mandates an
independent study on increasing the decision time before the President
can use nuclear weapons; allows negotiations for extending the New
START treaty to maintain binding limits on the number of strategic
weapons that Russia can deploy; drops a provision that would have all
but separated the Nuclear Security Administration from the Department
of Energy, in direct contradiction of expert recommendations; and
allows the Department of Energy to continue terminating the failed and
unaffordable MOX boondoggle.
The bill supports effective missile defense efforts, including
pressing for near-term solutions such as boost-phase missile defense
using kinetic interceptors, increases accountability of the acquisition
of expensive interceptors, and, of course, supports U.S.-Israeli
missile defense.
Finally, I strongly commend Chairman Rogers' leadership in
strengthening our ability to defend our assets in space against
increasing threats.
The bill creates a sub-unified command for space and continues
oversight of warfighting readiness, presses for a more rapid and agile
acquisition process, and mandates a plan for improving our space
capabilities.
I look forward to continuing to work with Chairman Rogers and others
toward establishment of a true space corps or space force. I urge
support for this bill.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Alabama (Mr. Rogers), the chair of the Subcommittee on Strategic
Forces.
Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R.
5515, the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2019.
This report authorizes additional funding for nuclear modernization
efforts. We make good on promises to improve defense-related
infrastructure. It authorizes full funding for a low-yield nuclear
warhead. It also postures the United States to credibly address the
threat posed by Chinese and Russian strategic nuclear weapons in the
future.
On missile defense, the conference report includes policy support and
funding for space-based sensing, boost-phase intercept, hypersonics,
and directed energy efforts.
Regarding national security space reform, this conference report
establishes a sub-unified command for space. It tasks the Department
with developing an alternative acquisition for national security space,
and it directs the Department to deliver a space warfighting policy and
readiness plan. These steps begin taking us down a path toward
implementing President Trump's directive to establish a space force.
Finally, it also includes significant reforms as to how the DOD
calculates work at our Nation's depots in an effort to modernize and
streamline that process to better support both the depots and the
warfighters who depend on them.
In conclusion, I want to thank the subcommittee's distinguished
ranking member, Jim Cooper. He has been a great partner in this
endeavor. I also thank Chairman Thornberry and Ranking Member Smith for
their leadership in fashioning this outstanding bill.
I strongly urge my colleagues to support it.
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo).
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank Chairman Thornberry and
commend Ranking Member Smith for their hard work in bringing this bill
to the floor. It has been an honor to be a member of this bipartisan
committee. I also want to recognize my chairman of the Readiness
Subcommittee, Joe Wilson of South Carolina, for his invaluable
assistance.
The conference agreement authorizes $247.2 billion in operations and
maintenance funding between the base and overseas contingency accounts.
This includes increases in readiness-enabling accounts to support
depot-level maintenance, parts and spares, training, and facilities
sustainment, restoration, and modernization.
The agreement also addresses readiness challenges of the surface Navy
following the four incidents that occurred in the Pacific last year.
With respect to military aviation, the agreement establishes a
National Commission on Military Aviation Safety that will assess the
causes of recent aviation mishaps and make changes for training,
maintenance personnel, and policies related to safety.
The FY19 NDAA also begins to address challenges with DOD's facilities
and infrastructure by authorizing appropriations of $11.3 billion for
military construction and family housing. This includes authorization
for 38 additional military construction projects from the services'
unfunded priorities list.
I am also grateful to the conference for including provisions
important to Guam.
First, the H-2B workforce provision allows us to fully implement the
marine relocation from Okinawa, which is vital to the security of the
Indo-Pacific region. This is an important step toward stabilizing
Guam's workforce crisis, and I hope to continue working on further
legislation needed for civilian relief.
Also, on the Navy's net negative commitment to Guam, the bill
improves transparency by establishing a publicly accessible list of
Navy property expected to be transferred to the Government of Guam.
The bill supports the ship repair industry on Guam and in the U.S.
The bill authorizes $32 million for the Navy to restore a dry dock
capability and prohibits the Navy from redeveloping the former ship
repair facility on Guam for any purpose other than to support depot-
level ship maintenance.
I continue to stress that it is imperative for the Navy to maintain a
depot-level ship repair capability on sovereign U.S. soil in the
western Pacific.
I close by extending my gratitude again to the chairman and the
ranking member and to my colleagues and the professional staff and all
who participated in producing the conference agreement. I encourage my
colleagues to support it.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Wittman), the chair of the Subcommittee on Seapower and
Projection Forces.
Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am proud of this conference report and
the
[[Page H7703]]
items included in it. I want to thank Chairman Thornberry and Ranking
Member Smith for their leadership in pushing this across the finish
line.
In my subcommittee, we authorized an additional three battle force
ships, including the next Ford-class aircraft carrier.
We have also kept an eye on the future and prioritized funding for
the B-21 Raider bomber program and the Columbia-class ballistic missile
submarine, programs that are essential for our national security and
comprise two parts of our Nation's nuclear triad.
While we still have work to do, I think that this conference report
does a good job of continuing to build off of last year's progress.
Some have questioned whether a Member of Congress can be both a
fiscal hawk and a defense hawk. I am convinced that a Member can be
both. For example, we have also authorized long-term contracts for
ships, aircraft, and weapons. With these contracts, in addition to the
accelerated procurement of the next Ford-class aircraft carrier, we
understand the Navy can save almost $3 billion. These savings are
significant.
While I am proud that this may be the first time in more than two
decades that an NDAA will be enacted before the start of the fiscal
year, we still have work to do to secure funding for this bill.
Specifically, I believe there is no more debilitating action that
Congress can perform than delaying an accompanying Defense
Appropriations bill. The House has passed ours, but we need our
colleagues in the Senate to do the same during their time in D.C. in
August. If we lose this rare opportunity to pass a Defense
Appropriations bill before the end of the fiscal year, we will once
again be holding our military hostage for other domestic priorities.
