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| <title> - [H.A.S.C. No. 115-1]ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING FOR THE 115TH CONGRESS</title> | |
| <body><pre> | |
| [House Hearing, 115 Congress] | |
| [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] | |
| [H.A.S.C. No. 115-1] | |
| ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING FOR THE 115TH CONGRESS | |
| __________ | |
| COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES | |
| HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | |
| ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS | |
| FIRST SESSION | |
| __________ | |
| MEETING HELD | |
| JANUARY 12, 2017 | |
| [GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] | |
| ____________ | |
| U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE | |
| 24-296 WASHINGTON : 2017 | |
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| COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES | |
| One Hundred Fifteenth Congress | |
| WILLIAM M. ``MAC'' THORNBERRY, Texas, Chairman | |
| WALTER B. JONES, North Carolina ADAM SMITH, Washington | |
| JOE WILSON, South Carolina ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania | |
| FRANK A. LoBIONDO, New Jersey SUSAN A. DAVIS, California | |
| ROB BISHOP, Utah JAMES R. LANGEVIN, Rhode Island | |
| MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio RICK LARSEN, Washington | |
| MIKE ROGERS, Alabama JIM COOPER, Tennessee | |
| TRENT FRANKS, Arizona MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO, Guam | |
| BILL SHUSTER, Pennsylvania JOE COURTNEY, Connecticut | |
| K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, Texas NIKI TSONGAS, Massachusetts | |
| DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado JOHN GARAMENDI, California | |
| ROBERT J. WITTMAN, Virginia JACKIE SPEIER, California | |
| DUNCAN HUNTER, California MARC A. VEASEY, Texas | |
| MIKE COFFMAN, Colorado TULSI GABBARD, Hawaii | |
| VICKY HARTZLER, Missouri BETO O'ROURKE, Texas | |
| AUSTIN SCOTT, Georgia DONALD NORCROSS, New Jersey | |
| MO BROOKS, Alabama RUBEN GALLEGO, Arizona | |
| PAUL COOK, California SETH MOULTON, Massachusetts | |
| JIM BRIDENSTINE, Oklahoma COLLEEN HANABUSA, Hawaii | |
| BRAD R. WENSTRUP, Ohio CAROL SHEA-PORTER, New Hampshire | |
| BRADLEY BYRNE, Alabama JACKY ROSEN, Nevada | |
| SAM GRAVES, Missouri A. DONALD McEACHIN, Virginia | |
| ELISE M. STEFANIK, New York SALUD O. CARBAJAL, California | |
| MARTHA McSALLY, Arizona ANTHONY G. BROWN, Maryland | |
| STEPHEN KNIGHT, California STEPHANIE N. MURPHY, Florida | |
| STEVE RUSSELL, Oklahoma RO KHANNA, California | |
| SCOTT DesJARLAIS, Tennessee SCOTT H. PETERS, California | |
| RALPH LEE ABRAHAM, Louisiana PETE AGUILAR, California | |
| TRENT KELLY, Mississippi JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas | |
| MIKE GALLAGHER, Wisconsin | |
| MATT GAETZ, Florida | |
| DON BACON, Nebraska | |
| JIM BANKS, Indiana | |
| LIZ CHENEY, Wyoming | |
| Robert L. Simmons II, Staff Director | |
| Zach Steacy, Director, Legislative Operations | |
| ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING FOR THE 115TH CONGRESS | |
| ---------- | |
| House of Representatives, | |
| Committee on Armed Services, | |
| Washington, DC, Thursday, January 12, 2017. | |
| The committee met, pursuant to call, at 2:08 p.m., in room | |
| 2118, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. William M. ``Mac'' | |
| Thornberry (chairman of the committee) presiding. | |
| OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. WILLIAM M. ``MAC'' THORNBERRY, A | |
| REPRESENTATIVE FROM TEXAS, CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON ARMED | |
| SERVICES | |
| The Chairman. The committee will come to order. Today, we | |
| have at this portion three items of official business to | |
| consider: adoption of the rules, the security procedures, and | |
| the appointment of committee staff. | |
| Before we do that, let me just take a brief moment and | |
| welcome returning and new members to the committee and also | |
| express some condolences to those members who are here with us | |
| for a day and are being forced to leave us after this. | |
| The truth is this is a special committee. Most people | |
| believe that it is the President or the military's job to | |
| decide how big the military ought to be and what weapons they | |
| ought to have and so forth. If you look at Article 1, Section | |
| 8, it says it is Congress' responsibility to raise and support | |
| armies, to provide and maintain a navy, to make rules for the | |
| government and regulation of the land and naval forces of the | |
| United States. That puts the responsibility on our shoulders, | |
| and it is a significant responsibility because, as we all know, | |
