Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, it has come to my attention that a distinguished military career is coming to an end. General Robert Magnus, U.S. Marine Corps, is retiring from active duty after serving our nation for 40 years.

General Magnus enlisted in the Navy in February 1968. He graduated from the University of Virginia in 1969 with a bachelor of arts degree in history and received a masters of science in business administration from Strayer College in 1993. He received a commission in June 1969 and completed the following military training schools: Naval Aviation flight training, nuclear safety officers course, survival evasion resistance and escape course, weapons and tactics instructors course, aviation safety command course, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, National War College, CAPSTONE Course, Joint Force Air Component Commanders Course, Executive Business Course.

During his 40 years of service, General Magnus has served during several operation tours and held many squadron assignments. These include intelligence officer, HMM-264; operations officer, H&MS-15 SAR Detachment, Task Force Delta, Nam Phong, Thailand; training officer, Station Operations and Engineering Squadron, MCAS Quantico; aviation safety officer, MAG-26 and HMM-263; weapons and tactics instructor, MAG-26 and HMM-261; operations officer, MAG-29; executive officer, HMM- 365, MAG-29; commanding officer HMM-365, MAG-29; commander, Marine Corps Air Bases Western Area; and deputy commander, Marine Forces Pacific.

General Magnus also has served in several staff assignments, including aviation assault medium lift requirements officer; chief, Logistics Readiness Center, joint staff; executive assistant to the director of the Joint Staff; head, Aviation Plans and Programs Branch; Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Aviation; Assistant Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies, and Operations; and Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources.

General Magnus's decorations and awards include: Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit Medal, and the Navy Achievement Medal.

General Magnus is concluding his career having served as the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps. In this capacity, he has been the principal adviser to the Commandant of the Marine Corps on all decisions affecting

the readiness and future health of the Marine Corps. I am certain that the Members of the House will join me in honoring General Magnus and his family for their outstanding service to our country.

Madam Speaker, let me take this means to recognize the brave men and women of the Missouri National Guard, for their commitment to providing flood relief.

The Missouri National Guard Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen have been mobilized by Missouri government leaders to assist in the Missouri emergency flood response. The members have been mobilized in the communities of Clarksville, Hannibal, Canton, West Quincy, LaGrange, Winfield, Alexandria, St. Charles City, and St. Charles County. Those supporting the flood response are assisting in missions that include sandbagging operations, levee monitoring, and manning traffic control points. Since the mobilization of forces, more than 1,000 Guard members have responded to the call to duty. With force rotations, there are currently around 700 members on active duty.

Personnel have come from across the state to aid Missouri towns during this emergency. These units include the 7th Civil Support Team from Fort Leonard Wood; the 135th Military History Detachment from Jefferson City; the 835th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion from Jefferson City; 735th Quartermaster Company with detachments in DeSoto, Jefferson City, Rolla, Cape Girardeau and Jefferson Barracks; the 1138th Transportation Company from Jefferson Barracks; the 1035th Maintenance Company from Jefferson Barracks; 3175th Chemical Company from St. Peters; the 1438th Engineer Company from Macon and Kirksville; the 220th Engineer Company from Festus; the 880th Haul Team from Perryville; the 1137th Military Police Company from Kennett, Jackson and Doniphan; the 1138th Military Police Company from West Plains and Springfield; the 1175th Military Police Company from St. Clair and St. Louis; 1140th Engineer Battalion from Cape Girardeau; the 205th Military Police Battalion from Poplar Bluff; the 203rd Engineer Battalion from Joplin; the 131st Fighter Wing from St. Louis; the 1138th Engineer Company (Sapper) in Farmington; and the 70th Troop Command from Jefferson Barracks.

I know the Members of the House will join me in recognizing the outstanding dedication of the Missouri National Guard, and in wishing them luck throughout this emergency operation.

Madam Speaker, let me take this opportunity to congratulate the historic preservation group of Arrow Rock, Missouri. In April 2008, Arrow Rock was designated as a Preserve America Community.

