[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 17034-17039]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      MOTION TO INSTRUCT CONFEREES ON H.R. 4310, NATIONAL DEFENSE 
                 AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2013

  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Armed 
Services, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the 
bill (H.R. 4310) to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2013 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, with the Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the 
Senate amendment, and agree to the conference requested by the Senate.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to instruct at 
the desk.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Mrs. Davis of California moves that the managers on the 
     part of the House at the conference on the disagreeing votes 
     of the two Houses on the Senate amendment to the bill H.R. 
     4310 be instructed to agree to section 1249 of the Senate 
     amendment (relating to a plan for promoting the security of 
     Afghan women and girls during the security transition 
     process).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 7 of rule XXII, the 
gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis) and the gentleman from 
California (Mr. McKeon) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Five years ago, I led a congressional delegation of female Members to 
Afghanistan on Mother's Day to visit our troops and meet with Afghan 
women, and I've continued to participate in this trip every year since.
  On that first trip, we flew to Qalat in the southwestern region of 
Afghanistan and met the Provincial Reconstruction Team and the women of 
the village they worked with. Like much of Afghanistan, Qalat is rural 
and impoverished. The women we met had the same aspirations of women 
across the globe: they seek to send their children to school and learn 
a trade in order to support themselves and their family.
  During that first visit in 2008, the school headmaster told us 
stories of how acid was thrown into the faces of several female 
students who attended the school. These young girls overcame enormous 
challenges in coming to school every day, but their desire to learn 
surmounted the obstacles they faced. And there, just like at home, we 
heard these young girls talk of being doctors and teachers and anything 
else that they could dream of.
  Each year, we have continued to visit the women of Qalat, and their 
message remains clear and consistent: they need security for themselves 
and their families if they are going to succeed.
  During these visits, we have seen slow but steady progress being made 
as security in the area has improved. This year, during our visit, 
instead of talking about wanting the kids to come to school and being 
fearful that their parents would keep them at home, the school 
headmaster spoke about the 4,000 students who are coming to school each 
day and the need for additional desks and supplies. What a tremendous 
turnaround in such a short period of time.
  But, Mr. Speaker, steep challenges remain for women in Afghanistan. 
Security, especially for women, has been at the heart of the problem 
that needs to be addressed as we transition responsibility to Afghan 
forces. Just this week, we had a reminder of those security concerns.
  On Monday, the Director of Women's Affairs was killed in the Laghman 
province. She replaced the previous director, who was also assassinated 
just 6 months ago. It is heartbreaking to hear of these female leaders 
being assassinated in an area that is trying so hard to move their 
people and their country forward. A country cannot disenfranchise 
nearly 50 percent of their population while seeking to achieve a strong 
prosperous economy.
  The language included in the Senate bill is a step in the right 
direction. So many organizations have been active in the transformation 
of Afghanistan, and I would encourage my colleagues at the Department 
of Defense and the Department of State to ensure that this is a multi-
pronged effort. We must involve all the entities, not only here in the 
United States and Afghanistan, but also in Pakistan and India, where 
women there understand the daily

[[Page 17035]]

challenges that Afghan women face, and create opportunities for these 
groups to work together. It is the least that we can do to support the 
women of Afghanistan and leave their country with a sustainable path 
for stability.
  But, Mr. Speaker, this is more than the security of women and their 
ability to prosper in Afghanistan. It is also about our military 
servicemembers. Women on Provincial Reconstruction Teams have worked 
hard to help the women of Afghanistan, and members of the Female 
Engagement Teams have been tremendous role models for young Afghan 
children.
  Our brave military men and women have sacrificed so much in 
Afghanistan, and to leave without the ability for continued security 
there would be a dishonor to all those who have served. We must ensure 
that the strides Afghan women and girls have achieved over the last 
decade do not erode.
  Next year, I hope to visit Afghanistan again on Mother's Day. And I 
want to tell the women we meet with--again, the same group of women we 
have met with over the last number of years--that their security is 
important and that this Congress recognizes that importance.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this 
motion to instruct the House conferees and accept this language.
  I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1010

