[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 99 (Wednesday, June 12, 2024)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D607-D612]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        House of Representatives


Chamber Action
Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced: 21 public bills, H.R. 8702-
8722; and 7 resolutions, H. Con. Res. 113; and H. Res. 1291-1296, were 
introduced.                                              
  Pages H3973-74
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages H3975-76
Reports Filed: There were no reports filed today.
Speaker: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein he appointed 
Representative Kim to act as Speaker pro tempore for today. 
                                                             Page H3729
Recess: The House recessed at 10:07 a.m. and reconvened at 10:30 a.m. 
                                                         Pages H3736-37
Suspension--Proceedings Resumed: The House agreed to suspend the rules 
and pass the following measure. Consideration began Tuesday, June 11th.
  Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act: S. 138, to 
amend the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 to modify certain provisions of 
that Act, by a 2/3 yea-and-nay vote of 391 yeas to 26 nays, Roll No. 
252.                                                     
  Pages H3738-39
Committee Election: The House agreed to H. Res. 1291, electing a Member 
to a certain standing committee of the House of Representatives. 
                                                             Page H3739
  Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025: The House considered H.R. 8070, 
to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2025 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. Consideration is 
expected to resume tomorrow, June 13th. 
                                  Pages H3730-36, H3737-38, H3767-H3970
  Pursuant to the Rule, an amendment in the nature of a substitute 
consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 118-36, modified by the 
amendment printed in part A of H. Rept. 118-551, shall be considered as 
adopted in the House and in the Committee of the Whole, in lieu of the 
amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on 
Armed Services now printed in the bill.                      
Page H3777

[[Page D608]]

Agreed to:
  Rogers (AL) amendment (No. 1 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-551) 
that requires the Secretary of the Air Force, in coordination with the 
STRATCOM Commander, to develop and then implement a plan to restore the 
B-52 bombers' nuclear capacities;                        
Pages H3937-38
  Rogers (AL) en bloc amendment No. 1 consisting of the following 
amendments printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-551: Schneider (No. 2) 
that instructs the Secretary of Defense to provide a briefing to HFAC/
HASC/HPSCI about US efforts to support Israel's efforts to rescue the 
hostages in Gaza; Fry (No. 3) that declares that Israel is the United 
States' greatest ally in the Middle East and demands the release of all 
hostages held by Hamas; Buchanan (No. 7) that the sense of Congress 
supporting the mission of the Department of Defense in helping Israel 
fend of attacks from Hamas by supporting the Iron Dome system; Gosar 
(No. 11) that requires the expeditious disclosure of all records 
relating to the January 28, 2024 attack on Tower 22 in Jordan; Mace 
(No. 12) that prohibits funds authorized or otherwise made available 
for the Department of Defense in FY25 from being used to build, 
maintain, or repair a pier off the coast of Gaza, or to transport aid 
to such a pier; Davidson (No. 13) that prohibits funding for the 
acquisition, construction, installation, maintenance, or restoration of 
a temporary or permanent pier, port, or similar structure off the coast 
of Gaza, including for the deployment of any equipment or members of 
the Armed Forces to Gaza relating to such structure; Perry (No. 15) 