I was thrilled to see Speaker Ryan continue to lead on this issue
when he indicated yesterday: ``We really just want to get the military
funded on time, on budget, on schedule this year, and that's the
primary concern.''
We need to get back to basics, perform our constitutional duty, and
let our servicemembers know that we have their backs while they are
serving on the front lines, that we are dedicated to their service, and
that we will take care of their families until they return.
Let's pass this defense authorization bill and turn to getting the
Defense Appropriations bill done on time.
{time} 1100
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney).
Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the 2019 John
McCain Defense Authorization bill.
First, I would like to extend my congratulations to Chairman
Thornberry and Ranking Member Smith for their steady, bipartisan
leadership as this bill was crafted--the 58th consecutive year in a row
that Congress has produced an NDAA, a testament to their superb
legislating and the constructive dialogue that results from following
regular order.
I also want to salute the hard work of my colleague Rob Wittman, at
the helm of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, and our
professional staff--Phil MacNaughton, Dave Sienicki, and Bruce
Johnson--for their talent, expertise, and follow-through for all our
members.
Our subcommittee mark accelerates the timeline toward achieving a
Navy fleet of 355 ships, the size needed to meet global requirements
according to the Navy's 2016 force structure assessment.
Our work authorizes funding for 13 battle force ships, three more
than President Trump's request. In particular, at a time when rising
adversaries are recapitalizing or expanding their undersea fleets, this
year's NDAA provides $7.6 billion for the Virginia-class program and
nearly $4 billion for the Columbia-class development and advance
procurement.
The bill authorizes two Virginia-class attack submarines in 2019 and
requires the next Block V Virginia contract currently under negotiation
to include priced options for additional third submarines in years 2022
and `23. This provision will maintain the option for the next Congress
to take advantage of industrial-base capacity that the Navy last
February told us is available to increase submarine construction in the
future.
Tragically, 2017 was a very difficult year for the U.S. Navy. Our
country lost 17 sailors in the fatal collisions involving the USS
Fitzgerald and the USS John McCain.
This bill directs the Navy to assess the checks and balances in its
chain of command so operational demands are appropriately balanced with
ship training, certification, and maintenance. It limits to 10 years
the period in which ships may be forward deployed and requires that
ship readiness inspections be conducted on a no-notice basis, with
results made available for the public to see.
These changes are critical. We owe it to our sailors, and we can't
afford to have our naval assets out of commission with so much at stake
as competitors seek to counter time-honored norms, such as the right to
transit international waters freely.
Mr. Speaker, the important provisions of this bill showcase what we
in Congress can accomplish when we collectively choose to work with our
colleagues across the aisle and trust the committee process to produce
a fair and balanced result.
Even more impressive is the fact that passage of this NDAA is the
earliest it has come in 20 years. This defies the constant narrative of
a dysfunctional Congress. Again, I commend the skillful leadership of
Mr. Thornberry and Mr. Smith, as well as Senators McCain and Reed
across the Capitol, in helping shepherd this legislation to the point
where it is today.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge all Members to vote for passage of this
measure.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman
from Missouri (Mrs. Hartzler), distinguished chair of the Subcommittee
on Oversight.
Mrs. HARTZLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the
conference report for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2019, and I thank Chairman Thornberry, Ranking Member Smith, all
the conferees, and the committee staff for their dedicated, hard work
on this important piece of legislation.
This bipartisan bill provides our troops the equipment, resources,
and training they so desperately need. It authorizes a 2.6 percent pay
increase for our troops, authorizes 24 additional F-18 Super Hornets,
invests in A-10 modifications, fully funds the B-21 bomber program, and
funds various bomber modernization programs to ensure our current
bomber fleet remains operational until the B-21 comes online.
I am delighted that this bill includes a provision that raises the
Air National Guard control grade cap to ensure that the ANG is properly
resourced. The lack of control grades severely restricts the ANG's
ability to recruit full-time officers separating from Active Duty in
the Air Force, many of whom are much-needed pilots. Raising this cap
will help fill these needed slots.
The bill also includes a vital provision that prohibits Federal
agencies from purchasing certain Chinese-made telecommunications and
video surveillance equipment.
The Chinese Government is using every avenue at its disposal to
target the United States, including expanding the role of Chinese
companies in the U.S. domestic communications and public safety
sectors. This provision takes a necessary step to protect the U.S.
government from significant vulnerabilities.
These are just a few of the examples of hundreds of provisions
included in this bill that invest in our troops and combat attempts by
our adversaries to undermine and threaten the United States.
Once again, I would like to thank Chairman Thornberry for his
leadership. This is the earliest that we have voted on the NDAA
conference report in decades, and I strongly believe it is because of
Chairman Thornberry's dedication to our military.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud of this bipartisan bill, and I urge my
colleagues to support its passage.
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Tsongas). I note she is retiring
from
[[Page H7704]]
Congress this year, and I really appreciate her tremendous service on
the Armed Services Committee and to this body.
Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Smith for his always
knowledgeable and articulate leadership. I have appreciated it very
much as I have served on this committee.
Mr. Speaker, it has been my privilege to serve as the ranking member
of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, alongside my
colleague and friend, Chairman Mike Turner of Ohio. I, once again,
thank Mr. Turner for the spirit of bipartisanship and collegiality he
has shown over the years on this subcommittee and on the many other
issues on which we have worked closely, including addressing the
scourge of sexual assault in the military.
Among many important provisions, this year's bill includes measures
aimed at providing increased oversight over key naval aircraft and
makes crucial investments in research and development aimed at better
protecting the men and women we send into harm's way.