  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise to thank the gentlelady for her leadership not only on this 
issue, but on the leadership she helps provide to our committee. We 
have several women serving on the House Armed Services Committee, and 
they do an outstanding job.
  Over the years, many of us have visited Iraq and Afghanistan, and 
I've had that opportunity. But I know that the trips that the women 
have made bring us back a different perspective. In my trip the time 
before last to Afghanistan, I went to the south. I went to Camp 
Leatherneck, where they were just setting up the Marines that had just 
arrived, and they were just pushing out in the desert. We were not able 
to visit Marja, which was one of the towns in that area. It was totally 
under the control of the Taliban. The Taliban flag flew over Marja.
  The last time I was there, it was totally changed. The Marines had 
taken over Marja. And the day we were there, we opened a school. It's 
not like a school that we have here for our young people. They had a 
few classrooms in an adobe building, and then they had a few tents. It 
was kind of raining that day, but as we opened that school, 500 
children were now going to be able to go to school, and over a third of 
them were young girls who could not go to school before. They were so 
excited, 10 teachers and 500 young people. As I said, about a third of 
them were young girls.
  We have made some great improvements in Afghanistan. There are a lot 
of things we don't hear about. But when these women go on these trips 
on Mother's Day, they meet with the same women each year. So they give 
us a whole different perspective. Many of us on the trips, we go to one 
place, the next time we go to a different place, and we don't get a 
real feel as to what is actually happening with the people there. I've 
talked to some of these women after those trips. They've reported back 
and told me the things that they have seen and learned. This 
perspective of being able to actually see the same people and hear 
their perspective change from year to year is invaluable, and I thank 
you for making those trips.
  We have women on both sides of the aisle, both on and off the 
committee, that have gone on those trips. Martha Roby, one of the 
freshman Members on our side of the aisle, led the trip this last time, 
and Vicky Hartzler and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, our conference chair for 
our new Congress, and Renee Ellmers, another freshman Member on our 
side. Again, women from the other side of the aisle made that trip. I 
thank them for it, and I strongly support this effort on this motion to 
instruct.
  We need to do everything we can do to ensure the safety of women. 
We've made lots of gains for those women and the girls who will become 
women in that country. When you withdraw the troops, it's a serious 
time and dangerous time. As we pass the effort over to the Afghan 
security forces to provide the protections and keep the gains that 
we've made, it's very important that they don't fall back into the same 
way that they've treated women in the past and we lose all those gains 
that we've made. So this is a very important addition to the bill.
  I thank you for bringing this forward. I thank you for the support. 
It's something I hope that everyone in the Congress will support as we 
move forward.
  With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
  The United States' effort in Afghanistan came to us following the 
tragic events on September 11, 2001. And it has been critical to 
ensuring that United States' vital national security interests are 
maintained and the American people remain safe.
  The successes that have been achieved in Afghanistan are the result 
of the noble service and tremendous sacrifice from our military and 
their families. Those successes include progress toward improving 
conditions for Afghan women and girls, respect for the rights of women, 
and inclusion of women in the political and security realms. However, 
as our commanders frequently remind us, all of our successes are 
fragile and can be reversed. This is no more true than in the case of 
Afghan women.
  Therefore, I will support this motion to instruct. I believe the 
coming years will be critical to ensure the progress Afghan women have 
made cannot be easily undone. While I do not believe it is a primary 
mission of the U.S. military to work with the Government of Afghanistan 
to improve the rights of women, there is a role for the military to 
play as we train and advise the Afghan National Security Forces. 
Continuous improvements to the security situation can help set the 
stage for interagency partners and non-governmental organizations to 
work on women's issues.
  In fact, the security of Afghanistan's women can only be damaged by 
hasty or ill-conceived withdrawal. The military needs to continue to be 
provided the resources and support that they need to conduct the 
mission in Afghanistan through 2014 and beyond--primarily to meet U.S. 
national security objectives, but also not to abandon those whose lives 
have improved so dramatically.
  I appreciate my colleagues' advocacy for our sisters in Afghanistan. 
I support their efforts and intend to carry a conference report back 
from negotiations that supports this goal, the United States' national 
security interests, and provides our military with the resources it 
needs to accomplish the missions it is given in Afghanistan and around 
the globe.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I certainly want to thank Mr. 
McKeon for his leadership and for his remarks this morning because this 
has been a bipartisan trip, and I can say that we have many hours 
together on these trips. To experience it with the Afghan women and 
with our female troops particularly has been an incredible experience. 
And I particularly enjoy the support and the collegiality of my 
colleagues that Mr. McKeon referenced. It really has been very 
meaningful to all of us, and I look forward to continuing trips.
  I now want to yield 3 minutes to Ms. Tsongas of Massachusetts. Ms. 
Tsongas has been with us on those trips, and I know she will share some 
of her experiences, as well.
  Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this motion to 
instruct.
  As we have heard, this motion supports bipartisan Senate language 
that would help promote the security of Afghan women and girls.
  Since becoming a Member of Congress, I have had the honor of visiting 
Afghanistan four times, several with the Mother's Day trips that 
Chairman McKeon referenced. I have been fortunate on those trips to 
visit in particular with some of our military moms who are serving in 
Afghanistan. These are female soldiers who have children back home, 
leaving them for months on end. Thousands of soldiers, men and women, 
go without seeing their family and loved ones for months on end, 
highlighting the extraordinary commitment that accompanies military 
service. This service and commitment is something that we take home

