Disaster Assistance for Rural Communities Act

Mr. Speaker, I know how hard the chairman works. I would have preferred the mark of the President's budget, but this is hard fought and hard won.

I thank the chairman for the raise that has been given to our servicemen, their housing allowances. Let me thank him for this important research stream to the historically Black colleges and for Ukraine.

Let me also thank him for what we have fought for in the name of Vanessa Guillen, and that is a new protocol for the sexual assault that occurs in our military branches. Let me not point out a particular one.

Let me also stand on this floor and say hostage Brittney Griner has come home. That is a testament to what America is all about. I thank all those who played a role and indicate that, as she has come home and her family is ecstatic, I remind everyone that former marine Paul Whelan should be brought home, as well.

I thank President Biden for working on making sure there is an authorization bill that really responds to the people of the United States military. I am delighted that the amendments dealing with breast cancer that I offered were included, $10 million for triple-negative breast cancer. I am delighted for the PTSD funding, $2.5 million, that I offered, as well, to ensure that the people of the military are taken care of. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to recognize the importance.

Brittney Griner is home.

Madam Speaker, thank you for this opportunity to express my support for the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 7776, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2023.

Congress has the solemn duty to ensure that those who wear the uniform of the United States--and those civilians who provide logistical and operational support--have the equipment, training, and resources needed to carry out and complete their mission.

And we must never forget that a grateful nation has a sacred obligation, in the words of President Lincoln, ``to care for him who has borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan.''

This legislation rises to meet that mandate admirably in myriad ways, from providing a 4.6 percent pay raise for service members to increasing funding for housing, childcare, and improved food for service members.

Importantly, the bill provides over $131 million in funding for research at HBCUs--a 22.8 percent increase--which improves integration of HBCUs into our country's national defense research and development infrastructure.

These are important measures because, as the DoD is the largest federal agency, the wide scope of activities covered by the NDAA impact every sector of our economy and every facet of American life. The activities funded by the NDAA are, in effect, a microcosm of the activities of the United States, and, as such, they must set the tone for how these issues are to be addressed in our country's other industries and communities.

Of course, the main purpose they serve is to protect our country and strengthen our national defense. So, I am pleased that this bill reinforces our capacity to meet the challenges posed by Russia's aggression in Ukraine, China's increasing agitation in the South China Sea, non-state terrorist groups, cyber-attacks, and other threats to our country.

I am especially pleased that this bill adopts a modern yet long-term approach to our national defense by embracing innovative strategies, emerging technologies, workforce diversity and inclusion, preparation for asymmetric combat, and operational continuity and resilience.

In furtherance of these essential principles and methods, I offered amendments to the NDAA when it came to the floor of the House in July, and I am very pleased that the legislation before us today includes my amendments which I would like to summarize.

My amendment #191 authorizes a $2.5 million increase in funding to combat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and I thank my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee for adding the full $2.5 million increase into this legislation.

PTSD was first brought to public attention in relation to war veterans, but it can result from a variety of traumatic incidents, such as torture, being kidnapped or held captive, bombings, or natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes. According to the NIH, an estimated 3.6 percent of U.S. adults had PTSD in the past year.

People with PTSD may startle easily, become emotionally numb (especially in relation to people with whom they used to be close), lose interest in things they used to enjoy, have trouble feeling affectionate, be irritable, become more aggressive, or even become violent.

Most people with PTSD repeatedly relive the trauma in their thoughts during the day and in nightmares when they sleep. These are called flashbacks. A person having a flashback may lose touch with reality and believe that the traumatic incident is happening all over again.

My amendment recognizes that the soldiers afflicted with PTSD are, first and foremost, human. They carry their experiences with them. Ask a veteran of Vietnam, Iraq, or Afghanistan about the frequency of nightmares they experience, and one will realize that serving in the Armed Forces leaves a lasting impression, whether good or bad.

My amendment will help ensure that ``no soldier is left behind'' by addressing the urgent need for more outreach toward hard-to-reach veterans suffering from PTSD, especially those who are homeless or reside in underserved urban and rural areas of our country.

My amendment #194 authorizes a $10 million increase in funding for increased collaboration between the DoD Office of Health and the National Institutes of Health to research and combat Triple Negative Breast Cancer. I am very pleased that my colleagues added the full $10 million increase into the bill.

