[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 198 (Wednesday, December 11, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H10082-H10093]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONFERENCE REPORT ON S. 1790, NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR 
                            FISCAL YEAR 2020

  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 
758, I call up the conference report on the bill (S. 1790) to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2020 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 758, the 
conference report is considered read.
  (For conference report and statement, see proceedings of the House of 
December 9, 2019, Book II, page H9389.)
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith) 
and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Thornberry) each will control 30 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington.


                             GENERAL LEAVE

  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend 
their remarks and insert extraneous material on the conference report 
to accompany S. 1790.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Washington?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes.
  Madam Speaker, this was not an easy process. This is an incredibly 
important piece of legislation. It authorizes the Department of 
Defense. It basically gives the authority to the men and women who work 
at the Department of Defense to implement our national security policy 
and defend this country. And there is a lot of money, a lot of policy, 
and a lot of people interested in it.
  We also have the problem that we have a divided government. We have a 
Republican President, a Republican Senate, and a Democratic House, who 
do not agree on a lot of issues. And those are the issues that tend to 
get focused on.
  But what this conference report reflects, for the most part, is that 
we do agree on a lot; about 90 to 95 percent of what we were 
negotiating there was substantial agreement on: doing oversight of the 
Pentagon to make sure our taxpayer dollars are well spent and to make 
sure that the men and women serving in our Armed Forces, who we are 
asking to put their lives on the line to defend our country, will have 
the training, the equipment, and the support they need to carry out 
that mission. And there are more provisions than I can count in this 
bill that help them do just that.
  We all, in a bipartisan way, should be very proud of that 
accomplishment.
  I think, ultimately, the biggest difference between where the 
Democrats in the House were at and where the Republicans in the Senate 
were at: We believe in more aggressive legislative oversight, 
particularly when it comes to matters of engaging in military action.
  We remain deeply concerned about the war in Yemen. Now, it is not our 
war. Saudi Arabia and, to a lesser degree, the UAE are engaged in that, 
but we do support them. We want to make sure that we are not supporting 
them in a way that is contrary to our values and contrary to peace in 
the region.
  Regrettably, we were not able to get the President, primarily, to 
agree on that, but I think it is something we need to continue to put 
pressure on.
  We also believe that we shouldn't go to war without congressional 
authority. We will continue to fight about that. We have the 2001 AUMF 
and the 2002 AUMF still on the books 17, 18 years later. We need to 
update that. We need to make sure that we don't go to war with Iran 
without authorization.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield myself an additional 
30 seconds.
  All of that said, ultimately, we pulled together what is an excellent 
piece of legislation. The two big things I want to highlight in the 
moments I have left:
  We finally repealed the widow's tax. After 25 years of claiming we 
were going to do it, this bill does it.
  And we also give paid parental leave for all Federal employees.
  I believe both of these things are integral to national defense. The 
people are the ones who give us the national security. Taking care of 
widows, taking care of employees is incredibly important. It was not 
easy to do. We did it in this bill.
  Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of the conference report, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.

  Mr. THORNBERRY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this conference report. The most 
important thing I can say about it is that it is good for the troops 
and it is good for national security. And when it comes to a Defense 
authorization bill, that is all that really matters. This is a good 
bill, and it deserves the support of everyone in the House.
  And a lot of credit--much of the credit--for navigating a very 
difficult political process goes to Chairman Smith for getting us to 
this point. I am also grateful to Chairman Inhofe and Senator Reed 
during these final negotiations over the last 5 months as we have 
worked our way through a host of issues.
  But it is also all of the conferees and members of the Armed Services 
Committee and, especially, the staff who have had to help us work our 
way through these things, essentially, all year. And it is a credit to 
all of them that we are in this place.
  Madam Speaker, this bill does a lot, as Chairman Smith just said, for 
the men and women who serve and their families.
  There is a lot of focus on people here: For example, 3.1 percent pay 
raise; a number of provisions related to childcare for the military; 
increase in professional license fees for spouses; military housing 
reform, including a requirement for a tenant Bill of Rights; reforms to 
the movement of household goods; additional steps to combat sexual 
assault and harassment; a number of provisions related to military 
healthcare, to improve the quality of care that they get; compensation 
for medical malpractice at military treatment facilities; repeal of the 
widow's tax, which is something that Congressman   Joe Wilson, among 
others, has been pushing for for a number of years.

[[Page H10083]]

  Those are just some of the things related to our military folks that 
are in this bill, and, essentially, I can't think of another 
significant issue military families have brought up to me over the past 
year or two or three that does not have at least some provision in this 
bill.
  And, in addition, for the civilians at DOD and the rest of the 
government, it has paid parental leave so that we can be in a better 
position to compete with big employers around the country.
  A lot for our people.
  In addition, it does a lot to help rebuild and repair the damage that 
is done by sequestration to our military. It helps us prepare for our 
adversaries: very importantly, to authorize in title 10 a space force, 
as this House has voted for twice, including 2 years ago. Yet, now, 
with this bill, it takes effect.
  As well as further reforms to the Pentagon, not just to get more 
value out of our money, but to get top technology into the hands of the 
war fighter faster.
  There is a lot of good in here, and it deserves Member support.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1600

  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cooper), the chair of the Subcommittee on 
Strategic Forces.
  Mr. COOPER. Madam Speaker, we need to establish a Space Force, to 
keep GPS safe, to keep ATMs safe, and to keep Y-O-U safe.
  Space Force is not a Trump idea. True, he tried to hijack it long 
after the House Armed Services Committee had voted on a totally 
bipartisan and nearly unanimous basis to support a Space Corps. Trump's 
belated support for a Space Force does not make this a Republican idea.
  Focus on space has been bipartisan since the first Pentagon Space 
Command in 1985, an initiative that was terminated in 2002 when America 
got distracted by the war on terror. Our adversaries and potential 
adversaries were not distracted, however.
  Since 2002, they have relentlessly pursued anti-U.S. strategies 
against our defenseless satellites. They have made space a warfighting 
domain.
  On behalf of the free world, we must respond. What is the difference 
between a Space Corps and a Space Force? One word. The language in this 
year's NDAA is primarily the old Space Corps language, which passed the 
HASC this year unanimously.
  The Strategic Forces Subcommittee provisions of this bill support the 
core mission of our nuclear forces to provide a strong deterrent. They 
also support nuclear safety as we modernize and recapitalize our 
nuclear deterrent.
  We emphasize the importance of strategic stability. The conference 
agreement highlights the importance of New START and the Open Skies 
treaties for U.S. and international security. We maintain congressional 
oversight over these key arms control agreements, including requiring a 
120-day notice provision before any withdrawal from these treaties.
  U.S. leadership, in cooperation with our allies, is essential to hold 
Russia accountable and to prevent an arms race.
  The NDAA continues to support effective missile defense while 
increasing oversight of critical programs, particularly as the 
Department of Defense considers new options for the next-generation 
interceptor.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. THORNBERRY. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Turner).
  Mr. TURNER. Madam Speaker, I support the National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, and I, too, thank Adam Smith 
for his leadership in bringing a bipartisan bill as the final NDAA to 
this floor.
  This bill continues the deployment of low-yield nuclear weapons to 
counter Russian violations of the INF. It also supports our nuclear 
modernization efforts in the DOD and the National Nuclear Security 
Administration to ensure a strong nuclear deterrent.
  I also want to note the strong bipartisan support for missile defense 
that is in this year's bill. This year's bill demonstrates that the 
protection of our homeland from North Korean missile defense is not 
subject to partisan politics.
  As co-chair of the Congressional Military Sexual Assault Prevention 
Caucus, along with my colleague and friend Susan Davis, I am proud of 
the steps this conference report takes to further our mission of 
reducing instances of sexual assault in our ranks and caring for the 
victims of such acts.
  The conference report includes provisions to improve the safety of 
military housing. Adding to enhancements included in the last year's 
NDAA, the report expands the requirement for fall prevention devices 
installed on the windows of base housing to protect the young children 
of our servicemembers.
  The fiscal year 2020 NDAA provides the members of the Armed Services 
their largest pay increase in over a decade and also includes the 
repeal of the widow's tax over the next 3 years, a crusade by 
Congressman   Joe Wilson.
  It doubles the reimbursement allowance for licensure and 
certification costs of a spouse of a servicemember arising from 
relocation and gives members of the Federal Government, including 
military members and Federal Government workers, 12 weeks of paid 
family leave to care for newborn or adopted children.
  I encourage passage of this bill.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 
minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Norcross), chair of the 
Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces.
  Mr. NORCROSS. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding, for 
his leadership through this tough conference, and for bringing this 
bill to the floor.
  Madam Speaker, this bill continues the Tactical Air and Land Forces 
Subcommittee's long tradition of bipartisan work to make America's land 
and air forces the best in the world.
  I also thank our subcommittee ranking member, Mrs. Hartzler, for her 
commitment and contributions to this process and upholding that 
tradition of bipartisan work.
  Our cooperation has kept us focused on what is truly important. We 
have delivered a defense bill that addresses the modernization and 
readiness requirement of our Nation's air and land forces.
  At the same time, this bill includes bipartisan provisions that allow 
for aggressive oversight of the Department's largest and most complex, 
expensive, and risky programs to protect the taxpayer and support our 
military.
  This bill also manages risk in our American defense industrial base 
by providing additional funds for the Army Chinook helicopter, armored 
vehicles, and trucks.
  This bill includes long-overdue changes that improve the quality of 
life for our men and women in uniform, the workforce that supports 
them, and the families who serve right beside them. This bill provides 
12 weeks paid parental leave for those workers across the Federal 
Government and includes a 3.1 percent pay increase for our military 
servicemembers.
  Additionally, the bill provides health protections for military 
families and retirees from exposure to the potentially cancer-causing 
contaminate PFAS. This also includes ensuring that blood tests are 
conducted for our firefighters on military bases who might have been 
exposed.