that prohibits the use of funds made available by this Act to promote a 
``one country, two systems'' solution for Taiwan; Ogles (No. 16) that 
prevents funds authorized by this Act from being made available to any 
company based in the People's Republic of China or any company whose 
beneficial ownership is Chinese; Ogles (No. 17) that strikes the 
national security waiver (subsection b of Section 1259 of the National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019); Barr (No. 19) that 
requires the DOD to publish the names of all Chinese Military Companies 
listed on the 1260H list in Mandarin Chinese as well as English; 
Reschenthaler (No. 20) that prohibits funds to support the Wuhan 
Institute of Virology, EcoHealth Alliance, any laboratory owned or 
controlled by adversarial nations, or gain-of-function research of 
concern; Gosar (No. 25) that authorizes employees at the Yuma Proving 
Grounds to use nonelectric vehicles in the performance of their duties; 
Edwards (No. 27) that requires the Department of Defense to submit an 
annual report to the Administrator of the General Services 
Administration on certain office space occupancy data; Crawford (No. 
29) that directs the Secretary of the Air Force to submit to the 
Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives 
a report on the feasibility and advisability of a reactivation of Eaker 
Air Force Base in Blytheville, AR to serve as an Air Force Training 
Center; Walberg (No. 30) that requires a report from the Secretary of 
Defense within 180 days and on an annual basis thereafter regarding the 
number of instances in which illegal aliens attempt to enter a military 
installation; Buchanan (No. 31) that expresses a sense of Congress that 
the United States should not be spending more money to house illegal 
immigrants than we do on housing for America's military families; Green 
(TN) (No. 32) that shifts Mexico from the area of the responsibility of 
United States Northern Command to the area of responsibility of United 
States Southern Command; Crenshaw (No. 33) that requires a report from 
SECDEF on Mexican military action against Mexican drug cartels, Mexican 
military capabilities, and DOD operational plans to defeat Mexican drug 
cartels with varying degrees of coordination and cooperation from the 
Mexican government; Tenney (No. 59) that makes the report required by 
Section 1236 of the FY23 NDAA into an annual report for 5 years; Graves 
(LA) (No. 60) that adds countering illegal, unreported, and unregulated 
fishing as an authorization for which the Secretary may support foreign 
security capacity building; Houchin (No. 62) that requires DoD schools 
notify parents if their student is not reading at grade-level 
proficiency by the end of third grade; Foster (No. 63) that codifies 
NNSA as the interagency lead on nuclear forensics, making NNSA 
responsible for integrating the National Technical Nuclear Forensics 
(NTNF) activities in a consistent, unified strategic direction; Gosar 
(No. 64) that requires the DoD to submit a report to Congress on the 
training of Ukrainian Armed Forces, including pilots, within the 
geographic United States; Van Duyne (No. 65) that Requires a study and 
a report on allowing organ procurement organizations access to Space-A 
flights operated by DoD; Boebert (No. 66) that requires DoD to report 
on institutions of higher education which host Confucius Institutes 
that have received DoD funding; Garamendi (No. 67) that loses ``Buy 
America'' loophole to subject loans and loan guarantees for shipyard 
improvements under the Maritime Administration's (MARAD) Federal Ship 
Financing (Title XI) Program to the same ``Buy America'' requirements 
for the Small Shipyard Grant Program under current law; Garamendi (No. 
68) that adds the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard to the Joint 
Chiefs of Staff; Huizenga (No. 69) that expresses the sense of Congress 
that each NATO member state should commit, at a minimum, 2% of its

