Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that in the engrossment of the bill, H.R. 2647, the Clerk be authorized to correct section numbers, punctuation, cross-references, and the table of contents, and to make such other technical and conforming changes as may be necessary to reflect the actions of the House in amending the bill, and that the Clerk be authorized to make the additional technical corrections, which are at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend remarks and in which to insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill that was just passed.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2990) to provide special pays and allowances to certain members of the Armed Forces, expand concurrent receipt of military retirement and VA disability benefits to disabled military retirees, and for other purposes.

I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on then resolution under consideration.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2990, the Disabled Military Retiree Relief Act of 2009. The disabled veterans tax has, for decades, prevented retirees from receiving the full benefits they have earned in military retired pay and veterans disability compensation.

The one group of retirees that have endured great hardship but have been among the last to be embraced by reform is the disabled retiree with less than 20 years of service.

This group of retirees has been ignored by even the most reform- minded advocate until the Democratic Congress acted to include them in the Combat-Related Special Compensation program when the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 was adopted. And yet this group of retirees has perhaps the most compelling story to tell.

Many of these servicemembers were on track to serve a full military career but were blocked from serving 20 years because of their disabilities. It's this group of retirees that were disabled at younger ages and often with young families. As a result, they are often the most financially stressed.

The President took a definitive step forward in support of disabled retirees with less than 20 years of service when he proposed legislation in his budget request for fiscal year 2010. The President's proposal would phase in full concurrent receipt of military retired pay and VA disability compensation for these deserving veterans over 5 years.

We share the President's view that our veterans and their families, and particularly disabled retirees with less than 20 years, have made tremendous sacrifices for our country, but this bill moves us closer to fulfilling the President's plans and the commitment of Congress to give disabled veterans full access to the benefits they deserve.

While H.R. 2990 is an important step, we must recognize that it is an incremental step that reaches only the most severely disabled over the first year of the President's phased implementation plan. Congress has been working to find a way to permanently eliminate the disabled veterans tax for many years, but finding this entitlement program is an immensely difficult task. I'm grateful to all of my House colleagues who have worked to find the budget offsets needed to provide this temporary fix for our veterans. As we pursue this legislation, we will continue to do all we can to honor our country's debt to our veterans and their families.

I would note that H.R. 2990 also includes a number of valuable changes that enhance the Federal civilian retirement benefits. In addition, the bill extends expiring authorities concerning a wide variety of bonuses and special pays that are critical to military recruiting and retention.

H.R. 2990 is a good bill. It's an important bill that supports the President's initiative regarding disabled retirees and fulfills the longstanding commitment of Congress to provide for the welfare of disabled veterans.

There still remains much to be done to find a permanent solution, and this bill provides the framework for our future action. Our veterans have never quit on America, and you can be certain that we will never quit on our veterans. I urge my colleagues to support the Disabled Military Retiree Relief Act of 2009.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

This is a very, very important bill, particularly important to disabled American veterans. I notice we have had two adjournment motions already. I hope we can take this bill up because those young and young women deserve it.

Special thanks to the Speaker, Leader Hoyer, Chairman Towns, Chairman Spratt, Chairman Rahall, Chairman Gordon, Chairman Waxman, Chairman Markey, Mr. Lynch, Susan Davis, and Mr. Edwards for all the help that they have given us on this very complicated, very important matter for our disabled veterans.

At this time, Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my friend and colleague, the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Towns).

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from South Carolina, my friend, my colleague, the gentleman who is the chairman of the Committee on the Budget, Mr. Spratt.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to my friend, my dear colleague, the chairwoman of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, the gentlelady from California (Mrs. Davis).

Madam Speaker, this bill is a tribute to excellent Armed Services Committee staff work, and I wish to acknowledge the fact that so many, supporting both Democrats and Republicans, did yeomen's work on this: Erin Conaton, Bob Simmons, Debra Wada, Mike Higgins, John Chapla, Jeanette James, and Eryn Robinson did a masterful job in gluing a very complicated and difficult bill together, and I want to publicly thank them.

At this time, I want to yield 1 minute to my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Georgia, who is also a member of the Armed Services Committee, Mr. Marshall.

I thank the gentleman from Georgia.

At this time I yield to my colleague, my friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) 2 minutes, who is also the chairman of the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Madam Speaker, at this time I yield 1 minute to my friend, my colleague, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott) who is the vice chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism and Nonproliferation and International Trade.

