Providing For Consideration of H.R. 5122, National Defense Authorization Act For Fiscal Year 2007

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5122, NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2007

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 806 and ask for its immediate consideration.

The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

H. Res. 806

Resolved, That at any time after the adoption of this resolution the Speaker may, pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XVIII, declare the House resolved into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5122) to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2007 for military activities of the Department of Defense, to prescribe military personnel strengths for fiscal year 2007, and for other purposes. The first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. General debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Armed Services. After general debate the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. It shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the five-minute rule the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Armed Services now printed in the bill. The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read. All points of order against the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute are waived. Notwithstanding clause 11 of rule XVIII, no amendment to the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be in order except those printed in the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution. Each such amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a Member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole. All points of order against such amendments are waived. After disposition of the amendments printed in the report of the Committee on Rules, the Committee of the Whole shall rise without motion. No further consideration of the bill shall be in order except pursuant to a subsequent order of the House.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole) is recognized for 1 hour.

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday the Rules Committee met and reported a rule for consideration of the House report for H.R. 5122, the Fiscal Year 2007 National Defense Authorization Act.

Mr. Speaker, the rule is a structured rule. It provides 1 hour of general debate equally divided and controlled between the chairman and the ranking minority member of the Committee on Armed Services. It waives all points of order against consideration of the bill.

Additionally, it provides that the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Armed Services now printed in the bill shall be considered as an original bill for the purpose of amendment and shall be considered as read.

It waives all points of order against the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Armed Services and makes in order only those amendments printed in the Rules Committee report accompanying the resolution.

Furthermore, it provides that the amendments printed in the report accompanying the resolution may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a Member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report, equally divided and controlled by the proponent and opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole.

The rule waives all points of order against the amendments printed in the Rules Committee report, and the rule provides that after disposition of the amendments printed in the Rules Committee report, the Committee of the Whole shall rise without motion and no further consideration of the bill shall be in order except by a subsequent order of the House.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of the rule for H.R. 5122 and the underlying legislation. This important legislation takes a number of dramatic steps to better the lives of our servicemen and women, increase our defense capabilities, and more aggressively conduct operations in the generational global war on terror that is now under way. It is a bill that fundamentally addresses many of the transformative challenges for the future and provides many of the interim steps to meet those challenges.

Mr. Speaker, as a member on leave from the House Armed Services Committee and a member of the Rules Committee, I firmly believe that this legislation takes the appropriate and necessary steps to better secure America's security and more successfully prosecute the war which we were drawn into on September 11, 2001.

To fully appreciate the significance of H.R. 5122, one most understand the four long-term challenges that we face in the 21st century security environment. Briefly put, these challenges are, first, responding to the dramatic procurement holiday we took in the 1990s; second, responding to the operational demands for the transformation of our forces; third, responding to the operational and strategic demands for increased end strength; fourth, shaping our military for a generational war, the global war on terror.

Mr. Speaker, these challenges are not options. They are requirements that the Armed Services Committee must address on a continuing basis. I am happy to report that there is a bipartisan agreement that the committee has done precisely that in H.R. 5122.

The gentleman from California, Chairman Hunter, and the gentleman from Missouri, Ranking Member Skelton, have worked in a good, bipartisan way to bring forward a legislative package that we may all be proud of. Now it is important that we collectively, as the House, support our deployed servicemen and women by supporting the underlying legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I firmly believe that this legislation responds in a dramatic way to all the long-term challenges that we face. Being specific, the underlying legislation increases the procurement accounts by approximately $9 billion over fiscal year 2006 and effectively replenishes several historically underfunded accounts.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation also takes dramatic steps forward in transforming the nature and the structure of our operational forces by funding the Brigade Combat Team conversions for the Army, addressing the needs of the Navy's future shipbuilding program and increasing the end strength of the Army by 30,000 soldiers and 5,000 Marines to the Marine Corps to better support the war on terror.

Moreover, Mr. Speaker, the underlying legislation takes dramatic steps to better ensure our long-term success in the global war on terror. Specifically, this legislation includes a $50 billion allocation of supplemental funding to support ongoing war-related costs and procurement of replacement equipment.

It significantly increases personnel protection efforts with respect to improvised explosive devices and authorizes support for shipyards to maintain the long-term operational success and stability of the shipping industry critical to all of our services.

Also, the underlying legislation supports troop morale and welfare by ensuring a 2.7 percent pay raise and blocks the Department of Defense's proposed TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Standard fee increases and zeroes out copayments for generic and formulary mail order prescriptions for military beneficiaries.

Mr. Speaker, over the next 2 days, we will hear arguments in favor of specific amendments that do not relate to our four long-term challenges, nor do they address the subject matter of the underlying legislation in any real way.

We will also hear arguments attacking the executive and our progress in the war on terror. Those discussions are appropriate, but they do not really relate to the purpose of this legislation.

I would caution those who would like to politicize the defense authorization bill that this legislation is absolutely essential to our servicemen and women deployed overseas in a wartime deployment. The operational situation will not change through continuing attacks on the choices that we collectively as the House have made in the past.

Our focus should be to advance our Nation's and our servicemen and women's interest by providing them with the tools they require to be successful. The underlying legislation does just that.

Mr. Speaker, additionally, some Members may want to engage in debate that is essentially tangential to the issue at hand. What we must remember is that this bill is a finely crafted piece of legislation that attempts to bridge the policy and political divide to do what is best for our servicemen and women.

Fundamentally this legislation moves us in the proper direction. No bill is perfect. However, this bill is a very good piece of legislation that increases our security, assists in prosecuting our global war on terror, protects our troops and enhances the lives of our servicemen and women.

Mr. Speaker, to that end I urge support for the rule and the underlying bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman for her recognition of the National Guard. I share her admiration and appreciation for that splendid service. I certainly appreciate her remarks and the bipartisan way in which we arrived at a common agreement on end strength, and also appreciate her praise for the committee's strong bipartisan work on TRICARE, while recognizing she would prefer to go a little bit further. But I think we certainly went much further in both those areas than the original administration proposal.

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Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I want to point out simply for the record that this bill was reported out of committee by a 60-1 margin, a very strong bipartisan indication of support and appreciation for the main points in the bill.

As to the point on missile defense, I think the activities in Iran and certainly North Korea indicate that we would be prudent to think about developing missile defense. So I am very pleased with the bipartisan nature of this legislation. Frankly, I suspect most Members will vote for it in the end.

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Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

In closing, I want to take this opportunity to remind our Members that this rule and the underlying legislation is not about us or our interests. It is fundamentally about the long-term interests of our Nation, the security and stability of our military, and the welfare of our deployed servicemen and women.

Mr. Speaker, no generation undertakes a war lightly. Certainly, the World War I and World War II generations and the Cold War generations did not do so, and it is clear that historically there is always dissent. That is good and it is American. However, the previous generations understood that if they were not firm in their commitment, unwavering in their support for the troops and sure in their convictions, America would be the worse for future generations.

Mr. Speaker, we face the very same challenges as these previous generations. Today is the day that we must support our forces to secure the peace for our progeny and to spread freedom around the globe.

Mr. Speaker, we are very fortunate at this particular moment in our history to have men like Chairman Hunter and Ranking Member Ike Skelton heading and cooperating so closely on this very important committee, one in which whatever our differences may be, we come together as Americans to support those Americans who defend our freedom and who put themselves in harm's way for our benefit.

Mr. Speaker, I would encourage my colleagues to support the rule and the underlying legislation. It is critical for America, for the cause of freedom, and for the success of the brave men and women who proudly wear the uniform of the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

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