As a Member of Congress, a mother, a sister and a spouse, and a breast cancer survivor, I feel a special responsibility to do all I can to ensure that every American can defeat all types of cancer, and especially triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). We must increase our efforts to protect women in the military, and women who are spouses of service members, from this virulent and lethal illness.

The 13-25 percent of breast cancers that are triple-negative disproportionately afflict

Black women. Although the rate of all breast cancers is 10 percent lower in Black women than white women, Black women are 3 times more likely to suffer from triple negative breast cancer than are white women. In 2013, the American Cancer Society estimated that 27,000 Black women are diagnosed with the illness annually.

African American women who are diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer--an especially aggressive type of cancer which often occurs at younger ages than other breast cancers--have a five year survival rate of 78 percent after diagnosis as compared to 90 percent for white women.

The key to beating this cancer is early detection, and the DoD's health care system for women service members and women who are spouses of service members can enable early detection.

A 2007 study of more than 50,000 women with all stages of breast cancer found that 77 percent of women with triple-negative breast cancer survived at least 5 years, versus 93 percent women with other types of breast cancer. Another study of more than 1,600 women published in 2007 found that women with triple-negative breast cancer had a higher risk of death within 5 years of diagnosis.

By prioritizing this very lethal condition, the DoD can make great strides in protecting women from triple negative breast cancer's worst effects.

My amendment #199 directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure that candidates granted admission to attend a military academy undergo screening for speech disorders and be provided appropriate opportunities and supportive services.

Academy students should have the option of undergoing speech therapy to reduce speech disorders or impediments.

I am pleased that Report Language was added that cites the DoD's recent attention to this issue, and states, in part, that the DoD is now ``noting the availability of medical waivers in certain circumstances for physical or medical standards, providing the Reading Aloud Test administered to applicants,'' and very importantly, ``describing the availability of speech therapy.''

My amendment #195 directs the Secretary of Defense to audit current practices for the administration of sexual harassment claims and submit a report detailing efforts to prevent sexual harassment and protect service members, and compiling data and research on sexual harassment prevalence in the military, cases reported, legal proceedings, and convictions.

Sexual assault is endemic in our military, especially for female service members. Streamlining and auditing the process of reporting sexual assault protects victims and is a necessary step in weeding out abusers.

I am very pleased that this bill advances key reforms to the Uniform Code of Military Justice to prevent sexual harassment and abuse by:

placing sexual harassment and related sexual offenses in the jurisdiction of the Special Trial Counsel;

requiring independent trained investigators outside of the immediate chain of command to investigate claims of sexual harassment;

requiring the randomization of court-martial panels;

expanding reporting requirements on the implementation of the New Special Trial Counsel program; and

permitting the Secretary of Defense to expand restricted reporting of sexual assault for civilian employees rather than relegating them to only filing unrestricted reports with the military.

In light of these measures to reform the enforcement process against sexual offenses, I am pleased that, as a result of my amendment, Report Language has been added, stating that, ``. . . the matters addressed in this provision are routinely addressed in the Department's Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military.''

My amendment #190 requires a report to be submitted to Congress within 240 days following enactment on the risks posed by debris in low earth orbit and to make recommendations on remediation of risks and outline plans to reduce the incident of space debris.

Man-made objects in Earth's orbit that become space debris no longer serve a useful function, yet their impact can pose serious risks to personnel in orbiting spacecraft, satellites, and essential systems since they travel at speeds up to 17,500 miles per hour. Space debris includes nonfunctional spacecraft, abandoned launch vehicle stages, mission-related debris, and fragmentation debris.

I am very pleased that my amendment led to inclusion of bill language requiring the Secretary of Defense to respond to a reporting requirement regarding space debris that was included in the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 specific to defense and national security space assets.

My amendment #198 requires the National Guard Bureau, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, to submit to Congress and others in 2023, 2024, and 2025 a report identifying the personnel, training, and equipment needed by the non-federal National Guard to prevent, mitigate, respond to, and recover from natural and man-made disasters.

Hurricane Harvey's impact in Texas was so severe that it lingered for years. The storm's footprint covered over 9,000 square miles, including the city of Houston. Hurricane Harvey dropped over 52 inches of rain in the Houston area. At its peak, one-third of Houston was underwater, leaving 34,575 evacuees in shelters across Texas.

