Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time, and let me compliment my friend and colleague from Arizona for offering this resolution.

It was November 11, 1941. My father, another Ike Skelton, was the best known orator in Lafayette County, and he was invited to speak to the Odessa, Missouri, High School assembly on Armistice Day. By prearrangement with my teacher, he took me out of grade school and we drove to Odessa. I sat in the back of the Odessa student body while I watched the program. The students put on a skit in Army uniform with the leggings and the drill sergeant hat and bass drums simulating artillery, and then my father spoke.

Being a Navy veteran of the First World War, he spoke as a veteran. He said to that student body audience, November 11, 1941, that there are those in this audience that may well have to fight for our freedoms once again. How prophetic he was, because not long thereafter, less than a month, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and Adolf

Hitler the following day declared war on our country. Two of the young men graduating from that high school class of May 1942 gave their lives in Germany on the battlefield.

In the closing part of my father's speech to those students that day, he recited the poem that came out of the Great War written by a Major John McCrae:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

Our torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate that we pass this resolution and that we pay honor to those in uniform of yesteryear and that we express appreciation and gratitude for those who defend the freedoms of our country today.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise to urge my colleagues to support this national defense authorization bill. I will leave aside my disappointment on the rule. We are past that, and we are now discussing the bill in general debate.

This bill is a good bill. It is a solid bill, and I wish first to thank the chairman, the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) for his work, for his collegial markup, and for his leadership on the bill, as it was in the committee and reported to the House. We thank the gentleman for that.

This bill is an important one because it funds the military for a year, which is good news for the United States military. For those in uniform at the individual level, it makes a number of improvements on how our soldiers live. Most significantly, it raises the cap on family housing construction. Military service can weigh heavy on a family, and I believe it is much easier for a deployed soldier to know that the family back home is living in decent conditions.

The 3.5 percent larger paycheck, of course, helps. The bill also increases the end strength, that is, the troop strength of the Army and Marine Corps. Since 1995, I have been urging this and as a result in the supplemental part, the $25 billion part of this bill, which is something which should have been done and is done, we are increasing the Army in strength by 10,000, 30,000 over 3 years; and the Marine Corps by 3,000, 9,000 over 3 years.

More broadly, the bill provides funding for the next few months of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. I was disappointed to receive a budget request that pretended we could not foresee at least some of the level of military activity. I recently wrote that, based on historical precedent, U.S. forces may be in Iraq for the next 50 years.

Whether that is true or not, we can be sure they will be there for more than 3 months.

We are in a war. Neither the country nor this Congress was united in initiating the conflict, but we stand now as one with the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines fighting it. I expect that much of the debate over the next 2 days will concern Iraq, and rightly so. Let me mention two points, if I may.

First, events of recent weeks, from open questions relating to the transition of sovereignty, to real questions about the role of private military contractors providing security services, to the disturbing events at Abu Ghraib prison highlight the Congress's need to get better information and to take our oversight role more seriously. These are issues critical to our country's security and to our role in the world. This bill makes some steps in those directions.

Second, though, it is important that we not let a focus on the current conflict blind us to the needs of the future. This bill says fiscal year 2005; but the force structures, platforms and policies addressed in it will shape the military for 40 years or more. We have to be prepared for the full range of threats to our Nation and its interests.

We have learned lessons from the past. We have learned some real-life lessons from attempting to rapidly acquire equipment to protect our forces in Iraq. Those lessons have been incorporated into this bill where there is streamlining acquisition language to help protect those who are in harm's way.

I am disappointed in the bill's approach to nuclear weapons development and not going further to fund the foreseeable costs of our current operations. I was disappointed, too, that the amendment of the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda Sanchez) to conform the Uniform Code of Military Justice was not allowed to be on this floor.

