Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to honor the wonderful small town of Old Hickory, Tennessee, on its Centennial Celebration.

Old Hickory's history is unique. When the United States entered World War I, our soldiers needed gunpowder, and lots of it. The U.S. government asked a giant American company, E.I. duPont de Nemours & Co., to build and operate a gunpowder plant on federal land near Nashville on the Cumberland River. Within months, 5,600 acres of land near Hadley's Bend were transformed into a self-sufficient village housing 56,000 workers and the largest factory the state had ever seen.

After the War, DuPont's chemical production continued for decades. If you came across someone on the street, chances are they worked for DuPont. Old Hickory was a ``company town'' with homes of similar designs, each one well-maintained. It was and is a model community with incredibly talented, hard-working, patriotic residents.

Although the factories and their owners have changed over the years, their footprints remain. Old Hickory remains one of the most storied towns in the South. Come visit and you will see the original mill town homes, friendly stores, and markets. It is a place where people know their neighbors, and where newcomers are welcomed with open arms. The hallmarks of hard work, faith, family, friends, and patriotism are just as important today as they were a century ago.

Old Hickory is truly one of Nashville's and the nation's ``best kept secrets,'' and I know it will remain a treasure in Middle Tennessee for the next 100 years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with members of the Tennessee delegation and with the Congressional Black Caucus to honor the victims of a deadly mass shooting at a Waffle House in Antioch, Tennessee, early on the morning of Sunday, April 22.

The four young, promising lives that were lost were Joe R. Perez, DeEbony Groves, Taurean C. Sanderlin, and Akilah DaSilva.

Fortunately, James Shaw, Jr., was also in the restaurant to confront the shooter and to take away his weapon with his bare hands, probably saving the lives of 16 other people.

Let us honor all of the victims and our hero, James Shaw, Jr., with a moment of silence.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the victims of a deadly mass shooting at a Waffle House in Antioch, Tennessee, early on the morning of Sunday, April 22.

Four young, promising lives were lost: Joe R. Perez, DeEbony Groves, Taurean C. Sanderlin, and Akilah DaSilva. They crossed paths at the restaurant expecting nothing more than good food. Now four young lives are lost, and we mourn with their families and friends.

I would also like to recognize Mr. James Shaw, Jr., a native Nashvillian and an American hero. Mr. Shaw bravely stopped this attack from being even worse. His courageous and decisive action saved many lives. Now, Mr. Shaw doesn't consider himself a hero, but his actions clearly prove that he is a hero. He gave us hope on one of our darkest days.

We are heartbroken for the tragic loss of life, but we are heartened and proud of our hometown hero. May we remember Mr. Shaw's words:

I hope that we can bring violence to an end in all facets,

not just gun violence, but all violence.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the victims of a deadly mass shooting at a Waffle House in Antioch, Tennessee, on the morning of Sunday, April 22.

Four young, promising lives were lost, and two other people were injured. Today we mourn Joe R. Perez, 20 years old, who moved to Nashville to live with his grandmother and work at his brother's business; DeEbony Groves, 21, a senior at Belmont University who was weeks from earning a degree in social work; Taurean C. Sanderlin, 29, a Waffle House employee who was outside on a break; and Akilah DaSilva, 23, a student and aspiring musician. They crossed paths at the Waffle House, expecting nothing more than good food. Now, four young lives are lost. We mourn with their families, friends, and the Antioch community.

I would also like to recognize Mr. James Shaw, Jr. a native Nashvillian and an American hero. Mr. Shaw bravely stopped this attack from being even worse. His courageous and decisive actions saved many lives. In Mr. Shaw's own words, he ``saw an opportunity and took it.''

Later Sunday morning, after receiving treatment for his own injuries, Mr. Shaw went home to see his family. He is a loving father to his 4- year-old daughter, Brooklyn. He then went to the church he has attended since he was a baby. Mr. Shaw's greatest concern is for the other victims, and he has organized a fund to support them.

Mr. Shaw doesn't consider himself a hero, but his actions clearly prove otherwise. Mr. Shaw gave us hope on one of Nashville's darkest days, and he embodies the very best of our community. We are forever grateful for his bravery and his willingness to put his own life at risk in order to save others.

We are both heartbroken for the tragic loss of lives but proud of our hometown hero. This tragedy will not define our city. We are grateful to people all across America who have supported our community with prayers and financial support.