The scope and magnitude of these dueling disasters tested the National Guard and Reservists in unprecedented ways. To prepare for major natural disasters in the future, this amendment requires a readiness report by the National Guard and Reservists to make sure they have what they need to assist communities in need of disaster assistance.

My amendment will help the National Guard help communities prepare for disasters, respond to them, and rebuild from them. It will improve the ability to support the important mission of the National Guard and Reservists to engage in disaster response.

Thus, I am pleased that bill language was included to require the Chief of the National Guard Bureau to include in the National Guard Bureau unfunded priorities list any unfunded priorities related to non- Federal National Guard responsibilities in connection with natural and man-made disasters.

My amendment #197 requires the Secretary of the Navy, not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act, to submit to Congress a report on desalinization technology's application for defense and national security purposes to provide drought relief to areas impacted by sharp declines in water resources.

I am pleased my amendment resulted in Report Language stating that, ``We are aware of the importance of expeditionary desalinization capabilities to crisis scenarios, including natural disasters. Accordingly, we direct the Secretary of the Navy to provide a report to the congressional defense committees, not later than August 1, 2023, outlining the current inventory and usage of desalinization systems, planned future investments into technologies and systems, and any current and projected future needs for expeditionary water purification that may not be met by current and planned capabilities.''

My amendment #189 requires a report to be submitted within 220 days following enactment on the Capacity to Provide Disaster Survivors with Emergency Short Term Housing.

As we witnessed in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, as well as other major natural disasters, enormous swaths of the population are displaced, communities are unlivable with no prospect for near-term rebuilding or restoration, and there is an enormous unmet need for emergency housing.

Because of the need to prepare for the consequences of future major natural disasters, I thank my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee for including bill language that effectuates my amendment by directing the development and submission of a report that will help enable disaster survivors to access emergency short term housing.

My amendment #59 recognizes that Black men and women have played an integral role in our nation's defense: from the bravery of Crispus Attucks, an escaped slave, during the Boston Massacre, to today. The amendment would address the historical and current barriers to Black Americans' participation and equal treatment in the Armed Services.

The racial inequality and mistreatment of Black men and women that has historically permeated our military continues to this day, with more than 750 complaints of racial or ethnic discrimination from service members in fiscal year 2020 alone.

But discrimination doesn't exist just within the military rank-and- file, as in FY2020, civilians working in the financial, technical and support sectors of the Army, Air Force and Navy filed 900 complaints of racial discrimination and over 350 complaints of discrimination by skin color, as data from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reveals.

According to a report by the Defense Department's Diversity and Inclusion Board, while the enlisted ranks of the active and reserve military were ``slightly more racially and ethnically diverse than its U.S. civilian counterparts,'' the opposite was true for the officer corps.

We owe it to those brave men and women who have proven time and time again to be an integral part of our military to examine the Armed Services' history of discrimination and to determine the necessary steps to repair the harm caused by these inequities.

I am very pleased by the inclusion of report language acknowledging the history of inequities and stating in part, ``Therefore, we direct the Secretary of Defense to brief the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives, not later than May 1, 2023, on those current and future efforts in support of a more inclusive force. The brief

shall include resources allocated, lessons learned, how such efforts advance our strategic national security and readiness postures in support of the National Security Strategy and the Department's National Defense Strategy, and any such other information as the Secretary deems appropriate.''

My amendment #193 condemns the actions of Boko Haram and directs that the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Attorney General, submit a report on efforts to combat Boko Haram.

I am pleased that, as a result of my amendment, report language was included stating that, ``We direct the Secretary of Defense, not later than June 1, 2023, to brief the congressional defense committees on the activities and initiatives undertaken by the Department of Defense to assist the Government of Nigeria and countries in the Lake Chad Basin to combat Boko Haram, al-Qaeda affiliates, and other terrorist organizations while respecting and protecting human rights and promoting respect for the rule of law.''

My amendment #192 requires the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress about programs and procedures that ensure students studying abroad through Department of Defense National Security Education Programs are trained to recognize, resist, and report against recruitment efforts by agents of foreign governments.

Because of the need for American students who are studying abroad to be protected from risks and dangers presented by agents of foreign governments, I am pleased that my amendment has resulted in bill language that effectuates my amendment by requiring that a report developed and submitted to Congress about the programs and procedures that are being undertaken to protect these Americans studying abroad.