[[Page D609]]

GDP to defense spending to ensure NATO's military readiness; Bacon (No. 
70) that revises existing copyright protections for faculty of 
Department of Defense academic institutions; Pfluger (No. 71) that 
revokes the security clearances to retired or separated civilian and/or 
military Department of Defense personnel that engage in lobbying for 
certain Chinese companies; Pfluger (No. 72) that requires the 
administration to provide information on how proceeds from illicit 
Iranian oil exports are funding the IRGC and Iranian-backed terrorist 
proxies; Donalds (No. 73) that directs the Secretary of Defense to 
compile a list of at least 30 specific opportunities to potentially 
deploy advanced nuclear reactors to bolster the DOD's operational 
energy, installation energy, and expeditionary energy capabilities; 
Davis (No. 74) that increases (with an offset to an under-executed 
account) Air Force Base Support to modernize installation law 
enforcement operations and physical security protection and services; 
Case (No. 75) that requires a study into how to improve the Navy's use 
of net metering; Bacon (No. 76) that establishes a pilot program within 
the Department of the Air Force for rapid response language training; 
Massie (No. 77) that requires a report on the casualty and equipment 
losses for both sides involved in the conflict in Ukraine; Mills (No. 
78) that codifies current DoD MWR retail facility policy to permit 
Department of Defense civilians and retirees or department in which the 
Coast Guard is operating to use MWR retail facilities on the same basis 
as members of the armed forces; Huizenga (No. 79) that requires the 
Department of Defense to report to Congress building upon the 
restriction on DOD's contact with the PLA by detailing measures DOD is 
taking to
mitigate the risk of the PLA gaining indirect knowledge of U.S. Armed 
    Forces' equipment and operational tactics, techniques, and produces 
    through interaction with the militaries of U.S. allies and 
    partners; Gottheimer (No. 80) that increases the National Defense 
    Education Program by $5 million to strengthen and expand STEM 
    education opportunities and workforce initiatives targeted at 
    military students; Case (No. 81) that requires a study to identify 
    the combat medical support requirements needed during a crisis or 
    conflict in the broader Indo-Pacific and determine the best medical 
    strategy to minimize casualties and reduce risk to the joint force; 
    Neguse (No. 82) that requires the Secretary of Defense to submit a 
    report to Congress evaluating beneficiary access to TRICARE network 
    pharmacies under the TPharm5 contract and changes in beneficiary 
    access versus the TPharm4 contract; Neguse (No. 83) that requires 
    responsiveness testing of Defense Logistics Agency pharmaceutical 
    contracts; Edwards (No. 84) that requires the Department of Defense 
    to conduct an assessment of the 15 counties in Western North 
    Carolina as potential locations for future defense assets and to 
    prepare a report for Congress; Banks (No. 85) that prohibits DOD 
    from contracting with any entity which provides semiconductors or 
    related products or services to Huawei; Neguse (No. 86) that 
    requires the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and 
    Readiness, in coordination with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 
    to establish a database to record training performed by members of 
    the Armed Forces and make such information available to states and 
    other employers to satisfy civilian licensing and certification 
    requirements, and provide service members with a competency report 
    before transitioning to civilian life; Neguse (No. 87) that 
    requires the Secretary of Defense to take certain actions to 
    establish a comprehensive training standard and certification 
    program for military vehicle operations, aiming to address the 
    persistent issue of inadequate training and reduce incidents, 
    particularly vehicle rollovers, caused by operator inexperience and 
    lack of training; Neguse (No. 88) that requires the Secretary of 
    Defense to provide housing accommodations for members of the Armed 
    Forces and their dependents who are on military housing waitlists; 
    Neguse (No. 89) that requires the Secretary of Defense to establish 
    University Centers for Arctic National Security Studies, in 
    collaboration with the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security 
    Studies, to set mission priorities for the Department of Defense 
    relating to the Arctic domain; Fallon (No. 90) that Amends the 
    Secondary Education Act (SEA) to ensure military recruiters have 
    the same physical access to campus as other non-military recruiters 
    from industry, private business, and higher education; Obernolte 
    (No. 91) that directs GAO to study Home-Based Businesses at remote 
    and isolated installations and make recommendations on ways to 
    improve the program in order to address critical quality of life, 
    morale, and welfare issues; Obernolte (No. 92) that directs the 
    Under Secretary of Defense and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) 
    to assess and report back to Congress on domestic high-potential 
    Rare Earth Element (REE) sites where new or additional mining 
    operations could be established; Neguse (No. 93) that requires the 
    Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to conduct a 
    study and report on military grace period reforms, focusing on the 
    impact and stigma of unit tasking during the Transition Assistance 
    Program on service members' ability to transition to civilian life; 
    Brownley (No. 94) that provides $20 million for the C-130 modular 
    airborne firefighting system (MAFFS), the remaining amount 
    necessary to complete acquisition for the 4

[[Page D610]]