Arrow Rock is one of 600 nationwide sites that have earned the designation of being a Preserve America Community. This Federal designation helps in the historic preservation work for communities throughout the United States. Preserve America is focused on providing financial support systems for the non-physical work done in historic preservation communities. The Arrow Rock community will now be able to apply for Federal grants, awards, and other help in research, planning, and training efforts to help in the preservation of their village. First Lady Laura Bush said, in a written statement, ``Preserve America Communities demonstrate that they are committed to preserving America's heritage while ensuring a future filled with opportunities for learning and enjoyment.''

I am certain that the Members of the House will join me in congratulating the historic preservation group of Arrow Rock for their accomplishments and in wishing them luck in all there future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 377 to authorize the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony commemorating the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the integration of the United States Armed Forces. The historic document that began the process of integration was Executive Order 9981 issued by President Harry S. Truman, my fellow Missourian.

History has well documented that President Truman was a man of great principle and courage. He was by all accounts a man that did not shrink from responsibility even when the decisions were very difficult. The employment of atomic weapons at the end of World War II, the Berlin airlift at the beginning of the cold war, and the Korean war are but few examples of his leadership during crisis.

However, I believe it is his decision to declare that each person in the military is deserving of equal treatment and opportunity, regardless of race, color, religion, and national origin that most reflects his personal commitment to his core beliefs.

His July 26, 1948 Executive order was no weak-kneed statement designed to fit the political expediency of the era. Executive Order 9981 was a bold statement that reflected his heartfelt commitment to the civil rights of all Americans and the American style of freedom that became a beacon of hope for so many people throughout the world during World War II. This powerful statement of equality in treatment and opportunity reflects the highest standards of democracy and lived up to the American spirit that we all cherish.

President Truman saw much in the professional and heroic performance of African Americans during World War II that demanded he issue his Executive order. The exploits of African Americans that carried out the Red Ball Express, flew with the 99th fighter squadron, and served as Tuskegee Airmen are legendary. There were also stories of the many individual heroes during World War II like the seven African Americans who were finally awarded the Medal of Honor for their long-overlooked World War II heroism in 1997. Like all the other wars that preceded World War II, African Americans had played an important role during war and Harry Truman was determined to set the record straight.

The 60th anniversary of President Truman's Executive order to begin the integration of the Armed Forces is a pivotal event in United States history that is deserving of a ceremony in the rotunda of the Capitol. I thank Chairman Brady and the staff of the House Administration Committee for helping to move this resolution so expeditiously and I strongly encourage my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 377.

Madam Speaker, today I rise in strong support of this bill, the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. The bipartisan compromise before us strikes the right balance between providing our intelligence community with the tools they need to fight and find terrorists and protecting our constitutional rights on the other hand.

Let me thank my colleagues Sylvester Reyes and John Conyers, our Intelligence and Judiciary Committee chairmen, for their hard work. I am pleased that we have resolved this critical national security issue through bipartisan negotiations between the administration and the Congress. I want to particularly commend Steny Hoyer, our majority leader, and our Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, for their leadership in reaching this landmark legislation.

The bill before us is a great improvement over the Senate bill in that it provides for more rigorous review of electronic surveillance activities. It gives the courts a meaningful role in determining if telecommunication firms are entitled to civil liability protection.

From my perspective as chairman of the Armed Services Committee, the bill strongly supports the intelligence needs of those who wear the uniform. Every day, American men and women deployed in harm's way depend on electronic surveillance capabilities to achieve their missions. Because of this bill and the work that has been done in this Congress, especially the Intelligence Committee and the Judiciary Committee, I thank them, and at the end of the day the young men and young women will be the beneficiaries of this strong legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6304, the FISA Amendments Act of 2008.

The bipartisan compromise before us today strikes the right balance between providing our intelligence community with the tools they need to find and fight terrorists, and protecting our constitutional rights.

I want to thank my colleagues, Silvestre Reyes and John Conyers, our Intelligence and Judiciary Committee Chairmen, for their hard work in bringing a strong bill to the floor today.

I am pleased that we have resolved this critical national security issue through bipartisan negotiations between the Administration and the Congress and I want to particularly commend Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer for their leadership in reaching this landmark legislation.

