Providing for Consideration of H.R. 3326, Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 3326, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2010 -- (House of Representatives - July 29, 2009)

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Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues know, we've been here before. This very same point of order has been raised against nearly every appropriations bill, and each time it's used to discuss something other than its intended purpose, which is supposed to be about unfunded mandates. Once again, it's about delaying consideration of this bill and, ultimately, stopping it altogether.

I hope my colleagues will again vote ``yes'' so we can consider this legislation on its merits and fund the important defense needs of our Nation and not stop it on a procedural motion. Those who oppose the bill are welcomed to vote against this bill on final passage. We must consider this rule and we must pass this legislation today to continue to fund the defense and protection of our country.

I have the right to close, but in the end, I will urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' to consider the rule.

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

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Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would encourage my colleague from Arizona to stick around, assuming that this motion passes, for the discussion of the rule. He will find in the proposed rule there is the opportunity that we will be giving the House of Representatives as a whole to vote on a block of amendments that the gentleman has identified, as well as several individual ones that the gentleman has identified.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this motion to consider, so that we can debate and pass this important piece of legislation today.

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Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

House Resolution 685 provides for consideration of H.R. 3326, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2010, under a structured rule. I'd like to thank Chairman Obey, Ranking Member Lewis, Chairman Murtha and Ranking Member Young for their tireless and bipartisan work on this important bill to fund the defense needs of our Nation. Their job is not easy. The needs of this country are endless, our security challenges are daunting. Threats to our security are numerous and always changing. And the resources that we can devote to these problems are precious and limited, as our Nation faces a severe recession.

So each year we must prioritize, re-evaluate and invest in strategies that will keep our country and our people safe. We will invest in the equipment that will protect our troops and in programs that will care for the men and women who defend us, who serve our country so bravely and capably every day.

H.R. 3326 fulfills these responsibilities by providing first-class equipment for our troops that are in harm's way, by increasing fiscal responsibility and oversight within the Department of Defense, and by investing in adequate health care and increased compensation for our soldiers and their families.

To help protect our troops, the bill provides increased funding for the mine-resistant ambush protective vehicle fund and the procurement of new Humvees and new heavy and medium tactical vehicles to meet the needs of our military. The bill also invests in weapons systems that meet our current and future needs, instead of plunging money into weapons systems that do not meet timelines, budgets or realistic threats or are based on threats that are antiquated that we no longer face.

We need to transform our military to make sure that we can keep the American people safe. We cannot fulfill our responsibilities to the troops, to taxpayers, or to the Nation if we can't meet our fiscal responsibilities.

H.R. 3326 reduces advisory and assistant service contracts by saving $51 million while providing $5.11 billion for Department of Defense personnel to perform DOD functions. The bill also provides funding for the Inspector General to increase oversight over the acquisition and contracting process to ensure the taxpayers' funds are spent wisely. By reducing funds for wasteful weapons and bloated contracts, we can provide better care and a better quality of life for the men and women of the Armed Forces and their families.

H.R. 3326 increases pay for all servicemembers by 3.4 percent, and fully funds the requested end-strength levels for active Reserve and selected Reserve personnel. The bill continues efforts to end the practice of stop-loss, so difficult for the families of our troops who are deployed overseas, and includes $8.33 million to pay servicemembers $500 for every month of involuntary service.

The bill provides $29.9 billion for top-of-the-line medical care, including $500 million for traumatic brain injuries and psychological health and increased funding for the wounded, ill and injured warrior programs. We can make no greater investment than in the health and welfare of those who have sacrificed and given so much to protect our freedoms.

It's also important to keep in mind that for every soldier who is dutifully serving on the battlefield, in Iraq or Afghanistan, sailing on a ship in the Pacific of the Atlantic or stationed on a military base in Germany, Japan or elsewhere, there is also a military family in our neighborhoods, in our districts, in our cities, and those families too are serving our country. To honor their commitment to this country, and to acknowledge their sacrifice, this year has been called the Year of the Military Family, and this bill adds substance to those words and that title.

H.R. 3326 includes over $472 million for family advocacy programs and fully funds the Family Support and Yellow Ribbon programs. The bill also includes $20 million for the Army National Guard Family Assistance Centers and Reintegration programs. I strongly believe that this bill is a positive step forward in the way that Congress prioritizes our military spending and provides for the men and women who serve our Nation and their families.

I support H.R. 3326 and House Resolution 685.

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Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for this report. I look forward to reading it, to discussing it and, hopefully, to imposing some best practices for future processes.

I would point out that there are, of course, distinctions in the type of work that we do here; between the critical, philosophical, democratic bases of our country and the discussion and debate around the Bill of Rights, and the work of the House that we need to conduct in a bipartisan way.

The gentleman will recall that, yesterday, Ranking Member Young and Chairman Murtha appeared before our Rules Committee and discussed how there was a strong bipartisan consensus on the bill. In fact, I believe that Ranking Member Young indicated that the bill would look substantially the same regardless of which party were in the majority, which shows the dedication of both parties in our country to protect our people.

I have to admit that, as somebody who was against the Iraq War and as somebody who is very skeptical of our ongoing operations of Afghanistan and, indeed, as to what our exit strategy is, it was actually disconcerting to me that the bill would look the same with regard to whichever party were in the majority. I would like to address some of the issues relating to the exit strategy in Afghanistan and where we see that going.

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