Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this FY 2008 Defense Appropriations Conference Report because it ensures that our troops get the protection they need and the benefits they have earned. Additionally, as an opponent of the decision to go to war in Iraq, and an advocate of the responsible redeployment of our combat forces, I appreciate that the contentious question of how Congress will proceed with the President’s pending funding request for the Iraq War will be addressed in another legislative vehicle on another day.
H.R. 3222 fully funds the increased personnel, equipment and training costs associated with growing the Army and Marines by 7000 and 5000 troops, respectively. Moreover, and importantly, it allocates $11.6 billion in emergency funding for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles that are playing such an important role protecting our troops from deadly IEDs. And it responds to the historic strain on our National Guard and Reserves by providing an additional $980 million to meet the equipment demands of their deployment overseas and first responder role at home.
In recognition of our military’s service and sacrifice to our country, this spending bill provides our military families with a 3.5% pay raise — .5% above the President’s request. It rejects the President’s proposed $1.9 billion increase for premiums and fees in the TRICARE program and adds $900 million to strengthen military health care for our service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. And it provides critical support to our military families through an infusion of $237 million for counseling and child care, as well as $615.7 million for facility and infrastructure upgrades throughout our bases in the United States, Europe and Korea.
Finally, H.R. 3222 affirms American values by banning the use of torture while including important accountability measures for military and security contractors. It asks the DoD to include the entirety of its war funding in the President’s 2009 Budget Request. And it meets important emergency needs in Louisiana and elsewhere as our fellow citizens continue the hard work of rebuilding their lives in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Madam Speaker, this Conference Report is worthy of the broad, bipartisan support I expect it to receive, and I yield back the balance of my time.