My amendment #196 directs the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress in not less than 180 days the actions taken to protect U.S. armed service personnel from armed attacks conducted by militants and terrorists in pursuit of bounties and inducements the agencies, organizations, or entities aligned with the Russian Federation.

I am pleased that my amendment resulted in the inclusion of report language stating in part, ``. . . we direct the Secretary of Defense, not later than June 1, 2023, to provide a briefing to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives on actions taken to protect servicemembers and U.S. personnel from armed attacks conducted in pursuit of bounties or inducements offered by agencies, organizations, or entities aligned with Russia.''

Madam Speaker, I applaud my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee, as well as their Senate counterparts, and the committee staff in each chamber for their extraordinary work crafting this extensive, multi-faceted, visionary legislation that will strengthen our national defense both in the current fiscal year and for many years to come.

I would also like to express my appreciation to my colleagues on the committee for recognizing the value that my amendments bring to our national defense infrastructure and maintaining them in the final language that is before us today.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1512) providing for the concurrence by the House in the Senate amendment to H.R. 7776, with an amendment.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 1512.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise to urge Members to support this piece of legislation. I thank everyone who worked on this process. All told, from the beginning of it, to now, over 2,000 Member requests were considered in some form or another, either in committee, on the House, or as we worked with the Senate.

With that open, collaborative, and bipartisan process, we have produced, I think, an excellent product. First, and foremost, we support the men and women who serve in the United States military in this bill. Most specifically, we serve the people who are economically struggling the most by a 4.6 percent pay raise, increase in the basic housing allowance, increase in the basic needs allowance, making sure that the price of items at the commissary do not go up so much as to price people out of it.

We support the men and women who serve in the military in this bill, and that is the number one most important role that we have.

This bill also continues on the work that we did on last year's efforts to reform how sexual assault is handled in the military by including sexual harassment in the portions that are under the jurisdiction of the special victim prosecutor.

There is a laundry list of things we do to really improve the quality of life for servicemembers and to exercise our oversight.

This bill also contains a number of other oversight bills; the Intelligence oversight bill, the Foreign Affairs oversight bill, the Coast Guard authorization bill--authorization was the word I was looking for--as well as the Water Resources Development Act.

All told, this bill is Congress exercising its authority to authorize and do oversight of the executive branch on behalf of the American people; and I think that is enormously important.

We are a coequal branch of government. It is our responsibility to exercise that oversight and represent the people.

Now, obviously, the most direct, sort of blunt force way that we do it is through appropriations, the money we spend. That is incredibly important as well.

But the authorizing portion of what we do matters a great deal. It is our opportunity, as individual Members of Congress, to set policy for this country at the Department of Defense, first and foremost but, as I said, also in this bill on intel and foreign affairs and the Coast Guard and elsewhere. It is really important that we get that job done and we do it really, really well.

I can't go through every single item that is in this bill, but I can tell you that just about every Member of this House has something in this bill that is important for policy, important to their district. I know because they have been talking to me for the last 6 months about it.

This is important policy that makes a huge difference for the people of this body and the people of this country, and I would urge us to support it.

I want to say two more quick things before I yield to my partner-- actually, three more quick things before I yield to my partner, Mr. Rogers, on this.

First of all, I really want to thank him, the staff, and everybody involved in all of that. To field that many requests takes a lot of time. The staff on the Armed Services Committee has been outstanding, and we are a bipartisan staff. We work together in a collaborative process.

All of the committee members, Republican and Democrat, have worked well together. Heck, in this moment I will even say something good about the Senate. They worked well with us also in a bipartisan, bicameral way. I really thank them for putting that process together.

Second, I do want to just briefly address, there is always a lot of controversy about issues not within our jurisdiction and whether or not they go into the bill. What has to happen on that is the committees of jurisdiction have to agree. Democrat, Republican, House, Senate, you have got to get all four. If you get all four, great, we are happy to carry it. If you don't, we can't.

I know it is important to you. I know you wish we could, but we can't because we don't have the votes for it. So I hope people understand that as we work with them on those outside issues.

Lastly, I do want to address the vaccine issue, and I want to make a couple of things perfectly clear. Number one, the policy that the Department of Defense put in place in August of 2021 requiring servicemembers to be vaccinated was the absolute right policy.