  I am proud of the hard work that this committee has done to serve 
America's national security interests, and I urge my colleagues to 
support it.
  Mr. THORNBERRY. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman).
  Mr. WITTMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Thornberry for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, this is not a good conference report. This is a great 
bipartisan conference report. We have made significant strides in a 
wide range of areas that improve our national security posture, from 
installing a respectable $743 billion top line to supporting our 
Nation's highest acquisition priorities to even including related 
efforts on the widow's tax and family housing reform. This has become 
an impressive bill.
  I must admit, though, that I was concerned about our ability to 
complete the work in this conference report. When we initially debated 
this bill on the House floor, I voted in opposition to the bill over 
top-line funding issues and various riders that were included.

[[Page H10084]]

  But in conference, we debated vigorously. In the end, I am pleased 
that we, once again, tacked to the middle and moved to garner 
bipartisan support for our servicemembers and their families.
  Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Thornberry should be proud of this 
effort. Our seapower and projection capabilities are more lethal as a 
result.
  In the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, we authorized 
three destroyers, two submarines, two amphibious ships, two oilers, and 
one frigate. We accelerate unmanned vessels to the maximum sustainable 
level. We continue to fully support the rapid development of the B-22 
Raider bomber and the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine 
programs, both essential elements of our nuclear triad.
  In my estimation, this conference report is making the right 
investments to ensure our military is more effective and has the 
ability to project power in times of conflict.
  I particularly appreciate Chairman Courtney's approach to developing 
bipartisan legislation. I am glad that we are so closely aligned in our 
subcommittee, and I thank Chairman Courtney for his leadership.
  Additionally, the conference report makes significant progress on a 
multitude of family policy issues that are essential to supporting our 
servicemembers and their families.
  A 3.1 percent military pay raise; significant improvements in family 
housing; authorizing paid parental leave, including Mr. Wilson's 
legislation to address the widow's tax--all of these provisions support 
and retain our military families.
  We are concluding our defense policy bill, but now it is time to move 
the Defense appropriations processes.
  While I am excited to support this conference report, I also believe 
that we need to rapidly advance our efforts to conclude the defense 
appropriations process. I think it is embarrassing for Congress to go 
home for all of August and early September with the complete 
understanding that our ineffectiveness wastes billions of dollars and 
weakens our national security. We can do better. We must do better.
  We are concluding our defense policy bill, but now it is time to move 
the defense appropriations process.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 
minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney), the chair of 
the Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces.
  Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the final 
conference version of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.
  As chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, I 
worked closely with my colleague and friend, Ranking Member Wittman, to 
produce a strong bill that invests smartly in the defense priorities 
under our jurisdiction.
  This year, we also benefited greatly from the contributions of our 
freshman members of the subcommittee, whose collective experience and 
intelligence were extremely helpful.
  The bill authorizes a $23 billion shipbuilding budget for 12 battle 
force ships, including two Virginia-class submarines, three Arleigh 
Burke destroyers, the first frigate, two amphibious ships, two T-AO 
oilers, and two salvage and rescue ships.
  The final shipbuilding budget also contains adjustments necessary to 
support the new Block V Virginia-class submarine contract and fully 
funds the Navy's number one acquisition priority, the Columbia-class 
ballistic missile submarine.
  This bill will, by law, reverse the administration's misguided 
proposal to cancel the refueling of the carrier USS Harry S. Truman.
  Our subcommittee also focused on sealift recapitalization, an area 
that has been overlooked for far too long; legislating reauthorization 
of the Maritime Security Program; establishing a new-build domestic 
sealift vessel program; and restoring funding cuts by the 
administration for a critical training platform, the National Security 
Multi-Mission Vessel.
  It also provides strong support for our air projection forces, 
including the KC-46 tanker, the B-21 long-range bomber, and the B-52 
reengining program.
  Finally, we continued Congress' oversight duties as they relate to 
the Navy's surface fleet readiness by requiring any shipboard system 
program of record to have formal associated training to ensure our 
sailors are competent operators of the equipment they use at sea every 
day.
  Outside of seapower, I am extremely pleased that my amendment that 
reverses last year's awful DOD order blocking longer term 
servicemembers' ability to transfer their GI Bill educational benefits 
to eligible dependents is in the conference report.
  I am also pleased about the fix to widow's tax, which we wrestled 
with for 20 years, and also the monumental task of providing 12 weeks 
of paid family medical leave for all Federal employees.
  I thank the committee leadership, Representatives Smith and 
Thornberry, for their tireless work. I also thank Phil MacNaughton, 
Dave Sienicki, Kelly Goggin, and Megan Handal, and Lieutenant Claire 
Wardius of the Navy, my Navy fellow, for their great work supporting 
this bill.
  Mr. THORNBERRY. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the 
distinguished gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Hartzler).
  Mrs. HARTZLER. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the 
conference report to accompany S. 1790, the 59th consecutive National 
Defense Authorization Act.
  With a new top line of $739 billion, plus another $5.3 billion in 
emergency authorizations, I believe this conference report now 
represents a good bipartisan compromise that we all should support 
because it provides for our common defense and addresses the priorities 
required by our men and women in uniform.
  This bill will continue the progress we have made in rebuilding 
military readiness while also setting the right conditions through 
oversight to accelerate needed modernization capabilities required for 
the national defense strategy and credible deterrents.
  A few examples of these critical capabilities include funding for 
eight F-15EX aircraft, an additional $1.4 billion for F-35 fifth-
generation Joint Strike Fighters, funding for 24 F-18 Super Hornets, 
strong support for the Army's identified Big 6 modernization 
priorities, and an additional $265 million for National Guard and 
Reserve Component equipment modernization.
  I am also pleased the bill includes a provision to ensure 
servicemembers forced to move from any type of military housing, 
including dormitories, receive a partial dislocation allowance. This 
fixes a gap that previously prohibited our lowest paid servicemembers 
from receiving this assistance.
  I thank Ranking Member Thornberry for his leadership and guidance 
throughout this entire process, as well as our subcommittee chairman,   
Donald Norcross, for his leadership and spirit of bipartisan.
  This conference report also wouldn't be possible without the hard 
work and dedication of the entire subcommittee staff.
  The NDAA has always been a product of bipartisan consensus, and I am 
pleased that we were successful in reaching that level of consensus 
again.
  I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill 
and vote ``yes'' on S. 1790.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi), who is the chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Readiness.
  Mr. GARAMENDI. Madam Speaker, I rise in full support of the National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020.
  First, I thank Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Thornberry, the 
committee staff, and others who worked tirelessly on this bill. It is a 
good one, and I urge support from all.
  As chairman of the Subcommittee on Readiness, I worked closely with 
Members on and off the committee to ensure that this bill addressed 
three priority areas.
  First, the NDAA requires the Department of Defense to plan for and 
respond to the threat that climate change poses to military 
installations and military operations by developing installation master 
plans that fully assess current and future climate vulnerabilities and 
updating building standards for military construction to promote energy 
conservation, climate and cyber resiliency, among many other important 
aspects.

[[Page H10085]]

  Second, the bill includes a number of provisions aimed at addressing 
problems associated with the management and oversight of military 
family housing programs, including that military services must 
establish a tenants' bill of rights for our military family housing.
  Third, the bill authorizes additional funding and includes bipartisan 
provisions to mitigate contaminated drinking water for households and 
agriculture resulting from PFAS and fluorinated compounds that have 
been used on military installations.
  I am also pleased that there is a 3.1 percent pay raise for our 
troops and also that the bill includes provisions from my bill, H.R. 
2617, the OATH Act, the Occupational and Environmental Transparency 
Health Act, which requires the DOD input any occupational environmental 
hazard that troops may have been exposed to.
  Finally, a couple of things that are positive, but there are also 
some concerns. The bill does not delay the deployment of the new low-
yield nuclear warheads for submarines, which I believe is not a good 
idea at all for our boomers. Secondly, the bill does not deal with the 
funding for our military programs and for the military that had been 
ripped off for the wall.