[[Page 17036]]

with us as we learn from them and from their stories. These servicemen 
and -women have made very personal sacrifices for the people of 
Afghanistan.
  The ever increasing participation of women in our military 
demonstrates the important contributions women are making to our effort 
in Afghanistan and around the world. It also stands in stark contrast 
to the involvement that Afghan women are able to have in their 
country's public life. One of the most important observations and 
lessons that I have learned during this trip, as well as the others, 
was that if this country is to become more stable and secure, women 
must be included in Afghan society and government.
  Several years ago, I visited a school where over 1,000 young Afghan 
girls cycled through each day of all ages, very young, up to high 
school. When we asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up, 
the answers we heard were doctor, lawyer, teacher, even journalist. 
These are exactly what so many of our own young daughters hope to 
achieve. These young women felt optimistic about opportunities that 
were previously unheard of for women in Afghanistan and represent a 
future of promise for this country. We should take great pride in the 
work that we have done to elevate their sight lines. Ensuring that 
these young girls continue to have access to these opportunities and 
more broadly ensuring that women are able to participate in Afghan 
society as a whole is not only good for the future of Afghanistan, it 
is good for the United States, as well, so that we can help ensure a 
more peaceful and just future there.
  On Monday, we were starkly reminded of the tenuous position of women 
in Afghanistan when the acting head of women's affairs in an eastern 
province was assassinated as she traveled to work. It also reminds us 
of their extraordinary courage as they take advantage of the 
opportunities and seek to be full participants in their country's 
lives. As we reduce our military presence in Afghanistan, the United 
States must be cognizant of how we will make sure that women continue 
to have a seat at the table and the nascent gains for them are not 
abdicated.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. I yield an additional 1 minute to the 
gentlelady of Massachusetts.
  Ms. TSONGAS. The bipartisan language in the motion before us would 
require that the Department of Defense produce a plan to promote the 
security of Afghan women and girls as it withdraws from the country. It 
would encourage the recruitment of women as members of the security 
forces. In fact, several years ago, we met with young women who were 
being trained to be helicopter pilots and required the Department of 
Defense to report back on its progress toward meeting these goals.
  I strongly urge a ``yes'' vote on the motion and am so pleased to see 
our chairman's support for it.
  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 3 minutes to Ms. 
Jackson Lee of Texas, as I know that she has been very involved in 
developing democracies and working with women.