May we all remember Mr. Shaw's words: ``I hope we can bring violence in all facets--not just gun violence, but all facets of violence--to an end.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my good friend, John A. Hobbs, on the occasion of his 90th birthday. He is simply one of the most amazing men I have ever known.

A native Nashvillian, John A. has lived a life for the storybooks and he's still going strong. He's worked hard all of his life, for example delivering telegrams to the Tennessee Governor's Mansion when he was just a young man during the Depression. I am confident that there was never a better delivery boy than John A. Hobbs. That's why he was chosen to go to the Governor's residence.

As an adult, he saw Nashville's promise long before anyone else, and understood the impact that country music, Opryland, and tourism could have on our city. He has invested his heart and soul into helping Nashville and Middle Tennessee live up to its potential. Nashville is now one of the hottest cities in America due, in part, to John A.'s foresight and energy.

You can read about many of the extraordinary things John A. has done for Middle Tennessee in the excellent book, ``The Life and Times of Music Valley's Visionary.''

John A. is a devout Catholic and dedicated family man with a large and talented extended family. He built many businesses with his four sons and grandsons over the years, and has developed some of Music City's most iconic attractions for both tourists and lifelong residents.

Despite John A.'s success, he never lost touch with his roots, his childhood friends, and his neighbors. Nobody loves Donelson and its people more than he does.

I particularly love John A.'s lively monthly breakfasts that bring the whole community together and where Nashvillians go to be seen. Where are they held? At the night spot named ``John A.'s,'' of course. You simply cannot win an election in Davidson County unless you are a regular attendee.

I wish John A. Hobbs the happiest of 90th birthdays. He is a truly kind, generous, and wise man. The United States of America, the greatest nation on earth, was built by men like John A. Hobbs, members of the greatest generation.

I am proud to call him my friend.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Smith, Chairman Thornberry, Chairman McCain on the Senate side, and Ranking Member Reid.

It is very important that Congress continue this great tradition of passing a Defense Authorization Act. This will be the 57th year. My constituents back home want nothing more than for us to cooperate in a bipartisan fashion for the good of the country. This bill, H.R. 2810, does that.

In particular, I would like to thank the Chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Mike Rogers, who has been a great partner, as we do several very important things:

Number one, modernize our nuclear forces and keep the effort going on nuclear nonproliferation; we fund critical missile defense needs in the face of rising threats from North Korea and other countries; we support U.S.-Israeli missile defense; and we also strengthen, dramatically, our capabilities in space.

This Defense Authorization bill takes a decisive first step to address the fragmentation and lack of focus on national security space issues that the Air Force has shown by reorganizing space within the Air Force and within the Department of Defense.

While it does not create the Space Corps that we preferred, it achieves many of the goals that we set out to achieve. Notably, it consolidates acquisition, operations, and training of space forces under the Air Force Space Command and eliminates ineffective or redundant authorities across the Department. Our assets in space, unfortunately, are increasingly vulnerable to attack. This reorganization will begin to provide the focus and coordination necessary to effectively address these growing threats.

I thank the chairman of the subcommittee for his strong leadership in this effort and for making this a bipartisan process.

I would also like to thank the Deputy Secretary of Defense for his engagement on this important issue. We will continue to hold the Department accountable during this transition period.

I am also pleased that the bill begins to counter the vulnerability of our GPS systems in space which underpin many defense and civilian systems. We increase the resiliency and alternatives to GPS, including thinking outside the box, by relying on our allies and perhaps even exploiting Russian or Chinese signals as a means to deter attack on our systems.

The conference also dropped restrictions on extending the new START Treaty, which verifiably limits the number of nuclear weapons that Russia or the United States can deploy.

The bill, more effectively, holds Russia accountable for violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty by imposing increasing sanctions related to those violations rather than prematurely nullifying the treaty.

The conference report also encourages a dialogue with Russia and China to reduce risks of miscalculations that could lead to an unintended nuclear war in a crisis. Pressuring Russia, while avoiding an unnecessary nuclear arms race or a precipitous nuclear war, should be top priorities for our defense in the current, more volatile environment.

In this context, I support the increased focus on modernizing our nuclear command and control system, which has been too long over-cost and delayed.

Finally, the bill ends years of wasteful spending on the unaffordable and failed MOX project in South Carolina by allowing the Department of Energy to terminate it and move to a solution at a fraction of the cost.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Tennessee State University for its 45 years of participation in the Federal Depository Library Program. Tennessee State University and its renowned library are not only invaluable to the Middle Tennessee community, but to America.