But, Mr. Chairman, we are at war. A few moments ago, we paid tribute to those who have served and do serve in uniform on a resolution involving the poppy, which we all wear. But the best thing we can do for those currently serving is to pass this bill to make sure they have the wherewithal to continue fighting and keeping the peace and stability in those far corners of the world. It is one way to say thank you, we support you, not just in words but by our votes today.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz), the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Readiness.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New

York (Mr. Israel), a member of the committee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes), ranking member on the Strategic Forces Subcommittee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner), the ranking member of the Select Committee on Homeland Security and a member of the Committee on Armed Services.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt), the ranking member on the Committee on the Budget and also a distinguished member of the Committee on Armed Services.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Projection Forces.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Snyder), the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Total Force.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez), a member of the Committee on Armed Services.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cooper), a member of our Committee on Armed Services.

Mr. Chairman, may I inquire of the time remaining, please.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

(Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis), a member of the Committee on Armed Services.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Meehan), the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Terrorism and Unconventional Threats and Capabilities.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Sanders).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio).

If the gentleman will yield, I am familiar with the article and I have asked my staff to make official inquiry with the Reserve component of the United States Army to answer this.

I think coercion is certainly absolutely wrong. I would say to the gentleman that we would do everything we could to correct the mistake. I am certainly positive that the military would stand behind a mistake that they made.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren).

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

May I respond to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham), my friend. I am most appreciative of his kind words.

This is a very important bill, Mr. Chairman. We are at war. Needless to say, a lot of legislative work went into this bill, and of course there are some disappointments that go along with it. But the bottom line is, it is going to be very helpful in both the anti-guerrilla effort in Iraq and the antiterrorism effort in Afghanistan as well as supporting the troops all over the globe.

Cicero once said that gratitude is the greatest of all virtues, and through this legislation, in our own way, Mr. Chairman, we are expressing our gratitude to the young men and young women who wear the uniform of our country. We thank them for doing their duty, for understanding what their duty is, for being professionals at what they are, and bottom line, being patriotic.

So we thank them in so many ways, in the amendments and in the paragraphs and the figures, as well as in the speeches in this Chamber, the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), my friend, our chairman, and Members on both sides of the aisle.

So, Mr. Chairman, I fully support the bill. And at the end of this debate, I say thank you to the troops and I thank the majority, especially our chairman, for the cooperation that we have had.

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

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

Mr. Chairman, all one has to do is listen to the debate that we have had on this floor today. We are short of troops in the United States Army. We help correct that in this bill by authorizing, through the supplemental, 10,000 additional Army troops, 3,000 additional Marine troops; and, hopefully, this will continue for the next 3 years.

We are short of troops. Go anywhere you can and talk to our soldiers, whether it be here within the continental United States, Fort Leonard Wood, or wherever, Fort Jackson, you pick it, or go somewhere overseas; go to Iraq, Afghanistan, and talk to those young folks in uniform. They are stretched, and they are strained. As a matter of fact, we brought it up on the floor earlier today; 4,000 Army soldiers are being transferred out of South Korea, a brigade, into Iraq.

This is exhibit A. It is not a good idea to do this. This is for Border Patrol and police work.

Mr. Chairman, I claim time.

I will support the amendment, but I claim the time to speak.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I do support the amendment; however, if I may, I wish to point out a couple of things.

The Hunter-Meehan language that is in the base bill takes a major step towards this whole matter of the Abu Ghraib Prison situation, which of course is deplorable, and I think it is a good provision that is already in the bill.

I wish, however, that four Democratic amendments had been made in order on the prisoner abuse situation: one by the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Dicks) that specifically lists prohibited interrogation techniques, which makes them very clear; one by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel) that requires very detailed reporting on the role of contractors as interrogators; one by the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price) that would close loopholes in existing law on how contractors who commit crimes can be prosecuted; and one by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), which would make a database of detainee names available to families and create an international commission to monitor detainee treatment.

Each one of those, individually and collectively, I think, would have made this bill all the better.

But I must express my position in support of this amendment, because we do know that there are major steps to be taken, and we further know that there are so many young men and young women doing positive work in Iraq and Afghanistan; and we hope that the terrible and deplorable situation in that prison that has dominated the news now for a good number of days does not detract from their excellent work.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), as the ranking member of the Committee on Government Reform.

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

In line with my responsibility for oversight, I made a request a good number of days ago in a letter to the President asking when the White House, when the Defense Department, when the State Department received the International Red Cross report that was provided to me just recently, but dated back in February of this year.