This is the last NDAA that I will have the privilege of helping
craft. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to serve on the House
Armed Services Committee for the last 11 years, a committee that has
such a proud tradition of bipartisan cooperation and, as such, is a
model for the country during these challenging times.
I commend the committee, under the leadership of Chairman Thornberry
and Ranking Member Smith, and the many members of the professional
staff for their work in managing such an important and complex piece of
legislation in such a timely manner.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the conference report, so aptly named
for the heroic Senator John McCain.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman
from New York (Ms. Stefanik), distinguished chair of the Subcommittee
on Emerging Threats and Capabilities.
Ms. STEFANIK. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this
bipartisan bill and the accompanying conference report for the FY19
National Defense Authorization Act.
As the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and
Capabilities, I am proud of our oversight and legislative initiatives
this year, which have included:
Strengthening our cyber warfare capabilities and policies.
Energizing our science and technology enterprise.
Enabling our special operations forces around the globe.
Providing resources and authorities to counterterrorism and
unconventional warfare threats.
And advancing programs and activities that counter the spread of
weapons of mass destruction.
The bill before the House incorporates three broad subcommittee
themes:
First, this bill takes seriously the cyber threats from our
adversaries towards this Nation, which is why the bill strengthens our
whole-of-government cybersecurity posture by improving coordination and
partnering between the DOD and DHS to prevent and respond to
cyberattacks against our critical infrastructure.
It also affirms and clarifies cyberspace, cyber warfare, and cyber
deterrence policy to combat malicious cyber activities from adversaries
like China, Russia, and North Korea, who are targeting the United
States. We also require the DOD to provide congressional notification
of cybersecurity breaches and the loss of controlled information from
cleared defense contractors.
Second, we build upon previous NDAAs by advancing prototyping and
testing of directed-energy weapons and hypersonic vehicles and by
accelerating these technologies by authorizing an additional $285
million.
Third, the bill places emphasis on policy and programs to advance AI,
machine learning, quantum sciences, and other critical national
security technologies. We also establish a National Security Commission
on Artificial Intelligence to conduct a thorough review of the wide-
ranging military applications of this decisive technology.
Additionally, this bill authorizes the largest pay raise for our
troops in 9 years. It helps improve employment opportunities for
military spouses and increases transparency in the military healthcare
system.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill and vote
``yes.''
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the
gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis).
Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Thornberry
and Ranking Member Smith and the professional and personal staff for
all of their hard work.
Mr. Speaker, this year's NDAA is multifaceted, and it is complex. It
contains many good things for our servicemembers, but it also contains
areas of concern.
I support this year's NDAA's new reforms designed to restore the
readiness, capability, and capacity of a force that has been asked to
do too much with too little. The conference report contains a number of
policy items focused on servicemembers' quality of life in a wide range
of areas, including healthcare for disabled veterans, care for
servicemembers' children, mental health services, sexual assault
prevention, maternity leave, and retention of women in the military.
This bill also contains language acknowledging the critical role
women play in the security of their country. It contains provisions
ensuring that Afghan and Syrian women are not overlooked as a critical
component in conflict resolution.
I would also like to reiterate an area of concern. Developing new
low-yield nuclear weapons when we currently have more nuclear weapons
than we can ever possibly use is not just a waste of money; it also
lowers the threshold required before a nuclear conflict begins. A
nuclear weapon is a nuclear weapon, no matter what its size. Any
nuclear use would fundamentally change the rules of the game.
We do not follow the dangerous and reckless Russian doctrine of
escalate to deescalate. We shouldn't mirror their reckless strategy.
What do we hope to gain strategically by proliferating low-yield
weapons?
Mr. Speaker, this is a strong bipartisan bill which will help our
Nation protect itself in a changing world. I recommend a ``yes'' vote.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Barr), a distinguished subcommittee chair
from the Committee on Financial Services.
Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of major reforms
included in the National Defense Authorization Act conference report
regarding the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States and
export controls.
I thank the chairman of the Armed Services Committee for his
excellent leadership in addressing the readiness crisis and giving our
men and women in uniform the tools they need to defend our freedoms.
The House Financial Services Committee held four hearings on CFIUS
reform, inviting a diverse set of witnesses that ranged from government
officials who currently serve on CFIUS to members of the defense,
intelligence, and business communities.
We also held numerous briefings and meetings with experts, equally
diverse as those who testified before the committee, on the threat that
China and other adversaries pose to the national security of the United
States.
In the end, I am pleased to see we have a bipartisan, bicameral
product that reflects the work and views of these experts.
Specifically, these critical reforms counteract the surge in malign
foreign investment from China that threatens our national security by
enhancing the review process of transactions where our enemies could
steal technologies and infrastructure critical to the defense of our
country.
The gaps that we have closed in security that China and other
adversaries have circumvented from CFIUS review include noncontrolling
investments, joint ventures, and acquisition of real estate near
sensitive military sites.
At the same time, these reforms ensure that America's doors remain
open to benign foreign direct investment that in 2016 added $894
billion to the value of the U.S. economy and that support 6.8 million
workers today in this country.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Congressman Pittenger, Senator Cornyn,
Congressman Heck, Chairman Hensarling, Chairman Thornberry,
[[Page H7705]]
Chairman Crapo, Ranking Member Waters, and House and Senate leadership
for their dedication to getting these much-needed reforms done in a
bipartisan way. And I encourage my colleagues to support the underlying
bill, the NDAA conference report.
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Veasey).
Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for the
conference report for the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019.
This bipartisan piece of legislation is crucial for our Nation's
armed services, and it is an honor and privilege to be selected again
to serve as a conferee.
{time} 1115
We have over 15 major military installations in Texas, and NDAA funds
key defense and scientific research industries throughout the State,
and especially for the constituents that I serve in the Dallas-Fort
Worth metroplex. This bill ensures our military is supported with the
research they need to complete their missions and face the national
security challenges at home and abroad.