Madam Speaker, I have no more requests for time on our side and I wish to thank the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson) for his excellent cooperation and hard work to make this bill a reality. We are most appreciative. Again, I thank all of those who worked on this very complicated piece of legislation, and other kudos to the Armed Services staff on both sides of the aisle. It is very important. It is very important for our veterans, particularly those disabled veterans who have had less than 20 years of service. It treats them as they should be treated.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 2647 and to insert extraneous material thereon.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 2647, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. The House Armed Services Committee brings before the House a bill reported out of committee by a vote of 61-0. This consensus was achieved after a great deal of hard work. Our mark lasted almost 17 hours. We considered 129 amendments; we adopted 107 of them. We had an excellent debate on the issues in the best traditions of our committee. I am confident we will have a similar experience here in the full House.

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to be joined in support of the bill by my friend and my partner, Buck McKeon. I am thrilled that he is our ranking member, and I commend him for jumping in head first on his first official day on the job, which of course was a full day for our markup. He has been a very able and constructive partner as well as, when required, a skilled opponent. I must, however, mention our esteemed colleague, John McHugh, who has agreed to become the Secretary of the Army, but who leaves our committee having established a lasting legacy, especially on issues of personnel.

In this debate we will consider, and I am confident that we will adopt, an amendment that is sponsored by both Mr. McKeon and me that is a tribute to the work of John McHugh on our committee.

Likewise, I must thank the subcommittee chairmen and ranking members who contributed so much on this bill. They did their homework, and I am pleased with the outcome of our efforts. They solved almost every problem set out for them, and they accomplished a lot of good government at the same time.

They were ably assisted by our committee staff, the amazing professionals in the Office of the Legislative Counsel, and the Office of the Parliamentarian.

This bill authorizes $550.5 billion in budget authority for the Department of Defense and the national security programs of the Department of Energy. The bill also authorizes $130 billion to support ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan during fiscal year 2010. These amounts are essentially equal to the President's budget request for items in the jurisdiction of our committee.

H.R. 2647 reflects the Congress' deep commitment to supporting American servicemembers and providing the necessary resources to keep Americans safe. The bill provides our military personnel with a 3.4 percent pay raise, an increase of .5 percent above the President's request. The bill also includes a number of initiatives to support military families. In this, the Year of the Military Family, we provide funds to establish a Center for Care for military members and their families. We also increase the weight allowance for senior noncommissioned officers, and authorize the transportation of a second vehicle for members who are changing stations from or to a nonforeign area outside the United States. The bill also provides funding to enhance the Health Professions Scholarship program for mental health providers to support the troops and their families.

The mark fully funds the President's budget request for military training, equipment, maintenance, and facilities upkeep. By doing so, the committee continues its efforts to address readiness shortfalls that have developed over the past 8 years.

To address some of these concerns in this mark, we have added $1.6 billion to operation and maintenance, including $395 million for Navy aviation and ship depot maintenance, $762 million to achieve 100 percent of the requirement for sustainment of facilities, including the Department of Defense schools, which, by the way, are excellent, and $450 million to improve the quality of Army training barracks.

The war in Afghanistan is a critical mission that is finally getting the attention it demands, and I've been saying that for quite some time. To ensure our strategy in both countries is effective and achieves the intended goals within well-defined timelines, the bill requires the President to assess American efforts and regularly report on progress. It also authorizes the new Pakistan Counter-Insurgency Fund to allow our commanders to help Pakistan quickly and more effectively go after the terrorists in their safe havens.

On Iraq, the committee supports the President's policy while also upholding the Congress' responsibility to provide oversight to the process of drawing down the mountain of material purchased, transported and built up in Iraq at tremendous expense to the taxpayer.

In the area of nonproliferation, the bill increases funding and creates new authorities to strengthen the Department of Defense's Cooperative Threat Reduction program. The bill also fully supports the Department of Energy's nonproliferation programs, and adds substantial funding in support of the President's plan to secure and remove all known vulnerable nuclear materials that can be used for weapons.

The bill takes additional steps on acquisition reform beyond what we did in the bill on weapons acquisition which was enacted and signed into law by the President last month.

It also ensures that the Quadrennial Defense Review currently being undertaken by the Department of Defense both complies with the law and gives Congress the insight it needs to make judgments about force structure and programmatic changes.