                              {time}  1615

  Mr. THORNBERRY. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Kelly).
  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 1790, the National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020.
  I wish to thank Chairman Smith, Ranking Member Thornberry, Chairman 
Inhofe, and Ranking Member Reed for their leadership throughout the 
conferencing of this bill.
  I also want to thank the Military Personnel Subcommittee chairwoman, 
Jackie Speier, for her hard work and leadership.
  The strength of our military is our servicemembers, and the strength 
of our servicemembers is our military families. This bill contains a 
number of significant policy and funding initiatives that affirm our 
commitment to our troops and their families.
  To that end, this bill supports a 3.1 percent military pay raise, 
extends crucial pay and bonuses for servicemembers in high-demand 
fields, and eliminates the widow's tax.
  I want to specifically thank Representative   Joe Wilson for his 
years of tireless work and leadership to make this a reality. Make no 
mistake, this is all because of   Joe Wilson's initiative.
  This bill also preserves military healthcare by preventing the 
services from making cuts to healthcare billets before providing 
additional analysis on the impact those cuts will have on our military 
health system.
  It improves accessibility and effectiveness of mental healthcare by 
requiring DOD to update and standardize procedures related to mental 
health treatment and substance abuse referrals.
  Importantly, this bill strengthens our Reserve component by expanding 
eligibility for TRICARE Reserve Select.
  This bill also expands support for military spouses by doubling the 
reimbursement amount spouses can receive for professional licensing and 
expanding eligibility for educational assistance.
  Finally, the bill includes provisions designed to improve military 
childcare, including expanded direct hiring authority for child 
development centers and requiring a comprehensive assessment of 
childcare capacity on military installations.
  In addition to critical military personnel provisions, this bill 
contains many initiatives that are important to my home State of 
Mississippi.
  Madam Speaker, I want to thank my fellow conferrees for their 
contributions to this truly bipartisan conference report, and I 
strongly urge my colleagues to support its passage.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Speier), who is the chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, let me also say to my colleague, the chair 
of the committee, what an outstanding job he has done. I want to thank 
my ranking member, Mr. Kelly, for his good leadership as well.
  Since coming to Congress, I have voted against more NDAAs than I have 
voted for. This year, I will be voting for the NDAA, not because it is 
perfect, not because it achieves every Democratic priority, and not 
because I am satisfied. I am voting for this bill because it achieves 
monumental progressive victories; and the day after the President signs 
this bill, many of our servicemembers and their families will recognize 
that we have been listening to them.
  Let me highlight a few provisions that make me proud to vote for this 
bill.
  After 70 years, we have tackled the Feres doctrine, setting aside 
$400 million over 10 years to provide justice and compensation for 
medical malpractice performed at noncombat settings.
  The process of providing compensation for malpractice during 
nonmission healthcare should be governed by the Administrative 
Procedure Act, guaranteeing a public comment process for creating the 
program plus judicial review.
  We required the Marine Corps to join the rest of the services and 
finally provide gender-integrated basic training to platoons, 
recognizing that women marines are marines just like men.
  We have ended the unjust widow's tax, provided 12 weeks of paid 
parental leave to Federal workers, increased resources to ease the 
childcare backlog at military bases, provided legal counsel to domestic 
violence survivors, and prevented the military from forcing new mothers 
to deploy within a year of their child's birth.
  Finally, we have renewed the Breast Cancer Research Stamp Act, which 
has been generating $85 million for breast cancer research.
  The NDAA is not perfect, but it is a giant step forward for our 
servicemembers and their families.
  I want to thank Craig Greene, Dave Giachetti, Glen Diehl, and Jamie 
Jackson for the outstanding services they have provided to the Military 
Personnel Subcommittee, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of 
this measure.
  Mr. THORNBERRY. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Stefanik).
  Ms. STEFANIK. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this 
bipartisan bill and the accompanying conference report for the National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020.
  As the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Intelligence and 
Emerging Threats and Capabilities, I am proud of our oversight and 
legislative activities this year.
  The bill before the House incorporates four broad subcommittee 
themes.
  First, it recharges our national security innovation base to confront 
emerging threats and advance our science and technology ecosystem, 
while also making it easier for small businesses to engage with DOD. We 
authorize the establishment of new partnerships in the field of 
hypersonics and quantum sciences. We extend unique hiring authorities 
to the Joint AI Center and to DARPA to ensure that the best talent 
available is made available to solve our hardest national security 
problems. This bill also establishes a White House working group to 
protect Federal research and intellectual property from foreign 
interference, espionage, and theft.

  Second, this bill recognizes the urgency and importance of U.S. 
leadership in 5G technology and mandates the development of a DOD 5G 
strategy.
  Third, this NDAA strengthens congressional oversight of cyber 
operations and enhances the Department's cybersecurity strategy and 
cyber warfare capabilities. It builds upon the work of previous NDAAs 
to ensure cyber is a fully integrated warfighting function across the 
Department. It increases congressional notification requirements for 
military cyber operations and improves cybersecurity cooperation with 
the Defense industrial base.
  Finally, this bill contains important authorities for sensitive 
military operations and activities, including cyber, counterterrorism, 
and intelligence. These authorities are vital to meet the

[[Page H10086]]

threats identified in the National Defense Strategy.
  Before I conclude, I would like to thank Ranking Member Thornberry, 
Chairman Smith, Senator Inhofe, and Senator Reed for their leadership 
through this conference process.
  I particularly want to thank my partner and the subcommittee chair, 
Congressman  Jim Langevin from Rhode Island, for his strong partnership 
and what we have delivered from this subcommittee.
  Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin), who is the chair of the 
Subcommittee on Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities.
  Mr. LANGEVIN. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for 
yielding, and I want to congratulate and thank Chairman Smith for his 
leadership on the House Armed Services Committee, as well as Ranking 
Member Thornberry.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the conference 
report to accompany the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. I was 
honored to be a conferree, and I am very proud that we have concluded 
our work on this defense bill and reached bipartisan consensus in 
support of our national security and our servicemembers. I am 
particularly pleased with the provisions that are under the oversight 
of the Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee, 
which I am honored to chair.
  I also want to thank my subcommittee ranking member, Ms. Stefanik, 
for her contributions to this bill and her bipartisan participation and 
partnership throughout the process, and our wonderful staff for all 
their work to make this happen.
  In the IETC portfolio, this bill supports a robust Department of 
Defense science and technology ecosystem to deliver the best 
capabilities to the warfighter while protecting critical technologies. 
It provides for additional investments in emerging technologies like 5G 
and additive manufacturing and supports educational programs to 
strengthen the STEM workforce and improve ties with historically Black 
colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions.
  On the cybersecurity front, we strengthen oversight of military 
operations, synchronize efforts, and leverage best practices to improve 
the Department's network, industrial base, and military installation 
cybersecurity.
  This bill also reflects our IETC priorities that Special Operations 
Forces remain professional, ethical, agile, and postured for high-end 
missions and that the Defense Intelligence Enterprise is oriented to 
provide maximum support to Department requirements.
  I am especially pleased that this bill continues to support the 
production of the Virginia-class submarine program and the Virginia 
Payload Modules as well as the Columbia-class submarine program, which 
are shining examples of Rhode Island's contributions to our national 
security.
  This bill supports our servicemembers with a pay raise and 
demonstrates a strong commitment, also, to families by providing all 
Federal workers with paid parental leave.
  Madam Speaker, there is a lot to be proud of in this bill. I thank 
Chairman Smith, again, for his leadership and Ranking Member 
Thornberry, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. THORNBERRY. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn).
  Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and 
for his leadership.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the conference report for 
the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020.
  The NDAA continues rebuilding readiness and provides vital 
capabilities required to implement the National Defense Strategy.
  Highlights include significant investments in operations and 
maintenance, facilities, sustainment, and military construction; also, 
nuclear triad modernization and authority to deploy low-yield weapons; 
the historic establishment of Space Force as a separate military 
service with a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and $5.3 billion in 
emergency funding to rebuild Tyndall and Offutt Air Force Bases, Camp 
Lejeune, and China Lake Naval Air Station, all of which were struck by 
natural disasters.
  The stress that military families endure from frequent deployments 
makes the systemic failures of privatized military family housing truly 
deplorable. Critical reforms in this bill include a Tenants Bill of 
Rights, formal dispute resolution, and improved quality control for 
repairs and mold remediation.
  The bill also provides critical oversight of the Defense household 
goods program that will ensure that military families are put first in 
DOD reforms.

  The bill also addresses PFAS contamination by prohibiting 
nonemergency use of firefighting foams containing PFOS and PFOA and 
requires DOD to accelerate fielding a PFAS-free replacement.
  I want to thank Readiness Subcommittee Chairman   John Garamendi for 
his leadership.
  Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Thornberry also deserve great 
recognition for preserving the committee's 59-year bipartisan tradition 
of passing the NDAA to support our warfighters and their families.
  I want to thank the professional staff who worked tirelessly to 
complete this important legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the conference report.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna).
  Mr. KHANNA. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this 
defense authorization.
  There are many things that you can call the bill, but it is Orwellian 
to call it progressive. Let's speak in facts.
  When President Obama left, the defense budget was $618 billion. This 
defense budget is $120 billion more than what President Obama left us 
with. That could fund free public college for every American. It could 
fund access to high-speed, affordable internet for every American.
  But it is worse: the bipartisan provision to stop the war in Yemen, 
stripped by the White House; the bipartisan amendment to stop the war 
in Iran, stripped by the White House; the bipartisan provision to 
repeal the 2002 George W. Bush authorization for the war in Iraq which 
is sending our troops overseas, stripped by the White House.
  At some time, we can't just rhetorically give standing ovations when 
the President says that we are going to end endless wars and continue 
to vote to fund them.
  It wasn't just President George W. Bush who committed the biggest 
blunder of foreign policy in the 21st century by sending us to Iraq. It 
was the abdication of this body, with many Members of Congress who 
voted right with him.
  My question is: When are we going to listen to the American people? 
When are we going to do our Article I duty and stop funding these 
endless wars and start funding our domestic priorities?

