National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023

Floor Speech

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Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1224, I offer amendments en bloc.

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Mr. SMITH of Washington. 113, printed in part A of House Report 117-405, be modified in the form I have placed at the desk.

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Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna), a member of the committee, to speak on the amendments en bloc.

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Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Hayes) for purposes to speak on the amendments en bloc.

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Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise to support amendments en bloc 2 and thank the chairman and ranking member for the combination of amendments that we have worked on over the years that I believe are crucial and important to the Nation's safety but also to the men and women of the United States military.

The amendment I want to highlight, among others, is the amendment that calls for the Secretary of Defense to evaluate and report to Congress the extent of threat to national security posed by domestic terrorist groups and organizations motivated by a belief system of white supremacy, such as the Proud Boys and Boogaloo.

We know that those organizations certainly found themselves roving around during January 6 and were actually called and motivated to come to Washington by the former President of the United States.

We also know that Director Wray has indicated that domestic terrorism is one of greatest threats to the United States. As reported in the media and government intelligence reports, coupled with recent arrests and successful violent attacks carried out by the Boogaloo Bois and militia extremists, these representations are very troubling.

My concern is that as the Nation moves toward a historic national election, the activity of violent influences, like the Boogaloo Bois and Proud Boys, will increase and lead to attacks becoming more frequent. I ask my colleagues to continue to support the amendments en bloc 2 for that amendment.

I also want to highlight my amendment that asks for $10 million to increase funding for increased collaboration between the DOD Office of Health and the National Institutes of Health for research to combat triple-negative breast cancer.

As a breast cancer survivor myself, I can tell you the enormous impact that triple-negative breast cancer has. It is a particular form of breast cancer that metastasizes very quickly. It accounts for between 13 to 25 percent of all breast cancer in the United States, the onset is at a younger age, and it is more aggressive and more likely to metastasize. This work will help young women in the United States military and young men, who also are sometimes diagnosed with breast cancer.

Let me also ask for support for post-traumatic stress disorder. I have worked on this for many, many years, even developed a center in my district off campus from the veterans' hospital.

PTSD was first brought to public attention in relation to war veterans, but it can result from a variety of traumatic incidents. The increase, I believe, reaffirms the importance of helping those with PTSD and restoring their lives.

I want to make sure as well that my amendment dealing with requiring the chief of the National Guard, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, to submit to Congress and other entities a report identifying personnel training and equipment required by the non-federalized National Guard to prevent, mitigate, respond, and recover from natural and manmade disasters.

Houston is hurricane prone. I cannot tell you the kind of work and leadership that the Texas National Guard has done on behalf of my constituents and the entire State when we have been in trouble. The huge trucks that have come in with MREs and the help during the flooding has been enormous.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support all of my amendments and to highlight those that I have just highlighted.

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Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Texas.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I will just emphasize that the National Guard has been enormously effective in helping us during disaster.

But let me finish quickly with the amendment dealing with young people in the academy, in particular a young cadet that had a stuttering issue. My amendment says that cadets should be diagnosed with whatever disability they may have, be assessed, do their 4 years, and when it comes time for a command, don't push them out like this young cadet was, but to ensure that they have the ability, with their talents, to be able to accept a command. They want to serve their Nation.

Madam Speaker, I ask support for the amendments en bloc 2 and all of my amendments.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, for this opportunity to express my support for H.R. 7900, the ``National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2023.''

Congress has the solemn duty to ensure that those who wear the uniform of the United States--and those civilians who provide logistical and operational support--have the equipment, training, and resources needed to carry out and complete their mission.

And we must never forget that a grateful nation has a sacred obligation, in the words of President Lincoln, ``to care for him who has borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan.''

Many of my amendments were made in order by the Rules Committee. I would like to summarize them, two of which were included in En Bloc 1:

First, amendment 59 recognizes that Black men and women have played an integral role in our nation's defense from the bravery of Crispus Attucks, an escaped slave, during the Boston Massacre, to the present day. The amendment would address the historical and current barriers to Black Americans' participation and equal treatment in the Armed Services.