The bill before us today is a great improvement over the Senate bill in that it provides for more rigorous review of electronic surveillance activities, and gives the courts a meaningful role in determining if telecommunications firms are entitled to civil liability protection.

From my perspective, as the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, this bill strongly supports the intelligence needs of our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. Every day, American men and women deployed in harm's way depend on the electronic surveillance capabilities to achieve their missions. This legislation ensures continued delivery of this intelligence to our warfighters.

Again, I want to congratulate Chairman Reyes and Chairman Conyers or bringing this strong bill to the floor, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this vital national security measure.

Madam Speaker, let me take this opportunity to recognize Commander R. Trevor King, United States Navy, for his service to the House Armed Services Committee as a member of the Navy's congressional liaison team.

A native of Thousand Oaks, California, in 1991, Commander King earned an economics degree from the U.S. Naval Academy. Since that time, he has served his country well in various posts and in numerous operations. He has received the Commander Naval Surface Forces Battle Efficiency ``E'' for excellence award two years in a row.

In August, Commander King will begin the curriculum at the National War College during which time he will complete his Joint Professional Military Education. Following that assignment, he will likely be assigned as commanding officer of one of the Navy's surface combatants.

I am certain that the Members of the House will join me in honoring Commander R. Trevor King, his wife, Robynn, and his daughters, Erika and Caitlynn, for their outstanding and continued service to our country.

Madam Speaker, let me recognize the service of Major General Randal R. Castro as his career comes to an end after 33 years of dedicated service in the United States Army.

Major General Castro began his distinguished career upon graduation from the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York in 1975, where he received his bachelor's degree. In addition to a master's degree in civil engineering from Stanford University, his military education includes the Engineer Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the U.S. Naval War College where he earned a master's degree in national security and strategic studies and subsequently served as a Professor.

During his 33 years of service to the nation, Major General Castro held a variety of command and staff assignments. These range from the platoon to the army level, held engineer battalion and brigade command, served as Commanding General, U.S. Army Pacific and South Atlantic Engineer Divisions, and served as Special Assistant to the Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. Prior to assuming his current duties, Major General Castro served concurrently as Commandant, U.S. Army Engineer School, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and Commanding General, U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center, also at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where he oversaw the Army's Engineer, Military Police and Chemical Schools.

Major General Castro's decorations and awards include: the Distinguished Service Medal; Legion of Merit (with three oak leaf clusters); Meritorious Service Medal (with two oak leaf clusters); Army Commendation Medal (with four oak leaf clusters); Navy Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; and the Parachutist Badge.

Major General Castro currently serves as the Deputy Director, Defense Threat Reduction Agency. In this capacity, Major General Castro helps safeguard America and its allies from Weapons of Mass Destruction by providing capabilities to reduce, eliminate, and respond to the threats posed by such weapons. I'm certain that the Members of the House will join me in honoring Major General Randal R. Castro for his outstanding service to our country.

Madam Speaker, let me take this time to recognize my good friend and our former colleague, Congressman Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, who recently received the Harry S. Truman Award for Public Service from the City of Independence, Missouri. This award is given annually to honor a distinguished public servant who best exemplifies the characteristics of President Harry S. Truman.

Congressman Richard Gephardt grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and in 1958 graduated from Southwest High School. He is an Eagle Scout and is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. In 1962, he earned a bachelor of science degree at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and earned a law degree from the University of Michigan in 1965. After law school, Congressman Gephardt practiced law and set forth on a distinguished public service career that included serving the American people in military uniform and in elected office. From 1965 to 1971, Congressman Gephardt served in the Missouri Air National Guard. From 1968 to 1971, he served as a Democratic committeeman in St. Louis, and from 1971 to 1976, he served as a St. Louis alderman.

In 1976, Gephardt ran for and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. From 1977 to 2005, Congressman Gephardt served the people of Missouri and our country with distinction and quickly became a leader within the Democratic Caucus. In 1984, he was elected chairman of the House Democratic Caucus and was elected House majority leader in 1989. He subsequently served as House minority leader from 1994 to 2005. Gephardt also twice ran for the Democratic Presidential nomination, in 1988 and in 2004. After retiring from Congress in 2005, Gephardt formed a consulting and public policy development firm.

