Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009
DUNCAN HUNTER NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2009 -- (House of Representatives - May 21, 2008)
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Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Let me say to the gentleman that coming back to the Armed Services Committee from Rules is as close to a resurrection experience that I expect to have on this side of the veil.
I am particularly pleased to rise in support of this legislation, H.R. 5658,
the National Defense Authorization Act, and I am particularly pleased that it is named for my good friend and our distinguished colleague, Mr. Hunter, who served our country in so many ways, in uniform, in Congress, and certainly with great distinction and great fairness on both sides with both sides of the aisle as former chairman of our committee.
I particularly want to thank our current chairman, Mr. Skelton, who presides so professionally with such personal integrity and so thoughtfully over this important committee, and our staff, which does great work on a bipartisan basis.
This committee really does work the way that I think most Americans wish Congress worked, and I think it sets an outstanding example that I wish others would follow.
There is very much in this bill, Mr. Chairman, that is excellent. I am particularly pleased with the increase in family support, the focus on additional barracks, the additional money in the research, development, testing, evaluation and procurement accounts, the $70 billion set aside for continuing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a commitment to address the rest of the needs that our men and women in the field have. When we have forces deployed, whether we agree with the purpose or not, they should never, ever doubt our commitment to seeing that they have everything they need, fully and in a timely fashion, and this committee does its best to do that.
But there are some disappointments in this bill as well, Mr. Chairman. I am particularly disappointed, like my friend Mr. Akin, in the cut in the Future Combat System funding of $233 billion from the request that the President sent forward. We are going to regret that on some battlefield in some dangerous place at some point in the future. I am particularly disappointed that we did not in a serious fashion deal with Mr. Saxton's amendment that was offered.
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