I would like to elaborate on the importance of Amendment 59, about the lessons that can be learned about the social, cultural, legal, and logistical impacts, as well as the advances made, by the integration of African Americans into the warfighting capacity of our nation.

The racial inequality and mistreatment of Black men and women that has historically permeated our military continues to this day, with more than 750 complaints of racial or ethnic discrimination from service members in fiscal year 2020 alone.

But discrimination doesn't exist just within the military rank-and- file, as in that same fiscal year, civilians working in the financial, technical and support sectors of the Army, Air Force and Navy also filed 900 complaints of racial discrimination and over 350 complaints of discrimination by skin color, data from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission shows.

According to a report by the Defense Department's Diversity and Inclusion Board, while the enlisted ranks of the active and reserve military were ``slightly more racially and ethnically diverse than its U.S. civilian counterparts,'' the opposite was true for the officer corps.

We owe it to those brave men and women who have proven time and time again to be an integral part of our military to examine the Armed Services' history of discrimination and to determine the necessary steps to repair the harm caused by these inequities.

Second, my amendment 28 directs the Secretary of Defense to evaluate, and report to Congress, about the extent of the threat to national security posed by domestic terrorist groups and organizations motivated by a belief system of white supremacy, such as the Proud Boys and Boogaloo.

In the past and with greater intensity, I have raised concerns over the role that Boogaloo and Proud Boys have played in bringing an element of violence into the otherwise peaceful protests following the death of George Floyd.

The violence seen during the recent national movement to end the deaths of unarmed black men while in police custody is not the start of these violent activities associated with Boogaloo movement or Proud Boys activity.

The threat posed by accelerationists and militia extremists--a range of violent anti-government actors, movements, and organizations, some of which branch out of decades-old ideologies and others which are relatively new has led to violent engagement of law enforcement.

These varied threats range from decentralized and leaderless accelerationist networks using social media platforms, such as the Boogaloo movement, to more structured, far-right militia extremist groups.

The ideologies undergirding these movements or groups have some similarities to other anti-government and white supremacist beliefs but are often not tied to a single, monolithic ideology.

In addition, in many cases, their adherents' decentralized and coded use of digital tools poses unique challenges for law enforcement and government officials to identify and track their activity.

These developments in domestic terrorism, as reported in the media and government intelligence reports--coupled with recent arrests and successful violent attacks carried out by ``Boogaloo boys'' and militia extremists--are troubling.

My concern is that as the nation moves toward a historic national election, the activity of violence influencers like Boogaloo Boys or Proud Boys will increase and lead to attacks becoming more frequent.

In 2018, we saw too many instances of violent extremist searching for opportunities to sow violence and disrupt democratic processes.

Boogaloo and Proud Boys are targeting constitutionally protected activity for cooption or to provide cover for attacks.

This amendment will result in a report that will provide valuable insight into activities associated with Boogaloo and Proud Boys.

Under the guidance that produced this report, there should not be any activity directed at groups that are not known for violent activity or have a history of engaging in violence directed at the United States government.

My next amendments were adopted in En Bloc 2:

Amendment 194--Provides authorization for a $10 million increase in funding for increased collaboration between the DoD Office of Health and the National Institutes of Health to research and combat Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

As a Member of Congress, a mother, a sister and a spouse, and a breast cancer survivor, I feel a special responsibility to do all I can to ensure every American can win in the fight against all types of breast cancer but especially triple negative breast cancer (TNBC).

About 10-20 percent of breast cancers test negative for both hormone receptors and HER2 in the lab, which means they are triple-negative.

What is Triple Negative Breast Cancer? The term triple negative breast cancer refers to the fact that this form of breast cancer will test negative, which means that each of the test will return negative results for the presence of breast cancer for three types of breast cancer tests:

Estrogen receptor;

Progesterone receptor; and

human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 or the HER2 test will be negative.

To understand triple-negative breast cancer, it's important to understand receptors, which are proteins found inside and on the surface of cells. These receptor proteins are the ``eyes'' and ``ears'' of the cells, receiving messages from substances in the bloodstream and then telling the cells what to do.

Hormone receptors inside and on the surface of healthy breast cells receive messages from the hormones estrogen and progesterone. The hormones attach to the receptors and provide instructions that help the cells continue to grow and function well.

