To authorize the Secretary of the Navy to enter into a contract for the nuclear refueling and complex overhaul of the U.S.S. Carl Vinson (CVN-70).

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for considering this resolution today, and let me commend my chairman (Mr. Hunter) and my ranking member (Mr. Skelton) for their quick and decisive work on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, aircraft carriers are the backbone of our naval forces. We have seen their profound impact and flexibility in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom and during tsunami relief efforts in Indonesia, and in other locations.

The bulk of our carrier force is comprised of nuclear carriers which must be refueled and refitted every 25 years. This process takes approximately 2 years, and carriers are refitted back to back.

With that said, Mr. Speaker, the minority has reviewed this bill, and I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4326. This bill is necessary because this Congress, the House and Senate both, have as of yet been unable to finish either the defense appropriations bill or the defense authorization bill. I regret to inform the House, Mr. Speaker, that today, a full 47 days after the start of the current fiscal year, we have left the Department of Defense without a budget and without an authorization from Congress. This occurs even as the men and women of our military are deployed at numerous locations around the world fighting a war.

I mention these facts, Mr. Speaker, because the bill we consider today is intended to correct just one of the thousands of problems created by our inability to complete our work. The United States Navy has long planned to begin the process of refueling the USS Carl Vinson this week. The Vinson is a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier which has served this Nation with great distinction since she was commissioned back in 1982. She is named for a fine Member of this body, a Democrat, I might say, from the State of Georgia, who chaired the House Armed Services Committee.

Possibly the Vinson's finest hour came on October 7 of 2001 when she launched the first U.S. air attacks in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Over the next 72 days, the Vinson launched over 4,000 combat sorties in support of U.S. and Northern Alliance forces in Afghanistan. It goes without saying, Mr. Speaker, that these air strikes led directly, directly to a very successful outcome.

Today, however, the Navy finds itself in a peculiar bind. It cannot proceed to refuel this ship, which will allow it to operate for another 25 years in defense of this country, without an authorization from Congress. What does this mean? Mr. Speaker, it means that up to 1,700 workers at the Newport News shipyard in Virginia could be laid off as early as next week. To give these workers pink slips would be an utter travesty, Mr. Speaker; and for this reason, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.

It must be said, however, that the passage of this bill is an entirely inadequate substitute for passage of the fiscal year 2006 defense authorization and defense appropriations bills. As I mentioned, there are literally thousands of military programs affected in ways, both large and small, by the fact that Congress has not completed its work. While I am pleased that we can save many good jobs in Virginia today by passing this bill, I cannot be satisfied. At a time of war, we owe it to all of the members of our military and we owe it to the Department of Defense to see the defense authorization and appropriations bills completed.

Mr. Speaker, as I travel to visit our troops next week, I would like to visit our warfighters with the satisfaction of knowing that we have passed the 2006 defense budget.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my friend and colleague from Virginia (Mr. Scott).

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4326) to authorize the Secretary of the Navy to enter into a contract for the nuclear refueling and complex overhaul of the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70).

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the resolution under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4326, which would authorize the Secretary of the Navy to commence the nuclear refueling and complex overhaul of USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70). It will also place a cap on expenditures while we continue to work through the conferences on the defense authorization and the defense appropriations bills. By taking this action now, we allow the work to begin as originally contemplated by the Navy. The USS Vinson is currently in the Newport News shipyard; and with this legislation, the overhaul can begin in earnest without needless delay and without layoffs of the highly trained and highly capable shipyard workers.

The Refueling and Complex Overhaul, or RCOH, of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier is the one-time mid-life maintenance availability for this class of ship. Consisting of a vigorous 40-month work package, the RCOH provides the necessary refueling and ship maintenance to enable the aircraft carrier to sail for another 25 years. I think it is important to note that the entire work package of over 26 million man- hours in the RCOH is roughly one-half of the work required to build an aircraft carrier from scratch.

