[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 184 (Wednesday, December 11, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H7103-H7105]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MAKING OUR MILITARY GREAT AGAIN
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 9, 2023, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Rose) is recognized
for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
General Leave
Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the topic of this Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Tennessee?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, today, the House passed the Servicemember
Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2025, otherwise known as the Fiscal Year 2025 NDAA.
The Fiscal Year 2025 NDAA will improve the quality of life for every
servicemember who serves our great country. It restores the focus of
our military on lethality, not woke ideology. It improves the
military's ability to recruit and train our fighting forces to be able
to deter China and our other adversaries. It also increases oversight
and requires accountability of the Biden administration and the
Department of Defense.
All of these tremendous accomplishments are why we are here tonight,
Mr. Speaker.
To speak in support of this recently passed bill that will make our
military great again, I am grateful for the Members who join me this
evening to discuss this important bill to protect our country and
restore our national security.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the State of Missouri (Mr.
Alford).
Mr. ALFORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend Mr. Rose for
yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my unwavering support for the
2025 National Defense Authorization Act.
We must ensure our Nation's military remains the greatest force for
freedom and stability the world has ever known, and this year's NDAA
does just that.
At this very moment, our Nation faces numerous threats from the
growing aggression from China and Russia to the persistent menace of
terrorism. It is imperative that we ensure our military is provided the
resources and support they need to defend our interests and keep
Americans secure.
The fiscal year 2025 NDAA authorizes $895 billion in defense spending
to support our military's critical missions, enabling us to modernize
our Nation's capabilities. From upgrading our naval and air power to
investing in cutting-edge technologies, we will remain superior against
our adversaries.
Missouri's Fourth Congressional District will receive major wins in
this legislation, wins that we have fought hard for on the Armed
Services Committee. Whiteman Air Force Base in Fort Leonard Wood will
receive a combined total of $139.5 million for fueling facilities and
advanced individual training barracks.
There will be expanded access to childcare for Missouri's military
families and to programs that help military spouses attain and retain
employment.
We are ecstatic to announce a 14.5 percent pay raise for junior
enlisted servicemembers and a 4.5 percent pay raise for all other
servicemembers.
This legislation isn't just about numbers. It is about the values
that we hold dear as Americans. It is about our commitment to freedom,
to justice, and the protection of our citizens.
Mr. Speaker, this year's NDAA embodied our unwavering commitment to
America's military excellence, reflecting the values that have always
made our Nation strong. We are prioritizing the well-being of our
military families, bolstering the readiness of our Armed Forces, and
fortifying our national security.
To truly restore our military's lethal edge, we have to purge the
radical, woke ideologies that are being forced on our servicemen and -
women, infiltrating our ranks.
{time} 1715
These divisive concepts have plagued our military and are undermining
our elite cohesion and combat effectiveness.
That is why this year's NDAA will take bold action: Number one,
banning life-altering transgender medical treatments for minors;
prohibiting the toxic spread of critical race theory; dismantling the
bloated DEI bureaucracy; blocking a misguided military Green New Deal;
and countering anti-Semitism.
By eliminating these destructive influences, we are reclaiming our
military's focus on its core mission: defending Americans and their
interests.
Mr. Speaker, as you saw today, this is not a bipartisan bill. This is
an American bill.
We are not just funding the military, we are improving the lives of
those who protect us every day.
By passing the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, we have sent
a clear message to our adversaries: America will not be intimidated.
America will always reign as the greatest nation on Earth.
Honoring the Life of Dr. Gene Richardson
Mr. ALFORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of an
extraordinary man, Dr. Gene Richardson, a mentor, a friend of mine, and
someone who was really like a second father to me. He was a man who had
one of the biggest impacts on my life and who is one of the reasons I
am standing here today in this very Hall.
Dr. Richardson was a man of remarkable character and compassion. Born
in Kennett, down in the bootheel of Missouri, he embodied the values of
hard work, faith, and service from a very young age.
Growing up as the youngest of five children, Dr. Richardson's life
was shaped by his parents, Irl, who was a Baptist pastor, and his
mother, Pearl,
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who was a dedicated homemaker. Gene excelled in both academics and
athletics, all while running his own newspaper franchise.
After earning his bachelor's degree in biology and graduating from
Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Richardson embarked on a journey that
would impact countless lives. At just 26, he established a family
practice down in Sanderson, Texas, becoming the sole doctor for an
entire rural county.
When his calling led him to radiology, he brought innovation to the
field, cofounding a mobile nuclear medicine company that brought
advanced care to underserved hospitals across the country.
Mr. Speaker, Dr. Gene Richardson's service didn't stop at our
borders. He founded the Ultrasound Fund for Latin America, providing
equipment and training to small hospitals in Mexico, and he was very
proud that he learned Spanish during that time.
He later joined medical missions to Guatemala, walking miles through
remote areas to deliver lifesaving care. His legacy of compassion
crossed continents, touching lives in profound ways.
Beyond his professional achievements, Gene was a man of deep faith
and unshakeable love for his family. Married to his beloved Mary for 65
years, he often reflected on their life together saying: I could not
have chosen a more perfect helpmate.
Together they raised two wonderful children, Gene Jr. and Kay, and
cherished their three grandchildren.
Gene's passion for life extended to music, travel, and education. He
played trumpet in the Baylor marching band and added his rich bass
voice to choirs and quartets well into his nineties. He was a good
singer. He taught line dancing, and he jitterbugged with youthful
enthusiasm.