This is a crucial time for Democrats and Republicans to find ways to
work together for solutions that will ensure the safety of the United
States and our allies--now, really, more so today than ever before.
This bill will make great strides in achieving that mission. This
bill provides the highest pay increase for our troops in a decade,
funds innovation in emerging technologies that will increase aviation
readiness, and requires the DOD establish a pilot program to maximize
opioid safety in the military health system by monitoring controlled
substances for servicemembers.
It is also a great point of pride in Texas that we supply some of the
best military and defense readiness equipment for our armed services.
Many of the Nation's F-35 Joint Strike Fighters are built in Fort
Worth, and Lockheed Martin is one of the metroplex's largest employers.
I will continue to fight tirelessly for additional funding for F-35s to
ensure that our Armed Forces have the most advanced jet fighters in the
world.
Democrats have also succeeded in taking out funding for the wall,
which I think was very important in this bill. I was disappointed about
taxpayer dollars being spent to fund a very extravagant military parade
that I don't think that we need. I think it shows authoritarianism.
However, this bill funding makes great progress in improving our
military readiness and continues to demonstrate America's resilience
and strength.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
North Carolina (Mr. Pittenger), a leader on CFIUS reform.
Mr. PITTENGER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his exemplary
leadership on behalf of our military and in defense of our country. We
are deeply grateful for him.
Mr. Speaker, I say today how pleased and grateful I am that our
Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act is being included in
the NDAA bill. To that end, I thank Chairman Hensarling, Ranking Member
Waters, Heath Tarbert with the Treasury Department, Clark Fonda, my
chief, so many people, Andy Barr, who contributed to this process to
make sure that we are in a position of strength.
For over 2 years, I have led these efforts to prevent Chinese and
other adversarial nation-states from acquiring our sophisticated
technology in our military. This bill, this Foreign Investment Risk
Review Modernization Act, was the result of countless meetings
throughout our assembly, as well as throughout this district, of
talking to multiple people in the industry, as well as our intelligence
community and defense, to make sure that we had done the job to allow
adequate oversight for these investments.
FIRRMA will broaden the jurisdiction of CFIUS in several key areas,
including minority noncontrolling investments and certain real estate
transactions close to national security sites. FIRRMA strengthens our
export control laws and creates an interagency review to cover overseas
joint ventures. Overall, this bill closes several key loopholes in the
CFIUS process.
Today, I do believe that the passage of the NDAA and FIRRMA
legislation will help improve national security and combat aggressive
Chinese efforts to secure our technology.
I thank all who participated in this process, and I commend this bill
to our Congress to pass.
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Murphy), who is a member of the Armed
Services Committee and also served on the conference committee this
term.
Mrs. MURPHY of Florida. Mr. Speaker, as a former DOD employee, I know
our men and women in uniform must have the authorities and resources to
get the job done. They must be well equipped in order to deter and
defeat adversaries. That is why I strongly urge my colleagues to pass
the National Defense Authorization Act.
I thank Chairman Thornberry and Ranking Member Smith for their
leadership on this bipartisan bill. As a member of the Armed Services
Committee and of the conference committee that reconciled the House and
Senate versions of the bill, I am honored to have played a role in
crafting this final product.
We must fight for our servicemembers as hard as they have fought for
us. We must give them the tools they need to succeed not only on the
battlefield, but also once they leave the service.
Our military produces remarkably talented and well-trained
individuals, but too many of these warriors struggle to transition to
the civilian world. That is why I am so pleased that the core of my
bill, the BATTLE for Servicemembers Act, was included in the NDAA. This
provision improves DOD's Transition Assistance Program, which helps
departing servicemembers prepare for life after the military.
Specifically, my provision ensures departing servicemembers take a
specialized 2-day course to prepare them to attend college, learn a
trade, or start a small business. These targeted courses are optional
under current law, and, as a result, few servicemembers can take
advantage of them. I am hopeful my provision will lead to increased
participation in these courses so that more men and women in our
military will be prepared to make a successful transition to civilian
life.
I am also proud the NDAA includes the full text of my bill to
modernize SBA's microloan program, which provides small-dollar loans to
aspiring and existing entrepreneurs, including veteran entrepreneurs.
I urge my colleagues on both sides to support this bill.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I inform the Chair that at this point I
have no additional speakers other than myself to close, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).
Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy in
permitting me to speak on this bill.
I am pleased that this bill is being named after Senator McCain. It
has been my privilege to work with him in one particular area: dealing
with the people who worked with us in Afghanistan and Iraq on special
immigrant visas.
Along with the late Senator Kennedy, over the last 10 years, we
worked to try and help these people who put their lives on the line to
help our forces as guides, as interpreters, who are now being left to
the tender mercies of people with long memories, like the Taliban and
al-Qaida. Their lives are at risk, as are their family members'. We
still have 17,000 applicants who want to have these visas to come to
the United States to safety.
I am disappointed that we have been unable to have the funding for
additional visa allocations. I appreciate that due to an accounting
convention, this would be at the expense of other important things that
are being fought for.
But I would hope that we are able to focus on what the costs would
have been to us if we didn't have those people helping us in
Afghanistan and Iraq. It would have been far more expensive. And like
you, I have met with people whose lives were saved because they put
themselves at risk, and we are leaving them behind.
My friend, Kirk Johnson, wrote a book: ``To Be a Friend Is Fatal: The
[[Page H7706]]
Fight to Save the Iraqis America Left Behind.'' And for these people,
being a friend of the United States is fatal. Their lives are at risk
every day.
I hope, as this process goes forward, we can either deal with the
accounting convention or try and find some money to rescue these
people.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of
my time.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oregon for his comments
because this is an issue we wrestle with in conference committee every
year. We should be getting visas to those people who helped us out.