It saved lives and it improved readiness for the United States military while it was in place because it was absolutely clear that that vaccine made an enormous difference in protecting people from the disease. It was the absolute right policy; that is number one.

Number two, servicemembers who refused to follow that order had to be disciplined. Orders are not optional in the United States military. You cannot function that way, and we are not going to undo that.

But number three, right now, today, what is it, December whatever, in 2022, a policy that says you have to have gotten the first shot, and that is what the policy is that we are undoing in this bill. It says that you have to have gotten that first shot way back in 2021, either one Johnson & Johnson shot or the two-shot Pfizer or Moderna deal.

Right now, the science does not support that that makes you any safer today; it just doesn't.

I urge the Department of Defense to go back now and look at that policy and think about what the right and best policy would be. But it does make sense to repeal that order from August of 2021.

Personally, I would have preferred the Department of Defense do it on their own rather than the legislature telling them to. But since they didn't, I think this makes sense, and I think we ought to do it.

Again, let me just conclude by saying this has been an excellent process. We have a nearly 4,000-page bill that exercises the authorizing and oversight authority of the United States Congress on behalf of the American people. We did it very well.

We have accomplished a lot in this bill. I think every Member of this body can vote for it and feel really good about that. So I urge you to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies, and Information Systems.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Readiness.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Speier), the chair of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Norcross), the chair of the Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time remains on each side.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gallego), the chair of the Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Arizona.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Luria), the vice chair of the Armed Services Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), the chairman of the full Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Oregon.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute.

There are so many people to thank in this process, and we have done that, and there are a number of Members who are leaving committee, staff members who are leaving, as well. But I do want to take just a moment to thank three Members in particular on the Democratic side: certainly, Mr. Langevin, who is presiding over this appropriately; Ms. Speier; and Mr. Cooper, who are our three subcommittee chairs.

During the 4 years that we were in the majority, all three chaired subcommittees, and delivered as much consequential legislation on the Armed Services Committee as I have seen.

The leadership on all the different areas has just been invaluable. It will be very difficult to replace. Certainly, Jim's leadership on the Cyber, Innovative Technologies, and Information Systems Subcommittee--the only thing about it is your subcommittee is a mouthful to keep up with. I would just say ``CITI,'' trying to remember what exactly it all stands for, but it is information technology, it is cyber, it is the guts of what makes our national security apparatus run, basically; the information systems that we have to make sure they are robust, effective, and protected.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to myself.

Mr. Cooper, of course, more than anything brought us the Space Force, and his leadership on space has been invaluable.

Ms. Speier's leadership on personnel; I cannot imagine a more tenacious advocate for protecting the men and women who serve in our military than Jackie Speier. Her leadership has delivered real results and made a very strong statement.

All three of you will be sorely missed.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the distinguished Speaker of the House.

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

Mr. Speaker, I can't say it any better than the Speaker said. I think that was just an outstanding summary of the work we have done, why that work matters, and of the policy that we have put forward here.

Once again, we have come together in a bipartisan, bicameral way to pass an excellent piece of legislation that reflects our values and supports the men and women who serve in our military. It gives us the opportunity to meet our national security requirements. It has been an outstanding process with pretty much everybody in this body participating in it in one way or another and producing an outstanding product.

I will close by urging all Members to vote in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2023. I thank everyone for their work, and I urge a ``yes'' vote.

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for his tremendous leadership to protect and defend the American people and our Constitution. I thank the gentleman for his kind words about my colleague from San Francisco, Jackie Speier, for her leadership on behalf of the men and women in uniform.

Mr. Speaker, what an honor it is to speak on this important legislation with you in the chair, a champion for the security of the American people, whether on the Armed Services Committee, the Intelligence Committee, other initiatives, whether it is cybersecurity or the rest, you have been a leader. You have taught us a lot about your areas of expertise and more, and because of you, we were able, on one of the anniversaries of the ADA, to change the infrastructure of the House so that you could preside.

Mr. Speaker, you were the first to preside, and now as we come to the end of your service and your leadership in the Congress--not in the world--that you should be in the chair is an honor for all of us. You bring honor to this Congress, to that position, and I thank you for your service and your leadership, Mr. Langevin of Rhode Island.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this year's strong bipartisan, bicameral National Defense Authorization Act, the foundation of America's national security priorities.