Tennessee State University has been a staple of the community for more than a century. Its library is unique and filled with knowledge. In 1945, Ms. Lois H. Daniel was appointed the director. She led the library for 31 years, reaching new heights and creating the Library Service Program to train school librarians. She also ushered in a new partnership in 1972 when Tennessee State University joined the Federal Depository Library Program.

Through the Federal Depository Library Program, Tennessee State University helps maintain access to government documents for the entire nation. It preserves history by storing and providing public access to our laws, rules, research, and other documents. The Library Service Program has thrived at Tennessee State University, and now it is leading the way in transitioning to the digital age. It is fitting that a historic university with a bright future should be a caretaker for our government's documents.

I would also like to honor the countless people that have helped grow the Library Service Program, including Dr. Evelyn Fancher, Dr. Yildiz Binkley, Dr. Murle Kenerson, Ms. Laverne Walker, Ms. Jessie Hughes, Mr. Crayton Dudley, Ms. Sharon Johnson, Ms. Saundra Peterson, Ms. Anita Etheridge, and Ms. Angel Sloss.

I am proud to celebrate Tennessee State University's Martha M. Brown/ Lois H. Daniel Library. It has served our nation well during its first 45 years of public service as a Federal Depository Library.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 165th Anniversary of The Christian Recorder. As the oldest periodical continually published by African-Americans in the United States, The Christian Recorder is the heart of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Originally founded in 1848 as The Christian Herald, the publication has been a leading voice for African-Americans ever since. It relocated to Nashville in 1852 with a new name, The Christian Recorder. Twenty- one editors have led The Christian Recorder including John Thomas III, the current leader and the first layperson to serve in this prestigious role.

The Christian Recorder is a reputable news service for religious news. It serves as the voice of two million members of the AME Church in thirty-nine countries around the world.

Its reach extends far beyond the Sunday School Union in Nashville where it is headquartered. From offering guidance to slaves during the Civil War to the battle for voting rights and fighting segregation, The Christian Recorder has been a pioneer for Civil Rights and equality for African-Americans.

I am proud to salute The Christian Recorder for its courageous efforts and its more than 165 years of service to the community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Nashville Public Library as the 2017 Library of the Year. This national honor, awarded by Library Journal and Gale Cengage Learning, recognizes public libraries for their

commitment to excellence, innovative programs and services, and dedication to the community.

Nashville Public Library is awesome, and unlike any other in America. It is also the location of my district office, perhaps the only congressional office in America located in a public library.

The Library partnered with Metro Nashville Public Schools to create the Limitless Libraries initiative, which allows students and teachers to order and borrow books, movies, laptops, iPads, and more. The Limitless Libraries program is a national model for getting library materials into students' hands every day, and this partnership has also helped turn several school libraries into exciting, interactive hubs for students.

Nashville Public Library reaches students outside the classroom, too.

Teenagers can work with professional mentors to create art or new inventions, work with robotics, and produce music and podcasts through the Library's unique Studio NPL program. The Library also engages children though its Bringing Books to Life! program, putting on productions at the Library's Children's Theater, and its well-known Puppet Truck. Puppeteers perform 20 shows a week at the theater, but also use the Puppet Truck to reach children and adults throughout Davidson County.

Most importantly is Nashville Public Library's Civil Rights Room. This chronicles Nashville's place in the Civil Rights movement, telling the stories of the heroes who fought against segregation and for equal rights. Last year the Library and the Nashville Public Library Foundation named our friend and colleague John Lewis their Literary Award Honoree. Congressman Lewis' book, March, was also this year's selection in Nashville Reads, the Library's city-wide reading campaign, where everyone is invited to read a book and discuss it at libraries in the community.

Mr. Speaker, the writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges said, ``I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.'' I agree.

Nashville Public Library is more than books inside a beautiful building. It is even more than Paradise. It is the heart of our community.

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I regret that my good friend from Colorado has offered this amendment. It was not voted on in either subcommittee or in full committee. It should be rejected by this House, and rejected overwhelmingly.

Why? We need to make sure that our missile defense works. This is not a vote on whether we are for or against missile defense. I am strongly for missile defense. I just want to make sure that it works. In the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015, there is a strong section in that act that requires that it work.

The gentleman's amendment is not supported by the Missile Defense Agency, it is not supported by the Pentagon.