                              {time}  1630

  Mr. THORNBERRY. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson), who is the distinguished author of 
legislation with 383 cosponsors to repeal the widow's tax that is now a 
part of this legislation.
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, I thank Ranking Member 
Thornberry and Chairman Smith.
  Madam Speaker, I am grateful that the House and Senate have come to 
an agreement in this year's National Defense Authorization Act 
conference report to finally repeal the widow's tax.
  I appreciate my predecessor, the late Chairman Floyd Spence, who was 
one of the earliest proponents of eliminating the widow's tax, and I 
picked up on his efforts upon my election in 2001. Being the lead 
sponsor of this bill will always be meaningful to me.
  I made every effort to be bipartisan, always inviting all cosponsors 
of both parties to milestone achievements. Repealing the widow's tax 
has been personal to me.
  Lieutenant Colonel Trane McCloud was the military fellow in our 
office in 2003 and was sadly killed in Iraq on December 4, 2006. His 
wife, Maggie, and

[[Page H10087]]

their three children, Hayden, Grace, and Meghan, have always been on my 
mind and in my heart as we fought for the repeal of the widow's tax.
  This legislation has the support of 383 Members in the House. This 
bill that is included in NDAA, has the largest number of cosponsors of 
any bill in the House of Representatives this Congress. I welcomed 
Congressman   John Yarmuth to be the first cosponsor with the intention 
of always being bipartisan. This provision will restore the full amount 
of the survivor benefit annuity to more than 65,000 surviving military 
families. The repeal of the widow's tax will impact families who could 
receive an average of almost $12,000 a year. Surviving spouses visited 
and called representatives and were very convincing.
  This effectiveness was truly remarkable, and I commend Edith Smith, 
Barb Christie, Kathy Prout, Kathy Thorpe, Kristy DiDomenico, and 
Kristin Fenty for their perseverance. Veterans service organizations 
were also instrumental. I am thankful that the families who have given 
the greatest sacrifice in service to our country are no longer burdened 
by this unfair offset.
  Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to vote in support of the NDAA 
conference report.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds.
  Madam Speaker, I just point out that there was nothing in the House 
bill or any bill that would have ended the war in Yemen. It is not just 
Orwellian to say that. It is breathtakingly dishonest to tell people 
out there that there was something we could have done to end the war in 
Yemen. We need to work hard to bring a peaceful solution to that 
conflict. Being dishonest with the American public does not accomplish 
that.
  Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. 
Brown).
  Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Smith for his 
hard work, as well as the committee staff on an NDAA that affirms our 
values and delivers progressive wins for the American people.
  The NDAA tackles the pressing security challenges facing our country 
and makes important investments in our warfighters and their families.
  We confront Russian aggression by bolstering the European Deterrence 
Initiative and providing our allies in Ukraine with additional military 
support.
  We make a commitment to a diverse and inclusive military by: 
Increasing defense spending at historically Black colleges and 
universities; incentivizing more minority and women-owned businesses to 
be part of our defense industrial base; and finally, gender integrating 
basic training for the Marine Corps.
  This NDAA makes good on the commitments to address serious problems 
with private military housing; and give military families a pathway to 
seek justice, if they suffer from medical malpractice.
  Yet, this NDAA is also a compromise. I am disappointed that we 
couldn't reverse the President's ban on transgender servicemembers or 
force Congress to reconsider the 2001 AUMF. But ultimately, this NDAA 
gets the job done, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. THORNBERRY. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from Alabama (Mr. Rogers), the coauthor, along with Mr. Cooper of the 
Space Force provision.
  Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Madam Speaker, I thank Ranking Member 
Thornberry and Chairman Smith for their leadership in bringing this 
conference report to the floor.
  I am very pleased that Space Force, an issue that my good friend,   
Jim Cooper, and I have been working on for several years, is finally 
becoming a reality. This report establishes the U.S. Space Force in 
title 10 as the sixth Armed Service of the United States under the 
Department of the Air Force. It is the first new branch of the military 
since 1947.
  It also recognizes space as a warfighting domain and authorizes the 
transfer of Air Force personnel to the newly established Space Force. 
This is an important step for our national security. Our adversaries 
are moving quickly in space, and this new service will allow us to 
quickly realign our resources and efforts towards countering them.
  Finally, the original House-passed NDAA that every Republican 
opposed, included a number of open border provisions that would have 
undermined our efforts to secure our Southwest border. I am pleased 
that those unreasonable border security restrictions have been removed.
  Madam Speaker, this is a strong defense bill, and I urge the House to 
support this legislation.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney).
  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise in support 
of this NDAA conference report, and particularly for its inclusion of 
language from my bill, the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act. This 
provision will provide 12 weeks paid parental leave for all Federal 
employees for the birth of a child or adoption of a child.

  For far too long, the United States has been behind the times. There 
are only two countries in the entire world, according to a United 
Nations' study, that do not provide paid parental leave for the birth 
of a child, and those two countries are the United States and Papua New 
Guinea.
  When we pass this National Defense Authorization Act, we will no 
longer be part of that infamous group. I thank, from the bottom of my 
heart, chairman of the House Committee on Armed Services, Adam Smith, 
who worked selflessly and tirelessly with great determination to 
include this provision that will help over 2.1 million Federal 
employees. It will turn this priority of balance in family life into a 
reality in millions of families' lives. I also thank my friend and 
colleague, Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan from Pennsylvania, for her 
partnership on this effort.
  While this agreement is not perfect, it is an extraordinary first 
step toward full paid family and medical leave for all American 
workers. By providing this leave, studies indicate we could prevent the 
departure of over 2,600 female employees per year and save the 
government $50 million per year in costs associated with employee 
turnover. On top of that, paid family leave also improves productivity, 
boosts morale, and attracts more talent. It also provides a benefit to 
families and the broader economy.
  Paid parental leave is an investment in our future in American 
families and the workforce. And that is why I am urging all of my 
colleagues to support the NDAA, which includes this important 
provision.
  Mr. THORNBERRY. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Waltz).
  Mr. WALTZ. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this defense bill 
because we are a nation at war.
  We are in a hot war with extremists around the world, and we are in a 
cold war with our peer competitors, Russian and China and other rogue 
states.
  And Madam Speaker, if the country isn't safe, everything else that we 
do in this body is secondary. Our domestic priorities, our economy, our 
education, trade, everything else that we debate in this Congress is at 
risk if we fail to protect this great Nation.
  One of the reasons that I ran for elected office, was that often what 
comes out of Washington isn't worthy of our previous veterans, my 
fellow special operators around the world, as we speak, and other 
military currently deployed, and it is not worthy of their families and 
the sacrifices of their families.
  This defense bill, from the sixth branch of the military and the 
Space Force, to childcare for Gold Star families, it is worthy. It is 
worthy of their sacrifice, past and present.
  I deeply and personally thank the chairman, Adam Smith. I thank the 
ranking member, Mr. Thornberry, and everyone else who stepped up, 
frankly, and all of my colleagues who stepped up to make the 
compromises necessary to pass this critical piece of legislation to be 
worthy of those who have sacrificed for all of us breathing free air 
today.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it. It is worthy of 
them, as we all are with this bill.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff),

[[Page H10088]]