This legislation honors our fundamental charge under the United States Constitution to provide for the common defense. That is why Democrats have fought tirelessly to invest in our Nation's greatest sources of strength, from our heroic servicemen and -women and their families to promoting American leadership around the globe.

Thanks to the distinguished chair of the Armed Services Committee, Adam Smith, as well as the ranking member, Mike Rogers, and all the members of the committee and staff for your tireless work assembling this bipartisan, bicameral legislative package. That is what makes it stronger, its bipartisanship.

I would like to talk about some of the things that are in the legislation because as our country grows and our needs are greater, the cost goes up, as well. But how those resources are prioritized is very important to our colleagues who are making their vote known to the public to whom we are accountable to understand our definition of strength.

That starts with the deeply deserved 4.6 percent pay raise to help ease the sting of inflation for our men and women in uniform. We are also empowering the Pentagon to raise the basic housing allowance, bringing down food prices by directing more funding to commissaries, and expanding support for childcare services; meaning the personal needs of our personnel are so very important, and this legislation does just that.

Building on the sweeping progress in last year's NDAA to combat sexual assault in the military, this year we require independently trained investigators outside the immediate chain of command to investigate claims of sexual harassment, as well. Our colleague Jackie Speier was so important in all of that.

Importantly, we blocked an anti-choice demand to eliminate the right to travel to access legal abortion for servicemembers stationed in a State that criminalizes reproductive health. Because for Democrats, health freedom is a value for every woman everywhere.

Additionally, this legislation delivers a record amount of funding for research and development at America's HBCUs and steers additional funding to

other minority-serving institutions. This is so important because Democrats--and now Republicans--know that we must build a diverse, inclusive national security workforce, one reflective of our Nation.

By investing in these essential engines of opportunity, we expand the talent pipeline and make sure our Nation's brightest minds will help solve our toughest national security challenges with inclusiveness, with diversity, with our best.

At the same time, we are investing in America's global preeminence. It is a national security imperative to honor our troops with cutting- edge technologies, equipping them to tackle complex 21st century threats. You know this so well, Mr. Speaker, as does our chair and ranking member. We are harnessing the power of clean energy to ensure that our defense facilities and vehicle fleets are resilient to climate change.

Meanwhile, we are nurturing a growing semiconductor industry which we reinvigorated earlier this year with the CHIPS and Science Act.

Now, the NDAA will require government contracts to use chips that are made in America: creating good-paying jobs here at home, securing our supply chains, and bolstering our economic competitiveness.

This year's NDAA also makes robust progress to promote American leadership in the global arena. The safety of families here at home depends on international security and stability.

So with this legislation, we ensure that America and our allies maintain a military and qualitative edge in strategic regions across the world, investing more than $11 billion in the Pacific Deterrence Initiative; securing more than $6 billion for the European Deterrence Initiative; and further support for Ukraine's fight for freedom through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.

Indeed, Democrats know that the security of our Nation is not only measured in our military might, but also in the health, strength, and our well-being, and the respect we have for our partners.

As I draw to a conclusion--I didn't say close--I just want to salute the people of Ukraine and President Zelenskyy for their courage. In fighting for their democracy, they are fighting for our democracy and the democracies of their neighbors in Europe, as well, and really throughout the world. So, we have a moral responsibility, as well as a practical one, to support our Ukraine initiatives.

Importantly, there are two additional provisions the Democrats fought to attach to this legislative package. The first is a version of the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act, a long-sought Democratic priority to make it easier for Federally employed firefighters who contract certain diseases to qualify for Federal workers' compensation.

Our firefighters are our nobility. They risk their lives, putting their lives on the line to protect our families, our homes, our communities from devastation. With this provision, we take another step to deliver the benefits they are entitled to that they have earned.

The second initiative, and very consequential, is the oceans package. It is a very important and, I understand, bipartisan initiative closely negotiated with military leaders. This bipartisan legislation is a force for America's national security and economic competitiveness.

Mr. Speaker, 4 in 10 Americans live in coastal counties, and the well-being of every family depends on strong, secure water sources. By taking action to conserve our oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes, we are protecting jobs and businesses, ensuring resilient access to clean water, and preserving invaluable aquatic life and their natural habitat.

Our military leaders repeatedly have told us that the climate crisis is a top threat facing our Nation. The climate crisis is a security issue. So we are also modernizing the NOAA Corps and securing more hurricane hunter aircrafts to help protect communities from extreme weather and climate disaster.

