Date: 2004-06-22
Speaker: JO ANN DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Mr. Chairman. I rise today to share my thoughts on this extremely important piece of legislation. H.R. 4613. the Fiscal Year 2005 (FY05) Defense Appropriations Act. provides for our national security interests. as well as for the men and women in uniform who are serving overseas and at home to preserve and protect those interests. I commend my distinguished colleagues from Califomia and Pennsylvania. the Chairman and Ranking Member. respectively. of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. for the outstanding focus and effort they have obviously devoted to this bill. I also commend the Chairman and Ranking Member of the full committee for quickly delivering this necessary legislationto the floor. I would like to call attention to some aspects of the bill that are particularly noteworthy: H.R. 4613 fully funds the budget request for a 3.5 percent military pay raise. As importantly. it would reduce the average outofpocket housing expenses for military members from 3.5 percent to 0 (zero) in FY05. The bill provides $2.3 billion for force protection requirements. including UpArmored HMMWVs ("Humvees"). that are absolutely vital to our men and women serving in Operations IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM. H.R. 4613 also fully funds the Administrations request for operational training. such as flying hours. ship steaming days. and ground forces exercises. that are essential for the readiness of our forces. The bill includes funding for personnel costs related to the Army and Marine Corps end strength increase for FY05 found in H.R. 4200. the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act that passed the full House last month. With respect to combat and tactical vehicles used by the Army and Marine Corps. the bill provides $2.2 billion above the budget request. I am pleased that $330 million of this amount would support Guard and Reserve vehicle needs. H.R. 4613 also provides more than a quarterbillion dollars above the budget request for shipbuilding. I am pleased that the bill fully funds the Administrations request for Virginiaclass submarine procurement and CVN21 aircraft carrier research and development. two programs that must stay on track if our Navy is to maintain its supremacy on and beneath the seas into the 21st Century. . I am also pleased that the bills support for procurement of an additional Burkeclass destroyer (DDG51) in the FY0607 window shows the committees awareness of the perils associated with any production gap between the end of DDG51 construction and the start of DD(X) construction. which threatens our domestic shipbuilding capability. I am reassured that the report language confirms the -committees concern with the threat to our national security associated with erosion of our unique shipbuilding skill sets. which are a musthave if we are to ensure that our warships are built at home and not overseas. Furthermore. with respect to the strength of naval force structure. which I hope we all agree is an inimitable part of our national defense today and tomorrow. the observation in the report language that "operational requirements of the Navy necessitate the construction of at least one more DDG51" is a very positive and welcome sign. However. I must state my serious concern with the $248 million reduction in development of DD(X). the nextgeneration. multimission destroyer. I am concemed that delaying construction by one year.will significantly hurt development of this program. which is a vital requirement for the fleet. The Chief of Naval Operations commented last month on DD(X): "This program will form the cornerstone of our Nations future Surface Navy. It provides war fighting capabilities that our Navy needs now. plus it brings important shipbuilding gowth and opportunities for our industrial base... . . I am confident that we are . . . being good stewards of the taxpayer dollar. and producing much needed capabilities that will ensure our Navy/Marine Corps team remains preeminent well into the next century. I ask that you reconsider and fully restore funding for DD(X)." It is imperative that Congress help the Navy by funding DD(X) sufficiently to keep the program on schedule. I want to thank the Chairman for his hard work on this bill. and I urge my colleagues to remember the importance of this program to our Navy and to our national security.