the distinguished chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
  Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and 
rise in support of the fiscal 2020 NDAA conference report.
  This legislation supports our national security and it also 
accomplishes long-sought Democratic priorities, like extending paid 
paternal leave to over 2 million Federal employees. I hope that this 
achievement will pave the way to making paid paternal leave the norm 
across the workforce.
  I am very pleased that as a part of this legislation, we are also 
passing the fiscal year 2018, 2019, and 2020 Intelligence Authorization 
Acts, aptly named in honor of HPSCI's Damon Nelson and SSCI's Matt 
Pollard, two dedicated staffers who tragically passed away last year.
  The Intelligence Authorization Act is the primary legislative product 
of the Committee on Intelligence and securing its passage into law 
after it passed the House with nearly 400 votes, strengthens our 
oversight of the intelligence community and military intelligence 
immeasurably.
  I am also proud that the IAA includes many vital important 
provisions; among them, protecting our elections from foreign 
interference, understanding and mitigating the effects of climate 
change, and a competition to improve Deepfake detection.
  While I support the bill, it is a bitter pill that bipartisan House 
amendments to finally fix the injustice that has kept 74 sailors who 
died aboard the USS Frank E. Evans in 1969 off the Vietnam Memorial was 
removed from the conference report. I will not relent on that issue 
until we get it done.
  I am also disappointed that the repeal of the 2002 AUMF was removed. 
There is no reasonable basis to keep this outdated authorization in 
effect.
  Nevertheless, I congratulate the chair and ranking member on their 
good work. And I personally thank all of the members of the 
Intelligence Committee's staff for the extraordinary work that the 
staff did for many years on this legislation.
  I thank my fellow members of the intelligence community as well. We 
have worked now for 3 years to reach this point. I am very grateful 
that these important provisions will now pass into law.
  Mr. THORNBERRY. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus).
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Thornberry and 
Chairman Smith. I say a special thank you to Mr. Thornberry and his 
staff. They have been great partners in this journey of addressing PFAS 
in the NDAA.
  First and foremost, I am pleased that we have reached a deal on the 
funding of our Armed Services. Ensuring appropriate and sufficient 
resources for our men and women who serve on the frontline every day 
should be our top priority.
  Having said that, I am disappointed about two provisions that did not 
get in. One would have required EPA to set a national drinking water 
standard on PFOA and PFOS within 2 years. And the second one would have 
instituted a mandate on DOD to clean up immediately any DOD sites 
contaminated with PFOA or PFOS.
  Republican Members supported these two provisions as part of a larger 
package, and I think not including them amounts to a very great lost 
opportunity.
  Nonetheless, I support the NDAA and PFAS provisions that we were able 
to get into the bill. Those provisions include:
  Mr. Upton's Federal facilities and cooperative agreements;
  Funding for reducing PFAS and rural economically disadvantaged 
drinking water systems;
  Health data collection from PFAS manufacturers under TSCA;
  Guidance on proper disposal of PFAS chemicals;
  More reporting on PFAS chemicals on the Toxic Release Inventory; and
  Funding for further research into PFAS chemicals.
  As my Republican colleagues on the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
discussed at a recent markup, getting PFAS provisions into the NDAA 
means that they will be signed into law and will start making a 
difference in our communities back home right now.
  I urge my colleagues to vote for this important bill.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).
  Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, first of all, I thank the 
chairman for his leadership and for ensuring paid parental leave for 
Federal employees.
  I strongly support this and many other provisions in this bill. 
Unfortunately, this bill does not include very important provisions, 
such as the provision to end support for the Saudi-led coalition in 
Yemen, and two provisions I fought to include that would help end our 
forever wars.
  The first is the repeal of the 2001 authorization to use military 
force, which is a blank check for endless war.
  The second is the repeal of the 2002 AUMF. The House passed my 
amendment to repeal the 2002 AUMF. It makes absolutely no sense that 
this outdated AUMF still exists. We must restore some congressional 
authority on matters of war and peace and finally repeal these AUMFs.
  Also, I encourage my colleagues to read The Washington Post's 
recently published ``Afghanistan Papers,'' if they need any more 
justification for why Congress must reassert itself in matters of war 
and peace. I can tell you, it is an appalling and shocking read.
  Finally, the bill before us authorizes a Pentagon budget of about 
$733 billion, which is the largest ever authorized. Given the waste, 
fraud, and abuse at the Pentagon, the failure of the Pentagon to pass 
an even basic audit, and the unnecessary spending, I am simply unable 
to support this bill.
  Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for his work, and I thank him for 
yielding.
  Mr. THORNBERRY. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers at this 
time, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Yarmuth).

                              {time}  1645

  Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the NDAA 
conference report, which includes the phaseout of the offset provision 
known as the widow's tax.
  Ending this egregious offset is a momentous victory for the more than 
60,000 surviving spouses and families of our Nation's fallen heroes and 
the families who, unfortunately, may come after them.
  It is not every day that Congress comes together and fixes a problem 
that has been on the books for more than four decades, but that day is 
here.
  I got involved in this issue years ago when I heard from my 
constituent Ellen, a woman in Louisville whose husband tragically 
passed away during training exercises.
  When I became the Democratic lead on legislation to repeal this 
offset, along with Congressman Wilson of South Carolina, I was told it 
would never pass, that people had tried for years and had failed every 
time. Well, here we are. We got it done.
  Chairman Smith and I, with the help of Chairman McGovern and Speaker 
Pelosi, came up with a plan to add the offset repeal to the must-pass 
NDAA bill and then worked our tails off to keep it there.
  We knew if it passed the House as a freestanding piece of 
legislation, it would land in the stack of bills of more than 270 
bipartisan bills languishing on Mitch McConnell's desk and would never 
be seen again.
  So I thank Chairman Smith for his dedication on behalf of families 
whose loved once made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf our Nation.
  I would also like to thank the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. 
Wilson) for his long-time passionate leadership on this issue.
  But most of all, I want to thank my constituent Ellen and all the 
surviving spouses who fought for this moment for years, who lit up 
phone lines, flooded email inboxes, walked the Halls of Congress, and 
demanded we act. Your fallen loved ones would be so proud of what you 
have accomplished in their honor.
  Now it is time for Congress to honor them as well by passing this 
legislation.
  Mr. THORNBERRY. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of 
my time.

[[Page H10089]]

  

  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Tlaib).
  Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I thank the good gentleman for all his 
incredible work as chairman. I know it is difficult and it was the best 
that we could do, especially with so much opposition on the Senate 
side.
  But as a voice and advocate for a district that encompasses frontline 
communities facing concentrated poverty, growing healthcare costs, 
decreasing education funding, and continuous assaults on our 
environment, I could not support and cannot support a bill that 
provides $738 billion for wars and defense contractors while, this 
year, we only provided $190 billion in discretionary funding for 
healthcare, education, antipoverty programs, and workforce development.
  After the House took action to end U.S. involvement in the war and 
humanitarian crisis in Yemen, this NDAA fails to include necessary 
provisions to end the U.S. support for military action in Yemen.
  This bill also keeps Guantanamo Bay open, provides for new nuclear 
warheads, and establishes the absurd Space Force.
  By removing the House's repeal of the Iraq war AUMF, we have also 
agreed to endless war abroad.
  By removing language that would have stopped, Madam Speaker, Pentagon 
spending at Trump hotels and properties, we are authorizing corruption.
  By removing critical PFAS protections, we have also left our 
communities at risk.
  So I am asking my colleagues to please not rubberstamp this annual 
increase of the world's largest military budget. We can do better.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the distinguished majority leader.
  (Mr. HOYER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the ranking member for his 
service and the chairman for his service.
  I also want to thank the staff. It has been an extraordinarily 
arduous, sleep-depriving and angst-creating process, I know, to get 
this bill from this floor over to the Senate floor and through 
conference, so I congratulate the staff.
  We are blessed as a country and as a Congress to have extraordinarily 
qualified people who could, frankly, make very significantly more in 
the private sector stick with us and with our country. Their patriotism 
and their talent is an extraordinary benefit to us all.
  Madam Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Smith and the Democratic 
members and the majority staff of the Armed Services Committee, as well 
as the ranking member and the minority staff. They have been working 
very hard on this legislation.
  The conference report before us represents a compromise. No one ought 
to think that is a pejorative. It is what we do. And it means, in 
compromising, you do not get everything you want.
  Obviously, many of the things that we passed on the floor of this 
House that we believed were very, very important items are not in this 
conference report. It could lead some to say, well, then we won't vote 
for it. That would be a mistake on either side of the aisle.
  I am particularly pleased, however, that this report, this bill does 
include, for the first time, 12 weeks of paid parental leave for the 
birth or adoption of a child for all Federal civilian employees. There 
was, for a period of time, a suggestion that it only apply to defense 
employees.
  I would suggest that the national security of our country is, in 
interrelated ways, dependent upon all of our employees, and we ought to 
treat them equally. I wrote a letter urging that, and others weighed in 
as well.
  I am pleased that the committee ultimately decided to treat all 
Federal employees the same, even though we limited it not to family 
leave, but to parental leave.
  Now, that is a step in the right direction. We know that the bonding 
between moms and dads and infant children is critically important, and 
this will give them the opportunity to do so. And it will give them the 
opportunity to not have to make a determination whether or not they 
don't get paid in order to create this bond, but they will be enabled 
to, as so many could not if they were not paid, take advantage of this 
benefit.
  So I am disappointed that we don't have full coverage, but this is a 
first and very significant step.
  I want to congratulate the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. 
Maloney), who has been a giant in her advocacy of this policy for our 
people, for our employees, and, by the way, for our infants, whether 
they are adopted or whether they are naturally born.
  I will continue to fight for the full measure of paid family and 
medical leave to be extended to our employees and would urge others 
around the country to do the same. While some private businesses are 
already instituting paid leave, it would be appropriate that all do so.
  In addition, this conference report, unfortunately, does not include 
a comprehensive set of provisions that were adopted in this House to 
protect communities affected by PFAS.
  Now, PFAS is a category of chemicals that essentially do not 
disappear and are toxic when introduced into our waters and exist on 
our military bases, in some respects, because of the use of foam for 
fire suppression, but for other reasons as well.
  I know that the chairman fought very hard for this. I know that the 
President's position was that he did not want this in the bill and 
indicated that it would not happen. But I thank Mr. Smith for fighting 
so hard for this, and I know that we will keep fighting.
  I want to tell the House that I intend to bring a bill to the floor 
incorporating the provisions that were in the defense bill but dropped. 
I will bring it to the floor in January. I have talked to Mr. Pallone 
about that, and he is looking forward to doing just that.
  I am trying to shorten this up a little bit, Madam Speaker.
  The last two things I want to mention before I make some general 
comments is that I was sorry that the antidiscrimination provision that 
was included in this House dealing with transgender people who wanted 
to serve their country was eliminated from the bill. I think that was 
wrong.
  I am one of the people like John McCain. John McCain, when asked 
whether or not gays and the LGBT community ought to be able to serve in 
the military, said: I want to know whether they shoot straight, not 
whether they are straight.
  Martin Luther King, Jr., told us to judge people by the content of 
their character, not other arbitrary distinctions which may or may not 
impact on their performance and their value.
  I will continue to fight that ban, which undermines our national 
security and the military's effectiveness and does not reflect the 
values and ideals that our military defends.
  And if you review the 1948 actions, or 1947 actions of Harry Truman 
when he integrated the services and he was told, ``Oh, if you do that, 
it is going to undermine morale; you ought not to do that,'' very 
frankly, I see this exclusion as very much like that opposition to that 
action.
  Finally, I will also continue to advocate for a change in policy 
regarding Yemen. That war is a human-made disaster. It is not our 
fault, but we ought not to be complicit.
  In closing, let me say this: This is $738 billion of hard-earned tax 
money, more than anybody in the world spends. I have been, for the 39 
years that I have been here, a strong supporter of our national 
security.
  I don't know that, other than when we had political fights such as 
the Republicans voting against the defense bill when it passed the 
House here, that I have voted against a defense bill or an 
appropriations bill. I am certainly not going to vote against this one. 
I am urging people to support it.
  But, Madam Speaker, I want to say to all of my colleagues that we 
need, with great diligence and courage, to look at the defense budget 
and look at that $738 billion with an eye that the pot is not unlimited 
and that our national security depends not only on our defense 
investment, but on our domestic investment and education and healthcare 
and the welfare of our people. I would urge that the committee focus on 
how it can effect diligent oversight on the expenditure of this 
extraordinary amount of money, which I will support.