Mr. Speaker, today, we are confronting threats to democracy here and around the world. Again, I would, in closing, once again salute President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine. Their fight for democracy is ours, as well. We have not only a moral but also a strategic responsibility to continue to support their fearless fight as we do in this legislation.

In order to uphold our sacred responsibility and ensure that Americans are safe and America is secure, I urge a strong bipartisan vote for the NDAA. Then, we will send it to the Senate and on to the President to become the law of the land. My understanding is that there is agreement between the House and the Senate in a bipartisan way as we send this on.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Rogers for his great leadership in all of this.

On a separate note, we are overjoyed that Brittney Griner is on her way home after the President's tireless and focused work to secure her release. Earlier today, we passed the Marriage Protection Act, and we are so happy that she will be joining her wife when she comes home.

Again, Congress remains firmly committed to supporting the administration as it continues to work to secure the release of Paul Whelan and all those who Putin has unjustly detained. I just saw on the news as I was coming over here that Paul Whelan said the President made the right decision to get Brittney, trade for that, and then keep the focus to get him free.

Again, I support Chair Smith and Ranking Member Rogers for their great leadership in accomplishing a bipartisan, strong bill that again keeps our country strong and measures our might in terms of our hardware, of course, but also, in terms of the people who keep us strong. We are deeply in their debt.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a strong bipartisan vote.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7776, the James Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act.

Providing the authorities and resources our warfighters need to defend our Nation and defeat our adversaries is the greatest responsibility that we have in this Congress. We fulfill that responsibility with this NDAA.

We put our servicemembers first, providing a 4.6 percent pay raise and expanding benefits for military spouses and families.

To counteract the effects of record inflation on our military families, this bill increases housing allowances and lowers prices at commissaries, which offset the skyrocketing costs for rent and food; and it expands eligibility for low-income military families to receive additional allowances to cover basic needs.

This bill also ends the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The mandate has been needlessly forcing out thousands of talented and experienced servicemembers. I am pleased that we have reached an agreement on this.

This bill is also focused on ensuring our warfighters are the best equipped and trained in the world.

We increase funding for readiness, reversing cuts in military construction and housing projects; expanding training availabilities for servicemembers; and improving the safety of the ships, aircraft, combat vehicles, and facilities where our warfighters serve.

We also divest of over $6 billion in the legacy systems that do little or nothing to deter China, or our other adversaries.

We reinvest those savings in emerging technologies, such as IA, quantum computing, hypersonic weapons, and autonomous systems. These are the technologies we need to ensure our warfighters prevail in future battlefields. The threats against us are rapidly evolving.

H.R. 7776 is laser-focused on preparing our military to counter threats from China and our other adversaries. It makes critical investments in new systems capable of surviving in contested environments.

It includes provisions that will further harden our supply chain and industrial base against filtration from China; and it reaffirms our support to allies in the region, especially Taiwan.

Finally, it strengthens our European alliance, as these democracies face grave threats from that crackpot in the Kremlin.

I am very proud that we have, once again, come together in a bipartisan, bicameral fashion to fulfill our constitutional duty and produce a fiscal year 2023 NDAA. I urge all Members to support it.

Also, like the chairman, I thank our staff for doing an incredibly good job of helping pull this together. I couldn't have a better partner in running this committee than Chairman Smith. So I thank him very much for his leadership.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman).

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

I will concur with my friend and colleague from California. You are going to be missed, not only as a member of our committee but as a Member of this body. We have been fortunate to have had the privilege of serving with you.

Similarly, I would like to recognize my friend and colleague from Missouri, who is also going to be sorely missed. She has been a very valuable member of our committee for a long time and a leader on our committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Hartzler).

Mr. Speaker, I do want to say, I am going to miss the gentlewoman from California. She has been a great member of our committee and has really championed some important issues that she just addressed. We will miss her.

I do want to respond to her last remark and make a point. There is nothing in this bill that authorizes leave and paid travel for servicemembers to get an abortion. There is no policy in place in the Department for this.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Kelly).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Gallagher), my friend and colleague.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger), my friend and colleague.

Mr. Speaker, I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. DeFazio on those icebreakers. It is just inexcusable that we don't have that capability.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I reserve the balance of my time until the chairman is ready to close.

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

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

I want to close by thanking Chairman Smith. There is no better partner that I could have, and I am grateful for his leadership.