For some reason, it is a mandatory score in terms of what it costs;
and as I mentioned on the other issue, we struggle to find mandatory
money. But rest assured, this is a priority that we will continue to
fight for because I know how important this issue is, and I thank the
gentleman for raising that.
On the bill itself, let me say I intend to support the defense bill.
I haven't always supported the defense bill. It is part of a
collaborative process. We worked together and tried to generate a good
piece of legislation, and I think, on balance, we did that this year.
Number one, when you start with the top-line number, the budget
agreement that we got earlier this year for FY18 and FY19 helped a
great deal because it put in place clear top-line numbers for defense
and for the rest of discretionary spending. And that has been the
battle.
Let me just say clearly that ever since the Budget Control Act was
passed in 2011--and I know they have reasons for why that was passed--
the military and the rest of our discretionary budget has had to live
under, I think it is, three or four government shutdowns, multiple
threatened government shutdowns, continuing resolutions, and, in
general, complete uncertainty on how much money they were going to have
from one month to the next.
This is a horrible way to run the government. We need to come up with
a fiscal policy that sets clearly what we are going to spend on
discretionary spending and gets it done as close to October 1 as
possible.
This has a devastating impact on our military's ability to be
prepared to defend this Nation, to be prepared to fight the fights that
we ask them to fight.
It is worth noting, it also has a devastating impact on all other
aspects of the discretionary budget: on infrastructure, education, just
to name a couple. So getting back to regular order on fiscal policy is
enormously important.
I will also note--and I chose not to belabor the point this year,
though I have talked about it in the past--that the Budget Control Act
alone is not the problem. We do need to get rid of the Budget Control
Act because it is a terrible way to budget and govern, but even once we
do that, we still have a $22 trillion debt.
We just passed another massive tax cut, and when you project out
where our budget is going to be, we are looking at trillion-dollar
deficits for as far as the eye can see and the largest debt that we
have ever had as a nation, even as a percentage of GDP.
The most important thing that we can do to give a guarantee of
predictability to the men and women who serve in the military is to
address the fiscal issues that we face as a nation. If we honestly
address those issues, we are going to have a devil of a time paying for
everything in the military that I know some on this floor would like.
So we need to get to a consistent fiscal policy if we are going to
have the dependability that I know the chairman wants, that I know
everybody in this committee wants going forward; and if we don't do
that, that uncertainty is going to continue going forward.
Let me just say that to get the proper fiscal policy is going to
require us to honestly assess the problems we face. And I will say just
one more quick word about that before returning back to the bill.
Earlier this year, or earlier this session, we passed, as I
mentioned, a significant tax cut. We passed a significant increase in
spending. I think the tax cut was roughly $2 trillion. The increase in
spending was $500 billion. And then the very next week, we put on the
floor a constitutional amendment to balance the budget.
There were 134 Members of this body who voted for the tax cut, for
the spending increase, and for the constitutional amendment to balance
the budget. That doesn't make any sense. That doesn't add up. That is
pure politics because, by and large, people want to see their taxes cut
and they want to see their favorite programs increased and they would
like to have a balanced budget. So we tried to do all three and wind up
in a horribly inconsistent position.
I would urge all of us to continue to work to get to some fiscal
policy that makes sense because the result of a fiscal policy that
doesn't add up is budgetary uncertainty for the discretionary budget,
the largest portion of which is the Department of Defense.
This bill does the very important job of setting defense policy for
this country, and most important in all of that is it makes sure that
the men and women who fight and serve in our military have the training
and the equipment they need to carry out the missions that we give
them.
Now, again, going forward, we have big challenges. We have never
faced a more complex threat environment. We face Russia and China and
Iran and North Korea and terrorist organizations spread out all over
the globe. It is incredibly complicated and difficult, and it is going
to be very expensive, unless we make some smart choices. So we are
going to have a tough time meeting the budgetary requirements that we
have, no matter what.
But in this bill, I think we addressed all those issues, and I think
we addressed them very well and in a bipartisan fashion. As I mentioned
in my opening remarks, we do work with our allies to confront the
challenges in Russia and China, which are critically important to us
going forward.
We also, thanks to the chairman's leadership, continue our effort at
acquisition reform, because one thing is for sure: Given the budget
reality that I just described, no matter what, we are going to need to
make sure that every dollar we spend at the Pentagon is well spent.
Acquisition reform is one of the keys to getting us to that point, to
more efficiently spending our money.
I want to close by thanking the chairman, thanking Senator McCain,
Senator Inhofe, who was also a big part of the process this year, and
Senator Reed, and all the members of the Armed Services Committee and
their staff.
Once again, I want to reiterate, in this committee, we do legislation
the way it is supposed to be done: bipartisan and under regular order.
This place can work. The legislative process can work.
We had a very long markup in the Armed Services Committee in which we
considered a lot of issues, debated them, had votes, then we went to
the floor, then we went to conference committee, and we produced what I
think is an excellent product for the Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the conference report and again thank
the chairman for his leadership.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
{time} 1130
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the remainder of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I want to express my appreciation to all of the Members
who came to speak on the conference report today. Yet, I have the
feeling we have only begun to scratch the surface of all of the issues
that are addressed in this bill.
Mr. Speaker, this is a big bill. It is about 1,800 pages big. About
200 pages of that is the CFIUS reform, led by the Financial Services
Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee, but there is a lot that is
in this bill. The distinguished ranking member just talked a bit about
reform.
This bill eliminates a number of requirements that Congress had put
on the Department of Defense in previous years. It streamlines some
decisionmaking. It begins to put in some sort of comprehensible order
all of the laws related to acquisition. It requires that there be
savings of overhead expenses of a number of DOD agencies that have
[[Page H7707]]
not been addressed before. I could go on and on.