                              {time}  1020

  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. I thank all of my colleagues. I 
particularly thank Congresswoman Davis for her persistent leadership, 
and I join her as a cochair of the Afghan Caucus. I thank the chairman 
for his support as well.
  So many of us have traveled to Afghanistan and have traveled as women 
to Afghanistan and have begun to look at this country from the eyes of 
wanting its survival. Malala is a young girl who is not from 
Afghanistan, but she symbolizes the essence of this motion to instruct. 
Malala is from Pakistan, but many of you will remember that she took 
more than one bullet as a young girl who fought and stood up for girls 
being able to be educated.
  In my travels to Afghanistan and to the many provinces, you would 
hear stories from women, as have been evidenced, about the inability to 
serve, the inability to express themselves. In meeting with a group of 
women Afghan parliamentarians, interestingly enough, they would 
indicate how they wanted to serve their constituencies but how 
difficult it was and dangerous it was to travel as women to their 
particular provinces to serve their constituents.
  That is not the basis of the principles for which our soldiers have 
fought and died. America has wonderful principles, and I am delighted 
that this motion to instruct focuses on providing the safety net for 
girls and women in leadership and in education. It is indicated, of 
course, that this transition will occur but with the requirement of a 
road map to ensure the safety and security of girls and women.
  Over the period of time of our being in Afghanistan--the longest war 
that this Nation has ever seen--we have seen the ups and the downs but, 
more particularly, the tragedy of having schools burned that were 
particularly directed towards serving girls. Girls turn into young 
women and into women who want to serve. As we all know, the hand that 
rocks the cradle does establish the basis of civilization.
  For the democracy of this great nation, I include my support for the 
motion to instruct, for our Nation not to leave, as it leaves a pathway 
of democracy, leaves a pathway of democracy for the women and girls of 
Afghanistan. We must provide the protection that they need to help lead 
this nation and to ensure its democracy, freedom, and justice.
  Mr. McKEON. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentlelady from California (Ms. Lee), who has also been an extremely 
strong leader on this topic.
  Ms. LEE of California. Let me first thank Congresswoman Susan Davis 
for her tremendous leadership on this issue. I agree with Congresswoman 
Jackson Lee, it has been consistent and it has been bold. I also thank 
my other colleagues who have joined us in this effort.
  There is really no military solution in Afghanistan, and a broad 
bipartisan coalition of many of our colleagues has really called for an 
accelerated withdrawal from Afghanistan. When we inevitably leave, we 
must ensure that Afghan women have a place at the table and an 
opportunity to shape the future of their country. I stand in strong 
support of this amendment that calls for a plan to promote the security 
of Afghan women and girls during the process of transferring security 
responsibility to the Afghan forces.
  Last week, we met with Afghan women. Let me tell you that this was 
their very first priority, and we heard some stories that really speak 
to why this is so desperately needed. Afghan women and girls carry with 
them the prospects for long-term growth, security, and prosperity for 
their country.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. I yield the gentlelady an additional 
minute.
  Ms. LEE of California. I and others also encourage the conferees to 
include the Casey-Hutchison amendment as well as Senator Merkley's 
amendment, which calls for an expedited withdrawal from Afghanistan; 
but also we must support this motion to instruct conferees and ensure 
that we protect Afghan women and provide for their security because 
they are the future of Afghanistan.
  So I encourage our colleagues to support this, and I want to again 
thank Congresswoman Davis for her leadership.
  Mr. McKEON. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich). I want to thank him for his 
outspokenness and for his strong belief in peace and in the role that 
women play in those initiatives.
  Mr. KUCINICH. I thank the gentlelady from California for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Motion to Instruct Conferees 
on H.R. 4310, the

[[Page 17037]]