What it is is a vendor's dream, what it is is a defense contractor's dream, because it would enable them to sell stuff to us, the American taxpayer and to the citizens of this country, promising national defense, but not proving it.

We need to fly it before we buy it. We need to test it before we invest in it. We need to make sure that it works before we fork over the dough.

If this loophole were to be established into law, allowing missiles to be flown through this loophole, it would delight the defense contractor industry. This is an amazing breach of what really, I think, has been American law for 150 years.

Back during the Civil War, there was a law passed called the Lincoln Law. And because so many Americans were outraged that the bullets sold to the Union soldiers did not work and the cannonballs did not work and the boots didn't last in the rain, they passed one of the toughest laws ever passed by this Congress, to penalize defense contractors who sold us stuff that did not work.

We need to make sure these missiles work. The gentleman is absolutely correct. The threat from North Korea is real, the threat one day from Iran could be real. We need to make sure these missiles work. And to short-circuit, to obviate a testing requirement would be an appalling thing for us to do.

This has been law since 2015. It is working, it works fine, the Missile Defense Agency is all for it. Let's keep it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

And to allow contractors to sell us stuff that is unproven, that is not tested, that has not flown before we buy it, oh, my gosh, I wouldn't want to be on that side of that transaction.

So the gentleman is an outstanding Member, he does great work. As I say, this was not voted on in either subcommittee or full committee. It would be a mistake for the full House to support this amendment at this time.

So I would urge my colleagues to reject this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, this Congress in 2015 passed this requirement because it made sense.

Institutional memory can be short. The MDA is already exempt from normal Pentagon acquisition processes. No one in this body should think that MDA is subjected to the DOD 5000 regular acquisition rules.

What this amendment would do would be to short-circuit that process. And which Member of this House in either party would want to admit to the constituency that they represent that they voted to allow missiles to be purchased by this country before we knew they would work?

The threat is real, and we need to be prepared for that threat and we need defense missiles that work. Already the shot doctrine is several to one. We have to shoot up four missiles and hope that we can stop the one from coming over. We need things that actually work better than that. We need to make sure this equipment that the U.S. taxpayer is buying functions correctly.

We have already expedited the acquisition process for the MDA. Let's not expedite it further. If our missile defenses don't work, we are all in trouble. The Congress decided wisely and rightly in 2015.

The MDA, as I say, does not support this amendment. They have had ample opportunity to come to us and say that they want more flexibility, more freedom, they want things that work too. This House should want things that work. So I urge my colleagues to support what works and oppose this amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I know this amendment comes late in the process and my colleagues are tired of hearing all these National Defense Authorization Act amendments, but this one is really important. Already the North Koreans threaten the United States. Other countries could do so. We need to make sure that our missile defense works, and our constituents will not accept excuses.

Now, as I say, defense contractors love this approach if they can sell us something that is not proven to work, but this equipment must work.

This Congress got it right in 2015. The MDA is on board with the testing that they have to do. The process now works. Let's not change it, and this amendment would change it for the worse. It would be a defense contractor's dream.

Let's not cave in to the lobbyists, let's not give away the American taxpayers' money, and let's make sure that the defense equipment we buy works. By stopping this amendment, we will do so. This amendment would be a giveaway to the defense contracting industry.

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

Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. Chairman, Admiral Syring has been a great leader of MDA. He did not request this change. Admiral Syring has done a great job. Let's follow his lead, and let's reject this amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

I thank the gentleman from Iowa for yielding.

Permission to Revise Remarks on Amendment No. 15

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that I may be permitted to revise my remarks, made during consideration of amendment No. 15 in the Committee of the Whole earlier today, beyond technical, grammatical, and typographical corrections.

I thank my friend from Iowa for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Whitland Avenue neighbors. The Whitland area is one of the most historic--and beautiful--neighborhoods in Middle Tennessee.

Built in the earliest days of the 20th century, this relatively small neighborhood has more historical markers than any other in Davidson County.

In 1976, residents vowed to hold an annual party on the Fourth of July to celebrate our nation's birthday and keep our patriotic spirit alive. The celebration was conceived to include a number of timeless activities such as a bicycle parade for neighbors of all ages; performances of patriotic tunes by a band of local musicians; enthusiastic singing by all in attendance; a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence; recognition of veterans for their service; speeches by elected officials and other local dignitaries; and a covered dish picnic lunch.