Madam Speaker, Congressman Richard A. Gephardt exemplifies the best of American public service. He is so very deserving of the Harry S. Truman Award, and I know my colleagues in the House will join me in congratulating him, his wife, Jane, and their lovely family for their years of dedication to the American people.

Madam Speaker, let me take this means to recognize the long and selfless career of Dr. Bill LaHue of Lexington, Missouri. Dr. LaHue has spent over 35 years as a dedicated general practitioner in the field of medicine.

Dr. LaHue received his BA and MD Degrees from the University of Missouri before completing his internship at Kansas City General Hospital and his residency at Tampa (FL) General Hospital and St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City. He began his practice in general surgery in Lexington, Missouri, in 1972, and has served the needs of his community and the surrounding area since that time.

Dr. LaHue was recently named Presiding Chief of the Tribe of Mic-O- Say, an honorary Boy Scout Organization of the Heart of America Council, which serves over 45,000 youth. This honor is the highest recognition within the Scouting Organization. This prestigious award comes with the responsibilities of conducting council meetings and presiding over council ceremonies for the course of one year, after which Dr. LaHue will remain a chief, but no longer the presiding officer.

Dr. Bill LaHue continues to practice medicine in Lexington and remains an active member of his church and community. I trust that the Members of the House will join me in thanking Dr. LaHue for his devotion to the youth of our Nation.

Madam Speaker, let me take this means to recognize the distinguished

service of Janet Fagan-McNulty, as her career comes to an end. Mrs. Fagan-McNulty has spent more than 39 years dedicated to the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Army.

In 1972, Mrs. Fagan-McNulty began her career with the Federal Government working for the Department of Agriculture and eventually joining Army's Office of the Chief of Legislative Liaison. In 1988, Mrs. Fagan-McNulty was appointed Deputy Chief of the Congressional Inquiry Division tasked with a number of special missions directed by the Secretary of the Army, including Operation Quick Look. From these successes she was ultimately promoted to Chief of the Congressional Inquiry Division.

During her tenure, Mrs. Fagan-McNulty has guided the division and organization through numerous major events. Some of these events consist of the period during the Cold War, Grenada, Panama, Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, the tragedy of September 11th, and Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.

Currently, Mrs. Janet Fagan-McNulty is leading a dedicated team as Chief of the Congressional Inquiry Division, Office of the Chief of Legislative Liaison. I am certain that Members of the House will join me in thanking Janet Fagan-McNulty for her commitment and contributions to our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, let me take this opportunity to congratulate a fellow Missourian, David Cook, winner of American Idol: Season 7.

Here are some pertinent facts:

Native of Blue Springs, Missouri;

While attending Blue Springs High School performed in The Music Man, West Side Story, and Singin' in the Rain;

Cook formed the band, Axium, his junior year of high school, for which he was the lead singer and guitarist. In 2004, Axium, was chosen the best band in Kansas City and was

recognized nationally as one of the top 15 independent bands;

He was a 2006 graduate of the University of Central Missouri with a degree in graphic design;

Upon completion of college, he released his first solo independent album, Analog Heart, which was chosen the fourth-best CD released in 2006;

It is worth noting that David Cook did not originally plan to audition for American Idol; he traveled to Omaha, Nebraska to support his younger brother Andrew;

Cook was often seen playing his electric guitar while performing on American Idol;

He received 56 percent of the vote; 97 million votes were cast.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, this is a technical corrections amendment to H.R. 5658, as reported by the Committee on Armed Services on May 16 of this year, and I certainly hope it will be adopted and I so move.

I yield.

I yield back, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, this is an amendment that deals with a very difficult situation that has arisen in recent years: the cooperation, or I should say, the lack of cooperation between various departments of our government that relate to national security. This in particular, however, deals with just the Defense Department and the State Department. We had a historic hearing in our committee touching on this subject with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State testifying side by side.

This amendment provides both the Congress and the executive branch with specific recommendations by a specified panel to key issues based on practical experience. It will also serve as a useful tool to guide future congressional efforts in this area and demonstrate congressional commitment to long-term solutions and cooperation.