In summary, Mr. Chairman, I believe this bill can be supported by every Member of this House. I recognize that some who have deep objections to current defense policy on various issues may feel compelled maybe to oppose the bill. That's their right, of course. But even in most of those cases, I believe that solid progress is made in this bill toward protecting our national security in the right way.

I ask Members to vote for H.R. 2647, for our troops and their families, and for a strong national defense for our Nation.

The object of our affection, Mr. Chairman, are the young men and young women in uniform who do professional, outstanding work for our country. This bill helps them in their efforts. All of us are proud of them, and I hope that the vote on this bill, when we vote tomorrow, will reflect that pride in the military of the United States of America.

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

Mr. Chairman, the Member I am about to yield to for 3 minutes will be giving her last presentation in this House, for she will be, very shortly, a member of the administration within the State Department with a high-ranking position. We wish her well, as well as wishing her well in her upcoming marriage.

I yield 3 minutes to my friend, my colleague, the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, the gentlelady from California (Mrs. Tauscher).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to my friend, my colleague from Texas, who is the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Readiness, Mr. Ortiz.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to my friend, the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Sea Power and Expeditionary Forces, the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor).

I yield an additional minute to the gentleman.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to my colleague, my friend, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism and Unconventional Threats and Capabilities, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith).

I yield 3 minutes to my colleague and my friend, the distinguished chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel, the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis).

Mr. Chairman, pursuant to section 4 of House Resolution 572 and as chairman of the Committee on Armed Services, I request that during further consideration of H.R. 2647 in the Committee of the Whole, and following consideration of amendment No. 1, printed in House Report 111-182, the following amendments be considered: amendment No. 3, printed in House Report 111-182; amendment No. 4, printed in House Report 111-182; en bloc amendment No. 1; amendment No. 2, printed in House Report 111-182; amendment No. 9, printed in House Report 111-182, as modified; amendment No. 15, printed in House Report 111-182, as modified; en bloc amendment No. 2; amendment No. 20, printed in House Report 111-182, as modified; amendment No. 24, printed in House Report 111-182; amendment No. 34, printed in House Report 111-182; amendment No. 39, printed in House Report 111-182; en bloc amendment No. 3; en bloc amendment No. 4.

Mr. Chairman, at this time I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).

As the gentleman knows, I support the VAE. At the same time, I know it can be improved. I would be happy to work with the gentleman to address the issues that you have so aptly raised.

Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to the time remaining for each side, please.

At this time I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Klein).

I certainly thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Klein) for bringing this issue to the floor. As the gentleman knows, the bill under consideration calls for a report on military working dogs. Mr. Klein's legislation would surely take the next step with a grant for therapy dogs for disabled soldiers and veterans. I look forward to working with the gentleman from Florida to ensure that Congress stands behind our soldiers as well as our veterans.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to my friend, my colleague, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

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

Mr. Chairman, let me first express my gratitude and admiration to the new ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, Mr. McKeon. He hit the ground running, a veteran of our committee, and his first baptism of fire was in the markup of the some-17 hours of this bill in committee, and we thank him for his leadership and for his diligence in making this a success.

Tomorrow, under the rule, Mr. Chairman, we will consider the various amendments, four groups of en bloc amendments and several by themselves, according to the rule that's been set forth and the time limits set thereon.

This is an important piece of legislation. It deals with the security of our country, the security of our citizens. It deals with those young men and young women in uniform wherever they may be. It's our job to do our best to support them and this bill does just that.

I thank the members of the committee on both sides of the aisle. They have been magnificent to work with.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to file a supplemental report on the bill, H.R. 2647.

Offered By: Mr. Skelton

Amendment No. 1: Page 72, line 18, strike ``(h)'' and

insert ``(d)''.

At the end of section 414 (page 122, after line 14), add

the following new subsection:

(c) Conforming Amendment to Statutory Limitation.--Section

10217(c)(2) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by

striking ``1,950'' and inserting ``2,541''.

Page 260, lines 9 and 10, strike ``by adding at the end the

following new section'' and insert ``by inserting after

section 235, as added by section 242(a) of this Act, the

following new section''.

Page 260, line 11, strike ``235.'' and insert ``236.''.

Page 262, before line 1, strike ``235.'' and insert

``236.''.

At the end of subtitle A of title X (page 323, after line

12), add the following new section:

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, this measure before the House today is very well one of the most important pieces of legislation that we will pass regarding national security.

