Date: 2014-05-20
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

They may appear later in time and not mostly at the time that these individuals will come home. So I think it is important that we have the opportunity for diagnosing at a later period of time. These numbers are going to grow. There are over 200.000 veterans of military service who live and work in Houston. more than 13.000 of whom are veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom. Let me finally say that we must stand with the repair of the Veterans Administration health system. I know that it tracks this bill. but it is not this bill per se. but we want to support our troops. And then I want to make sure that we heighten again the Iran negotiations and that we have no gap in the time that Iran is to report on what they are doing to not have war nuclear weapons as opposed to civilian use. Let us also get reengaged in the discussions on the Palestinian peace discussions. with the discussions going forward with Israel and Palestine. in spite of the fact that there are some very difficult things that we have to overcome. I believe it is important that we stand ready and are ready. that our negotiations are going forward to secure this Nation. Finally. Madam Speaker. if I might just indicate that we hope to keep at Ellington Fieldkeep our helicopter units in Texas. and we hope that the legislation provides that opportunity without closing out the National Guard without a further review. I think that is extremely important. Madam Speaker. I rise to speak during House consideration of the rule for the Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015. I thank Chairman MCKEON. and want to express my appreciation for his years of service to our nation as chair of the House Committee on Armed Services. This years appropriation bills title reflects the dedication you have shown to our men and women in uniform in defense of our nation. I also thank Ranking Member SMITH of the Armed Services Committee for his work on this bill. Thank you. Chairman WOODALL and Ranking Member MCGOVERN I appreciate for allowing me the opportunity to speak on the Rule for H.R. 4435. This is the 53rd consecutive National Defense Authorization Act. which speaks to the longterm commitment of the Congress and successive Administrations to provide for National Defense. This bill encompasses a number of initiatives designed to modernize our nations military to combat threats defined by the last decade of war in Afghanistan and Iraq. while dealing with dramatic cuts in funding. along with sequestration. and the federal government shutdown last year. The National Defense Authorization Acts purpose is to address the threats our nation must deal with not just today. but in the future. This makes our work vital to our national interest and it should reflect our strong commitment to ensure that the men and women of our Armed Services receive the benefits and support that they deserve for their faithful service. Our men and women in uniform are ending the longest military conflict in the history of our nation. The lessons learned are hard. but solutions to improve our ability to provide the tools our troops will need to protect themselves were developed based on their experiences. Now it is our obligation to be sure that these new tools for the defense of our troops are available for their use when and where they are needed. The bill will provide for resources to address the threats posed by improvised explosive devices. chemical agents. drug interdiction and dangerous drugs entering our nation. The military needs the funding in the bill that would address munitions destruction. support the Joint Urgent Operational Needs Fund and support our work with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to make more efficient the work of protecting America and our interest. We do live in a dangerous world. where threats are not always easily identifiable. and our enemies are not bound by borders. The Boston Terrorist Attack last year reminds us of how fragile our nations security could be without a welltrained and -equipped military. The definition of war has changed and with it our understanding about what is needed to combat a unique type of enemy that fights under no flag or for any nation. U.S. Special Operations Command. a vital part of our military. provides much of the special skills needed to defend our nation. This legislation continues to build on previous efforts to support their important work. There are several Jackson Lee amendments before the Rules Committee for consideration. These amendments are simple. straightforward. and are intended to improve the underlying bill. I believe they would command the support of a majority of the House. and I urge the Rules Committee to make them in order.