Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009

Floor Speech

SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2009 -- (House of Representatives - May 14, 2009)

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Mr. HOYER. I thank the chairman for yielding.

I urge my colleagues to support this supplemental appropriations bill, and I appreciate the bipartisan support that this bill has received. It makes vital investments in the needs of our troops, responsible policy abroad and security at home.

I want to thank Chairman Obey and his staff for their hard work in putting this legislation together. The supplemental supports our troops, who are in harm's way, and honors their service when they return home. $1.2 billion for health and support programs for military families, $734 million to compensate servicemembers and veterans for every month their service was extended by stop-loss orders.

The supplemental also makes important commitments to our national security. It follows through on President Obama's commitment to remove all combat troops from Iraq by 2010, and it refocuses our attention on Afghanistan and Pakistan, which remain havens for terrorists seeking to destabilize the region and harm Americans.

American military involvement is an important part of our effort for a stable Afghanistan that no longer harbors terrorists. That effort also includes training Afghan security forces, police development work and a diplomatic surge.

Of the $5.1 billion that this supplemental dedicates to Afghanistan, $3.6 billion is intended for local security forces, a critical component of our objective; $980 million is for efforts to strengthen the economy and the rule of law; and $536 million is for civilian diplomacy. We've also come to understand, as President Obama has repeatedly stressed, that the stability of Afghanistan is intimately tied to the stability of Pakistan, which is under threat from insurgent Taliban.

I believe that this supplemental will help reduce that threat through comprehensive funding for counterinsurgency development and diplomacy programs in Pakistan.

But it is also essential that the Afghanistan and Pakistan governments hold up their end of the bargain. That is why this legislation requires the President to report to Congress by February of next year on the progress of those governments in five key areas: The level of political consensus to the level of corruption, steps to eliminate it, success in counterinsurgency, cooperation of their intelligence service with our country, and the government's ability to control their own territory.

All of these are critical information points for us to have. This information will be essential to ensuring that our policy remains realistic and wise and we hope successful in this critical region of the world.

Finally, the supplemental makes a number of other important investments in our security. These include funding for pandemic flu preparedness and vaccine stockpiles, the importance of which have been dramatically demonstrated in the past weeks; funding to address violence along the U.S.-Mexico border, a priority I strongly support and observed the need for when I was in Mexico last month; and funding for important international food, refugee and disaster assistance.

I would comment briefly on the issue with reference to Guantanamo. First of all, this does not provide for the release of anybody from Guantanamo. Secondly, the President has widely said, We need a plan for Guantanamo, and is pursuing that. This language provides for that planning process to go forward. Thirdly, I would observe that almost none of those held at Guantanamo have used that courtroom, to which Mr. Tiahrt referred. That is to say, there hasn't been a finding in these cases. There ought to be findings. But in any event, I agree absolutely, and I think everybody on this floor agrees that anybody who is a terrorist ought not be released anywhere. We will have to decide how to resolve this issue. It's a thorny one.

I might observe that the former Secretary of State, Colin Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, former national security adviser to the first President Bush, observed that he thought Guantanamo ought to be closed on national television over a year ago and he said, Today, if not yesterday.

Now having said that, this President is pursuing I think a very thoughtful effort to see how that goal can be accomplished. It's a difficult one, but we need to work with him in accomplishing that objective.

I thank the chairman for his work. I thank the Chair and ranking member, Mr. Murtha and Mr. Young, of the Defense Subcommittee for the work that they've done on this to ensure that our troops have what they need to prosecute the policies of this country and to keep our citizens and the Nation safe.

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