I first must compliment the chairman, compliment his staff, as well as the staff of the Armed Services Committee, who worked diligently to craft this piece of legislation. It's very important because Pakistan is very important. Pakistan is important to the Middle East and our intentions there. Their cooperation, of course, is so very, very important. This legislation gives economic and democratic development assistance to that country.

What is, of course, of great interest to me is the security assistance that we have given Pakistan, some $400 million. I will leave it to the chairman, the very able chairman, to go into the details, but I must say that it not only provides for training and financing, one part that seems to be overlooked so often is the part that deals with the international military education, which has for a period of time missed out with this country of Pakistan, which again is back on our radar, and hopefully will be of great benefit to them as well as to us. It requires certain milestones to be met.

Under the able leadership of this chairman, this is an excellent bill. I wholly endorse it. I certainly hope that we will get a very, very strong vote because the future of Pakistan is a centerpiece that we need to be successful for our efforts in that part of the world.

With that, I again thank the chairman and compliment him, as well as all those who worked on it.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the accomplishments, dedication, public service and valor of General David D. McKiernan, U.S. Army, outgoing Commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Commander U.S. Forces Afghanistan, who served our Nation with distinction during 37 years of faithful service. General McKiernan will retire from the Army on 1 August 2009, and we owe him our thanks and gratitude for his many efforts and years of service on behalf of our Nation.

A native of Ft. McPherson, Georgia, General McKiernan entered the U.S. Army in 1972, after graduating from the College of William and Mary and receiving a ROTC commission from the U.S. Army. During the course of his career he served at every level from platoon leader to four star commander. The units he commanded included the 1st Battalion, 35th Armor (Iron Knights), 1st Armored Division, 1st Brigade (Iron Horse) 1st Cavalry Division, 1st Calvary Division, and 3rd U.S. Army/ Combined Forces Land Component Command. He culminated his career serving as the theater commander--COMISAF/US Forces Afghanistan.

This superb officer performed key leadership roles during many of the crises and operations of the past 15 years. He served as the Deputy Chief of Staff G-2/G-3 with the Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corp) while forward deployed in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. From August 1998 until September 1999, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Headquarters, United States

Army, Europe and Seventh Army during a period of simultaneous operations in Bosnia, Albania, and Kosovo. General McKiernan subsequently became the Coalition Forces Land Component Commander for Central Command. In March 2003, General McKiernan commanded and led all coalition and U.S. conventional ground forces in the invasion of Iraq.

As the capstone for an exceptional career of service to our country, General McKiernan distinguished himself from 3 June 2008 to 3 June 2009 while serving as the Commander, International Security Assistance Force and Commander, U.S. Forces--Afghanistan. General McKiernan was instrumental in developing the partnerships and setting the conditions necessary for achieving mission success in Afghanistan. He revamped the campaign strategy. He worked to improve command and control in that war by reorganizing the ISAF headquarters staff to better execute that strategy and working to establish a new command--U.S. Forces Afghanistan, significantly improving coordination of counterinsurgency operations across Afghanistan.

In the fall of 2008, General McKiernan articulated the need for a sizeable increase in U.S. forces in the strategically important southern region of Afghanistan to improve security and help safeguard national elections in August 2009. He was the first to recommend the need for a sizeable increase in civilian resources from the U.S. Government to bolster governance and development efforts.

General McKiernan improved operations in Afghanistan, issuing new Counterinsurgency Guidance as the campaign shifted to efforts to protect the Afghan population, obtaining legal authorities to conduct counternarcotics interdiction, improving force protection measures, and issuing new guidance that cut down on non-combatant casualties. General McKiernan worked with the Ministry of Interior to develop the Afghan Public Protection Program, which could become a blueprint for developing bottom up governance in the districts and provinces throughout the country. He worked with the Afghan Government to support a highly successful 2008-2009 voter registration program with over 4.5 million Afghans registering without major incident and prepared the plans to support a fair and credible election in August 2009. He received approval for his recommendation to accelerate the growth of the Afghan National Army to 134,000 by December 2011, and has started the planning effort to grow the Afghan National Security Forces up to 400,000 in the years to come. He also was the architect behind the plan to bring in U.S. units in 2009 that can not only conduct a rigorous counter-insurgency campaign in the south, but can build the capacity of the Afghan Army and Police by training, partnering and mentoring with Afghan Army and Police units. General McKiernan personally reinvigorated the Tripartite Commission (TPC) process with Afghanistan, Pakistan, and ISAF, and conducted bilateral meetings to improve U.S. and Pakistan relations and to make the case that both countries face a mutual terrorist threat. It is certainly my hope that General McKiernan's initiatives build momentum going into the summer of 2009.

