Waiving points of order against the conference report to accompany the bill (H.R. 4613) making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 735, I call up the conference report on the bill (H.R. 4613) making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

We will not take a great deal of time of our colleagues in the House. Following the tradition of the ranking member of the full committee and my colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha), we certainly want to extend our great thanks to all of our colleagues and staff.

Mr. Speaker, it is my great privilege to present to the House the conference agreement on fiscal year 2005 Defense appropriations bill.

My colleagues, one month ago--exactly to this day--the House passed its version of this bill, with overwhelming support. The Senate followed suit shortly afterwards, and like the House, the other body showed nearly unanimous support for this bill.

And here we are tonight, with this conference report. We present a bipartisan Defense bill, targeted at supporting our men and women in the Defense Department and intelligence community, at a most critical time in the Nation's history.

It is during a time of war.

It is during a time of challenge for our Nation and freedom-loving people everywhere.

And it is during a time when our country, once again, must take on the mantle of leading the world community.

This is as the United States has done before--as it must do today; and as it must continue to do in the future.

The President, and this Congress, understand this challenge. The President asked us to consider this bill--the largest Defense bill, in terms of dollars, in our Nation's history. In recognition of this, as I mentioned on a bipartisan basis both the House and the Senate moved this bill late last month into conference. And now we will soon be asking the House, and the other body, to send this final product to the President.

Mr. Speaker, I must say this conference agreement is an even better bill than passed the House. I truly believe that. I can say that because of the tremendous work done by the Members of the conference committee on both sides of the Capitol.

Mr. Speaker, we would not be here tonight without the leadership and experience of my colleague from Pennsylvania, Mr. Murtha.

And we would not be here without the experience, skill, and tenacity of the leaders of the Senate Defense Subcommittee, my friends, the senior Senators from Alaska and Hawaii.

The support and counsel of our chairman, Bill Young, and our ranking Member David Obey have also been invaluable at every step of the process. As has been the support of all the Members of the Defense subcommittees--both sides of the aisle, on both sides of the Capitol. I personally want to thank, and acknowledge, all of them.

I must pay tribute to our staffs--especially Sid Ashworth and Charlie Houy, who lead the Senate staff, and our subcommittee staff, led by Kevin Roper and David Morrison. Many thanks also to the full committee staff, Jim Dyer, John Blazey, Dale Oak, Therese McAuliffe, and John Scofield.

This bill reflects our best, collective judgment on how to meet those many challenges and demands confronting the Nation.

What does this bill do? We provide over $416 billion to support our Defense and intelligence communities; most importantly it supports the ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the global war on terrorism; it supports our troops who are on the front lines--it fully funds the pay raise, as well as the military pay, benefits, and medical programs; this bill increases funding to support the overall readiness of DoD forces worldwide; and it increases funding for intelligence.

Looking ahead, this bill also supports major equipment and research needs. For example--we provide over $1.6 billion over the budget request--to help restock and accelerate production of those items being used by our Army and Marine Corps in Iraq--ammunition; trucks; helicopters; and armored vehicles.

This bill also fully supports the President's objective of, later this year, initially fielding a missile defense to protect the United States. We also fund missile defenses for our troops in the field.

It continues production of major platforms such as the Virginia class submarine, the C-17, and V-22 transport aircraft, and the F/A-18 and F/ A-22 fighters.

And this bill increases funding to support ``military transformation''.

Mr. Speaker, most importantly, this bill puts first and foremost our men and women in uniform, especially those on the front lines. In that regard, as you all know, the President asked that we include in this bill some $25 billion to help defray the ongoing costs of our operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have done just that--and shaped these funds in a way to provide our deployed forces with the funds they need to meet their most immediate demands.

Mr. Speaker, in summary, this is a bill that I am very, very proud of. And it is one that each and every Member of the House can take pride in also. It deserves your overwhelming support.

Now, if the House would indulge me, I want to thank a few people. Under the rules of our conference, this is the last Defense appropriations bill that I will have the privilege of bringing before the House as chairman. It has been a remarkable and rewarding experience. I want to thank my subcommittee members--on my side, Dave Hobson, Henry Bonilla, George Nethercutt, Duke Cunningham, Rodney Frelinghuysen, Todd Tiahrt, and Roger Wicker.

