[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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.]
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