General David D. McKiernan is a true American patriot. His leadership, keen intellect and performance throughout an intensive and demanding period of military history were instrumental in achieving success in mission after mission. He boldly led ``America's finest'' during combat operations in Desert Storm, the Balkans, the invasion of Iraq and finally in the harsh and difficult mountains and deserts of Afghanistan. I know his selfless performance of duty, courage under fire, exceptional integrity and quiet pursuit of excellence has inspired many American warriors who have served with him. I am sure he will be truly missed in Afghanistan by his troops, diplomatic colleagues, NATO and our Coalition partners, and the Government of Afghanistan. It gives me great pleasure today to recognize and salute a great American--General David McKiernan--before my colleagues. I wish General McKiernan and his lovely wife Carmen all the best that life has to offer as he concludes a most distinguished career in service to our country.

Madam Speaker, earlier this year, my good friend from Texas, Congressman Ralph Hall, asked me to cosponsor H. Res. 356, legislation that supports designating February 8, 2010, as Boy Scouts of America Day in the United States. This recognition would honor the Boy Scouts on its 100th anniversary.

It is appropriate for the Congress and for our country to recognize the Boy Scouts. Since 1910, this organization has helped young men foster lasting friendships, develop leadership skills, and contribute to American society. As an Eagle Scout who has supported scouting into adulthood and throughout my time in Congress, I know firsthand how valuable scouting can be.

I urge the House to approve this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 259, expressing gratitude and appreciation to the U.S. Forces who took part in World War II's D-Day invasion, which led to the end of the war in Europe.

This resolution urges Americans to honor the heroic deeds and immeasurable sacrifices of our Allied troops on D-Day. The passing of the years fails to diminish the tremendous debt we owe to the Greatest Generation for liberating Europe and fighting to preserve freedom.

Almost sixty-five years ago, on June 6, 1944, American and Allied Forces invaded Normandy, France, in Operation Overlord. Thus began the arduous task of liberating Europe from the yoke of Nazi tyranny. At the time, few people understood the full impact this invasion would have. But with the success of the D-Day invasion, the tide of the war swung in favor of the Allies, and Adolf Hitler began his ultimate demise.

The sheer scale of Operation Overlord is astounding and even today remains the largest single amphibious assault in history. The first day of the operation involved 5,000 naval vessels, more than 11,000 sorties by Allied aircraft, and 153,000 members of the Allied Expeditionary Force, composed of American, British, and Canadian forces.

But it is important to remember that Allied victory against the entrenched Nazi forces was hardly a foregone conclusion. Our courageous troops who participated in the invasion understood the enormous risks-- and more than 6,500 lost their lives in the effort--but their dedication to duty and love of freedom gave them the strength to take on the seemingly impossible task before them. Their sacrifices made it possible to restore true freedom to millions of people across the European continent.

I was a young teenager during World War II, and my friends and neighbors in uniform were my heroes. The achievements of our D-Day veterans and all those who fought in World War II continue to inspire me today. But our nation has been blessed with generation after generation of patriotic Americans who have selflessly served our country.

As we honor the heroes of D-Day, our thoughts, prayers, and gratitude go also to today's volunteers who wear our nation's uniform. Today's soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines inherit a proud legacy from those who stormed the beaches of Normandy: a legacy of commitment to duty, dedication to freedom, and love of country. As we recognize the 65th Anniversary of D-Day, our nation has an obligation to remember all of these heroes.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 463, I call up the conference report on the bill (S. 454) to improve the organization and procedures of the Department of Defense for the acquisition of major weapon systems, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on the conference report currently under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to bring before the House the conference report on S. 454, the Weapon System Acquisition Reform Act of 2009.

Last week, the House overwhelmingly approved H.R. 2101, the House Armed Services Committee's version of the bill, in a vote of 428-0 and sent us to conference with the Senate. Our conference concluded on Tuesday, and I can report that we reached agreement on strong legislation that will reflect well on the Congress as a whole.

Every Member attending the conference committee, House and Senate, on a bipartisan basis signed the conference report, and it passed the Senate last evening on a vote of 95-0.