Most, but not all, breast cancer cells also have these hormone receptors.

Roughly 2 out of 3 women have breast cancer that tests positive for hormone receptors.

In 2013, the American Cancer Society Surveillance and Health Services Institute estimated that 27,060 black women would be diagnosed with the illness.

The rate of breast cancer is 10 percent lower in African American women than white women--it is the type of breast cancer (Triple Negative) that African American women contract that is alarming.

Because African American women are diagnosed in greater numbers with Triple Negative Breast Cancer we have a five year survival rate of 78 percent after diagnosis as compared to 90 percent for white women.

The incidence rate of breast cancer among women under 45 is higher for African American women compared to white women.

Triple Negative Breast Cancer:

Accounts for between 13 percent and 25 percent of all breast cancer in the US;

Onset is at a younger age;

Is more aggressive; and

Is more likely to metastasize.

Currently, 70 percent of women with metastatic triple negative breast cancer do not live more than five years after being diagnosed.

African American women are 3 times more likely to develop triple- negative breast cancer than White women. African-American women have prevalence TNBC of 26 percent vs. 16 percent in non-African-Americans women.

The key to beating this cancer is not just early detection--but detection period.

A 2007 study of more than 50,000 women with all stages of breast cancer found that 77 percent of women with triple-negative breast cancer survived at least 5 years, versus 93 percent of women with other types of breast cancer.

Another study of more than 1,600 women published in 2007 found that women with triple-negative breast cancer had a higher risk of death within 5 years of diagnosis, but not after that time period.

The recurrence and survival figures in these and other studies are averages for all women with triple-negative breast cancer.

The DoD needs to be prioritizing this very real and lethal condition to ensure women are being protected.

Amendment 195 directs the Secretary of Defense to audit current practices regarding administration of sexual harassment claims and submit a report no later 180 days after passage detailing efforts to prevent sexual harassment and protect service-members, and compiling data and research on sexual harassment prevalence in the military, cases reported, legal proceedings, and convictions.

Sexual assault is endemic in our military, especially for female armed service members.

Streamlining and auditing the process of reporting sexual assault protects victims and is a necessary step in weeding out abusers.

Amendment 191 provides authorization for $2.5 million increase in funding to combat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

According to the NIH, an estimated 3.6 percent of U.S. adults had PTSD in the past year.

PTSD was first brought to public attention in relation to war veterans, but it can result from a variety of traumatic incidents, such as torture, being kidnapped or held captive, bombings, or natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes.

People with PTSD may startle easily, become emotionally numb (especially in relation to people with whom they used to be close), lose interest in things they used to enjoy, have trouble feeling affectionate, be irritable, become more aggressive, or even become violent.

They avoid situations that remind them of the original incident, and anniversaries of the incident are often very difficult.

Most people with PTSD repeatedly relive the trauma in their thoughts during the day and in nightmares when they sleep. These are called flashbacks. A person having a flashback may lose touch with reality and believe that the traumatic incident is happening all over again.

My amendment recognizes that these soldiers are first and foremost, human. They carry their experiences with them.

Ask a veteran of Vietnam, Iraq, or Afghanistan about the frequency of nightmares they experience, and one will realize that serving in the Armed Forces leaves a lasting impression, whether good or bad.

My amendment will help ensure that ``no soldier is left behind'' by addressing the urgent need for more outreach toward hard to reach veterans suffering from PTSD, especially those who are homeless or reside in underserved urban and rural areas of our country.

Amendment 199 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.

Academy students should have the option of undergoing speech therapy to reduce speech disorders or impediments.

Amendment 188 directs the Secretary to submit to Congress within 180 days a report on the recognition of African Americans who have served in the Armed Forces and opportunities for their inclusion in DOD naming practices and conventions for military installations, infrastructure, vessels, and weapon systems.

In every war waged from the Battle of Lexington to the Battle for Fallujah, African Americans have honorably answered the call to duty, and served with valor and distinction in America's armed forces.

At decisive moments in our nation's history, the United States military and its citizen warriors, were there and made the difference.