In line with that, I am expecting to hear from the White House day by day, and I call them day by day. That is part of my oversight responsibility, to find out these matters as to when they received that International Red Cross document concerning the prison abuse.

Hopefully, they will get an answer to me to help me fulfill my oversight responsibility.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman).

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

I have made my statement regarding my request to the White House for the information, and I hope I do not have to make another phone call tomorrow to receive the letter.

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

Mr. Chairman, I happen to think the gentleman has a good amendment. In my opening statement on the bill in the committee, if the gentleman will recall, I suggested this very, very strongly. And without going into great detail, I will just reiterate what I said then and I will agree with the amendment of the gentleman.

Mr. Chairman, let me take a moment. I rise in support of this amendment offered by my good friend from Florida.

When the Secretary of Defense appeared before the House Committee on Armed Services testifying about the prison abuses, he stated he could not possibly monitor each of the thousands of ongoing cases which might be important enough to warrant his needed attention. He does not need to do that. He needs to monitor only those ones that have potential strategic impact; and during that hearing and in subsequent discussions and investigations, it has become apparent that he has no mechanism to lift those sorts of matters to his attention expeditiously.

The gentleman from Florida's (Mr. Meek) amendment does just that, and I support it.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chairman, I think this is a good amendment, and I join the gentleman; and I urge its adoption.

We support the Iraqis. Everyone in America knows that, and we are supporting them with nearly 140,000 troops, $87 billion-plus in reconstruction funds, and I think the Americans expect this oil-rich country to help pay for reconstruction. This is not unreasonable to expect that they start investing in their own future as well.

As their oil sector recovers, they should be reinvesting those revenues in their own future. I think all across our country people will say why not, what is wrong with the Iraqis paying for their very own reconstruction and helping us in the process.

So I congratulate the gentleman, and I urge the adoption of this.

Mr. Chairman, as the designee of the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter), I offer an amendment.

The Chairman pro tempore. The Clerk will designate the amendment.

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

I urge the adoption of this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time at this moment.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter), the principal author of this amendment, and that she be allowed to control that time.

Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, and I shall not object at this point, but I wish to offer a brief explanation to one aspect of one of the amendments addressed by this request offered by the gentleman from California, and I do so on behalf of my colleague, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Marshall).

Mr. Speaker, if you read the text of the amendment, it is very difficult to decipher, so the unanimous consent request makes in order this amendment to correct a mistake in the drafting of the bill. The amendment proposes to add a military construction project to replace the fire crash/rescue station for Warner Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. The amendment offsets this addition by deleting another military construction project, the Visitors Quarters at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida.

With that explanation, Mr. Speaker, I agree with the chairman in his request.

Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Mr. Speaker, let me take this means to recognize Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc. The organization, which provides support and encouragement to families of law enforcement officers who have given their lives, observes its 20th anniversary on May 14. The organization, also known as COPS, has grown into an international non- profit organization comprised of 13,000 families in the United States, with an affiliate in the United Kingdom.

The genesis of COPS occurred in 1983, when ten survivors of fallen officers gathered to talk about the difficulties they faced when their loved ones were killed. Within a year they decided there was a need for a support organization that could understand the trauma inflicted on surviving families and agencies when an officer was killed in the line of duty.

COPS was officially organized on May 14, 1984, with 110 police survivors attending the first National Police Survivors' Conference in Washington, DC. It organized independently from other police organizations in order to allow members to reach out to any survivor regardless of their loved one's police organization affiliation.

COPS sponsors weekend retreats for surviving spouses, parents, adult children, siblings, and in-laws. The organization also hosts a week- long summer camp and a weekend wilderness experience in the Colorado Rockies for surviving children. With funding from the Department of Justice, COPS presents training that teaches officers how to help surviving families, affected co-workers, and communities deal with the tragedy of line-of-duty deaths.

Mr. Speaker, COPS is providing an important service to those families and coworkers of officers who have lost their lives. From humble beginnings in a basement office to a brand new facility in Camdenton, Missouri, COPS has brought healing and support to those who have lost a friend or loved one. I know my fellow Members will join with me in thanking members of this organization for their work and dedication.