It's tempting to conclude that a bill so unanimously supported must not do anything. How often are we able to agree unanimously on issues of real substance? However, in this instance, Congress will speak with a single voice and will, at the same time, adopt tough medicine for the acquisitions system.

This bill is landmark legislation, the strongest effort to reform the acquisition of weapons systems since the days of Les Aspin. In fact, I strongly believe this bill will be much more successful than earlier reform efforts. The consensus on this legislation is simply the result of a problem that has become so obvious and so urgent that every Member has concluded that strong action is required.

Too often in our current acquisition system, we end up with too few weapons that cost us too much and arrive too late. GAO tells us that DOD will exceed its original cost estimates on 96 major weapons systems by $296 billion. That's more than 2 years of pay and health care for all our troops. We can no longer tolerate this state of affairs.

To those who oppose change, the vote yesterday in the Senate and the vote today in the House will send the message that the Congress means business, for maintaining the status quo of indiscipline and inefficiency in acquisition is no longer an option.

Let me briefly summarize the bill's provisions.

It establishes a new director of cost assessment and program evaluation who will ensure that in the future DOD uses realistic cost estimates as the basis for its decisions. The bill re-establishes a director of developmental test and evaluation who will coordinate closely with the director of systems engineering to ensure that we rebuild the technical expertise to oversee complex weapons programs.

To ensure that the Department follows through on these measures, the bill requires DOD to make an official response for performance assessment. It also assigns additional responsibility to the director of defense research and engineering for assessing technological maturity and to unified combat commanders, those leading the fight, for helping to set requirements.

In the area of policy, we required DOD to balance its desire for cutting-edge capabilities with the limits of its resources in setting military requirements. We require competitive acquisition strategies. We require DOD to get programs right in the early stages, when problems can be solved at a low cost. We also require DOD to put intense management focus on problem programs until they are either healed or terminated. We strengthen the Nunn-McCurdy process, and we ask DOD to eliminate or mitigate organizational conflicts of interests among its contractors.

Now, I know that many Members of the House have a deep interest in acquisition reform. Let me assure you that with the passage of this bill, the House Armed Services Committee has no intention of resting on its laurels. S. 454 deals almost exclusively with major weapons system acquisition, which is only 20 percent of the total that DOD spends on acquisition on an annual basis. There are also serious problems with the other 80 percent of the acquisition system and, as a result, the House Armed Services Committee established the Panel on Defense Acquisition Reform led by Rob Andrews and Mike Conaway to investigate further improvements to the acquisition systems.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that the Members of this body vote for the conference report on S. 454, move this legislation to the President's desk for his signature this week, and continue to work with us on acquisition reform in this Congress.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, may I mention first that we did not rush to judgment on this issue. The gentleman from New York, my friend, the ranking member, John McHugh, and I thought it best to establish a panel on military acquisition, which we did. And as a result of briefings and hearings headed by Rob Andrews, Mike Conaway, the faith that Mr. McHugh and I had in the panel has been justified with the first work product of their efforts. That work product, of course, is the bill that stands before us today. And it has been a great bipartisan effort. It is also a monument to the outstanding staff work that we have across the board in the Armed Services Committee. We could not be more blessed.

With that, I yield 10 minutes to my friend and colleague, the chairman of the Armed Service Committee Special Oversight Panel on Defense Acquisition Reform, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews).

At this time, I yield 3 minutes to my friend, my colleague, the distinguished member of the Armed Services Committee, the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin).

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

Mr. Speaker, first, I must thank my friend, my colleague, the gentleman from New York, for his outstanding leadership, cooperation, intelligence and integrity. This bill is a great reflection of bipartisan hard work in our committee. And I thank, in particular, the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh).

Mr. Speaker, as we are on the brink of passing legislation that will completely reform the acquisition system of involving major weapon systems in the Department of Defense, I think back to the moment we were preparing to pass a bill known as the Goldwater-Nichols bill which dealt with jointness within the military. We knew what it said. We wrote it. But we had no idea that it would actually have a tremendous impact creating the culture of jointness within the various stovepiped services that existed prior to that day in 1986.

This reform act will do the same. It is not only landmark legislation, it is not only reform legislation, it is legislation that will change the culture of acquisition for major weapon systems. It's good. It's thorough. It's well thought out.