Our thanks to the military for being always ready to answer the call of duty--whether that call comes in the dead of night or the light of day--we know that we can count on you.

The fact that military bases have been named after Confederate military leaders or soldiers is hard to imagine given that they were fighting to end the United States. The Confederacy was not something that should be held up for honor by the United States or our nation's military.

There is no shortage of honorable replacement candidates to receive the honor of having a military base, installation or facility named in their honor.

Amendment 198 requires the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, to submit to Congress and other entities in 2023, 2024, and 2025 a report identifying the personnel, training, and equipment required by the non-federalized National Guard to prevent, mitigate, respond to, and recover from natural and man-made disasters.

Hurricane Harvey's impact in Texas is still being felt more than 30 months later. The storm's footprint covered over 9,000 square miles, including the city of Houston. Hurricane Harvey dropped over 52 inches of rain in the Houston area and over 60 inches were recorded elsewhere in the state.

At its peak on September 1, 2017, one-third of Houston, our nation's fourth largest city, was underwater leaving 34,575 evacuees in shelters across Texas. Before the flood waters had receded in Houston two other monster Hurricanes were bearing down on citizens living in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

The scope and magnitude of these dueling disasters tested the National Guard and Reservists in ways that were new.

This amendment requires a readiness report by the National Guard and Reservists to make sure they have what they need to assist communities in need of disaster assistance during future Hurricane Seasons.

Many Texans are still recovering from Hurricane Harvey, and the same is true of residents of many other areas hit hard by disasters.

My amendment will help the National Guard help communities prepare for disasters, respond to them, and rebuild from them.

It will improve the ability to support the important mission of the National Guard and Reservists to engage in disaster response.

Amendment 197 requires the Secretary of the Navy, not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act, to submit to Congress a report on desalinization technology's application for defense and national security purposes to provide drought relief to areas impacted by sharp declines in water resources.

In 2010, the United States consumed about 355,000 million gallons of water per day.

Worldwide, some 700 million people do not have access to enough clean water.

In 10 years the number is expected to more than double to 1.8 billion.

Two-thirds of the Earth's surface is water, but in fact less than 1 percent it is available for human use.

The rest of the water on our planet is either salt water found in oceans, fresh water frozen in the polar ice caps, or too inaccessible for practical usage.

While population and demand on freshwater resources are increasing, supply will always remain constant.

And although the water cycle continuously returns water to Earth, it is not always returned to the same place, or in the same quantity and quality.

I offered this amendment because we must plan for the future water needs of our nation and our defense facilities and operations worldwide.

There are serious water shortages in some regions of the country and the prospects that sustained water shortages due to regional growth and climate factors may make it necessary to develop alternative sources for water intended for human and agricultural uses.

If we can harness the technology to convert ocean water into fresh water the future of cities and rural communities that depend on water can be much brighter.

Amendment 190 requires a report to be submitted to Congress within 240 days following enactment on the risks posed by debris in low earth orbit and to make recommendations on remediation of risks and outline plans to reduce the incident of space debris.

Man-made objects in Earth's orbit that may no longer serve a useful function can include nonfunctional spacecraft, abandoned launch vehicle stages, mission-related debris and fragmentation debris.

Space debris travels at speeds up to 17,500 miles per hour is fast enough for a small piece of man-made debris to damage to a satellite or a spacecraft.

There are 500,000 pieces of debris the size of a marble or larger.

There are many millions of pieces of debris that are so small they can't be tracked.

The Jackson Lee Amendment seeks a report from the Secretary of Defense on the risks posed by man-made space debris, solutions for reducing risks and strategies for reducing the incidence of more man- made space debris being introduced into space. Amendment 193 condemns the actions of Boko Haram and directs that the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Attorney General, submit a report on efforts to combat Boko Haram.

Amendment 189 requires a report to be submitted within 220 days following enactment on Capacity to Provide Disaster Survivors with Emergency Short Term Housing.

Amendment 196 directs the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress in not less than 180 days the actions taken to protect U.S. armed service personnel from armed attacks conducted by militants and terrorists in pursuit of bounties and inducements the agencies, organizations, or entities aligned with the Russian Federation.

Finally, amendment 192 requires the 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.

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