| men and women volunteer to serve our Nation and defend us and | |
| put their lives at stake, but they are counting on us. | |
| The rest of the story is, for 55 straight years, | |
| Congresses, with majorities from both parties, and Presidents | |
| of both parties have found a way to come together and pass a | |
| national defense authorization bill, 55 straight years. | |
| Now, there have been some hiccups along the way. It hadn't | |
| always been easy, but that bipartisan tradition of coming | |
| together for the men and women who serve for the security of | |
| our Nation is also something, I think, that weighs on us and | |
| our responsibilities. | |
| This year, we have got to exercise those responsibilities | |
| in a world that is growing more dangerous and more complex. We | |
| are going to work hard. We are going to have lots of sessions | |
| of various kinds, but I am very excited about the tremendous | |
| breadth and depth of talent on both sides of the aisle that | |
| this committee has. And I very much look forward to working | |
| with each of you and the contributions that each of you will | |
| make to our product this year. | |
| Let me yield to the distinguished ranking member for any | |
| comments he makes before we move on to the rules. | |
| STATEMENT OF HON. ADAM SMITH, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM WASHINGTON, | |
| RANKING MEMBER, COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES | |
| Mr. Smith. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | |
| I would merely echo your comments. I think you described | |
| the job of this committee very well. It is a great committee. I | |
| have been privileged to serve on it for 20 years under a number | |
| of different chairs in both parties. I think the fact that we | |
| work together in a bipartisan way to produce a very important | |
| product every year makes this committee, frankly, unique in the | |
| House at this point. | |
| And I have enjoyed working with you, respect the way you | |
| run the committee, and I look forward to an interesting year. | |
| We have a lot to do, to be sure. But as you said, we have very, | |
| very talented members of this committee. And I guess the only | |
| thing I would add, which I know you have said many times as | |
| well, we also have an incredibly talented staff that does an | |
| enormous amount of work and makes this possible. So I thank | |
| them as well and look forward to working with all of you in the | |
| year ahead. | |
| I yield back. | |
| The Chairman. I thank the gentleman. | |
| Let me go ahead and call up Committee Resolution No. 1, | |
| regarding the committee rules for the 115th Congress. The clerk | |
| will read the resolution. | |
| Dr. Bright. Committee Resolution No. 1. Resolved, that the | |
| Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives, | |
| adopt the committee rules for the 115th Congress, which are | |
| stated in the copy distributed to each member. | |
| The Chairman. The proposed committee rules have been | |
| developed jointly with the ranking member and made available to | |
| members' offices earlier this week following consultation with | |
| Mr. Smith. | |
| I ask unanimous consent the resolution be considered as | |
| read and the resolution be open to amendment at any point. | |
| Without objection, it is so ordered. | |
| [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] | |
| The Chairman. Let me just say that the committee rules | |
| and the security procedures are largely unchanged from the | |
| 114th Congress with one notable exception. In rule IV of the | |
| committee rules, the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and | |
| Capabilities has been given jurisdiction over the Cooperative | |
| Threat Reduction Program, which was formerly under the | |
| jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces. That | |
| program, when it began, focused on nuclear proliferation. It | |
| has shifted its focus to chemical and biological weapons in | |
| counterterrorism. That, obviously, fits better with the | |
| Subcommittee on Emerging Threats; thus, the rules make that | |
| change. Otherwise, they are both substantially similar to what | |
| we had before. | |
| Is there any further discussion, questions, regarding the | |
| committee rules? | |
| Are there any amendments related--for the committee rules? | |
| If not, the chair recognizes the gentleman from South | |
| Carolina, Mr. Wilson, for the purposes of offering a motion | |
| regarding Committee Resolution No. 1, the committee rules. | |
| Mr. Wilson. Mr. Chairman, I move to adopt Committee | |
| Resolution No. 1 concerning the committee rules. | |
| The Chairman. The question occurs on the motion offered by | |