On the other side of the aisle, Norm Dicks, Martin Sabo, Peter Visclosky, and Jim Moran.

I want to also accord special thanks to the ranking Member of the full committee, Dave Obey, and of course, to my predecessor, our full committee chairman Bill Young, who has set a standard that I try every day to emulate. And of course, I must acknowledge my partner, our former chairman, the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Jack Murtha. I also must recognize the terrific staff that I've gotten to know pretty well over the past few years.

Chairman Young, and Jim Dyer, the chief clerk of the full committee, you've really done a great job in putting together a great team for us on the subcommittee; Alica Jones, Doug Gregory, Betsy Phillips, Paul Juola, Steve Nixon, Leslie Albright, Greg Lankler, Sarah Young, Paul Terry, Kris Mallard, Sherry Young, Kevin Jones, Callie Michael, and Linda Muir in our computer shop who provides us with so much support.

The same goes for our minority staff, David Morrison and Bill Gnacek. I must thank Carl Kime, of my personal office, who watches this bill for me and does an outstanding job. And, of course, all of the staff in my congressional office for their support and contributions.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention those committee staff who have moved on to other endeavors, but who made significant contributions while they were with us. They include John Shank, Greg Dahlberg, Dave Kilian, Trish Ryan, Tina Jonas, Dave Norquist, Greg Walters, and Celia Alvarado.

And I cannot let this moment pass without mentioning Letitia White, formerly of my personal staff, who worked so hard on this bill for many years.

Finally, I must mention the clerk of the subcommittee, Kevin Roper, who pulls all this together. And for whom this conference may be the ``last time around'' as well.

Thank you so much. My colleagues, I thank all of you for your help, and for the privilege of serving with you.

At this point, Mr. Speaker, I would like to insert for the record a summary of the conference agreement.

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Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 735, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Frost), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.

The Defense Appropriations Conference Report provides the tools and the resources for our military to wage an aggressive war against terrorism, while defending our Nation against ever-changing military threats.

Each generation of Americans has been called to defend our freedom, and each time our forefathers and -mothers have answered that call. Our generation's time of national trial has come, and we are being called to stop a new kind of enemy, different from any that we have ever fought before. This enemy is patient, building resources and striking where and when we are least prepared.

The enemy uses a different method each time, and this enemy requires a new kind of defense. And this is what the conference report is continuing to build.

I agree with President Bush when he says that our Armed Forces must be ready to confront every threat from any source that can bring sudden terror and suffering to America.

Our forces must be ready to deploy to any point of the globe on short notice, and this bill provides $416.2 billion in new discretionary spending authority for the Department of Defense. It also includes $25 billion in emergency spending, requested by the President for early fiscal year 2005 costs associated with operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Our Nation must have, and we will have, ready forces that can bring victory to our country and safety to our people. The world's best soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines also deserve the world's best weaponry; and to ensure that, we must invest in procurement accounts. And this report contains $77.6 billion for procurement. We need to give our military the weapons that they need for the future threats.

If this war against terror means that we must find it wherever it exists and pull it out by the roots and bring people to justice, our military must have the means to achieve this.

This bill also makes significant improvements in the quality of life for our men and women who serve in the Armed Forces, including a 3.5 percent pay raise and targeted pay raises to mid-grade noncommissioned officers, generous housing allowances that will significantly decrease the out-of-pocket housing expenses of our service personnel, and provide access to high quality health care. We can never pay our men and women in uniform on the scale that matches the magnitude of their sacrifice, but this bill reflects our respect for their selfless service.

I feel strongly that we need a strong national defense, and we need to be prepared. And with this conference report, we will be. The primary responsibility for us as elected officials is to provide for the common defense of our fellow countrymen; and to that end, I urge my colleagues to support the rule and support the underlying bill, because now, more than ever, we must improve our national security.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

The previous question was ordered.

Mr. Speaker, this Member rises today in support of the conference agreement on H.R. 4613, the Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations Act for FY2005. This Member would like to thank the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis), Chairman of the Subcommittee and the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha) for their fine work on this important measure.

This Member is very pleased that several projects important to Nebraska and our nation are included in the conference report. First, the final agreement includes $3.5 million for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) for the Fibrinogen Bandages for Battlefield Wounds Project. This is a very innovative research and development initiative which shows great promise.

