Date: 2010-05-27
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the gentlelady from California and I thank the Rules Committee for allowing amendments in that I have offered dealing with the expansion and opportunity for small and womenowned businesses and addressing the tragedy of Fort Hood as relates to the civilians who were impacted by that enormous tragedy. First. of course. my honor and respect to the United States military for their service as we move toward the commemoration of Memorial Day. But I would also like to suggest that an amendment that I offered could have been added that dealt with $10 million going to the State Department to improve smart power diplomacy. and also some additional work on helping our families. having spoken to the Air Force families. to make sure that services are utilized during predeployment. But I am grateful. of course. that we are moving forward on Dont Ask. Dont Tell. and in tribute to August Provost. an innocent who lost his life in San Diego because people did not understand that he. too. was a soldier even though. even though his lifestyle may have been different. It is a disgrace to eliminate those who want to serve their country. And finally. I would offer to say that I look forward to a colloquy that would establish NASA. or begin to address the question of whether or not the Defense Department needs to assess whether NASA is a national security asset as we move toward commercialization. Mr. Speaker. I believe it is important to honor our military. I also believe it is important to recognize their needs. We need to promote the needs of their families. the families of the United States military. and ensure those civilians who are on military bases. who suffered as the soldiers did. will continue to have access to posttraumatic stress disorder counseling as they move forward to rebuild their lives. I ask my colleagues to vote on the amendments and vote on the underlying rule. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of my amendment (#175) to H.R. 5136-"National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011." My amendment would authorize the Secretary of Defense to transfer funds up to $10.000.000 to the Department of State (DoS) if the Secretary of Defense deems such a transfer to be in the interest of National Security. This amendment would give the Secretary of Defense the ability to transfer a portion of the Department of Defenses (DoD)s budget to the Department of State based on the need for diplomatic programs that boost national security. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary Gates have declared for years how they believe the State Department is better suited to carry out certain diplomatic activities in support of defense operations. Admiral Mullen even stated: "I would hand over part of my budget to the State Department. in a heartbeat. assuming it was spent in the right place." Diplomatic efforts should always lead and shape our international relationships. and the leaders of our military believe that our foreign policy is still far too dominated by our military. The diplomatic and developmental capabilities of the United States have a direct bearing on our ability to shape threats and to reduce the need for military action. If this amendment is passed. it will be extremely significant and relevant to national defense. and improve the Department of Defense and the Department of States ability to defend our nation. Thank you again. I urge my colleagues to support this simple but important amendment. I thank the Speaker for this opportunity to explain my amendment to H.R. 5136. the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. My amendment would require the Secretary of Defense to provide an outreach program to educate small businesses. including minorityowned. womenowned. and disadvantaged businesses. The Secretary shall also provide access to procurement and contracting opportunities for these businesses. Mr. Speaker. I have long supported efforts to increase opportunities for small businesses. especially those that are minorityowned. womenowned and disadvantaged. We know that small businesses are the engine to our economy and that they provide much needed support for communities across the country. Small businesses employ 57.4 million Americans. Many Americans seek to fulfill the American dream by becoming small business owners. and everyone in the United States should be given the same opportunity to fulfill that dream. Women and minorities have long been disadvantaged when it comes to getting business opportunities. and it is important to provide educational resources that will enable women. minorities. and other disadvantaged business owners to arm themselves with the necessary tools that they need to operate viable and thriving businesses. This will only improve communities throughout the United States. For these reasons. I urge the Committee to make my amendment in order. I thank the Speaker for this opportunity to explain my amendment to H.R. 5136. the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. My amendment would require the Secretary of Defense to maintain a website or searchable database of small businesses. including minorityowned. womenowned. and disadvantaged businesses with which the Department of Defense has contracts. Mr. Speaker. I believe it is crucial that we have a mechanism in place that allows us to track the numbers of minorities. women. and other disadvantaged businesses that receive contracts from the Department of Defense. We need to make sure that women. minorities. and disadvantaged businesses are getting reasonable opportunities to establish and grow their businesses. One of the ways we can monitor this is to have public access to the numbers through a searchable database. I have long supported efforts to increase opportunities for small businesses. especially those that are minorityowned. womenowned and disadvantaged. We know that small businesses are the engine to our economy and that they provide much needed support for communities across the country. Many Americans seek to fulfill the American dream by becoming small business owners. and everyone in the United States should be given the same opportunity to fulfill that dream. Women and minorities have long been disadvantaged when it comes to getting business opportunities. and it is important to provide educational resources that will enable women. minorities. and other disadvantaged business owners to arm themselves with the necessary tools that they need to operate viable and thriving businesses. This will only improve communities throughout the United States.