[[Page H10090]]

  We included $733 billion. We have no more security because of that 
extra $5 billion. And I will tell my friends that $733 billion was 
acceptable to some of the folks I talked to on the Republican side of 
the aisle.

  So I am supporting this bill, but as I have urged privately, both the 
chairman and the ranking member, we need to look very carefully at how 
we are expending this amount of money to ensure that it is spent 
effectively and that we cannot get the same level of defense at a lower 
level of expenditure. That is a tough job to do, but it needs to be 
done.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this bill.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, may I inquire as to how much 
time each side has left.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Washington has 3\1/2\ 
minutes remaining. The gentleman from Texas has 9\1/2\ minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close at 
this time. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. THORNBERRY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Madam Speaker, Majority Leader Hoyer made two points on which I want 
to emphatically agree.
  Number one, he said that we are blessed in this Nation to have the 
benefit of dedicated staff working on important legislation such as is 
before us today, and their patience has been tried more than in most 
years to bring this bill to this point with what I expect will be 
strong bipartisan support. A tremendous amount of credit goes to them 
as well as, as I said before, to Chairman Smith, Chairman Inhofe, and 
Senator Reed.
  The second point the majority leader made is this is a compromise, 
and he is exactly right. I can give you a list of things in the bill 
that I wish were not in the bill, and I also have a list of things that 
I wish were in the bill that I tried to get into the bill. So I have 
some strong opinions about things I would do differently. And yet it is 
not about me; it is about what this process can produce.

                              {time}  1700

  There is no question that what we have today on the floor is very 
different from the bill that the House passed on July 12. It is a very 
different bill. Also, the House-passed bill was very different than the 
Senate bill, which they passed something like 86-8. So bringing those 
two together has been a challenge, but it is done.
  I will confess, Madam Speaker, that I feel better that at least some 
Members came to the floor to oppose it because I was beginning to worry 
that this conference report was not as good or as important as I 
thought it was. But I do feel better that at least some Members with 
whom I do not normally agree have come to oppose it. I am somewhat 
relieved on that point.
  I am also relieved that the President has said emphatically that he 
will sign this bill, that he strongly supports the pay raise, the Space 
Force, the paid parental leave, and other provisions that are in this 
package.
  I believe, Madam Speaker, the first job of the Federal Government is 
to defend the country. We need to do the things that are in this bill 
first before we look at the other things that all of us would like to 
see done. I agree with the point that as we do this first job of the 
Federal Government, we as a body and certainly the Armed Services 
Committee need to carefully oversee this large amount of funding. That 
is absolutely part of our responsibility.
  I resent, by the way, any implication that we have not been doing our 
best to oversee that funding over the years because under both parties 
I believe that is exactly what we have been doing. The challenge is we 
face more risk in the world than we have ever faced before in our 
history with Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, terrorism, and the list 
goes on, new technologies moving faster than ever.
  Just cutting back a little bit on funding does not ensure that the 
country will be protected. As a matter of fact, this amount of money 
does not ensure that the country will be protected. But it is what we 
do need to keep working to do.
  By the way, with support of both parties, what we have been trying to 
do is see that the taxpayers get more value for the money we spend and 
also see that, when we send a warfighter out on a mission, he or she is 
equipped with the best equipment, the best support, the best training 
that this country can provide because it is wrong to send them out 
there on that mission without providing the best that this country can 
provide.
  Madam Speaker, this is the last point I want to make. This bill is 
not about us, as important as we think we are sometimes. It is not 
about our preferences. It is about them. It is about men and women who 
risk their lives to defend us and our freedom. It is about their 
families who sacrifice in order that that service may take place.
  Going back to where I started, there is so much in this bill that is 
good for the men and women who serve and their families. To me, that is 
the thing to be most proud of in this bill because it is about them and 
what they do for us. That is the reason I ask all Members to support 
this conference report.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of 
my time.
  As I said at the opening, this was an extraordinarily difficult 
process. It is worth noting this final conference report also is not 
anywhere close to what was passed out of the Senate. In fact, of the 
nearly 1,400 provisions that were adopted, 70 percent of them were 
House provisions. The House firmly put its stamp on this bill in a 
bipartisan way, and I think the policies we adopted were very positive.
  We tried to do more in this bill than has been attempted to do in an 
NDAA in the 23 years that I have been here, and I am proud of that. We 
didn't get everything, but we tried to do everything that we could, 
that we felt was important for the national security of this country 
and for our interests.
  I am particularly disappointed that we weren't able to get some of 
the provisions to help reduce the U.S. influence on the war in Yemen. I 
completely agree with that. My quibble is with the fact that there was 
something we could have done to stop it completely. But the 
humanitarian crisis in Yemen is the greatest humanitarian crisis around 
the globe right now. If there is anything we can do to reduce that, we 
need to do it.
  I will say that the pressure that was put on by the House-passed bill 
that called for cutting off aid to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the 
military aid, has put some pressure over there. The UAE has almost 
unilaterally or almost completely pulled out of Yemen, and they 
recently signed a peace deal with the southern part of Yemen to resolve 
some aspect of that complex civil war.
  Make no mistake about it, that is enormously important to me, and I 
will continue to fight to get it done.
  Lastly, I want to say this process, I think, has been incredibly 
productive. The amount of work that the staff behind us and more people 
than I could possibly count or name did to make this possible cannot be 
overstated. It was an incredible amount of work, and it is so 
important.
  We are in an incredibly divisive time. There are people who are upset 
about just about everything, sometimes justified, sometimes not.
  Passing legislation in a democracy when we have to take into account 
all of those voices is both extraordinarily difficult and unbelievably 
important. We have to show the world that representative democracy 
works, that we can listen to the people. You don't have to be a 
dictatorship. You can listen to a bunch of people and still get a 
product done that meets the needs of the people.
  That is what we did in the defense bill. I will also say it is what 
we have done in a couple of other bills. The agriculture and 
immigration bill that we will vote on as part of this was another 
example of that getting done. We are now working, knock on wood, to 
pass the appropriations bills in that same spirit.

  I hope we don't lose that spirit. I hope we don't realize that just 
because when you participate in a representative democratic process and 
you don't get everything you want, that that means the process didn't 
work. Quite the opposite. The fact that you have that voice, the 
ability to say your piece and advocate for what you want, it is 
essential to freedom, essential to this country. Frankly, I think it is 
essential to peace and stability throughout the globe. We should 
continue to advocate for that passionately.