These funds will be used for biomedical tissue engineering research to develop inexpensive, safe and effective fibrinogen for use in bandages, foam and other medical devices. This source of fibrinogen, developed from recombinant proteins instead of human plasma, will remove the major obstacle to the development of an affordable fibrinogen bandage. This research will build on the Department of Defense's (DoD) $20 million investment to produce fibrinogen from transgenic animals rather than human plasma and will create a safer, less expensive and abundant supply for bandages and medical devices. A cost-effective abundant fibrinogen supply will enable development of state-of-the-art bandages and medical devices, saving the lives of wounded soldiers and other trauma victims.

Second, this Member is pleased that $2.5 million is included for another UNL research initiative on Advanced Materials for Mine Detection and Blast Mitigation. These funds will be used to support research on advanced materials for mine detection and blast mitigation that will help protect U.S. soldiers in all environments. This research, which focuses on remote mine detection and the development of materials for advanced composite armor and lightweight body armor and hardened structures, contributes to programs currently underway or envisioned at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory.

Using nanotechnology research will improve remote mine detection, biological threat detection, and body armor. This effort will increase protection and save lives of our soldiers fighting the war on terrorism. UNL researchers have recently produced some of the most advanced nanofibers in the world, opening the possibility for the development of materials with entirely new characteristics. The University will work closely with the scientific staff at the Army Research Laboratory as they proceed with this research.

Third, this Member is encouraged that $3 million was added for the Satellite Communications for Learning Act (SCOLA)/Defense Language Institute (DLI) Foreign Language Center. Furthermore, this Member very pleased by the successful establishment of a congressionally mandated research and development line within the Army's R&D aggregation. This change is critical for language skills development, maintenance and language learning throughout the DoD.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, this Member urges his colleagues to support

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me the customary 30 minutes.

(Mr. FROST asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, just yesterday, the gentlewoman from North Carolina and I were here on the floor debating another very important bill for our soldiers, the Military Construction Appropriations bill. Like the Defense appropriations bill, that bill funds vital programs for our troops. Unfortunately, this House's leadership made what I think was a terrible mistake by allowing a provision to improve housing for our troops and their families to potentially be completely stripped from that bill. If that happens, almost 50,000 military families will be affected and continue to live in substandard housing. I think that shows real disregard and disrespect for our soldiers; and frankly, I find it disgraceful.

I understand that we will be continuing debate on the Military Construction bill in just a few minutes, so I suppose we will see shortly how the matter is resolved, but the conference report on the Defense Appropriations bill is a different matter.

I am pleased to join the gentlewoman in support of the conference report and the rule providing for its conversation. Throughout my 26 years in Congress, I have always worked hard to keep our military strong and our troops safe. I believe that providing for our national defense is one of our most important duties as Members of Congress and that providing funding for our troops to ensure their safety and the success of the war on terror is our obligation.

I am proud to say, Mr. Speaker, that the bill before us now does a good job of providing vital support for our troops. The bill gives our troops a much-deserved 3.5 percent pay raise and gives the Department of Defense $25 billion in emergency supplemental funding for the war on terror.

These funds directly and significantly aid our servicemen and -women by providing them with the tools they need to fight the war on terror and return home safely. It will provide every soldier with body armor, provide our troops with more armored Humvees and increase the size of the Army to relieve the burden on our overworked soldiers. It is a good bill, and I support its passage wholeheartedly.

I note also that the conference report provides very substantial funding for the F-22 Raptor, for the V-22 Osprey and for the Joint Strike Fighter. These are fine weapon systems. Much of the work is done in the north Texas area that I represent, and I commend the committee for continuing to support those systems. I am glad we were able to get it right in this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the rule and adoption of the conference report.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to put some very laudatory comments about the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) in the record, because this is his last time as a chairman maybe.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to my good friend from California, the Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Committee, Congressman Jerry Lewis. Since joining the Defense Subcommittee, Congressman Lewis has been one of the strongest supporters of our men and women in uniform that this Congress has ever known. As Chairman, he has guided the Subcommittee without partisanship or political agenda to ensure that our military remains the best military in the world. The Defense Department and the people of our great Nation owe Jerry Lewis a debt of gratitude for his unyielding support and hard work. And for that, I salute him.