J. Randy Forbes

Mr. Speaker, last week I was unable to cast my vote for two important pieces of legislation. Had I been in the chamber, I would have voted YES on H.R. 161, the Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act and YES on H.R. 7, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act. I voted to pass H.R. 7 in the 113th Congress. This crucial bill will establish a government-wide, permanent prohibition on the funding of abortion, ensuring that no program or agency is exempt from this safeguard. I believe that life-- even in its earliest stages--deserves respect and protection. I am and always have been pro-life, and throughout my tenure in Congress will continue to be a strong advocate for the unborn.

``The Congress may determine the time of chusing the electors, and the day on which they shall give their votes; which day shall be the same throughout the United States.

``No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the United States.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill. I continue to be impressed with the bipartisan effort that was used to create this bill.

I want to thank Chairman McKeon for his leadership and service to our Nation. His time and effort to support our men and women in uniform and to guide our national security will be sorely missed. But he leaves the committee in good hands with the gentleman from Texas, Chairman Thornberry, who will bring two decades of experience and leadership to help navigate our committee through the challenges ahead.

I do have to express concern for service provisions included in this bill relating to servicemember entitlements. More specifically, I am disappointed with the cuts to military housing allowances, commissaries, and the pharmaceutical copay increase. While the bill takes important steps forward in honoring our commitment to those who wear our Nation's uniform, I remain concerned that these provisions send the wrong signal to our warriors and their families who have already sacrificed so much for our country. Despite these concerns, I believe that this bill is a strong one and should be broadly supported.

As to the Seapower Subcommittee, I am pleased with the provisions in this bill, including the continued funding of the nuclear refueling and complex overhaul of the USS George Washington, construction of two Virginia class submarines, two Arleigh Burke class destroyers, and three Littoral Combat Ships. We were also successful in authorizing the construction of LPD-28, continuing the Tomahawk missile production line, retaining the existing cruiser force structure, and providing thorough oversight of the requirements for the Navy's UCLASS program.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the members of the Armed Services Committee, especially the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McIntyre), the ranking member of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, for his long service and unyielding support for our men and women in uniform.