I wish to compliment my friend and colleague from California for his assistance on this as well, Mr. Berman, and I might say this also is a bipartisan amendment. Several people, the gentleman on the Armed Services Committee on the other side of the aisle, are strongly in favor of it, as well as on the Democratic side.

I also wish to thank, besides Mr. Berman, Nita Lowey for her cosponsorship of this particular amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

At this time, I yield 3 minutes to my friend, the coauthor of this amendment, the gentleman from California (Mr. Berman) who is the distinguished chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and, as I mentioned, a cosponsor of the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to my friend, my colleague, the gentlelady from California (Mrs. Davis) who is the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel of our Armed Services Committee.

At this time, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin), who is a member on leave from our Armed Services Committee.

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

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

Mr. Chairman, let me take this opportunity to say a special thanks to those who worked so hard and so long on this issue. Number one is recognizing the problem, number two is doing something about it.

Now, it really crosses more than two departmental lines or two committee lines, the Defense and the Foreign Affairs. This is a major step in the right direction, and Congress is doing something about it.

Let me say special thanks, first, to our ranking member, Mr. Hunter, to Dr. Snyder, Mrs. Davis of California, Mr. Thornberry of Texas, Mr. Murtha, of course cosponsor Mr. Berman, cosponsor Mrs. Lowey, Mr. Cooper, who chaired the panel on Roles and Missions, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Langevin and Mr. Geoff Davis. I'm sure there are others that have worked on it, but those need special recognition for the efforts that they put forth in this.

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

I do have at least one additional speaker, Mr. Chairman.

Pursuant to section 4 of House Resolution 1218, and as the chairman of the Committee on Armed Services, I request that, during further consideration of H.R. 5658 in the Committee of the Whole, and following consideration of the en bloc amendments, the following amendments be considered in the following order: amendment No. 6, amendment No. 23, amendment No. 33, amendment No. 8, amendment No. 15, amendment No. 26, amendment No. 50, amendment No. 53.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to my friend from Tennessee, (Mr. Cooper).

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

Mr. Chairman, I strongly oppose this amendment.

Back in law school when you had a question, the instructor would say, ``Read it. What does it say?'' And this amendment says that $163 million is attained from a military personnel account and from the health care account for our troops. That's what it says.

Let's be clear. The personnel account deals with pay and benefits and the health care for our military community. Cutting that is not acceptable.

Let me explain. The subcommittee system in the Armed Services Committee does a good job. This particular program, the Future Combat System, was scrubbed. As a matter of fact, some items in it were plussed up by several millions of dollars. Nothing well beyond 2015 was touched. It has come in at an estimate of nearly actually twice what the original estimate was.

I just think it's wrong to take this money or attempt to take this money from these accounts which take care of our troops. We are doing our best to increase the readiness of our troops, and readiness also touches families, families' attitude whether someone will re-enlist and keep the skills in uniform or whether they will go home and not remain part of our military.

Consequently, I think this is just a wrong amendment and I do oppose it.

Mr. Chairman, we're talking about the amendment in front of us. That's what I think people should read. Not something else. Not something that is not on point in the middle of the discussion before us today.

Read it. It takes money from the personnel account and from the health care account. That's not treating the troops right.

Mr. Chairman, pursuant to H. Res. 1218, I offer amendments en bloc.

Mr. Chairman, I urge the Committee to adopt the amendments en bloc, all of which have been examined by the majority as well as the minority.

Mr. Chairman, I yield at this time 1 minute to my friend from Maryland, from the Armed Services Committee (Mr. Cummings).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to my friend, the gentlelady from California (Ms. Watson).

I yield 2 minutes to my colleague and good friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr).

I yield 1 minute to my friend, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio).

Madam Chairman, I yield 1 minute to our colleague, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Yarmuth).

I yield 1 minute to my friend, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

At this time, I yield 1 minute to my friend and also a member of the Armed Services Committee, the gentlelady from New Hampshire (Ms. Shea-Porter).

Madam Chairman, I yield 1 minute to my friend, the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy).

I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Washington (Mr Inslee).