I also want to thank Chairman Reed and Ranking Member Inhofe. As many know, Jim Inhofe is retiring at the end of this Congress. Throughout his decades of service, he has been a consistent champion for our men and women in uniform. It was very fitting and appropriate that we name this year's NDAA after Jim Inhofe.

Finally, I thank our staff on both sides of the aisle for their tireless work on this product. I thank the staff of legislative counsel and the CBO for their tremendous contributions, as well.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday was the 81st anniversary of the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor. In its aftermath, we built the strongest military in the world with a mission to protect the greatest Nation on Earth. This bill before us today will ensure our military can continue to carry out that sacred mission.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). In addition to critical resources for our defense programs and our service members, this bill also includes two critical bills from the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the Don Young Coast Guard Reauthorization Act of 2022, and the Water Resources Development Act of 2022. This bill also includes the Intelligence Authorization Act, including my new requirements to address the threat of hypersonic weapons.

The underlying bill also includes my amendment authorizing an increase in funding to fight pancreatic cancer, which sadly claimed the lives of our beloved colleagues John Lewis and Alcee Hastings. The $5 million dollar increase will help develop better and earlier detection of pancreatic cancer, which will help save lives.

Another provision included in this bill is my amendment to the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act, which improves access to benefits, and provides injured firefighters or their families more time to file documentation for assistance claims.

These are all important provisions, but I'd like to take a few moments now to highlight the long-overdue changes to safety requirements for passenger vessels.

The Coast Guard Reauthorization Act will increase maritime safety and efficiency, including my Duck Boat Safety Improvement Act, which is now Section 11502 in the NDAA. I am especially grateful to Chairman DeFazio for working with me over several years to develop this language, which will finally address the persistent problems with unsafe vessels, and including my Duck Boat Safety Improvement Act in today's NDAA.

My Duck Boat Safety requirements will finally implement safety regulations for amphibious passenger vessels, particularly those known as Duck Boats. These safety recommendations were made by federal agencies to address repeated problems associated with Duck Boats that have resulted in far too many injuries and fatalities that may have been prevented.

I learned about these problems when my constituents in Indianapolis, the Coleman family, were involved in a horrible Duck Boat accident on July 19, 2018 in Branson, Missouri. Tia Coleman was one of only two survivors from her family of 11, losing her husband Glenn, and her children Reece (nine years old), Evan (seven years old), and Arya (one year old). Tia's 13-year-old nephew, Donovan Coleman, was the other surviving family member, losing his mother Angela, his younger brother Maxwell (two years old), his uncles Ervin (76 years old) and Butch (70 years old), and his aunt Belinda (69 years old). Boarding a Duck Boat on Table Rock Lake started out as a fun outing for family members, but it turned into an unspeakable tragedy when the boat capsized and sank. Seventeen of the 31 passengers on board were killed.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and U.S. Coast Guard have separately investigated the incident and Congress must act now. We know from past incidents that more can and should be done to make these vessels safer. Since 1999, more than 40 people have died in Duck Boats accidents, the vast majority of them from drowning when the vessel sinks. In 2002, the NTSB issued recommendations to improve the safety of these vessels in flooding or sinking situations, but little has been done to implement those measures--until today.

Duck Boats are hybrid vehicles that can travel on roadways and waterways, so the safety measures must be updated for both land and waterborne operations.

The Duck Boat Safety Improvement Act will require vessel operators to implement common-sense boating safety measures, including:

Improving reserve buoyancy and watertight compartmentalization to prevent sinking,

Requiring more monitoring and adherence to severe weather alerts and warnings,

Requiring release of road safety seatbelts when Duck Boats become waterborne,

Requiring stronger crew safety training and certification,

Removing or reconfigure canopies and window coverings for waterborne operations,

Requiring personal flotation devices for waterborne operations,

Requiring installation of better bilge pumps and alarms,

Installing underwater LED lights that activate automatically in emergencies, and

Complying with other Coast Guard boating safety requirements.

These changes will help save lives and prevent future tragedies.

I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting today's bill to make common-sense corrections to the persistent safety problems facing Duck Boats. If we act today, we can help ensure that no other family has to suffer

the kind of tragedy faced by my constituents on Table Rock Lake.

I urge the House to support these safety provisions, and all of the reauthorizations in this year's NDAA.