[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 106 (Monday, June 24, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E827]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND 
               RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. CHRIS STEWART

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 18, 2019

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2740) making 
     appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human 
     Services, and Education, and related agencies for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 2020, and for other purposes:

  Mr. STEWART. Madam Chair, I rise in support of my amendment which is 
being considered in En Bloc 2. My amendment regards the important topic 
of Military Working Dogs (MWD), commonly known War Dogs.
  War Dogs play an important role protecting our service men and women 
in combat and non-combat zones all over the world. Speaking on the 
importance of these working animals, General David Petraeus said that, 
``The capability they bring to the fight cannot be replicated by man or 
machine. By all measures of performance, their yield outperforms any 
asset we have in our inventory.''
  War dogs are trained to detect bombs--with 98 percent accuracy, sniff 
out drugs, track people, and provide physical protection when 
necessary. Staff Sgt. Andrew Mier of the DoD Military Working Dog 
Program also said that these dogs ``create a strong psychological 
deterrent''. It's been shown that these animals can inflict fear on 
enemies in a way that not even armed soldiers can. Today, more than 
2,300 War Dogs are deployed on active duty and I, for one, am 
incredibly grateful for their service.
  In an effort to honor these heroes, my amendment, No. 6 to Division C 
of H.R. 2740, is a good government measure that will ensure War Dogs 
are returned to the United States after they complete their service by 
providing $200,000 to the Secretary of Defense for travel purposes.
  Previously, if a War Dog retired from service in a non-combat zone 
overseas, the handler was given the option to adopt the animal. If the 
handler declined to adopt, these animals would be put up for adoption 
to civilian families. If the dog was adopted, however, the new owner 
was required to pay for the dog's transportation back to the United 
States.
  Congress attempted to make it easier to get these service dogs home 
by adding verbiage to the National Defense Authorization Acts of 2014, 
2016 and 2018, requiring the Department of Defense to organize the 
return of retired and retiring military dogs stateside.
  Despite these requirements, the Department of Defense has 
unfortunately still not adopted a formal organizational plan to 
implement this policy.
  My amendment to Division C of H.R. 2740 restates Congress's strong 
opinion that the Department of Defense must formalize plans across the 
services to ensure that these dogs are able to return stateside after 
they retire from active service.
  These dogs selflessly give everything to protect our service men and 
women. They deserve the same devotion from us. I strongly believe they 
should be brought home, so they can retire to a loving environment as a 
reward for their hard work and loyalty. They are American heroes and 
should be treated as such.

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