[[Page H10091]]

  I thank all who were involved. This was a lengthy but important 
undertaking. Ultimately, we produced something that I am very, very 
proud of. I don't want to speak for anybody else. I know there are 
probably a lot of people who are, but just for my part, I am incredibly 
proud of what I was a part of creating. I think it represents the best 
of our country and the best of this body, and I urge everybody to vote 
for it.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I applaud Chairman Smith for including in 
the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 
Conference Report language to include the Coast Guard in the Department 
of Defense STARBASE Program. The NDAA is the culmination of many long 
hours of hard work, compromise, and showcases the best of the 
legislative process. The modified authorization of the STARBASE Program 
included in this year's NDAA will help improve science, technology, 
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education for the youth of America.
  Coast Guard support of the STARBASE Program, which the NDAA now 
authorizes, will allow an already successful STEM education program to 
be offered in more communities across our country. Teaching STEM 
concepts to elementary and secondary students is more important than 
ever to prepare students for our increasingly complex world that 
requires innovation and critical thinking. Introduction of STEM at an 
early age allows the best opportunity for our workforce of the future 
to gain skills and expertise needed, to include the pre-requisites to 
serve in our Coast Guard, Armed Forces, and broader federal government.
  Additionally, to build on the NDAA provision that includes the Coast 
Guard in the STARBASE Program, I introduced the Coast Guard Youth STEM 
Programs Expansion Act (H.R. 3205). H.R. 3205 ties in the Department of 
Education into the STARBASE Program, improves STEM curriculum, and 
includes curriculum topics applicable to maritime environments.
  As the FY 2020 NDAA is implemented, I look forward to ensuring the 
Coast Guard and the Department of Defense continue to support STARBASE 
and STEM education initiatives. I urge support of the NDAA and hope 
that in the future, the House will advance the Coast Guard Youth STEM 
Programs Expansion Act.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, today I will vote against the Conference 
Report to Accompany S. 1790, the National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year (FY) 2020.
  This legislation includes a number of provisions that I strongly 
support, including giving servicemen and women a well-deserved raise of 
3.1 percent--the largest pay raise for our troops since the last 
Democratic House majority in 2010. Those who serve in uniform have made 
extraordinary sacrifices for our country and have earned and deserve a 
pay raise.
  I am also strongly supportive of the inclusion of twelve weeks of 
paid parental leave for federal employees. However, the omission of, at 
least, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and United States Postal 
Service (USPS) employees from this coverage is an inexcusable 
oversight, and I look forward to working with House and Senate leaders 
to enact a legislative correction.
  Moreover, I am pleased that this Conference Report ends the unfair 
Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP)/Indemnity Compensation (DIC) offset--also 
known as the ``widow's tax''--which currently reduces spouse survivor 
benefits by an average of $1,250 per month. The families of the men and 
women serving in the Armed Forces make significant sacrifices and 
deserve the full benefits they have earned from their spouses' service.
  Unfortunately, this final package is a little more than a 
continuation of the status quo, and it falls well short of the NDAA 
bill the House passed earlier this year. The final legislation strips 
out a number of policy priorities that were included in the House-
passed NDAA, which I strongly supported, and includes yet another 
massive spending increase to an already bloated Pentagon budget.
  I believe this legislation could have made responsible cuts to our 
defense budget without jeopardizing the safety of our troops, 
preventing a pay increase, or undermining our national security. For 
years, Congress has continued to increase the Pentagon's budget despite 
overwhelming evidence of its waste and abuse of taxpayer money. This 
year's legislation--with its outrageous topline defense budget of $738 
billion--is yet another example of Congress's habit of increasing the 
defense budget every year. While this administration has cut SNAP 
benefits, Medicaid, reproductive health services, and more, Congress 
has thus far boosted the Pentagon's budget by more than $130 billion 
during President Trump's first term.
  I have long supported a financial audit of the Pentagon, and for the 
second year in a row, the Pentagon has spectacularly failed its 
comprehensive audit. While I am pleased the Pentagon is finally 
undergoing comprehensive audits in order to identify waste, it is 
ridiculous to provide the Department of Defense (DoD) another massive 
spending increase when they cannot even account for how it spends 
taxpayer money.
  In particular, I have always opposed the DoD's Overseas Contingency 
Operation (OCO) account, a fiscally irresponsible fund that is not 
counted in the budget, recklessly adds to our mounting debt, and has no 
congressional oversight. This Conference Report allocates $71.5 billion 
for OCO, a Pentagon slush fund that gives a blank check to fund endless 
wars that Congress hasn't authorized. The bottom line is that fiscal 
responsibility and accountability at the Pentagon would allow for funds 
to be better spent supporting the needs of our troops, meeting our 
obligations to veterans, and ensuring our legitimate defense needs are 
prioritized.
  Beyond bloated Pentagon spending, I am extremely disappointed that 
the Conference Report strips out provisions that would have prevented 
the president from using unauthorized force against Iran, prohibited 
U.S. support for and participation in the Saudi-led coalition's 
military operations in Yemen, and repealed the long-outdated 2002 
authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) in Iraq. These 
provisions passed with bipartisan support in the House, and failure to 
include them is yet another abdication of Congress's constitutional war 
powers. I have always advocated for reaffirming Congress's 
constitutional authority to declare war and limiting the president's 
authority to engage in armed conflict without the consent of Congress 
and will continue to do so.
  While I am pleased that this legislation blocks any backfill for DoD 
funds raided by President Trump for his unnecessary, ineffective border 
wall, it fails to include House-passed language that prevented the 
president from diverting additional funding under his so-called 
national emergency declaration. Under this emergency declaration, 
President Trump has taken more than $3.6 billion from the DoD's high-
priority military construction projects, $2.5 billion from the DoD's 
drug interdiction program, and has transferred funds from other 
critical, lifesaving agencies under the Department of Homeland 
Security, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
(FEMA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and more. As 
Chairman of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, I twice led 
the debate on the House floor to terminate this emergency declaration. 
Despite the fact that Congress has voted multiple times, with strong 
bipartisan support, to terminate this declaration, President Trump has 
repeatedly vetoed. I will continue to fight to bring an end to this 
national emergency declaration.
  Additionally, the House unanimously adopted an amendment to the NDAA 
that would have required the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to 
regulate PFAS as a hazardous substance under our nation's Superfund 
law, as well as restrict future discharges from manufacturers into 
drinking water under the Clean Water Act. PFAS are dangerous 
carcinogens that are virtually ubiquitous in American's drinking water, 
and Congress must restrict their use and clean up our water sources 
that are contaminated.
  Unfortunately, Senate Republicans refused time and time again to 
negotiate any compromise on these important provisions, and the 
language was removed from the Conference Report. Fortunately, Majority 
Leader Hoyer has already stated that he will bring the PFAS Action Act 
to the House floor in January, and I look forward to voting for that 
legislation.
  Lastly, this Conference Report strips out a House-passed prohibition 
on sending new detainees to Guantanamo Bay, doing almost nothing to 
hasten the closing of this detention facility. This facility, which 
costs almost $450 million each year to house 40 prisoners, has been a 
black eye for the United States, eroding relationships with our allies, 
bolstering terrorist recruitment tools, undermining U.S. missions 
abroad, and putting U.S. citizens and our troops at risk of 
retaliation.
  Mr. CONAWAY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak on Section 1011 in 
the NDAA conference report relating to contracting submissions about 
disciplinary proceedings involving audit personnel to be made to the 
Department of Defense will be afforded confidentiality and other 
protections otherwise due under existing law, including those that 
Congress has separately accorded such proceedings. As a result of 
Section 1011, Section 1006 from the FY 2019 NDAA submissions must be 
treated in a manner ``consistent with any protections or privileges 
established by any other provision of federal law.'' Section 1011 in 
this year's NDAA requires Section 1006 from the FY 2019 NDAA to 
henceforth require disclosure of the existence of a PCAOB proceeding 
against relevant personnel doing important DoD audit work, and in a 
manner that is compliant with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

[[Page H10092]]

  