And I cannot close without saying a special word about our staff. It's very difficult, Mr. Speaker, to single out people who work so hard because you're bound to leave some out. But we must mention Erin Conaton, Bob Simmons, Andrew Hunter, Jenness Simler, Cathy Garman, Joe Hicken, and all of the efforts that they put forth, the tireless nights in drafting and redrafting the legislation before us today. So a special tribute goes to them.

So with that--and thanks to our colleagues on both sides of the aisle, Bob Andrews, Mike Conaway, and all of those who work so hard for this--let's get it passed, let's get it to the President for his signature, and let reform take place and change the acquisition culture that is so sorely needed.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, throughout this tough recession, Congress has been working to reduce the length and severity of the economic downturn and its impact on the American people. While we have approved a number of important bills in this area, let me share my support today for S. 896, a bipartisan bill known as the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act.

S. 896 is a balanced bill that will provide tools and incentives to help reduce foreclosures, will strengthen Federal protections against predatory lending, will establish the right of homeowners to know who owns their mortgage, and will give the Federal Housing Administration and USDA's Rural Housing Service legal flexibility to undertake loan modifications. Reducing foreclosures and stabilizing the housing market are key to turning around America's economy, which is why I am pleased that S. 896 has been written with the support of both congressional Democrats and Republicans.

While S. 896 will help to mend the ailing housing market, the bill is also good for small town banks and for all Americans who keep their savings in a bank or credit union.

As some banks gambled and made risky loans to subprime borrowers, most small town financial institutions played by the rules and did not get caught up in the hazardous lending behavior that is at the heart of our recession. But, as larger banks have faltered, community banks have been replenishing the deposit insurance fund that protects investments throughout the financial system. To strengthen the financial stability of community banks and credit unions, S. 896 increases the borrowing authority for FDIC and for the federal credit union regulator. These increases will help level the playing field so community financial institutions are not stuck picking up the tab for their larger competitors.

And, to better protect deposits, S. 896 increases FDIC insurance protection for accounts holding up to $250,000. This action is not only beneficial to depositors but also to small town financial institutions that derive their funding and lending ability from deposits.

I urge my colleagues to support S. 896 and hope the legislation, if passed, can be swiftly signed into law by the President.

Madam Speaker, each May, I hold a small business procurement conference at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Missouri. Through the years, many individuals have contributed to the success of this event, which helps entrepreneurs and small business owners to cut through bureaucratic red tape associated with the procurement process and to make business connections.

One individual who was particularly helpful in gluing together my annual conference was Wes Savage, a good friend and expert in entrepreneurial studies and business development. Wes passed away rather unexpectedly last July, so the 2009 conference will be the first one without him.

As I prepare for this year's event, let me take a moment to reflect on the life of a truly outstanding figure at the University of Central Missouri, a good family man, and a friend to so many people.

Wes was born on May 25, 1937, in Decatur, Illinois. He received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering & industrial engineering from the University of Missouri--Rolla and a master's degree in production management & human resource management from Butler University. He also completed continuing education courses in psychology, banking, and basic programming.

Wes enjoyed working and became an expert while being employed in a wide range of industries and organizations. He was a Registered Professional Engineer in the state of Missouri and gave time to the Engineers Club of Kansas City. He was affiliated with the Missouri Board of Architects, the Engineers and Land Surveyors, and the National Development Council.

In 1987, Wes began working at the University of Central Missouri as the Consulting Engineer for the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and became coordinator for the SBDC in 1990. Wes served as the Center's director until he became Director of the Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies and Development at the University.

In his role at the University, Wes assisted and advised numerous Missouri business owners and entrepreneurs. He gave sound advice to help Missourians begin or improve business operations, which in turn, helped to create jobs and boost economic productivity in the Show-Me State. I have heard from many individuals through the years who have expressed gratitude for working with the SBDC because of the Center's positive impact on business.

Wes also cared deeply about teaching university students about entrepreneurship and the unique opportunities and business tools available to people in this country. This is why he was particularly thrilled when the University created the Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies and Development and why he helped create an online course and co-taught with staff the first entrepreneurial course at the University.

Wes Savage applied the things he learned in education and in life to his professional career. He was an experienced manager who motivated those around him with his strong work ethic and his relaxed, friendly demeanor.

I know Members of the House will join me in expressing gratitude for Wes's life and for extending best wishes to his wife, Jane; his sons and their wives, Craig and Deana Savage, Scott and Gina Savage, and Grant and Erika Savage; his six grandchildren; and all of his friends and colleagues.