There was a Secretary of Defense who wrote a book a few years ago,
who complained about this bill, who said that it is too much that
Congress is doing to tell us what to do.
Yet, I would remind all of us, Mr. Speaker, that the Constitution
puts that exact responsibility on our shoulders. It says that it is
Congress' job to raise and support, provide and maintain, and make the
rules and regulations for military forces of the United States.
This is the bill by which we carry out that responsibility. It is our
job to do it. And this bill is the product, as you have heard, of
Members of both sides of the aisle throughout the process.
There have been, approximately, 1,005 amendments that have been
proposed at some point in this process: subcommittee, full committee,
floor consideration, and then on to conference. About an equal number
of them were Republicans and Democrats.
We have come together, as we have for each of the past 57 years, to
exercise our constitutional responsibilities on behalf of the men and
women who risk their lives to protect us.
I would certainly join with the ranking member and other Members, who
have said: Now, in order to get the full benefit of this, we need to
have an appropriations bill that matches, on time, before the end of
the fiscal year.
Mr. Speaker, over the course of this debate today, you have heard a
lot of thanks. It is appropriate because, obviously, it takes a lot of
work, by a lot of people, to put together an 1,800-page bill and try to
think through the consequences of what it means for us, what it means
for our servicemembers, and what it means for our allies around the
world.
It truly is a team effort, a bipartisan team effort. And I believe
the reason that is so, the reason it has passed every year, and has
been signed into law every year for the past 57 years, is because of
the men and women, of whom we are so proud, who risk their lives to
protect us and our freedom. They continue to be at the forefront of our
thoughts. It is on their behalf, and for their benefit, that we bring
this conference report, urge its adoption, and appreciate their service
to the United States of America.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to discuss the Conference Report on
the National Defense Authorization Act for 2019. I support the NDAA
legislation and will vote for its adoption on the House Floor today,
but I have serious reservations about how the Speaker's protocol on
outside conferees was implemented for the conference on this bill. As a
response to this problem, I chose not to sign the conference report.
The Speaker's protocol is not new, but it has become increasingly
problematic for the Foreign Affairs Committee, on which I serve as the
Ranking Member. Every year, the NDAA includes more than a hundred
provisions that affect the jurisdiction of our committee. I take our
responsibilities to review and negotiate these provisions extremely
seriously. Unfortunately, under the Speaker's protocol, we are not
appointed as outside conferees on provisions the Speaker or
parliamentarians consider to be minor.
I understand the motivation behind this protocol. The conference
process has to operate efficiently. However, many provisions that are
deemed minor under the protocol are in fact far from minor. They extend
major programs or mandate congressional oversight of critical issues.
The Foreign Affairs Committee brings an important perspective that is
distinct from the perspective of the Armed Services Committee, and we
should have a formal role in all provisions under our jurisdiction.
If the committee of jurisdiction on foreign policy matters is not
allowed to have conferees on important areas of the bill, then our only
alternative is to claim sequential jurisdiction over the committee-
reported NDAA and act on it prior to House consideration.
I want to thank Ranking Member Smith, and his staff, for working
closely with us during the conference this year. They included us fully
in the process, and we are deeply grateful for this cooperation. But we
need to ensure we are not just consulted, but also named as outside
conferees on the entire range of provisions that fall into our
jurisdiction. I strongly support the goals of the National Defense
Authorization Act, and I look forward to working with the Speaker and
the Office of the Parliamentarian next year to ensure that the Foreign
Affairs Committee is a full participant.
Mr. DeFazio. Mr. Speaker, today, I will vote against the Conference
Report for H.R. 5515, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year (FY) 2019.
The legislation includes several provisions that I strongly support,
including giving servicemen and women a well-deserved raise of 2.6
percent. Those who serve in uniform have made extraordinary sacrifices
for our country and have earned and deserve a pay raise. It also
includes $6.3 billion, the largest amount ever, for the European
Deterrence Initiative to help protect Eastern Europe from further
Russian aggression.
Despite these important initiatives, I have strong concerns with a
number of provisions included in the Conference Report. This
legislation authorizes more than $708 billion, including $69 billion to
the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) fund, an account which is not
counted in the budget and is not paid for. It adds to the deficit and
is used as a slush fund by the Pentagon.
Unlike every other federal agency, the Department of Defense (DOD)
has yet to complete a financial audit; taxpayers deserve to know how
the biggest bureaucracy in the federal government spends their money.
In fact, a shocking report released in December 2016 exposed $125
billion in waste that the Pentagon tried to hide from the public.
I refuse to support increased bureaucratic waste at the expense of
American taxpayers and our men and women in uniform. A more accountable
and transparent department would ensure taxpayer dollars are directed
towards the needs of our troops and the benefits they deserve, rather
than buying unnecessary weapon systems and giving the president a blank
check to fund wars Congress hasn't authorized.
I have always advocated for maintaining Congress's constitutionally-
confirmed prerogative to declare war under the War Powers Act and
limiting the President's authority to engage in armed conflict without
the consent of Congress. I strongly oppose the NDAA's continued
authorization of spending for wars that are not congressionally
approved. The Pentagon uses the 2001 Authorization of Use of Military
Force (AUMF) to continue to justify the 17 years our troops have been
fighting in the Middle East. President Trump has sent troops to Syria,
Yemen, and elsewhere without seeking a new AUMF, a violation of the War
Powers Act.
Additionally, the bill prohibits the closing of Guantanamo Bay, which
costs more than $100 million each year to house 41 prisoners and has
been used as a top recruiting tool by terrorists. The prison at
Guantanamo Bay has been a black eye for the United States, has eroded
relationships with our allies, undermined U.S. missions abroad, and put
U.S. citizens and our troops at risk of retaliation.