National Defense Authorization Act, NDAA. Today, this House will send 
the National Defense Authorization Act, NDAA, to conference. Contrary 
to its title, the bill does not provide for the protection of the 
American people. It expands war. It further indebts our nation. It 
encroaches on basic rights with regards to indefinite detention. It 
eliminates the basic tenet that due process rights applies to everyone 
in this country--not just American citizens.
  The legislation also includes additional sanctions against Iran 
despite numerous reports that our sanctions are affecting the ability 
of ordinary Iranians to obtain medicine and offer basic goods. 
Sanctions have thus far not served to solve the impasse or bring Iran 
to the negotiating table. More sanctions are not the answer and do not 
bring us closer to a diplomatic solution.
  This legislation also perpetuates the myth that we are ending the war 
in Afghanistan. We are not leaving Afghanistan. We are deepening our 
commitment. This bill provides for another staggering $88 billion for 
the war. The Strategic Partnership Agreement between the U.S. and 
Afghanistan commits us to the country for at least another decade with 
a $20 billion price tag.
  Finally, this legislation continues financing our bloated Pentagon. 
The United States maintains 1,000 bases worldwide. Some of these bases 
are infamous, like Guantanamo Bay. There are small bases to support our 
drones program. There are fortresses to support our wars.
  The cost to maintain these bases is billions of dollars. Included in 
these costs are the costs to maintain and run 234 golf courses around 
the world.
  The Pentagon is expanding their spy agency. The CIA has become a 
paramilitary organization. We are preparing to support intervention in 
Mali. Our government's policy in Syria is incoherent. We are expanding 
our military presence in Asia and in Africa.
  And for what? For millions of Americans to be unemployed? For 
millions of Americans to go hungry? For millions of Americans not to 
have adequate access to education or even healthcare? For millions to 
lose their homes? For millions to lose their retirement security? For 
roads and bridges to collapse because we have no money for 
infrastructure?
  I say it's time we pay attention to the defense of the American 
people's pocketbooks--The defense of the dignity of the American 
people--The defense of the moral authority of the United States. It's 
time to end this state of permanent war. We should throw out the NDAA, 
put an end to interventionism and begin to take care of things back 
home.
  Mr. McKEON. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlelady from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky). I want to thank her, as 
well, for her bold leadership in preparing women for democracy.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. I rise in strong support of this motion to instruct. 
I join my colleagues first in congratulating Congresswoman Davis for 
the enormous work that she has done to protect the women of 
Afghanistan, and I thank my Republican colleagues, too, for their 
support. This truly is a bipartisan effort.
  I am committed to a peaceful transition and to a secure future for 
Afghanistan as U.S. troops withdraw. There is no better way to reach 
that goal than to involve women in the process--to ensure their voices 
are heard, to protect their fundamental rights. The security of women 
has to be a top U.S. priority.
  Afghan women have made incredible advancements over the past decade, 
but they face enormous challenges. Just this week, the acting head of 
Women's Affairs in an eastern Afghan province was shot to death in 
broad daylight as she was traveling to work. Her predecessor in that 
position was killed in July when an IED exploded under her car. 
Particularly women who are involved in the political process or civil 
society are targeted, intimidated, threatened, and even killed.
  Since the 2009 trip I took to Kabul, I've kept a sky blue burqa in my 
office as a reminder of the responsibility that we have to the women of 
Afghanistan. Women's rights are essential to the long-term stability of 
Afghanistan. Women must feel safe participating in politics and in 
civil society, and they have to be free to seek education and to start 
businesses, and they must have the opportunity to help their country 
forge a peaceful future.
  Mr. Speaker, the Casey-Hutchison amendment requires a three-part plan 
to promote the security of Afghan women and girls. By including this 
language in the NDAA, we show that we are serious about human rights in 
Afghanistan and that we are committed to a peaceful transition away 
from U.S. military engagement. We have the opportunity to use the NDAA 
to stand with our Afghan sisters, to promote the security of all Afghan 
women and girls, and to ensure that women have the opportunity to 
engage in the rebuilding of their country.
  I urge my colleagues to support this motion to instruct.
  Mr. McKEON. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews). I want to thank him for all of 
his support as well.
  Mr. ANDREWS. I thank my friend for yielding.
  I am immensely proud of the service and sacrifice of our men and 
women in Afghanistan. They have done a great job in defending our 
country, and our hearts go out to all of them who are serving, or who 
have served, for the greatness of their service.
  I am one who believes that the time to bring them home is a lot 
sooner than later. I'd like to see them all come home as soon as 
possible. When they do, it's important that, as we leave Afghanistan, 
we leave an imprint of a value that is not just an American value but, 
I think, a value of humanity around the world and, that is, that your 
opportunity to thrive in a community should not be determined by your 
gender. It is astonishing to most Americans, but it was the reality for 
most female Afghans that during the rule of the Taliban, for a young 
girl, a visit to a school put her life at risk. A girl who dared to try 
to go to school was risking a violent assault or even death.
  I am very proud of the fact that our military leaders, our civilian 
employees, and brave Afghans have worked very hard to change that fact. 
Today, Afghan girls are in school, and Afghan women are serving in 
positions of authority and leadership and education and health care and 
government and commerce in Afghanistan. As we make the transition to 
Afghan security in that country, let us make sure that the transition 
to full human rights for women and girls continues in that country.
  That is the purpose of this motion to instruct, and it is gratifying 
that Members of both political parties have spoken up in favor of this 
very basic principle. Being a girl or being a woman should not subject 
one to violence or short-change one's opportunities. I am proud to 
support this motion. I certainly hope that, as we go forward with this 
bill, the principles of fairness and equality will be included.