    MAFFS units nation-wide, including California, Colorado, North 
    Carolina, and Wyoming; Lee (No. 95) that authorizes the Secretary 
    of the Air Force and Secretary of the Navy to designate the 
    assignment of a member of the Armed Forces to
Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, or Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, 
    respectively, as an assignment that makes the member eligible for 
    assignment incentive pay; Pettersen (No. 96) that requires the 
    Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretaries of the 
    military departments, to publish a guide regarding how a survivor 
    of a deceased member of the Armed Services may receive the personal 
    effects of such member and file a claim with the Secretary of 
    military department concerned if the survivor believes the effects 
    were disposed of incorrectly; Houlahan (No. 97) that requires a 
    report on the TRICARE program's copays related to outpatient visits 
    for mental health or behavioral health care; Houlahan (No. 98) 
    pilot program to test standalone electro-digital technology to 
    improve efficiencies in supply-chain management, medical readiness, 
    and medical processes; Joyce (No. 99) that requires the Department 
    of Defense to carry out a two-year pilot program to program suicide 
    prevention resources onto smart devices issued to members of the 
    Armed Forces and to provide training on these resources; Panetta 
    (No. 100) that authorizes the Medal of Honor upgrade for Thomas H. 
    Griffin for acts of valor as a member of the Army during the 
    Vietnam War; Obernolte (No. 101) that directs the Air Force to 
    pursue efforts to research, develop, and demonstrate advanced 
    propellant mixing technologies for solid rocket motor (SRM) 
    propulsion systems; Panetta (No. 102) that creates a foreign 
    military officer subject matter expert exchange program with key 
    Middle East partners in areas such as artificial intelligence, 
    military doctrine and spending, cyber resiliency, counterterrorism, 
    and more; Panetta (No. 103) that directs the Commander of USSOCOM, 
    in consultation with the Commander of USNORTHCOM, to develop a 
    Special Operations Forces Arctic Security strategy; Cammack (No. 
    104) that establishes a Working Group to identify potential 
    applications for blockchain technology, smart contracts, or 
    distributed ledger technologies to improve efficiencies or 
    functions at the Department of Defense; Davidson (No. 105) that 
    requires the Secretary of Defense to submit to Congress a report on 
    allied contributions to the common defense; Jackson Lee (No. 106) 
    that seeks a report 180 days following enactment from the Secretary 
    of DoD, which will include the Coast Guard, on the rate of 
    maternity mortality rate among members of the Armed Forces and the 
    dependents of such members; Moore (No. 107) that requires the 
    Department of Defense to report funding transfers to Members of 
    Congress whose district(s) would be negatively impacted by a 
    funding transfer or reprogramming action; Jackson Lee (No. 108) 
    that requires Secretary of Defense to report to Congress programs 
    and procedures employed to ensure students studying abroad through 
    Department of Defense National Security Education Programs are 
    trained to recognize, resist, and report against recruitment 
    efforts by agents of foreign governments; Jackson Lee (No. 109) 
    that directs 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; Hayes (No. 110) 
    that requires the military departments to review all installation-
    level web information about suicide prevention and behavioral 
    health and ensure that contact information is up to date; Amodei 
    (No. 111) that directs the Secretary of the Navy, the Commandant of 
    the Marine Corps, and the Commandant of the Coast Guard to submit a 
    report on a Tri-Service Arctic Maritime Strategy outlining areas of 
    cooperation and alignment within the Arctic region to combat 
    current and potential threats, as well as provide guidance on how 
    the three branches can deepen cooperation and pursue joint 
    modernization efforts in the Arctic; Case (No. 112) that seeks to 
    find ways for the four Navy public shipyards to pool together 
    efforts to maximize the number of people entering into its 
    apprenticeship program; Ezell (No. 113) that enhances military 
    readiness during a declared emergency by ensuring critical cargo 
    can be efficiently moved through ports; Gottheimer (No. 114) that 
    expresses support for joint U.S.-Israel cooperation in the space 
    arena between NASA and the Israel Space Agency, including joint 
    U.S. Air Force and the Israeli Air Force's newly created Space 
    Force in areas of research, development, test, and evaluation; 
    Austin Scott (GA) (No. 115) that Modifies the types of support for 
    counterdrug activities and activities to counter transnational 
    organized crime; Gottheimer (No. 116) that requires the Secretary 
    of Defense to include in their annual report on Military and 
    Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 
    information on the PRC's burgeoning relationship with the Islamic 
    Republic of Iran; and Lee (No. 117) that requires the Secretary of 
    Defense to report on Defense Community Infrastructure Program funds 
    that have been used to support childcare options near military 
    bases and any barriers that have prevented such funding for these 
    purposes;                                            
Pages H3938-50

[[Page D611]]