As a lifelong learner, he traveled the world discovering new cultures
and inspiring others to do the same.
In one of his final messages to his family, Gene reminded us of
life's greatest gifts: faith, family, and friends. He said: God has
given us grace and mercy. Let us use these gifts to enrich our
relationships and to serve others.
Dr. Richardson's life was a testament to just that, Mr. Speaker, the
power of service, of faith, and of love.
He leaves behind not only his beloved wife, Mary, and their family
but also a legacy that will inspire generations.
Mr. Speaker, it is with both joy and gratitude that I honor the life
of this extraordinary man.
May we all strive to live as Dr. Gene Richardson did, with
generosity, with courage, and with a heart full of adventure.
Dr. Gene Richardson, we will see you in the morning.
Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Missouri for that
heartfelt tribute and for his important remarks concerning the issue
regarding the National Defense Authorization Act.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).
Pacific Deterrence Initiative
Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my friend from Tennessee (Mr.
Rose) in leading this effort tonight and for all his great work on our
messaging that we are doing as a Republican Conference to illustrate to
the people of the country what it is we are trying to do and that is
our belief that it will be good for America and, in this case with the
NDAA, good for our military and the people who populate it.
Regarding this NDAA, the point I want to make this round is that the
NDAA puts real muscle behind countering China's aggression with $15.6
billion for the Pacific deterrence initiative, which is about $5.7
billion more than what the Biden administration thought was going to be
adequate.
We are covering gaps the administration ignored, funding $490 million
toward critical Indo-Pacific command priorities to shore up operations
and capabilities in the region.
We are making it clear: Taiwan won't have to stand alone. This bill
launches the Taiwan security cooperation initiative to send lethal aid
where it is needed most.
The joint training and trauma care programs will boost their
readiness, while industrial base agreements make sure their defense
capabilities and ours are solid.
The U.S. is doubling down on its commitments to allies in the region.
This isn't just talk. We are reaffirming congressional support with
action. With so much aggression by China in the region and around the
world, this is the least we should be doing for an ally such as Taiwan
who is there for us when we need them.
We are also demanding a deep dive into the troubling alliance between
China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea, the actors who are teaming up to
challenge us in that region in the Pacific as well as the mayhem they
are causing with their alliances in the Middle East and our issues with
trying to help protect Israel whether it is going to be with Iran's
efforts immediately or with whatever is going to happen in Syria now
with Assad taken out.
This bill gives counter-intelligence agents more tools to expose and
crush Chinese Communist Party spies working to undermine us in any of
these regions.
There will be no more contracts with Chinese Communist Party-
affiliated contractors, labs, or universities. We are shutting down
their access to our defense programs.
Why we have to do that now, when it should have been our policy years
ago, I am not sure, but it is just common sense. You don't want to have
Chinese access toward our technology and their ability to have some
kind of weight in how our defensive programs work.
It bans the Department of Defense from buying Chinese tech like semi-
conductors and communications gear. Relying on China for anything
critical is asking for trouble.
Who knows how easy it might be for them to embed spy technology into
some of these chips and into some of this other equipment that could
send information that is critical to us out to a different source that
they can then mine and use against us.
From ship repairs to logistics hubs, this bill ramps up our ability
to operate in the Indo-Pacific.
We are even funding forward-deploying manufacturing because if China
wants a fight, we will make sure we are ready for them on day one. Now
nobody really wants to have a fight. Indeed, readiness and projecting
strength is one of the best deterrents. The work we can do in the NDAA,
whether it is in this Pacific deterrence initiative and the other
related pieces or overall, it helps prevent war, and it helps prevent
conflict in the United States. It brings confidence to its allies
around the world and maybe just a little bit of fear to its enemies.
That is what we hope to accomplish and continue building on for the
rest of this year and on through the Trump administration.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding.
Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr.
LaMalfa) for sharing his thoughts on these important issues tonight,
and I appreciate his remarks.
Mr. Speaker, I will close by reiterating our support of our
servicemen and -women who defend our great country. Many of us have
highlighted the improvement in the quality of life they will receive
from the passage of this bill and it being signed into law by the
President.
However, I would like to take a moment to highlight the impact it
will have on Tennesseans serving in the armed services.
According to the House Armed Services Committee, this bill will
provide a 14.5 percent pay raise for junior enlisted servicemembers and
an average 4\1/2\ percent pay raise for Tennessee's 19,500
servicemembers.
It also expands the program to help Tennessee's 1,500 military
spouses attain and retain employment.
Lastly, it expands access to childcare for the 2,800 children of
military families in Tennessee.
These important provisions to increase servicemembers' pay, expand
childcare services, and bolster efforts to assist military spouses are
much-needed and well-deserved.
Servicemembers' families sacrifice a lot so that their loved ones can
keep us safe. I am proud to support these provisions, and I am glad
that they have been included in the final passage of the NDAA.
When Americans elected President Donald Trump to serve as the 47th
President of the United States, they sent a clear message: We must
deter
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our adversaries, eliminate our enemies, protect the homeland, and
support our troops.
That is exactly what this National Defense Authorization Act seeks to
do. We are proud to see it pass and encourage the Senate to join us in
passing this important legislation so that it can be sent to the
President's desk to be signed into law.
Mr. Speaker, I thank everyone who has joined me this evening, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
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