Mr. Speaker, I have the regrettable duty to inform the House of the death of Rev. Tracy Allen Carroll of Camdenton, MO.

Reverend Carroll was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, and was raised in Des Moines, Iowa, where he was baptized at the Park Avenue Christian Church. He attended Northwest Christian College in Eugene, OR, where he met Colleen Troxell, whom he married in 1980. In Eugene, Reverend Carroll was ordained at the Allison Park Christian Church after earning his Masters of Divinity from Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX, in 1988.

Reverend Carroll served many communities in Oregon and Texas, and arrived in Missouri to minister to the people of Cape Girardeau and Camdenton. He also spent a year in Tokyo, Japan, and served as chaplain at the Edna Galdney Maternity Home and Adoption Agency in Fort Worth,

Mr. Speaker, May 8, 2004, will mark the 120th anniversary of the birth of Harry S Truman in the town of Lamar, Missouri. He would go on to serve in the military in World War I and hold elected office as judge, United States senator, Vice President, and President of the United States. His is a story and a life that we can all learn from.

Harry Truman answered the call to duty in World War I. He helped organize the 2nd Regiment of Missouri Field Artillery. The regiment was called into Federal service, renamed the 129th Field Artillery, and sent to serve on the battlefields of France. Earning the confidence of his fellow soldiers, Truman rose quickly to the rank of captain and was given the command of the regiment's Battery D, a regiment that still exists today in the Missouri National Guard.

Truman entered elected office in 1922, successfully seeking the position of Jackson County Court judge. Following winning campaigns for presiding judge of the Jackson County Court in 1924 and 1930, Judge Truman sought and won the office of United States Senator for Missouri in 1934.

Senator Truman won reelection in 1940. In the Senate, he distinguished himself in the passage of the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938, the Transportation Act of 1940, and as the chairman of the Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program.

In July, 1944, the Democratic Party nominated Harry Truman to run for Vice President with President Franklin Roosevelt. With President Roosevelt's unexpected death, Harry Truman was sworn in as President only eighty-two days after taking the vice-presidential oath.

President Truman's first year saw some of the most significant events of the twentieth century. The death of Adolf Hitler and the end of the European front in World War II was soon followed by Truman's courageous decision to drop two atomic bombs on Japan, bringing a quick surrender and an end to the war. Truman's first year also saw the creation of the United Nations and the first steps into the century's next great struggle: the Cold War.

Truman tackled the Communist challenge with a singular determination. The Truman Doctrine enunciated the willingness of the United States to provide military assistance to countries determined to fight Communist forces. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization created a wall between the free nations of Western Europe and the communist forces of the Warsaw Pact. As President Truman sought to guarantee Western Europe's physical security, through the Marshall Plan he worked to secure the economies of America's European allies. In the ultimate show of his resolve to fight Communism on every front, President Truman responded with military force to an invasion of South Korea.

Following his years as President, Harry Truman returned to Independence, Missouri. He took to calling himself ``Mr. Citizen''. His daily walks became a popular local story that soon spread nationwide. After all of the extraordinary events he witnessed and in which he participated, Harry Truman desired no more than to return to a simple life.

Mr. Speaker, President Truman left us with the phrase, ``the buck stops here''. It is a philosophy of life that all Americans could learn from and is one reason why he has the respect of both Republicans and Democrats today. Harry Truman was a valuable leader and a great president. I know my fellow Members will join me on this day in remembering his important contributions to the United States of America.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise with heavy heart, a heavy heart for two reasons. The first reason is that a group of American soldiers forgot that they were soldiers and they forgot that the middle name of a soldier is ``honor,'' in doing the despicable acts that they did in that prison. That breaks my heart. I know it breaks the hearts of Americans who saw those pictures and learned of those acts which border on the unspeakable.

But the seconds reason my heart is broken is that the occurrences happened between October and December of last year; they were reported in January of this year. A two star general in the Army, Major General Taguba was called to investigate and his report was rendered in February. And as ranking member on this committee, I found out about it this month, in May, not by any official sources, but through the news media.

