The recession continues

[jimmy olsen]

Found a link myself, bolded bits I found interesting. Looks like Gates wasn't able to kill the F-22

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/108269

House of Representatives Passes $550.4 Billion Defense Authorization Bill
Congressional Desk

June 30, 2009
Legislation Provides $130 Billion to Support Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved H.R. 2647, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. Ranking Member Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-CA) and the Republican members of the Committee praised the legislation for the support it provides to America´s military personnel and their families.

The comprehensive defense policy bill authorizes $550.4 billion in budget authority for the Department of Defense (DoD) and the national security programs of the Department of Energy. Additionally, the legislation authorizes $130 billion in funding to support operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Global War on Terrorism for Fiscal Year 2010.

Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-CA), Ranking Member: "As the new Ranking Member of the committee and someone who came to Congress to work on defense issues, I am pleased with the overall quality of the defense authorization bill and am proud that so members from both sides of the aisle voted to support it. At the end of the day, the chief duty of this body is to support the millions of men and women within the America´s military family, and I believe the final product provides them with that support.

"I would be remiss if I didn´t thank and commend my good friend, Ike Skelton, for his work in moving this important legislation through the House. I look forward to working with him and my Republican colleagues to improve some key areas of the bill as we conference the legislation with our colleagues in the Senate."

Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), Air and Land Forces Subcommittee Ranking Member: "This bill places force protection issues as Congress´ top priority. Improvements to the President´s Budget I want to highlight are additional funds for the National Guard Equipment Account and the Services Unfunded Priority Lists. In addition, I worked to include improvements in Body Armor as a research and development goal. That is long overdue and will no doubt help our warfighters tremendously for years to come.

"Unfortunately, in many cases, a goal of reducing the defense budget is the apparent sole driver in significant policy changes in several major programs, including ballistic missile defense. Worse, the Executive branch locked Congress out of any debates, denied us any new study or analyses to justify changes and tied our hands by unveiling sweeping policy changes buried under the guise of a budget request. It is we in the Congress, not the Executive Branch, that is responsible under our Constitution to raise and support armies and navies and make regulations for the Armed Forces. I am extremely troubled that many of these decisions were made in a vacuum. Despite these shortcomings, I believe our members on both sides of the aisle, and the staff of the Armed Services Committee did an amazing job to produce the best bill possible for our Armed Forces."

Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO), Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Subcommittee Ranking Member: "This bill is a good overall product resulting from a genuine bipartisan effort to supply our armed forces with what they need for success. Among many other good items, this bill includes multi-year authority for the Super Hornet to address the Navy´s looming fighter shortfall.

"That said, the overall topline provided by the Administration, and ultimately this Congress is too low. The cutting of missile defense by $1.2 billion makes no sense, particularly when North Korea and Iran are both working on nuclear weapons and long range missiles. A cut of this magnitude is unacceptable.

"I am also concerned that my amendment to provide transparency in the Department of Defense was defeated primarily along party lines. While I respect the Secretary´s desire to have internal discussions, I am concerned that the Pentagon is establishing an unnecessary pattern of secrecy that is antithetical to President Obama´s promises of the most open Administration ever and threatens Congress´s capacity to provide effective oversight."

Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R-VA), Readiness Subcommittee Ranking Member: "The legislation that passed today honors the daily sacrifice of our military personnel and their families by increasing military pay 3.4%, and providing a combined $395 million to fully fund ship repair and naval aviation depot repair to keep our Navy at the highest state of readiness. While this bill will do much to enhance our nation´s security, it could have been a better bill if it would have ensured terrorists at Guantanamo Bay are not transferred into the United States."

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), Military Personnel Subcommittee Ranking Member: "This bill contains many important initiatives, including a military pay raise of 3.4 percent, an increase in the Army by 30,000, as well as protections for child custody arrangements for deployed parents. I am also particularly pleased that we changed the matching fund requirement to a 75-25 percent ratio between the Department of Defense and the States for the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program.

"Unfortunately, with all these good things in the bill, I am disappointed that we were unable to properly address concurrent receipt; the elimination of the offset between the survivor benefit plan and dependency and indemnity compensation, more sadly known as the widows tax; the extension of health care to early retiring Reserve component members; and the use of the misnamed Reserve fund in the budget resolution. Had the Democratic leadership seen eliminating these injustices as a priority, they could have allocated the small percentages necessary in the $15 trillion they provided for government spending in 2010 to 2014. This is less than one-sixth of 1 percent of mandatory spending for this period. In addition, I was disappointed by the fact that for the second year in a row, we were unable to extend early retirement credit for service for National Guardsmen and Reservists back to September 11, 2001. The retirement credits since January 28, 2008, is a start but more needs to be done.

"As a Nation, we owe more than gratitude to the brave men and women in uniform and their families, past and present, whose service and sacrifice protects our freedom. I am grateful that, above all, this was a strong and important bipartisan effort."

Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT): "I applaud the committee and Chairman Skelton and Ranking Member McKeon for striving to have a bipartisan product that fulfills Congress´ role to support our troops and provide for our defense. We still need to more adequately fund missile defense, particularly in light of so many recent threats and developments. While we were successful in bumping up funding for the F-22 to ensure production continues, going forward we need to give more support to this program and efforts to maintain our air superiority."

Rep. Mike Turner, Strategic Forces Subcommittee Ranking Member (R-OH): "The Fiscal Year 2010 National Defense Authorization Act supports our men and women in uniform by providing a much needed raise in benefits and pay, as well as funding for support equipment and weapon systems necessary to fulfill their mission. I am pleased this bill incorporates a number of provisions I have advocated to ensure the safety and rights of victims of sexual assault in the military, as well as strengthen the parental custody rights of military personnel. I am also pleased this bill includes my provisions to strengthen our transatlantic alliance with our NATO partners. Unfortunately, my efforts to restore missile defense funds were not approved. Given the current threats we face, I will continue to advocate for increased funding to protect America and the second and third tires suppliers we depend on to produce and sustain our missile defense system."

Rep. John Kline (R-MN): "As a 25-year veteran of the Marine Corps and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I consider it an honor and a privilege to play a direct role in crafting and passing legislation that supports our veterans of today and tomorrow. I am pleased that the National Defense Authorization Act ensures our sons and daughters in uniform will have the resources they need to complete their mission.

"I am disappointed, however, that the committee missed an opportunity to further increase veterans benefits. Congressman Wilson´s amendment, which I was proud to help introduce and support, would have provided the funds necessary to fulfill the promise of concurrent receipt for disabled retirees; eliminated the ´Widows Tax´ created by the offset between Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities and Veterans´ Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC); improved health care coverage for reserve component members; and fund the Administration´s initiative to provide concurrent receipt for disabled military retirees with less than 20 years of service.

"I remain committed to ensuring America´s military personnel – and their families, military retirees, and veterans have the support they deserve."

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL): "I am pleased H.R. 2647, the National Defense Authorization Act, passed the House today with my support. With Alabama´s many military installations, our proud military families and our large defense industrial base, I will continue to be an advocate for important national security programs that help keep our country safe and provide our troops the tools they need to succeed."



Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ): "Overall, this defense bill contains critical provisions that provide needed capabilities to our warfighters. The bill also supports the fact that the United States has an obligation to ensure Afghanistan does not become a safe haven for America´s enemies and it provides our commanders on the ground with the needed flexibility to hold the hard fought security gains made in Iraq while ensuring the safety of our warfighters as they redeploy per the President´s mandate. I do believe that this defense bill still falls short of our obligation to the American people and our allies in many ways; mainly because the overall topline for funding remains too low.

"Since the Majority moved the supplemental into the base budget and the inflation rate is expected increase, we have a net loss in defense spending. At no other point in our nation's history have we been fighting two wars, been engaged in so many other areas around the world, and still taken deep cuts to the very programs that help bolster our defense.

"Lastly, I am gravely concerned about the $1.2 billion cut to our ballistic missile defense system. North Korea is right now planning a ballistic missile launch in a matter of days and just yesterday declared it is ready to "wipe out" the United States. This Congress had a choice to fully fund the systems we have to protect the American people from this exact threat and, sadly, this Congress has chosen not to. We have a Constitutional obligation to provide the most robust defense possible for the American people and, unfortunately, this bill falls short of that responsibility. It is my sincere hope that this cut is restored in Conference."

Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA): "I am proud that we were successful in securing a 3.4 percent pay raise for our troops as well as advance funding for twelve new F-22 fighter aircraft in this legislation. However, I am disappointed that the Democrats failed to take the opportunity to significantly improve the bill with the addition of stronger support for missile defense programs.

A quick read of the headlines is all it takes to realize that the world is still a dangerous place. North Korea and Iran represent clear and present dangers to our national security. An unstable, nuclear-armed Pakistan coupled with al-Qaeda´s stated desire to use nuclear weapons against our homeland should be enough to topple the scales in favor of funding a robust missile defense shield to protect the United States and our allies. I find it troubling that House Democrats chose to keep the President´s $1.2 billion cut to missile defense funding."

Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-WA): "With our military continuing to be away from their families while deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, I am proud that we came together to support a 3.4 percent pay increase for our troops."

Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX): "I would like to thank Chairman Skelton and Ranking Member McKeon for their leadership and many hours of hard work in crafting the National Defense Authorization Act into a bipartisan bill to provide our troops with the key funding needed to succeed in our mission in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I am, however, disappointed as to what is not in this bill. Unfortunately, my colleagues and I were not able to have the opportunity to take a stance on an issue that is very important to the safety of our troops, an amendment that our friends in the Senate voted unanimously in favor of: the release of the detainee photographs to our enemies abroad.