I thank the gentleman from Washington.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

In doing so, I want to reflect on the work that the subcommittees do in the Armed Services Committee. The gentlelady from California (Mrs. Tauscher) chairs the subcommittee that deals with this subject matter that Mr. Franks seeks to amend. Hearings, witnesses, briefings discussions, markups, all of that goes into the work product that this gentlelady's subcommittee did. And for us to second-guess on anything of this magnitude or on any subject that has been studied as thoroughly as this one has, and I compliment all the members of that subcommittee on the work that they did.

I think it would be improper to do so, and I do oppose this amendment.

I thank the gentleman for yielding. I also wish to compliment him on this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, there was a lot of hard work that went into this, and what it would do is add the Clean Contracting Act of 2008 to national security and defense. It compiles provisions that have already passed the House or would extend acquisition reforms passed for the Department of Defense in prior authorization bills in identical form. It also adds a couple of new measures.

This Waxman amendment complements last year's bill in which we extended several of the reforms beyond the Department of Defense, and it also included several bills that have already passed, such as the Contractors and Federal Spending Accountability Act offered by Representative Maloney, the Close the Contractor Fraud Loophole Act offered by Mr. Welch, and the Government Contractor Accountability Act offered by Mr. Chris Murphy.

There's a lot of hard work that goes into this. And we are always going to have difficulties in the acquisition process and the contracting process. But this is a major step in that direction, and I favor it.

Mr. Chairman, this is really a reflection of constitutionality. This refers to any agreement that requires the United States to take action on behalf of an ally in the face of an attack. This is one that is an agreement that is a security agreement, and it requires either a treaty ratified by the United States Senate or a provision passed by the entire Congress of the United States.

It's unclear, for instance, that if the Iraqis could repel any external invasion or address a serious internal threat without America that the United States could avoid being involved against its will in such a situation. Quite honestly, it is a requirement that the Constitution be followed. A security agreement, by the way, is different from a Status of Forces Agreement. I favor the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, this is first-year law school discussion. If you read the amendment offered by the gentlelady, it makes reference to 1212(a)(1)(a)(4). It applies only to this. I read that section: ``Any security agreement, arrangement, or assurance that obligates the United States to respond to internal or external threats against Iraq.'' That doesn't say a thing, not a blooming thing about Status of Forces Agreement. So that is what we are talking about. That is why a treaty is required or a consent of Congress.

Mr. Chairman, I go back to the basics, and that is, read the amendment before you. This amendment asks that the Secretaries jointly establish and operate a temporary program to offer employment as translators, interpreters, et cetera. This is not a mandate in the words at all that are before us. Under this amendment, these Iraqis must have assisted our country in Iraq for at least a year and be here in the United States legally.

As a practical matter, these are the Iraqis who have been brought to our country under the legislation offered by my good friend Duncan Hunter that was included in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2 years ago, which is good language. We are also not talking about a large number of people. We are talking about 760 people who have been brought to the United States.

I think we can do something for them. I think a careful reading of the amendment will solve a lot of discussion today. Mr. Israel is right.

Mr. Chairman, pursuant to H. Res. 1218, I offer amendments en bloc.

Mr. Chairman, I urge the committee to adopt the amendments en bloc that have just been offered, all of which have been examined by both the majority and the minority.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield 1 minute to my friend, the gentlelady from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro).

I yield 1 minute at this time to a friend, the gentlelady from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky).

I yield 1 minute to my friend, my colleague, the gentlelady from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).

I yield 1 minute to my good friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff).

At this time, I yield 1 minute to a friend, a member of the Committee on Armed Services, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Sestak).

I yield back on this en bloc amendment.

Madam Chairman, I reserve the right to object, and I will not object.

Madam Chairman, I think we should point out the fact that the base bill to which you just referred voids an executive order where the President said that any language in a project, in a program, report language, could not be put into force and effect and that it had to be in bill language. It sounds good, but in truth, in fact, what happens if that is the case, whatever is in bill language on a program or project, whatever the case may be, may not be reprogrammed. You're stuck with it.

For instance, I signed, together with my friend Duncan Hunter, a reprogramming on Future Combat Systems within the last 3 or 4 weeks for well over $100 million, and it should have been. We did the right thing. And if the executive order were in full force and effect and if that had been in report language, it would all have been for naught and Mr. Hunter and I could not have agreed to that very, very important reprogramming which should have been done.