Mr. Speaker, that also breaks my heart. We in Congress under the Constitution are the first of the three parts of government listed. We are the ones that raise the money and write the rules for those who serve in the military. We are an important part of the national security, and I think that we should be informed as quickly as possible when these very, very tragic occurrences happen.

Recently in the Wall Street Journal, on April 22, an administration official in response to the expenditure of appropriations funds regarding Iraq and the Middle East stated, ``If lawmakers do not ask questions, they do not get answers.''

Mr. Speaker, it is incumbent upon them to keep U.S. informed because we are the genesis of their funding. We are the genesis of the rules by which they in uniform operate and the defense of our Nation are concerned.

This error has become a mistake. The late John F. Kennedy once said, ``An error does not become a mistake until you refuse to correct it. Without debate, without criticism, no administration, no country can succeed and no republic can survive.''

We seem, Mr. Speaker, to have forgotten that.

I support this resolution, and I think it is necessary. It is a shameful series

of acts. I support this resolution because it deplores and condemns the abuse of those in custody. And it is not just about isolated cases of abuse. This incident could very well be the tipping of the security and reconstruction of Iraq. I hope that is wrong. But if we lose the trust of the Iraqi people, if we lose their hearts and minds, we cannot bring anything else effectively to that part of the world.

We must win back the trust, the safety of our troops, and the future of these citizens of Iraq. For that reason, I support this resolution. It urges the Secretary of the Army and the appropriate military authorities to complete a thorough investigation to bring anyone who committed crimes to justice. This applies regardless of who committed the crimes, military personnel, government agencies or private contractors.

The Iraqi people must see U.S. taking swift and strong action. As a matter of fact, we here in Congress and our chairman, the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), has announced that we will have a hearing on this very subject tomorrow in the hearing room 2118 at 3 o'clock with Secretary Rumsfeld. I think that is the right thing for the gentleman to have called, and I thank him for it publicly.

It is an important role for U.S. to have continuing oversight of this issue. We do need, in addition thereto, a congressional inquiry by the staff on the broader policy issues that were raised by this incident. I will underline that.

Finally, I believe this resolution appropriately points out that so many of our troops have served honorably, and the chairman is correct on that, done extraordinarily well in difficult circumstances.

Not long ago I attended a funeral over here at Arlington Cemetery of a staff sergeant from the Fourth District of Missouri, which I am privileged to represent. And these soldiers who forgot that they were soldiers caused his death, in so many respects, to have been in vain. We have to correct this and make sure that those who pay the ultimate sacrifice will be remembered and will be honored for the work that they do in Iraq to bring stability and some sort of representative government there.

We have to look at the chain of command. We have to look at the command atmosphere that allowed these occurrences to happen. So for this reason and the reason that we were not told promptly and the fact that we need not only the hearing tomorrow, which I am pleased we will have, we need a thorough investigation to go forward on this subject.

We must be successful in Iraq. We must show not just the Iraqi people, we must show the world the values of our country. We need to. And one way to do it is to proceed to investigate this and make this a very transparent, clear picture for the world to see.

Mr. Speaker, I thank you for this time. It would be well for those in authority to understand the admonition that sat on the desk of the late President Harry S Truman: ``The buck stops here.''

Keeping that in mind, let U.S. move forward and do the right thing, for the Iraqi people, for those who served so honorably and so well, and for those who paid for the sacrifice of their service. Let this be a reflection of the decency and honesty and thoroughness of the values of America in what we do.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), who is the ranking member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time we have remaining, please?

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman), who is the ranking member on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin) for the purpose of making a unanimous consent request.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), a senior member of the Committee on Appropriations.

Mr. Speaker, I yield for the purpose of making a unanimous consent request to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey).

(Ms. WOOLSEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), the ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield for the purpose of making a unanimous consent request to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson- Lee).

(Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt), the ranking member on the Committee on the Budget and also a senior member of the Committee on Armed Services.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), who is the minority whip.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the minority whip.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how many minutes are left.

Mr. Speaker, I yield for the purpose of making a unanimous consent request to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Olver).