Congress can make responsible cuts to our defense budget without
jeopardizing the safety of our troops or undermining our national
security. Fiscal responsibility and accountability at the Pentagon
would allow for funds to be better spent supporting the basic needs of
our troops, meeting our obligations to veterans of past wars, and
ensuring our true defense needs are prioritized.
Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5515, the
John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019.
I wish to thank Chairman Thornberry, Ranking Member Smith, Chairman
McCain, Senator Inhofe, and Ranking Member Reed for their leadership
throughout the conferencing of this bill. The bill contains a number of
significant policy and funding initiatives that continue our commitment
to maintaining military personnel and family readiness.
To that end, this bill:
Increases end strength across the Services and reserve components
allowing the military services to increase mission readiness while
reducing strain on service members and their families;
Extends pay and bonuses for service members in high demand fields,
providing the military services with necessary tools to attract and
retain critical talent;
Improves the Transition Assistance Program to ensure that service
members who are leaving the military receive training and resources
tailored to their post-military career plans;
Requires a comprehensive review of wounded warrior care and mental
health care services, ensuring the highest possible quality of care to
those who have sacrificed for our nation;
The bill also continues to provide oversight of critical issues,
including additional protections for victims of sexual harassment,
improvements to the Department of Defense's process for reporting
crimes to the FBI database, and the establishment of a Department of
Defense prescription drug monitoring program to share information with
state drug monitoring programs.
In conclusion, I want to thank my fellow conferees for their
contributions to this truly bi-partisan conference report, and I
strongly urge my colleagues to support its passage.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the
2019 National Defense
[[Page H7708]]
Authorization Act due to its importance to our national security.
However, I do have significant concern over a last minute change to the
bill that stripped funding for an important recapitalization program
for the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS).
When the House passed this legislation, in a very bi-partisan manner,
it included $623 million to continue the JSTARS Recapitalization
program. This program was aimed to continue a vital combat capability
for our ground forces as a battle management command and control asset.
However, during the conference these funds were eliminated from the
bill.
Although this legislation provides for significant improvement to our
national security, including pay raises for servicemembers,
modernization efforts for equipment, cybersecurity enhancements, and
many benefits for our military families, amongst other notable
improvements, the absence of this capability is worrisome.
The 116th Air Control Wing based at Robins Air Force Base, the ``Eyes
of the Night,'' executes the JSTARs mission, and has been doing so
continuously since 9/11. Our combatant commanders rely heavily on
JSTARS, and for nearly 20 years, this capability has been consistently
utilized in support of our ground forces.
Although I am pleased with the recent announcement that the Air Force
will be making Robins Air Force Base the home for the Advanced Battle-
Management System (ABMS), this capability is years off. Stripping
funding for recapitalization will put current combat control
capabilities at risk, potentially for over a decade. JSTARS is of
significant importance to our ground forces and this decision will have
significant repercussions.
To reiterate, this bill does ensure we are completing our
Constitutional responsibility to ``Raise an Army.'' However, I will
continue to act with my oversight capabilities to ensure JSTARS remains
available to our combat soldiers until the Air Force employs a solution
that can be employed for our servicemembers whom desperately need this
capability.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the conference
report to H.R. 5515, which is the 2019 National Defense Authorization
Act.
This bill authorizes more than $708 billion in defense spending. Yet
we know that there is at least $150 billion in waste, fraud, and abuse
currently over at the Pentagon. Now we are giving them more money.
Shame on us.
This is an already out-of-control, bloated Pentagon budget.
Mr. Speaker, it would also increase funding to $69 billion for wars
that Congress has never debated or voted on. Once again, my Republican
colleagues have used off-the-books spending gimmicks to further expand
the bloated Pentagon budget.
Enough is enough, Mr. Speaker. Instead of writing blank checks to the
Pentagon, Congress needs to live up to its constitutional obligation to
debate matters of war and peace. I offered an amendment to sunset the
2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force after 8 months of
enactment during the regular debate of this bill. Congress would have 8
months to debate and vote on a new AUMF before the repeal. Eight months
is plenty of time.
Mr. Speaker, we passed the 2001 AUMF within 3 days, mind you.
Unfortunately, Republicans refused to allow my bipartisan amendment
on the Floor.
When in the world will this body have the backbone to debate the
costs and consequences of these wars? Our brave troops deserve better.
We need to do our job.
I am pleased, though, that some of my amendments--which are very
important amendments--were included in the conference report. They
include clarifying that nothing in this bill can be construed as
authorizing force against North Korea--that is the use of military
force.
Also, we included reporting requirements for auditing the Pentagon.
We need the Pentagon audited so that taxpayers will really begin to
know where their hard-earned tax dollars are going and what weapons
systems they are contributing to in terms of the building of weapons
systems which probably will never be used, a report and update on the
United States-Kabul compact, and also overseas contingency operations
reporting requirements.
Can you believe we are spending all this money on a slush fund
through OCO, and we don't know what is going on with that account?
The underlying bill is still a disgrace.
In conclusion, I just want to reiterate that authorizing wars with no
end, no debate, and no vote is unconstitutional, and it is wrong.
I call on Speaker Ryan to bring forth an authorization because every
step of the way, we are trying in a bipartisan fashion to do this, and
it is the Speaker's call. He should do that so that we can debate and
vote up or down on these wars.
So, this final bill should not be passed just based on the amount of
money that we are giving to the Pentagon to do more than ensure our
national security and fight terrorism.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a no vote and reject this shameful bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
Pursuant to House Resolution 1027, the previous question is ordered.