The Whitland Avenue Fourth of July Celebration has become one of Nashville's most festive events. The neighborhood invites the entire city to join in a family-friendly parade and gathering to celebrate our great nation. The neighbors start planning months in advance, and each year's event is bigger and better than the last.

On July 4, 2017, the neighbors at Whitland Avenue will celebrate the 40th Anniversary of this beloved event. It is an honor to recognize the community, their spirit, and their patriotism. Whitland Avenue is the heart of Nashville, and I hope the community spirit lives on for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to salute Celebrate Nashville, a festival honoring the many great cultures in our city.

Nashville is not just any city; it's the friendliest city in the south. We welcome visitors with gracious southern hospitality and country twang. But there is so much more to Nashville than meets the eye. What makes Nashville truly unique is the people who come from all over the world.

One in six of our residents is foreign-born, and we could not be more proud of our multi-cultural heritage. In 1995, a group at Vanderbilt's Scarritt-Bennett designed the first Celebrate Nashville event so cultures could share their gifts with everyone. Thanks to great community partners, it has grown to be one of the city's biggest annual events, bringing together more than 40,000 citizens.

From music and dance to food and crafts, Celebrate Nashville showcases everything that makes our city unique. It highlights the best of our past through displays of heritage with the promise of our future.

And so, Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to salute the Celebrate Nashville Cultural Festival for its commitment to our citizens and our community and for promoting all cultures in our city.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose the Amendment to H.J. Res. 124, the Continuing Resolution, that supports training and equipping the so-called Syrian Opposition.

After attending briefings on the President's proposal, I do not believe that this Amendment has a reasonable chance of achieving his goals. Worse, it could embroil America in another endless war. I hate ISIL and the other terrorist organizations that are plaguing Syria, Iraq and eventually the U.S.; the question is whether this Amendment will ``degrade and destroy'' them, to use the President's words. I do not fault President Obama's intent; I doubt this particular Amendment will work. Most obviously, it expires in 90 days, according to the very terms of the CR. And even if, under authority granted outside of this Amendment, an air strike killed ISIL's leader, it would not stop ISIL.

First, remember the budgetary context of this train-and-equip mission. Remember that military spending cuts called ``sequestration'' will last another seven years under current law. The readiness of our military is already threatened by these cuts. Necessary long-term investments in future weapons systems are being shortchanged. Until advocates of this train-and-equip mission are willing to fully fund the U.S. military and stop sequestration, they have no business adding extra responsibilities. America's credit-card hawks must not continue to hollow out our military while pursuing questionable foreign ventures.

Second, the Syrian Opposition is not like the Peshmerga. It is a number of disorganized, unreliable and shifting groups that face three hostile armies at once within Syria itself: Assad's army, ISIL, and the Al-Nusra Front. Each of these hostile armies has demonstrated the ability to conduct advanced military operations. They are years ahead of any possible effective counter-attack by the Syrian Opposition, unless they start fighting each other or Assad's entire military defects. We are not even sure that the people we train would remain loyal. Although the Amendment talks about vetting Syrian Opposition forces, it acknowledges that there will be ``green-on-blue'' violence against us. The Amendment also anticipates that some of the weapons we supply to the Opposition will be given or sold to ISIL.

Third, we are entering a series of civil wars. They are notoriously difficult to stop without years of bloodshed. The idea that U.S. Army training, guns, and bullets will facilitate a negotiated Syrian settlement is highly implausible. Another factor is the 1,400-year-old Sunni-Shia schism, giving our Muslim allies their own religious agendas. They make excuses for their failure to commit their own forces in their own backyards, even when their inaction floods their nations with refugees. Several of these nations have large militaries with advanced weaponry, which they refuse to use except for very limited, anonymous airstrikes. They want U.S. soldiers and airmen to do their dirty work.

Fourth, ISIL was created by wealthy Sunnis in nations like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait who wanted an attack dog, a proxy army, to fight the Shia threat posed by Iran, Syria, Hamas, and Hezbollah. They got more than they bargained for: a pit bull that might turn against its masters. Nevertheless, they are not muzzling ISIL, or even yanking its leash. How does ISIL continue to get its funding? Aside from rape, pillage, kidnapping, and taxing infidels, it is known for its slick corporate appeals, even an annual report on its atrocities. Have the Sunni nations punished ISIL's benefactors, refused to purchase ISIL's oil, or taken other measures to cut off its funding? No. In the case of Saudi Arabia, they offer us unused training bases for no more than 10,000 of the Syrian Opposition. That is far from enough.