(Mr. OLVER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks and include extraneous material.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I might say there was a serious attempt to have a bipartisan resolution today; but let me say that on this side we were not shown a draft until almost 6:30 last evening, and we were not permitted to share a copy with our leadership until 9:45. Our leadership was not given the opportunity to make a change on the draft that was given at that time, and we were not given a copy of the final version of the bill until after it had been introduced. When the leadership could not reach unanimous consent; we were not given the opportunity to offer an alternative, an amendment or even a motion to recommit. I was hoping we could do a better job of being bipartisan, but we are here and I intend to vote for this.

Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the minority leader.

Mr. Speaker, it has come to my attention that my good friend John Hemeyer will retire as Sheriff of Cole County, Missouri. He has held the office since 1986.

Sheriff Hemeyer has had a long and respected career in law enforcement. On the job, he is respected as a co-worker and boss. He has shown concern and a willingness to help those with whom he serves. He has personally touched the lives of countless Cole County residents. He has been described as always willing to enter any situation first, which is an admirable trait for those who serve the community as first responders.

For almost two decades, Sheriff Hemeyer has been willing to let those he serves, the people of Cole County, make the decision as to whether or not he would return as sheriff, and the voters have asked him to stay every time. This year, he has decided to take a well-deserved retirement. His decision to not seek another term was met with sadness and an outpouring of appreciation for his years of dedicated service and a job well done.

Mr. Speaker, I am sure the Members of the House will join me in honoring Sheriff Hemeyer for his years of service and in wishing him all the best in the days ahead.

Mr. Speaker, on April 26, 2004, we will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Polio Field Trials. This day holds

great significance for the American people and for our global community, for on April 26, 1954, on the grounds of Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean, Virginia, the first dose of the Salk Polio Vaccine was administered as part of the National Field Trial Program. In the months that followed, more than 1,800,000 school children, America's ``Polio Pioneers,'' participated in these trials. It was the largest peacetime volunteer mobilization in United States history, and it represents a remarkable act of collective courage and citizenship by the youngsters and adults who participated.

The crusade against poliomyelitis began at Warm Springs, Georgia, a spa where Franklin Delano Roosevelt first traveled in 1924, seeking the therapeutic effects of the warm spring waters. Other polio victims followed, and in 1926, Roosevelt purchased the entire property establishing the ``Warm Springs Foundation'' with former law partner Basil O'Connor. As the polio epidemic spread, in 1938, this Foundation grew into the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, emphasizing the nationwide significance and non-partisan character of the polio crusade. Believing that people could solve any problem if they worked together, Roosevelt appealed to the masses for financial help--asking the country to send their dimes directly to the White House, thus coining the phrase described by Comedian Eddie Cantor, ``March of Dimes''.

Over the next 17 years, the National Foundation focused on funding research to develop a vaccine against polio. While researchers worked tirelessly in their labs, volunteers helped polio victims and their families around the country. For a number of years, I served as the Lafayette County, Missouri, March of Dimes Secretary, helping to coordinate volunteer and fundraising efforts in my home area.

In 1948, with funding from the Foundation, Dr. Jonas Salk was able to grow the three known types of polio virus in his lab and eventually develop an experimental killed virus vaccine. In 1952, Salk tested the vaccine on children who'd already recovered from polio as well as himself and his family. The results were amazing. No one became inflicted with the disease as all volunteers had produced the needed antibodies.

In April 1954, nationwide testing of the vaccine began. The results of the field trials were clear. Statistics showed that the Salk vaccine was 80 to 90 percent effective in preventing polio. In the next four years, 450 million doses of the vaccine were administered, making it a standard fixture among childhood immunizations. As a result, in 1979, the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis officially changed its name to the March of Dimes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me today in commemorating April 26, 2004, as the 50th Anniversary of the Salk Polio Vaccine field trials and a day that truly holds great significance for the world.

Mr. Speaker, it is with sadness that I inform the House of the passing of Colonel (Retired) Aaron Bank earlier this month.

Colonel Bank, who was known as ``the father of the United States Army's Special Forces'' for his role in creating the unconventional warfare units that became known as the Green Berets, died of natural causes on April 1 at his home in Dana Point, CA. He was 101.