                              {time}  1030

  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Illinois (Mrs. Biggert).
  Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning in support of the motion to instruct 
offered by my good friend Mrs. Davis from California.
  This measure would ensure that the Afghan Women and Girls Security 
Promotion Act, an important and bipartisan piece of legislation, will 
be included in the final version of the National Defense Authorization 
Act. And it will require the Department of Defense to produce a 
detailed plan to promote the security of Afghan women and girls during 
the process of transferring security responsibility to Afghan forces.
  For more than a decade now, the rights and security of Afghan women 
have been on the rise, thanks in part to the efforts and sacrifice of 
our brave men and women in uniform. I had the honor of witnessing this 
progress firsthand when I traveled to Afghanistan over Mother's Day a 
few years ago and got to see excited young girls attending school for 
the first time and accomplished women proudly serving in government 
office. Here in the United States, we often take liberties like this

[[Page 17038]]

for granted. For an Afghan woman, however, they represent dramatic 
strides forward in basic human rights and equality.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. McKEON. I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlelady.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. Like my colleagues here today, I am deeply concerned 
that as we begin to transition out of Afghanistan we are at risk of 
losing those hard-fought gains. Tragic news stories like the recent 
brutal murder of a young girl in northern Afghanistan over a rejected 
marriage proposal still occur with frightening regularity.
  I believe this piece of legislation provides an opportunity for us to 
do that by providing a credible path forward for promoting the 
continued safety and well-being of these girls and women. This is 
absolutely essential for the future peace, stability, and prosperity of 
Afghanistan. For that reason, I urge my colleagues to support this 
motion to instruct.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have 
remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from California has 12\3/4\ 
minutes remaining. The gentleman from California has 22\1/2\ minutes 
remaining.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I just wanted to acknowledge and thank my colleague, Mrs. Biggert, 
because she co-led with me that first trip we took to Afghanistan, to 
Zabul province, and we had that opportunity to observe women who had 
very, very incredibly difficult lives and yet were as aspirational as 
so many women that we meet every day. I wanted to acknowledge her for 
that leadership.
  I now yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. 
Hanabusa) and thank her for her leadership as well.
  Ms. HANABUSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the motion to 
instruct conferees to agree to the language in section 1249 of the 
Senate bill, which requires a plan for promoting the security of Afghan 
women and girls during the transition process.
  I have been a supporter of an accelerated withdrawal of our forces 
from Afghanistan, but believe we must do so responsibly. Part of this 
responsibility lies in protecting the gains that have been made by 
Afghan women and ensuring that they have a role in creating the future 
of their country.
  Since 2001, women in Afghanistan have made tremendous progress in 
being able to educate themselves and diversify the way they can provide 
for their families. They receive better health care and can move freely 
about within their communities.
  This progress, which has come at great cost to the men and women of 
our armed services, must be preserved and furthered. To lose these 
gains would be to minimize the great sacrifices that our men and women 
in uniform have made.
  It is undisputed that the burden of war and keeping a family together 
after a loss of life falls on the mothers and women of the household. 
It is also undisputed that war leaves many scarred physically and 
emotionally. Yet it is so rare that we can say out of these difficult 
situations that there can be a glimmer of hope for the future.
  One example of hope for the future is for these women and girls to 
know that they will be secure in their pursuits and in the progress 
that has been made. We must also believe that by doing so, the 
foundations we have helped build will continue, and these women and 
girls will have a future in their Afghan nation.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 1 
minute.
  Ms. HANABUSA. As a Nation, this is one of the most positive acts that 
we can do, Mr. Speaker.
  Mr. McKEON. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers, so I 
reserve the balance of my time to close.
  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to 
close.
  I want to thank the gentlelady for bringing this issue. I think it is 