Over this maintenance period of 3\1/2\ years, there are countless improvements, modernizations, and renovations to be made in preparation for the second half of this magnificent warship's life, and the RCOH work represents over 35 percent of the entire maintenance requirement for the 50-year life of the Nimitz class.

While the nuclear refueling is the centerpiece of the work package, these ships contain over a billion parts; and the fact is, Mr. Speaker, that these parts need maintenance and updating. The Carl Vinson, for example, has sailed millions of miles in the 23 years since her commissioning in 1982, and this maintenance period is absolutely essential to her future service.

The USS Carl Vinson has served our country remarkably well. The ship has participated in operations around the world, most notably in the days after September 11, 2001, when the ship launched the first carrier-based air strikes into Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. In the following months, aircraft launched from the USS Carl Vinson flew over 4,200 missions to eliminate terrorist strongholds and training camps used by al Qaeda. I cannot think of a better way to support our Navy and our military than to pass this legislation that will enable the Navy and the thousands of shipyard workers at Northrop Grumman Newport News to complete this vital refueling and maintenance period.

In closing, I want to thank Chairman Duncan Hunter of the House Armed Services Committee and his staff; Congressman Scott; as well as House leadership; and especially Congressman Eric Cantor for their hard work on this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as she may consume to another

distinguished member of the Armed Services Committee and my colleague from Virginia (Mrs. Drake).

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, the USS Carl Vinson was scheduled to commence Refueling and Complex Overhaul at Northrop Grumman Newport News last week on November 10.

The authorization and funding for this project was included in the President's fiscal year 2006 budget request and was included in each Chamber's version of the fiscal year 2006 defense authorization and appropriations bills. There is no controversy about these provisions, but the defense bills, as we have heard, have not passed, they are still being negotiated, and there may be some time before final action is taken. Since neither the defense authorization or appropriations conference reports have passed, the lack of authorization language and funding has prevented the Navy from moving forward with this contract, and no work can begin until some legislation actually passes. Some of the workers may be temporarily placed on other jobs, but most will either be idle or laid off, possibly replaced by less experienced workers. Vendor schedules will also be adversely affected.

Mr. Speaker, this delay will obviously increase the costs of the overhaul program. It will complicate other ship construction and repair schedules at Northrop Grumman Newport News facilities. H.R. 4326 will allow the work to proceed without further delay. It will save money and enhance national security by speeding up the return of the Vinson to the carrier fleet.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann Davis), for her hard work on this bill; my other colleagues, Mrs. Drake and the gentleman from North Carolina. We all have shipyard workers in our districts. I want to also thank the leadership of the Armed Services Committee and the leadership of the House for expediting the passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I too rise in strong support of H.R. 4326. After 13 historic deployments, the nuclear carrier USS Carl Vinson is ready to undertake a large and complex refueling process at Newport News, Virginia. The Refueling and Complex Overhaul will provide the necessary work for the 2,000 workers standing by at Newport News who are simply waiting on Congress to do its job and authorize this work to begin.

Funds are authorized in both versions of the fiscal year 2006 defense authorization bill and appropriated in both versions of the fiscal year 2006 defense appropriations bill. However, delays with both bills have created a serious situation. If the Navy is not granted this authority to enter into this contract, the result will be the laying off of hundreds of shipyard workers in Hampton Roads.

The ship is currently being prepped for refueling, using fiscal year 2005 dollars. However, the funding for such preparation runs out this Friday. Without this legislation, the workers, materials, and resources that have already been assigned to complete such work will have to be reallocated, thus costing the American taxpayer millions.

The passage of this bill will allow the Navy to contract and fund this maintenance for 30 to 45 days until the defense authorization and appropriations conference reports can be acted upon.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank Chairman Duncan Hunter, the staff of the Armed Services Committee, Congresswoman Davis, as well as House leadership and Congressman Eric Cantor, for their hard work on this legislation.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 4326, which was received from the House.

I ask unanimous consent the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.