Colonel Bank, a native of New York City and fluent in both French and German, entered the Army in 1939. During World War II, he volunteered for the extremely hazardous duty of working behind enemy lines with the French Resistance and guerrilla forces as a member of the famous Jedburgh Teams. Often posing as civilians, he and his three-man team helped organize a guerrilla force of up to 2,000 men and women and led them on numerous hit-and-run missions throughout Nazi-occupied France.

Colonel Bank remained in the Army after the war and became an advocate for special operations units that could do the type of work carried out by the O.S.S. While serving with a combat unit in the Korean War in 1951, he was called back to Washington to work on the creation of guerrilla-style units within the United States Army. COL Bank's personal diligence was rewarded when the Army approved the special operations concept, and the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) was subsequently activated on June 19, 1952, under his personal leadership.

Special Forces, who first gained prominence while serving in Vietnam with their distinctive

green berets, are today deployed throughout the world working side-by- side with indigenous forces to combat global terrorism. America has such a capability because of this one man's vision and undaunted drive for excellence.

Mr. Speaker, our Special Operations Forces are among the best warriors this country has ever produced, and Colonel Aaron Bank stood at the forefront of that group. I am sure my fellow Members will join me in extending heartfelt condolences to his family, and in recognizing this great American for the service he offered his country. He was truly the quiet professional.

Mr. Chairman, first let me say that the amendment being offered today by my friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney), and by my next door neighbor back home, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt), is very important. It would ensure that adequate time is provided to the States holding continuity-of- government elections to ensure that overseas and deployed servicemembers have sufficient time in which to register and vote.

I would like to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier) also and the ranking member of the Committee on Rules, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Frost). Again, a special thanks to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt) for working with us. We had to work it out over a period of several days. And we appreciate, I think, at the end of the day, it is a very, very good amendment. So we thank them for that.

This act would require States to conduct expedited special elections in extraordinary circumstances which means that there are more than 100 vacancies in the House of Representatives. States would have 45 days in which to nominate candidates and hold elections to fill these congressional vacancies.

The deadly terrorist attacks on September 11 raised the Nation's awareness that a catastrophic assault on our country's soil was not just a historical event, but a constant threat that we truly must face. We are living in an environment where terrorists are willing to target unarmed civilians and innocent bystanders to call attention to their cause. Unlike military conflicts in the past, these extremists do not follow acceptable standards for rules of engagement under the Geneva Convention.

The threat of future terrorist attacks convinces me that we need to review the process by which we provide continuity of government in case of a catastrophic attack on Congress. However, any effort we undertake should not alienate or disenfranchise any American citizen, particularly those who volunteered or who serve at the point of the spear, American servicemembers.

This amendment would ensure that adequate time is provided to military members who are serving overseas to participate in the most basic right of this country's democracy, the right to vote.

The Department of Defense has been working with States to ensure that at least 45 days of transit time are provided during regular elections so that overseas and deployed members and other Americans stationed overseas have the opportunity to participate. To be fair to our men and women in uniform, States should provide 45 days from the time from which the ballot is mailed to the voter to the date by which the voter must return the ballot to the local election official.

The amendment that is offered today by the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt), the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney), and me simply seeks to ensure that servicemembers and American citizens who are stationed or deployed overseas may fully participate in this special electoral process. The amendment seeks no more than basic fairness.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, to protect the voting rights of those in uniform and those who serve so well and so ably overseas.

Mr. Speaker, let me take this means to recognize John Spaar, who will be assuming the office of President of the Missouri Press Association in 2005. He will be the third generation in his family to hold this office. His mother, Betty Spaar, and his grandfather, W.L. Simpson, preceded him.

The Missouri Press Association, first organized in 1867, is a voluntary membership of newspapers in the state. All daily newspapers and almost all weekly newspapers are members. Activities of the association include setting up workshops, seminars, conventions, publication of a magazine (The Missouri Press News), supplying information for members, and helping newspapers find skilled personnel. The association's greatest accomplishment has been the establishment of the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri- Columbia, the first school of journalism in the world. Today, the association continues to assist the school in placing graduates in outstanding jobs.