something that we can totally support on our side, and I would 
encourage all Members of this body to support this issue. I thank all 
of the women who have made the trips over there to Afghanistan because 
they have really added to the cause.
  Our men and women in the military that have fought for all these many 
years--one of the major benefits from this war is the freedoms that 
these women and girls are able to enjoy right now, and it's my hope 
that we can leave sufficient force there to complete the mission, to 
guarantee the safety of these women and children, young girls, going 
forward. To leave precipitously without having completed that mission 
and put these women and girls in jeopardy, after they've seen a whole 
new life emerge, a whole new opportunity presented to them that they 
never conceived of before, would be a disaster.
  So I thank again the gentlelady from California (Mrs. Davis) for her 
efforts here, and all the women who have spoken on this issue and 
traveled to Afghanistan, and urge that we all support this issue.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, as I said, I'm certainly 
prepared to close, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I want to again thank my colleague for his kind words. It has been an 
honor and a privilege to be part of this and to have worked with our 
female troops, all of our troops, of course, in Afghanistan, but to see 
the difference that they're making. There is an approach that they 
have, and it seems to work. They are able to bring people along and 
actually make the situation safer for the families and the community in 
which they are serving.
  I want to thank everyone who spoke today, and I also certainly want 
to thank everyone who has traveled on this particular trip. This is an 
important motion to instruct. It defines something just as basic as 
ensuring the mobility of women within their own country.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Davis Motion 
to Instruct Conferees that would include the Casey/Hutchison amendment 
in the final conference report on the NDAA bill.
  I want to thank the gentlelady from California, Mrs. Davis, for her 
strong leadership in engaging the women of Afghanistan in their 
reconstruction. I first traveled to Afghanistan with Mrs. Davis for 
Mother's Day in 2009 and have returned each of the past three years.
  As co-chair of the Afghan Women's Task Force, I have met with women 
parliamentarians and civil society members eager to achieve the common 
goal of a secure and stable Afghanistan.
  These women and their advocates always raise security as the number 
one challenge to progress. The failure to ensure consideration of women 
in the security framework is an ongoing challenge to taking advantage 
of the opportunities in education, politics, and overall public life 
necessary for the long-term stability and prosperity of Afghanistan.
  Yesterday's assassination of the acting head of women's affairs in 
Laghman Province less than six months after the previous head was 
killed exposes not only the threats to the security of women in the 
country, but the deep concern about the impact the transfer of 
responsibilities from coalition forces to the Afghan government will 
have on the gains made by women over the last ten years.
  The Casey/Hutchinson amendment promotes the security of Afghan women 
and underlines the need for the United States to strengthen its 
commitment to ensuring that plans to improve, monitor, and respond to 
women's security are imbedded in the Department of Defense's 
strategies. In addition, the amendment aims to establish achievable 
goals for the recruitment and retention of women to the Afghan National 
Army and Afghanistan National Police which have fallen far below 
expected targets.
  The United States has worked hard to dramatically improve the lives 
of Afghan women. The greatest indicator of this progress is the 2.7 
million girls who are now being educated after years of restriction by 
the Taliban. Afghan women and girls have stated their goals and desires 
for progress.
  The transition process gives the United States and our international 
partners an opportunity to strengthen women's rights and lay

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the foundation for women's full participation in all aspects of Afghan 
society in the future. Losing those gains will have a major negative 
impact on all Afghans and jeopardize the future security and stability 
of the country.
  I urge inclusion of the Casey/Hutchinson amendment to send a 
supportive message to the women of Afghanistan and to enhance U.S. and 
international efforts to create a safer, more prosperous future for the 
country. Vote for the Davis Motion to Instruct Conferees.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
  Without objection, the previous question is ordered on the motion to 
instruct.
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to instruct.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.

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