  Mast amendment (No. 5 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-551) that 
prohibits U.S. funds from building or rebuilding in the Gaza Strip; 
                                                         Pages H3951-52
  Ogles amendment (No. 6 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-551) that 
expresses the sense of Congress that the Department of Defense and its 
agencies should not participate in the Eurosatory defense exhibition if 
Israeli firms are not allowed to participate or if restrictions or the 
threat of restriction of any party's participation in the event is used 
as a means of deterring Israel from defending itself;        
Page H3952
  Mast amendment (No. 14 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-551) that 
prohibits the Secretary of Defense from providing any support for the 
production of a film subject to content restrictions or censorship 
screening requirements from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or 
government of the People's Republic of China (PRC);      
Pages H3954-55
  Roy amendment (No. 21 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-551) that 
prohibits funds to require travel or transportation under the Joint 
Travel Regulations for Uniformed Services to be in a zero-emission 
vehicle;                                                 
Pages H3955-56
  Crenshaw amendment (No. 34 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-551) 
that prioritizes small and medium law enforcement organizations (those 
with a annual budget of less than $200M) within 100 miles of the border 
under the 1033 program (10 USC 2576a(d), which provides law enforcement 
with excess defense articles) to increase their counter drug 
surveillance and interdiction capabilities;              
Pages H3962-63
  Mast amendment (No. 8 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-551) that 
prohibits DOD funds from being used for the operation of aircraft to 
transport Palestinian refugees to the U.S. (by a recorded vote of 204 
ayes to 199 noes, Roll No. 253);                  
Pages H3952-54, H3966
  Roy amendment (No. 24 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-551) that 
states none of the funds authorized by this Act may be used to 
implement President Biden's Climate Change Executive Orders (by a 
recorded vote of 215 ayes to 210 noes, Roll No. 256); and 
                                                  Pages H3959-61, H3968
  Waltz amendment (No. 35 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-551) that 
prohibits enforcement of any regulation, rule, guidance, policy, or 
recommendation issued pursuant to Executive Orders 13688 and 14074 that 
limits the sale, donation, or transfer of excess property under the 
1033 Program (by a recorded vote of 238 ayes to 187 noes, Roll No. 
258).                                          
Pages H3963-64, H3969-70
Rejected:
  Greene (GA) amendment (No. 22 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-551) 
that sought to state that none of the funds made available by this act 
may be used for electric vehicles or an electric vehicle charging 
infrastructure (by a recorded vote of 173 ayes to 241 noes, Roll No. 
254);                                          
Pages H3956-58, H3966-67
  Biggs amendment (No. 23 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-551) that 
sought to exempt defense related activities from the Endangered Species 
Act (by a recorded vote of 196 ayes to 231 noes, Roll No. 255); 
                                               Pages H3958-59, H3967-68
  Mace amendment (No. 28 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-551) that 
sought to prohibit funds authorized or otherwise made available to the 
Department of Defense for any fiscal year to be made available for 
closure or realignment of Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island (by 
a recorded vote of 201 ayes to 217 noes, Roll No. 257); and 
                                               Pages H3961-62, H3968-69
  Biggs amendment (No. 36 printed in part B of H. Rept. 118-551) that 
sought to prohibit the use of funds for any project or activity related 
to NATO until the SECDEF certifies to the congressional defense 
committees that each member country of NATO has spent 2 percent of the 
respective GDP on defense expenditures (by a recorded vote of 81 ayes 
to 346 noes, Roll No. 259).                       
Pages H3964-70, H3970
  H. Res. 1287, the rule providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 
8070) and relating to the consideration of House Report 118-527 and an 
accompanying resolution was agreed to by a recorded vote of 208 ayes to 
207 noes, Roll No. 251, after the previous question was ordered by a 
yea-and-nay vote of 210 yeas to 204 nays, Roll No. 250. 
                                                         Pages H3737-38
Recommending that the House of Representatives find United States 
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in contempt of Congress for refusal 
to comply with a subpoena duly issued by the Committee on the 
Judiciary: The House agreed to H. Res. 1292, recommending that the 
House of Representatives find United States Attorney General Merrick B. 
Garland in contempt of Congress for refusal to comply with a subpoena 
duly issued by the Committee on the Judiciary, by a yea-and-nay vote of 
216 yeas to 207 nays, Roll No. 260. Pursuant to section 6 of House 
Resolution 1287, the resolution accompanying House Report 118-533, H. 
Res. 1293, is considered as adopted.                     
  Pages H3970-71
  H. Res. 1287, the rule providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 
8070) and relating to the consideration of House Report 118-527 and an 
accompanying resolution was agreed to by a recorded vote of 208 ayes to 
207 noes, Roll No. 251, after the previous question was ordered by a 
yea-and-nay vote of 210 yeas to 204 nays, Roll No. 250. 
                                                         Pages H3737-38

[[Page D612]]

Quorum Calls--Votes: Three yea-and-nay votes and eight recorded votes 
developed during the proceedings of today and appear on pages H3738-39, 
H3966, H3966-67, H3967-68, H3968, H3968-69, H3969-70, H3970, H3737, 
H3737-38, and H3971.
Adjournment: The House met at 9 a.m. and adjourned at 4:59 p.m.