The Missouri Press Association is in the middle of a long-range planning process. Upon taking the reins of the association next

year, John Spaar will lead it in the early stages of this plan. He will also continue to direct the association's important work of monitoring legislation in Jefferson City.

Mr. Speaker, John Spaar currently serves as the 1st Vice President of the Missouri Press Association. I am sure the Members of the House will join me in thanking him for his contributions to the field of journalism and congratulating him on his selection as the next president of the association.

Mr. Speaker, let me take this means to recognize the citizens of Stockton, Missouri, for their efforts in recovering from a tragedy. On the evening of Sunday, May 4, 2003, this small Missouri community was struck by a powerful tornado. It has taken months to restore what took minutes to destroy, but this community has shown strength and resolve in the face of great challenges.

The utter destruction visited upon Stockton is difficult to grasp unless seen. It is measured in terms of what is no longer there. The absence of businesses, homes, churches, even 100 year-old trees, act as a daily reminder of what happened. The Stockton town square was particularly hard hit. Like most town squares in small communities throughout Missouri, Stockton's was an important center of economic activity. Most of the buildings leveled in the downtown area were businesses. The local business owners took it upon themselves to form the Downtown Business District Committee. This committee, open to all business-owners, created a means of mutual support and a forum for discussion of common problems and issues. One important task was to set up guidelines for reconstruction of the town square. The first building on the square to reopen was the pharmacy of Ray Zumwalt. The rebuilding of the pharmacy, along with all of the other buildings in Stockton, did not happen overnight. It was a gradual process. But as bricks were laid and roofs repaired, the mending of the spirit of this town could be seen, not just in the buildings, but in the people as well. The return of hope to a community that has lost so much is a very important thing.

Today, the community of Stockton is busy preparing for a four-day event commemorating the one-year anniversary of the tornado. This event will serve as a reminder of that day, and as a celebration of all that has been accomplished in such a short period of time. Some questioned whether the town could survive. With this city-wide event, scheduled to take place May 1 through May 4, the people of Stockton will answer with a resounding ``yes''.

The following individuals deserve special recognition for their efforts to help the people of Stockton: Jerry Uhlmann, Charles May, Gayla Weber, Dick Hainje, Dennis Moffett, Dan Best, Brad Gair, Jonathan Hoyes, Fred May, Jeff Wall, Peggy Kenney, R. Bruce Martin, Kristi Perrin, Richard Barnes, Sheila Johnson, Cynthia Davies and Gale Roberts. These individuals from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the State Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Natural Resources provided direction and support in the community's efforts to rebuild.

Mr. Speaker, there are days such as the May 4, 2003, when we are reminded of the awesome and unforgiving power of nature. In minutes, lives, families, and whole communities can be uprooted. The people of Stockton made the decision to rebuild, not retreat. It takes strength and courage to face the challenges posed by such a disaster. They have faced this time of trying with such great resolve, have overcome setbacks with such perseverance, they serve as an example to us all of what can be accomplished when the people of a community based on strong traditions of support, compassion, and dedication come together to help their neighbors. Stockton has a lesson to teach us all: the values of family, community, and helping those in need are still alive and well in this country. I am sure my fellow Members will join me in honoring the citizens of this outstanding community and thanking those who have done so much to help.

Mr. Speaker, let me take this means to congratulate the Stockton Lady Tigers basketball team. For the third time in 4 years, the Lady Tigers have taken state championship honors in their division.

The Lady Tigers won their first state championship 4 years ago when the current seniors were freshmen. The team has returned to the Missouri State High School Activities Association final four in Columbia, Missouri, every year since.

This year's championship game was particularly meaningful. It was the last time the team's seniors would play together. It also marked the end to an outstanding season in which the team lost only one game in a particularly challenging schedule. The team exceeded all expectations; a challenge not easily met when there is such a history of success.

Mr. Speaker, the Stockton Lady Tigers basketball team has proven itself to be worthy state champions. The young women have offered excitement and pride to the fans in their community and have earned respect and garnered praise from their opponents. I am sure my fellow Members will join me in congratulating them on their outstanding accomplishments and wish them continued success.