[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 18]
[House]
[Pages 24428-24429]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            McCAIN AMENDMENT TO DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL

  (Mr. MORAN of Virginia asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)

[[Page 24429]]


  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
for instructing conferees on this year's defense appropriations bill to 
include the amendment by our colleague in the Senate, John McCain. This 
provision would simply provide for uniform standards for the 
interrogation of persons under the detention of the Defense Department 
and a prohibition on cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment or 
punishment of persons under custody or control of the U.S. government.
  Mr. Speaker, in the wake of the scrutiny and embarrassment that our 
Nation has endured following the treatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib 
and Guantanamo Bay, it is imperative that we proclaim to the rest of 
the world that this policy defined by this amendment does in fact 
reflect the law of the land and the conscience of our country. 
Providing our soldiers with clear written guidance on how to treat 
detainees not only protects their interests but underscores the 
freedoms and the values we cherish as Americans and that we claim to be 
the very reason we have gone to war in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other 
parts of the world.
  Today, as a Congress, we must respect and honor our Nation and those 
that risk their lives to serve it, and we can do that by supporting the 
McCain amendment in the defense appropriations bill.

                          ____________________