Fifth, how many times must the U.S. try to rebuild Muslim nations? We've tried for years, often just inflaming them. Syria will be the eighth Muslim nation we have tried to repair in the last three decades: Kuwait, Bosnia, Kosovo, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yemen. In most cases, we have not succeeded. The U.S. military is ill-suited for nation-building. As General Bob Scales pointed out in the Wall Street Journal recently, the Pentagon has trouble dealing with today's asymmetric wars.

Sixth, ask yourself what your reaction will be if an American airman--God forbid--is captured and beheaded on live television. Will this Amendment, that so carefully denies authorizing military force, suddenly become the prelude to American ``boots on the ground'' as Gen. Martin Dempsey has already predicted? And who believes that our trainers and equippers--and special forces and intelligence officers-- are not already ``boots on the ground''? The language of the Amendment is surreal: it contains no ``authorization for the introduction of United States Armed Forces into hostilities or into situations wherein hostilities are clearly indicated by the circumstances.'' Unless our military operates entirely outside of Syria or northern Iraq, they are in imminent danger. And if they are training in Saudi Arabia, they will be working in a nation that beheads more people for minor crimes than ISIL could dream of.

Lastly, is there a better way to degrade and destroy ISIL? Americans, with our wonderful optimism that all problems have a quick solution, have a lot to learn about the nature of the enemies we face. Unfortunately for us, our enemies do not measure action by the clock, but by the calendar. They outwait or outlast us. They use social media against us, to dare America to fight or to recruit the West's disaffected youth with dreams of martyrdom. They will laugh that this Amendment lasts only 90 days, particularly when other sections of the CR extend much longer.

America needs to understand the threats we face from radical jihadists and to fully fund effective strategies for dealing with them. Sadly, this Amendment does neither. Therefore, I oppose it.

Mr. Speaker, America lost a giant this week. John Seigenthaler, the longtime editor of the Nashville Tennesseean, was buried on Monday, but his life transcended Nashville, Tennessee, and became literally a part of American history.

Born to humble beginnings in Nashville, Tennessee, he was first a star reporter, then a confidant of Bobby Kennedy, then a defender of the Freedom Riders, then the crusading editor of a Pulitzer Prize- winning Southern newspaper, then founding editor of USA Today, and then the founder of the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University.

John Seigenthaler had the Irish gift for friendship and words. He epitomized the best of journalism, and he was always on the right side of history because he helped everyone, including politicians, listen to the better angels of their nature.

Because of John Seigenthaler's leadership, Nashville is one of the most dynamic and welcoming cities in the world today.

Over 4,000 people from Nashville and around the country attended his visitation. The Catholic Church was packed for his funeral. It was broadcast on local television.

Mr. Speaker, a truly great American has died and will never be replaced.

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

Mr. Chairman, this amendment violates a bipartisan agreement that was reached in the House Armed Services Committee.

I wish that the gentleman would focus on the fact that micromanaging our Nation's nuclear defenses is really not in the best interest of our country. I also urge the gentleman to realize that this is a highly technical issue. We have some 450 Minuteman-III missile silos. This would change the status of about 50 of those 450.

These are probably the least survivable of all our nuclear weapons. They have been targeted by the Russians and probably others for decades. It is very important that we have an appropriate and flexible and survivable nuclear deterrent. As I mentioned, these land-based missiles are probably the least survivable.

It is also important to recognize that, as I understand the way the amendment is drafted, this could even prevent testing and routine maintenance of these silos. I know that is not the gentleman's intent, but we need to make sure that we are not overreaching here and hamstringing our military and their nuclear defenses.

It is no secret that the sponsors of this amendment happen to be from the States of North Carolina, Montana, and Wyoming, and also a gentleman from Colorado. That leads one to think that this might perhaps be a parochial amendment more than a nuclear defense amendment. I hope that is not the case, but it does lead one to think in that direction.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith), the distinguished ranking member of the committee.

May I inquire as to how much time I have remaining, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi).

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment.

As I mentioned, it is poorly drafted, and it probably prevents even the routine testing and maintenance of the silos, which could not possibly be an intention of the authors. It also micromanages the Defense Department.

For them to renege on the deal that was made in committee--the bipartisan deal--in order to give you 7 more years of leeway is really a pretty remarkable thing. This sets a new level for parochialism and greed, unfortunately, in this body. I hope the Members will reject this amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.