| the gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Wilson. | |
| So many as are in favor, say aye. | |
| Those opposed, say no. | |
| In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. | |
| A quorum being present, the motion is adopted. Without | |
| objection, a motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. | |
| The next order of business is Committee Resolution No. 2, | |
| regarding the committee's security procedures for the 115th | |
| Congress. I call up Committee Resolution No. 2 and ask the | |
| clerk to read the resolution. | |
| Dr. Bright. Committee Resolution No. 2. Resolved, that the | |
| Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives, | |
| adopt the committee's security procedures for the 115th | |
| Congress, a copy of which has been distributed to each member. | |
| The Chairman. The security procedures were, again, | |
| coordinated with the ranking member and made available to | |
| members' offices on Tuesday, January 10. I ask unanimous | |
| consent that the resolution be considered as read and open for | |
| amendment at any point. | |
| Without objection. | |
| [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] | |
| The Chairman. As I said, this is basically the same we | |
| had last year. Is there any further discussion of the security | |
| procedures? | |
| Are there any amendments to the security procedures? | |
| If not, the chair recognizes the gentleman from South | |
| Carolina, Mr. Wilson, for the purpose of offering a motion. | |
| Mr. Wilson. Mr. Chairman, I move to adopt Committee | |
| Resolution No. 2, the security procedures for the 115th | |
| Congress. | |
| The Chairman. The question now occurs on the motion of the | |
| gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Wilson. | |
| So many as are in favor, say aye. | |
| Those opposed, say no. | |
| In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. A quorum | |
| being present, the motion is adopted. Without objection, the | |
| motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. | |
| Finally, I call up Committee Resolution No. 3, appointing | |
| committee staff for the 115th Congress. | |
| The clerk will read the resolution. | |
| Dr. Bright. Committee Resolution No. 3. Resolved, that the | |
| persons listed on the sheet distributed to the members and such | |
| other personnel as may be required by the committee within the | |
| limits and terms authorized under the Rules of the House of | |
| Representatives are hereby appointed to the staff of the | |
| Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives, for | |
| the 115th Congress, it being understood that, according to the | |
| provisions of law, the chairman will fix the basic salary per | |
| annum. | |
| The Chairman. As many of you know, our committee is unique | |
| in that the committee staff is integrated. They are all here to | |
| provide advice and counsel to each of you, Republican and | |
| Democratic members alike. And I suggest that you take advantage | |
| of their talents and expertise. I hate to talk about them | |
| because most of them are in the room. But as Mr. Smith said, it | |
| is a pretty outstanding group. | |
| A copy of the committee staff for the 115th Congress was | |
| prepared in consultation with the ranking member and made | |
| available to members' offices on Tuesday, January 10. | |
| I ask unanimous consent the resolution be considered as | |
| read. | |
| Without objection. | |
| [GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] | |
| The Chairman. Is there any further discussion about the | |
| committee staff? | |
| If not, the chair recognizes the gentleman from South | |
| Carolina for the purposes of offering a motion. | |
| Mr. Wilson. Mr. Chairman, I move to adopt Committee | |
| Resolution No. 3, regarding committee staffing for the 115th | |
| Congress. | |
| The Chairman. The question now occurs on the motion of the | |
| gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Wilson. | |
| So many as are in favor, say aye. | |
| Those opposed, say no. | |
| In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The ayes | |
| have it. | |
| A quorum being present, the motion is adopted, and without | |
| objection, a motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. | |
| Without objection, committee staff is authorized to make | |
| technical and conforming changes to reflect the action of the | |
| committee in adopting Committee Resolutions 1, 2, and 3. | |
| And if the ranking member has no further comments at this | |
| point, the committee stands adjourned for this business | |
| portion. | |
| [Whereupon, at 2:18 p.m., the committee was adjourned.] | |
| [all] | |
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