  Mr. VELA. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Fiscal Year 
2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which reflects the hard 
work of the House Armed Services Committee to craft legislation that 
ensures that the military has the resources needed to defend our 
nation. I was particularly pleased that the legislation included a pay 
increase for servicemembers, repeal of the Survivor Benefit Plan/
Indemnity Compensation Offset to provide Gold Star Families with their 
full, earned benefits, and changes to allow access to justice for 
military members and their families harmed by medical malpractice.
  I want to take a moment to clarify the intent behind Section 1101 of 
the legislation. Like my colleagues on the Committee, I feel strongly 
that the finances of the Department of Defense must be subject to 
meaningful audit and oversight. It is clear to me that requiring 
accounting firms supporting this critical mission to disclose ongoing 
disciplinary proceedings, including Public Company Accounting Oversight 
Board (PCAOB) proceedings, to the Department of Defense is a backdoor 
attempt to begin intruding on a process that Congress determined as 
part of Sarbanes-Oxley and should remain confidential. Section 1011 of 
the NDAA makes clear that these disclosures should not impinge on the 
confidentiality of PCAOB proceedings governed by Sarbanes-Oxley. The 
best way to reconcile these two statutes, which I believe has been 
done, is to require accounting firms to disclose the existence of a 
proceeding to the Department when those proceedings are relevant to the 
important work of the Department and such a disclosure is consistent 
with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important 
legislation.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Conference 
Report to S. 1790, the ``National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2020.''
  The National Defense Authorization Act is designed to meet the 
threats we face today as well as into the future.
  The results of our work here today will reflect our strong commitment 
to ensure that the men and women of our Armed Services receive the 
benefits and support that they deserve for their faithful service.
  Building on our efforts from previous years, this bill contains a 
number of initiatives designed to provide the resources and support 
needed for the men and women who keep our nation safe.
  This legislation recognizes the reality that we live in a dangerous 
world, where threats are not always easily identifiable, and our 
enemies are not bound by borders.
  Confronting this unique type of enemy requires unique capabilities.
  As we have seen time and time again, our military has the ability to 
track down violent extremists who wish to do our country harm, 
regardless of where they reside.
  Madam Speaker, I am pleased that seven of my amendments adopted 
during House consideration of the NDAA are included in the final 
legislation or in language in the accompanying report:
  Jackson Lee Amendment directing the Secretary of Defense to 
promulgate regulations to ensure that candidates granted admission to 
attend a military academy undergo screening for speech disorders and be 
provided the results of the screening test and a list of warfare 
unrestricted line (URL) Officer positions and occupation specialists 
that require successful performance on the speech test. Academy 
students shall have the option of undergoing speech therapy to reduce 
speech disorders or impediments.
  Jackson Lee Amendment directing the Secretary of Defense to submit a 
report analyzing the capacity of the Department of Defense to provide 
survivors of natural disasters with emergency short-term housing to the 
congressional defense committees not later than 220 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act.
  Jackson Lee Amendment directing the Secretary of Defense to provide a 
briefing to update the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and 
the House no later than March 15, 2019 on the status of the program 
required in section 1277 of the John S. McCain National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, including an assessment of 
whether the program is beneficial to students interning, working part 
time, or in a program that will result in post-graduation employment 
with the Department of Defense components or contractors.
  Jackson Lee Amendment requiring report on Maternity Mortality Rates 
for military members and their dependents.
  Jackson Lee Amendment requiring report to be submitted to Congress 
within 240 days following enactment on the risks posed by debris in low 
earth orbit and to make recommendations on remediation of risks and 
outline plans to reduce the incident of space debris.
  Jackson Lee Amendment requiring that a report from the Secretary of 
Defense 240 days after the date of the enactment to the congressional 
defense committees that accounts for all of the efforts, programs, 
initiatives, and investments of the Department of Defense to train 
elementary, secondary, and postsecondary students in fields related to 
cybersecurity, cyber defense, and cyber operations.
  Jackson Lee Amendment adding ``instruction on the opportunities and 
risks posed by advancements in AI'' to the objectives of the Artificial 
Intelligence Education Strategy.
  The passing of this bill today brings us one step closer to enacting 
the 57th consecutive National Defense Authorization Act.
  Despite disagreements on key issues, Members have not failed to reach 
consensus on behalf of our fighting men and women.
  I am proud of the work we have done here today.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
  Pursuant to House Resolution 758, the previous question is ordered.
  The question is on adoption of the conference report.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. THORNBERRY. Madam 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 377, 
nays 48, not voting 5, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 672]

                               YEAS--377

     Abraham
     Adams
     Aderholt
     Aguilar
     Allen
     Allred
     Amodei
     Armstrong
     Arrington
     Axne
     Babin
     Bacon
     Baird
     Balderson
     Banks
     Barr
     Beatty
     Bera
     Bergman
     Beyer
     Biggs
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (GA)
     Bishop (NC)
     Bishop (UT)
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Bost
     Boyle, Brendan F.
     Brady
     Brindisi
     Brooks (AL)
     Brooks (IN)
     Brown (MD)
     Brownley (CA)
     Buchanan
     Bucshon
     Budd
     Burchett
     Burgess
     Bustos
     Butterfield
     Byrne
     Calvert
     Carbajal
     Cardenas
     Carson (IN)
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Cartwright
     Case
     Casten (IL)
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Chabot
     Cheney
     Cicilline
     Cisneros
     Clark (MA)
     Clay
     Cleaver
     Cline
     Cloud
     Clyburn
     Cole
     Collins (GA)
     Comer
     Conaway
     Connolly
     Cook
     Cooper
     Correa
     Costa
     Courtney
     Cox (CA)
     Craig
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Crist
     Crow
     Cuellar
     Cunningham
     Curtis
     Davids (KS)
     Davidson (OH)
     Davis (CA)
     Davis, Rodney
     Dean
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Delgado
     Demings
     DesJarlais
     Deutch
     Diaz-Balart
     Doggett
     Duncan
     Dunn
     Emmer
     Escobar
     Eshoo
     Estes
     Evans
     Ferguson
     Finkenauer
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Fletcher
     Flores
     Fortenberry
     Foster
     Foxx (NC)
     Frankel
     Fudge
     Fulcher
     Gaetz
     Gallagher
     Gallego
     Garamendi
     Garcia (TX)
     Gianforte
     Gibbs
     Golden
     Gonzalez (OH)
     Gonzalez (TX)
     Gooden
     Gosar
     Gottheimer
     Granger
     Graves (GA)
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Green (TN)
     Green, Al (TX)
     Grothman
     Guest
     Guthrie
     Haaland
     Hagedorn
     Harder (CA)
     Harris
     Hartzler
     Hastings
     Hayes
     Heck
     Hern, Kevin
     Herrera Beutler
     Hice (GA)
     Higgins (LA)
     Higgins (NY)
     Hill (AR)
     Himes
     Holding
     Hollingsworth
     Horn, Kendra S.
     Horsford
     Houlahan
     Hoyer
     Hudson
     Huizenga
     Hurd (TX)
     Jackson Lee
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson (LA)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson (SD)
     Johnson (TX)
     Jordan
     Joyce (OH)
     Joyce (PA)
     Kaptur
     Katko
     Keating
     Keller
     Kelly (IL)
     Kelly (MS)
     Kelly (PA)
     Kilmer
     Kim
     Kind
     King (IA)
     King (NY)
     Kinzinger
     Kirkpatrick
     Krishnamoorthi
     Kuster (NH)
     Kustoff (TN)
     LaHood
     LaMalfa
     Lamb
     Lamborn
     Langevin
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Latta
     Lawrence
     Lawson (FL)
     Lee (NV)
     Lesko
     Levin (CA)
     Lewis
     Lipinski
     Loebsack
     Lofgren
     Long
     Loudermilk
     Lowey
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Lujan
     Luria
     Lynch
     Malinowski
     Maloney, Carolyn B.
     Maloney, Sean
     Marchant
     Marshall
     Mast
     Matsui
     McAdams
     McBath
     McCarthy
     McCaul
     McCollum
     McEachin
     McHenry
     McKinley
     McNerney
     Meadows
     Meeks
     Meuser
     Miller
     Mitchell
     Moolenaar
     Mooney (WV)
     Moore
     Morelle
     Moulton
     Mucarsel-Powell
     Mullin
     Murphy (FL)
     Murphy (NC)
     Neal
     Newhouse
     Norcross
     Norman
     Nunes
     O'Halleran
     Olson
     Palazzo
     Pallone
     Palmer
     Panetta
     Pappas
     Pascrell
     Payne
     Pence
     Perlmutter
     Perry
     Peters
     Peterson
     Phillips
     Pingree
     Porter
     Posey
     Price (NC)
     Quigley
     Ratcliffe
     Reed
     Reschenthaler
     Rice (NY)
     Richmond
     Riggleman
     Roby
     Rodgers (WA)
     Roe, David P.
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rose (NY)
     Rose, John W.
     Rouda
     Rouzer
     Roy
     Roybal-Allard
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Rush
     Rutherford
     Ryan
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Scalise
     Scanlon
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Schrader
     Schrier
     Schweikert
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, Austin

[[Page H10093]]


     Scott, David
     Sensenbrenner
     Sewell (AL)
     Shalala
     Sherman
     Sherrill
     Shimkus
     Simpson
     Sires
     Slotkin
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (WA)
     Smucker
     Soto
     Spanberger
     Spano
     Speier
     Stanton
     Stauber
     Stefanik
     Steil
     Steube
     Stevens
     Stewart
     Stivers
     Suozzi
     Swalwell (CA)
     Takano
     Taylor
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Thompson (PA)
     Thornberry
     Timmons
     Tipton
     Titus
     Torres (CA)
     Torres Small (NM)
     Trahan
     Trone
     Turner
     Underwood
     Upton
     Van Drew
     Vargas
     Veasey
     Vela
     Visclosky
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Walden
     Walker
     Walorski
     Waltz
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Watkins
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Wenstrup
     Westerman
     Wexton
     Wild
     Williams
     Wilson (FL)
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Womack
     Woodall
     Wright
     Yarmuth
     Yoho
     Young
     Zeldin

                                NAYS--48

     Amash
     Bass
     Blumenauer
     Buck
     Chu, Judy
     Clarke (NY)
     Cohen
     Davis, Danny K.
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     DeSaulnier
     Dingell
     Doyle, Michael F.
     Engel
     Espaillat
     Gabbard
     Garcia (IL)
     Gohmert
     Gomez
     Griffith
     Grijalva
     Huffman
     Jayapal
     Kennedy
     Khanna
     Kildee
     Lee (CA)
     Levin (MI)
     Lowenthal
     Massie
     McClintock
     McGovern
     Meng
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neguse
     Ocasio-Cortez
     Omar
     Pocan
     Pressley
     Raskin
     Rice (SC)
     Schakowsky
     Tlaib
     Tonko
     Velazquez
     Watson Coleman
     Welch

                             NOT VOTING--5

     Barragan
     Hunter
     Lieu, Ted
     Rooney (FL)
     Serrano

                              {time}  1738

  Messrs. DeSAULNIER, COHEN, GARCIA of Illinois, RASKIN, Ms. BASS, and 
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois changed their vote from ``yea'' to 
``nay.''
  Ms. ADAMS, Messrs. BISHOP of Utah, YOHO, and Ms. GRANGER changed 
their 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.

                          ____________________