The question is on the conference report.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 359,
nays 54, not voting 15, as follows:
[Roll No. 379]
YEAS--359
Abraham
Adams
Aderholt
Aguilar
Allen
Amodei
Arrington
Babin
Bacon
Banks (IN)
Barletta
Barr
Barragan
Barton
Beatty
Bera
Bergman
Beyer
Biggs
Bilirakis
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (MI)
Bishop (UT)
Blunt Rochester
Boyle, Brendan F.
Brady (PA)
Brady (TX)
Brat
Brooks (AL)
Brooks (IN)
Brown (MD)
Brownley (CA)
Buchanan
Bucshon
Budd
Burgess
Bustos
Butterfield
Byrne
Calvert
Carbajal
Cardenas
Carson (IN)
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Cartwright
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Chabot
Cheney
Cicilline
Clay
Cleaver
Cloud
Clyburn
Coffman
Cole
Collins (GA)
Collins (NY)
Comer
Comstock
Conaway
Connolly
Cook
Cooper
Correa
Costa
Costello (PA)
Courtney
Cramer
Crawford
Crist
Crowley
Cuellar
Culberson
Cummings
Curbelo (FL)
Curtis
Davidson
Davis (CA)
Delaney
DeLauro
DelBene
Demings
Denham
DeSantis
DesJarlais
Deutch
Diaz-Balart
Dingell
Doggett
Donovan
Doyle, Michael F.
Duffy
Duncan (SC)
Dunn
Emmer
Engel
Estes (KS)
Esty (CT)
Evans
Faso
Ferguson
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Flores
Fortenberry
Foster
Foxx
Frankel (FL)
Frelinghuysen
Fudge
Gaetz
Gallagher
Gallego
Garamendi
Garrett
Gianforte
Gibbs
Gonzalez (TX)
Goodlatte
Gosar
Gottheimer
Gowdy
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (LA)
Graves (MO)
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grothman
Guthrie
Handel
Harper
Harris
Hartzler
Hastings
Heck
Hensarling
Herrera Beutler
Hice, Jody B.
Higgins (LA)
Higgins (NY)
Hill
Himes
Holding
Hollingsworth
Hoyer
Hudson
Huizenga
Hultgren
Hunter
Hurd
Issa
Jackson Lee
Jenkins (KS)
Jenkins (WV)
Johnson (LA)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, E. B.
Johnson, Sam
Jordan
Joyce (OH)
Kaptur
Katko
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
Kihuen
Kilmer
Kind
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kinzinger
Knight
Krishnamoorthi
Kuster (NH)
Kustoff (TN)
LaHood
LaMalfa
Lamb
Lamborn
Lance
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Latta
Lawrence
Lawson (FL)
Lesko
Levin
Lewis (MN)
Lieu, Ted
Lipinski
LoBiondo
Loebsack
Long
Loudermilk
Love
Lowey
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lujan Grisham, M.
Lujan, Ben Ray
Lynch
MacArthur
Maloney, Sean
Marchant
Marshall
Mast
McCarthy
McCaul
McClintock
McEachin
McHenry
McKinley
McMorris Rodgers
McNerney
McSally
Meadows
Meeks
Meng
Messer
Mitchell
Moolenaar
Mooney (WV)
Moore
Moulton
Mullin
Murphy (FL)
Neal
Newhouse
Noem
Norcross
Norman
Nunes
O'Halleran
O'Rourke
Olson
Palazzo
Palmer
Panetta
Pascrell
Paulsen
Payne
Pearce
Pelosi
Perlmutter
Perry
Peters
Peterson
Pingree
Pittenger
Poe (TX)
Poliquin
Posey
Price (NC)
Quigley
Ratcliffe
Reed
Reichert
Renacci
Rice (NY)
Rice (SC)
Richmond
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rohrabacher
Rooney, Francis
Rooney, Thomas J.
Ros-Lehtinen
Rosen
Roskam
Ross
Rothfus
Rouzer
Roybal-Allard
Royce (CA)
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Russell
Rutherford
Ryan (OH)
Sanchez
Sanford
Sarbanes
Scalise
Schiff
Schneider
Schrader
Schweikert
Scott (VA)
Scott, Austin
Scott, David
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Sewell (AL)
Shea-Porter
Sherman
Shimkus
Shuster
Simpson
Sinema
Sires
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Smith (WA)
Smucker
Soto
Stefanik
Stewart
Stivers
Suozzi
Taylor
Tenney
Thompson (MS)
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tipton
Titus
Tonko
Torres
Trott
Tsongas
Turner
Upton
Valadao
Vargas
Veasey
Vela
Visclosky
Wagner
Walberg
Walden
Walker
Walorski
Walters, Mimi
Wasserman Schultz
Waters, Maxine
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Wenstrup
Westerman
Williams
Wilson (FL)
Wilson (SC)
[[Page H7709]]
Wittman
Womack
Woodall
Yoder
Yoho
Young (AK)
Young (IA)
Zeldin
NAYS--54
Amash
Bass
Blumenauer
Bonamici
Buck
Capuano
Chu, Judy
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Cohen
DeFazio
DeGette
DeSaulnier
Duncan (TN)
Eshoo
Espaillat
Gabbard
Gomez
Griffith
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Huffman
Jayapal
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Kennedy
Khanna
Kildee
Lee
Lewis (GA)
Lofgren
Lowenthal
Maloney, Carolyn B.
Massie
Matsui
McCollum
McGovern
Nadler
Napolitano
Nolan
Pallone
Pocan
Polis
Raskin
Rush
Schakowsky
Serrano
Swalwell (CA)
Takano
Thompson (CA)
Velazquez
Watson Coleman
Welch
Yarmuth
NOT VOTING--15
Black
Blackburn
Blum
Bost
Davis, Danny
Davis, Rodney
Ellison
Gohmert
Hanabusa
Jones
Labrador
Marino
Rokita
Speier
Walz
{time} 1210
Ms. FUDGE changed her vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
So the conference report was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________