[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10404]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   H.R. 1960--NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2014

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 25, 2013

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I am deeply disappointed that I must rise 
in opposition to H.R. 1960, the FY14 Defense Authorization Act. 
America's men and women in uniform deserve, and Congress must pass, 
legislation that provides them with the resources they need to preserve 
our national security. Unfortunately, this bill does not reflect the 
range of 21st-Century threats the United States must prepare for, nor 
does it reflect the urgent fiscal crisis this Congress must address. 
What this $638 billion defense bill does reflect, however, are 
misplaced priorities.
  Due to sequestration, Congress has been forced to impose deep cuts to 
programs all across our Federal government, including many aimed at 
protecting vulnerable seniors and children from economic hardship. 
Moreover, the across-the-board cuts will have an adverse impact on our 
military readiness due to the furloughs of critical defense personnel. 
These misguided fiscal policies have already had a real and severe 
impact on American families.
  With every sector of the government being downsized, it is 
fundamentally unfair that the bill before us today still authorizes 
billions of dollars in wasteful Pentagon programs. One prime example of 
this is the National Guard's ongoing spending spree on World Wide 
Wrestling and motor sports sponsorships. I offered an amendment to stop 
this waste of precious taxpayer dollars, but unfortunately, the 
Majority of House Republicans refused to support it. Authorizing $54 
million on sports sponsorships that have not been proven to work shows 
that this Congress is addicted to spending that directly benefits 
special interests like NASCAR. At a time when the Pentagon plans to 
reduce the number of troops and issue furloughs, this is simply 
unacceptable.
  Mr. Speaker, there are several positive provisions of this bill that 
I do support, including the continuance of DOD clean energy programs, 
lifting restrictions on servicewomen's access to reproductive health 
care, and preventing increases in new TRICARE fees. I am also pleased 
that the bill includes some provisions to address the crisis of sexual 
assaults in the military. For example, it strips commanding officers of 
their unilateral authority to change or dismiss a court-martial 
conviction and requires that service members found guilty of sexual 
offenses be dismissed or dishonorably discharged. Lastly, it provides 
legal assistance to victims of sex-related offenses. Unfortunately, the 
underlying legislation contains too much wasteful spending and does not 
include several important amendments aimed at correcting the abuses to 
our civil liberties contained in previous Defense Authorization bills, 
most notably those related to Guantanamo Bay prison and indefinite 
detention.
  One of our primary objectives today is to provide the resources and 
policy guidance necessary to protect our nation, while upholding the 
civil rights enshrined in the Constitution. Moreover, we must exercise 
fiscal responsibility by making certain that every dollar we authorize 
today contributes to our national defense. The rejection of my common-
sense amendment demonstrates that H.R. 1960 fails to meet that goal. It 
is time for tough choices and smart cuts that save taxpayer dollars, 
even at the Pentagon. Wasteful and excessive Pentagon spending is no 
longer acceptable as low income families, seniors, and disabled 
Americans to go without the critical services.
  I urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation.

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