So you're throwing the cat out with the kittle.

Madam Chairman, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Will the gentleman yield?

From time to time you and I are asked to authorize reprogramming that the Pentagon asked for; is that not correct?

Let me ask. If the program were in bill language, the Pentagon request to reprogram could not be authorized by you and me. Is that correct?

Thank you.

I think back lo those many years ago to a time when I was prosecuting attorney of Lafayette County and had the opportunity to witness our sheriff, deputy sheriff or Missouri Highway Patrol interrogating people who were suspects of various

different offenses, and I shudder to think what if we had contracted that out to someone who had not been fully trained on the one hand and who did not understand the law or the rules and regulations under which interrogations must be conducted.

Fast forward to today and the interrogation of detainees. I think a governmental function that is as important as interrogating detainees should be a function of the government.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Let's really look at what we are talking about. It is important to note that the amendment allows the Secretary of Defense to classify videotapes. Under the existing rules--by the way, there are three theater internment facilities in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. Under those rules, one can only be held 14 days. But any interrogation between the time of capture and the time a person is entered in the theater internment facility does not have to be videotaped.

Let me say at the outset that it's important that this school continue to succeed. It does yeoman's work, not just in educating, but in building fences between our country and those in Latin America. The military culture reigns, as it should, and friendships are formed through the years.

And I think that transparency as to who goes, who graduates, and the fact that names and pictures are put in the advertising brochures lets everyone know that this is not such a secret thing.

Openness is important. The Defense Department, up until 2005, released the names of instructors to the public under the Freedom of Information Act. I think, in order for this school to be fully transparent and successful, it should allow the names to be made public.

Madam Chairman, I was sorely distressed when I learned of the fact that there were a good number of former military officers that were given special access, many of whom had conflicts of interest in various defense businesses, and they were considered military television analysts.

You see, people in the military are trusted by Americans. People who are retired military are trusted by Americans. And what's interesting is that this special group had special access to information in the Pentagon and obviously used that in their analysis when talking of the Middle East on television. And what's really interesting is the fact that their special access was canceled.

Gathering information, Madam Chairman, on Iraq's nuclear program is an important priority for our Congress. The November, 2007, National Intelligence Estimate provided the needed reappraisal of Iran's nuclear intentions and capabilities. This amendment is sure that that assessment process continues.

Given the differing conclusions between the then-NIE and its predecessor and their analysis of the status of Iran's nuclear program, it's appropriate that we continue to receive reports. This amendment details specific information necessary for congressional oversight, which we have been stressing in our committee all year long. This amendment replaces and improves on the text of our committee, which was of course approved on a bipartisan basis in our committee markup last week. This amendment appropriately identifies the Director of National Intelligence as the official to provide that assessment.

I think it's an excellent amendment. I thank the gentleman from South Carolina for clarifying the text and replacing it with this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve a point of order.

Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my point of order, and I rise in opposition to the motion.

Mr. Speaker, it's very difficult for me to understand or believe that a motion on the bill named in honor of our good friend and colleague, Duncan Hunter, is being sent back with the word ``promptly'' when everyone knows that under rule XXI, clause 2 of our House rules, a motion to recommit using the word ``promptly'' with instructions sends the bill back to committee and kills it.

Mr. Boehner just spoke a moment ago about this being the last time this bill would be considered. I trust he would vote against this motion to recommit. Because if this motion prevails, along with it goes a pay raise, health benefits, so many good things for those wonderful troops that we support.

The committee would be forced to take it up, and it would come back and then be subject to a point of order because it violates the PAYGO rules. I'm surprised and shocked and saddened at this because, Mr. Speaker, there has

never been, in the history of this body, a motion to recommit using the word ``promptly,'' which would have the effect of killing the bill.

I recognize my friend from Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I yield now to the majority leader, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).

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

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Clerk be authorized to make technical corrections in the engrossment of H.R. 5658, including corrections in spelling, punctuation, section and title numbering, cross-referencing, conforming amendments to the table of contents and short titles, and the insertion of appropriate headings, and division designations.