"After listening to our commanders on the ground, General Petraeus and General Odierno, President Obama also decided that it is in everyone´s best interest to keep these photos out of the hands of our enemies. These photos will, without a doubt, put American troops in danger, be used as a recruiting tool by Islamic Jihadists, and, in my opinion, could be used by President Ahmadinejad to turn the pro-democracy protests going on in Iran against the United States.

"We need a legislative fix that will prevent the release of these photographs into the public arena, and my amendment, which is an exact replica of the one in the Senate, would allow these photos to be properly protected. There is no good reason to release these photographs, and I wish the Rules Committee would have allowed debate on this issue.

"With that said, I believe that the support for our men and women in uniform is paramount, and I am pleased that we were able to craft a bipartisan bill that will ensure that their needs are met and the Department of Defense can carry out its mission of ensuring national security."

Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO): "I voted in favor of this bill because it funds many of our vital national defense programs. However, it falls short on missile defense funding by $1.2 billion that I believe we need to protect our country.

"My primary concern with a cut of this nature is that it sets the baseline lower every year. If funding is not restored, the Obama administration and the Democrat majority in the House and Senate can continue to cut the missile defense budget even further and will continue to justify the cuts by pointing to only a relatively small decrease from the year before. The possibility of such a trend is extremely troublesome, because it will lead to the loss or serious delay of technological progress.

"If the Administration´s missile defense cuts are sustained, America stands to lose over 11,000 jobs across the country. In contrast, the so-called stimulus bill is estimated to create 12,988 temporary jobs. I support keeping 11,000 people in higher paying jobs employed across the nation.

"I am pleased this bill will keep open the production line for the F-22 Raptors. This fighter is critical to American air superiority. I urge President Obama not to follow through with his threat to veto the entire authorizing bill if this program continues beyond the current defense department buy of 187 aircraft.

"The bill does contain some quality-of-life elements that I support. One such provision is for postage vouchers for our overseas service members. The vouchers would provide funding to allow family members and charitable groups to send troops letters and small care packages.

"I am also pleased that the bill will provide our troops a 3.4 percent pay raise. This is an improvement over President Obama´s proposed increase of only 2.9 percent. This will go a small way toward making military pay equitable with civilian pay.

"Also, the bill includes an amendment, which I support, to allow the Air Force Academy Athletic Association to operate as a non-profit corporation. This will result in increased revenues that will reinforce both intercollegiate and intramural sports programs. These programs build team work, foster camaraderie, and develop young men and women to be leaders in the Air Force."

Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA), Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member: "This year´s defense authorization bill ensures that our men and women in uniform are properly resourced and that the national security needs of our nation are appropriately addressed. While I am supportive of this bill, I am disappointed by its failure to permanently fund veteran´s benefits, to eliminate of the "widow´s tax´, or to sufficiently extend TRICARE to Guard and Reserve members who are already receiving early retirement. I am also disappointed by the failure to expressly prohibit the transfer of Guantanamo detainees into the U.S. and by the budget cuts to our missile defense program. I will continue to work with my colleagues in an effort to address these issues in the final conference report."

Rep. John Fleming (R-LA): "Passing the National Defense Authorization Act shows a true bipartisan commitment to defending the security of this nation and ensuring our forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have the resources necessary to successfully complete their missions. This bill also provides for a 3.4% increase in pay for our troops, which is higher than what was requested by the President. We owe a great debt to the men and women fighting on the front lines for our freedom and I am proud to have cosponsored this legislation.

"This bill will also authorize two key projects that will improve training for soldiers at Ft. Polk and upgrade aviation units for the Louisiana National Guard. Louisiana is proud to do its part in the Global War on Terrorism and these projects will guarantee they are battle ready when called upon to fight for our country."

Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO): "This budget fails to adequately fund a plan for Afghanistan that will give the military the resources necessary to provide enough security to allow the political process to move forward. This budget makes the same mistake in Afghanistan that that President Bush made in Iraq until the surge in 2007."

[Tonitrus]

This bill also provides for a 3.4% increase in pay for our troops,

Though, if there is a problem I have with simple blanket-percentage military pay-raises, is it just means the income gap between enlisted and officers just continues to get skewed even further than it already is.

[Phillip V]

Though, if there is a problem I have with simple blanket-percentage military pay-raises, is it just means the income gap between enlisted and officers just continues to get skewed even further than it already is.

Well, there is a lot that goes into calculating compensation. Congress is working on increasing BAH for enlisted from currently allowing 1-house rental assumption for only E-9s to broadening it down to E-7s.

[FunkMonk]

As long as I get my GI Bill money I care fuck all for anything else.

[Phillip V]

As I've said from the moment that I walked into the door of this White House, it took years for us to get into this mess, and it will take us more than a few months to turn it around.

[grumbler]

As I've said from the moment that I walked into the door of this White House, it took years for us to get into this mess, and it will take us more than a few months to turn it around.

Reminds me of the old joke about the baseball manager who finds, in his desk, three letters, labeled "Open after crisis #1," "Open after crisis #2," and "Open after crisis #3." 

You only get to blame everything on your predecessor for a short time.