War, not according to the Congress....check it out.. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: WITHOUT OBJECTION, THE GENTLEMAN IS RECOGNIZED. MR. MCGOVERN: MR. SPEAKER, I RISE IN STRONG OPPOSITION TO THIS CONVOLUTED CLOSED RULE WHICH INCLUDES A HUGE DEFENSE BILL, A PARTISAN ANTI-IMMIGRANT BILL, A CALIFORNIA WATER BILL AND FROM OUT OF NOWHERE AN ARIZONA LAND EXCHANGE BILL ALL IN ONE. THE GENTLEMAN FROM FLORIDA IS PRAISING THIS CONGRESS SOMEHOW BEING OPEN. THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THIS IS THE MOST CLOSED CONGRESS IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THIS IS APPALLING THE WAY THIS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HAS BEEN RUN. ROUTINELY, IMPORTANT, VITAL ISSUES HAVE BEEN SHUT OUT FROM DEBATE ON THE HOUSE FLOOR AND TODAY IS NO EXCEPTION. THE RULE INCLUDES THE F.Y. 2015 NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT, AND IM PLEASED THAT THE NDAA ESTABLISHES THE BLACKSTONE RIVER VALLEY NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK, BUT THIS VERSION OF THE NDAA ALSO AUTHORIZES OVER HALF A TRILLION DOLLARS FOR THE PENTAGONS BASE BUDGET AND ON TOP OF THAT INCLUDES AN ADDITIONAL $63.7 BILLION FOR THE PENTAGON SLUSH FUND TO FINANCE THE CONTINUING WAR IN AFGHANISTAN AND THE NEW WAR IN IRAQ AND SYRIA AGAINST THE ISLAMIC STATE. ONCE AGAIN CONGRESS IS FAILING TO DO ITS JOB. ONCE AGAIN THIS BILL CONTINUES TO FUND TWO WARS FOR YEARS TO COME WITHOUT CONGRESS AUTHORIZING EITHER ONE. FIRST, AFGHANISTAN. WE ARE OSTENSIBLY PULLING OUT OF AFGHANISTAN IN JUST THREE WEEKS, BUT IN FACT WE ARE LEAVING ABOUT 10,000 TROOPS BEHIND FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS. AND CONGRESS HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY TO AUTHORIZE THIS NEW MISSION. WE CANT JUST CONTINUE THE SAME OLD, SAME OLD. MR. SPEAKER, ID LIKE TO ASK UNANIMOUS CONSENT TO INSERT INTO THE RECORD A REUTERS ARTICLE ENTITLED OBAMA WIDENS POST 2014 COMBAT ROLE FOR U.S. FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN. IT DOESNT SOUND LIKE WE ARE WINDING DOWN ANYTHING. TWICE NOW RANKING MEMBER, ADAM SMITH, AND CONGRESSMAN WALTER JONES, AND I, HAVE TRIED TO OFFER AN AMENDMENT REQUIRING A VOTE NEXT MARCH TO AUTHORIZE ANY POST 2014 DEPLOYMENT OF U.S. TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN. AND TWICE THE LEADERSHIP OF THIS HOUSE HAS REFUSED TO ALLOW OUR AMENDMENTS TO COME TO THE FLOOR. WHAT IS THE LEADERSHIP AFRAID OF? WHY DO THEY REFUSE TO ALLOW A DEBATE AND VOTE ON AUTHORIZING AMERICAS POST 2014 MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN? DONT WE OWE IT TO THE TROOPS WHO ARE GOING TO BE THERE? DONT WE OWE IT TO THEIR FAMILIES? THE GENTLEMAN FROM FLORIDA TALKS ABOUT THAT WE NEED TO BE THE VOICE OF OUR TROOPS. WE ARE NOT THE VOICE OF OUR TROOPS. WE ARE DUCKING THESE IMPORTANT DEBATES. ITS SHAMEFUL. WE ARE LETTING OUR TROOPS DOWN. WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS. AND WE OUGHT TO BE DEBATING AND VOTING ON THESE IMPORTANT ISSUES. WE ARE ALSO AT WAR AGAINST THE ISLAMIC STATE. ON JULY 25, THIS HOUSE OVERWHELMINGLY PASSED A RESOLUTION THAT I OFFERED THAT IF THE U.S. WERE INVOLVED IN SUSTAINED COMBAT OPERATIONS IN IRAQ, CONGRESS SHOULD VOTE AND ENACT AN AUTHORIZATION. 370 MEMBERS OF THIS HOUSE VOTED FOR THAT RESOLUTION. TWO WEEKS AFTER THAT VOTE, WE BEGAN BOMBING IRAQ. WE HAVE BEEN BOMBING IRAQ NEARLY EVERY DAY FOR THE PAST 4 1/2 MONTHS. WE HAVE INCREASED THE NUMBER OF U.S. TROOPS IN IRAQ TO AROUND 3,000. ON SEPTEMBER 22 WE STARTED BOMBING SYRIA. WE HAVE FLOWN SCORES OF BOMBING MISSIONS OVER SYRIA OVER THE LAST TWO MONTHS. WE BOMB IRAQ AND SYRIA AS PART OF A COORDINATED MILITARY OPERATIONS WITH THE IRAQI MILITARY AND KURDISH MILITARY FORCES. WE BOMB TO PROTECT INFRASTRUCTURE. AND WE BOMB TO TARGET TOWNS AND CAMPS HARBORING ISLAMIC STATE FORCES. IF THATS NOT BEING INVOLVED IN SUSTAINED COMBAT OPERATIONS, I DONT KNOW WHAT IS. THE WAR AGAINST ISIL BEGAN UNDER THIS CONGRESS. IT HAS ESCALATED UNDER THIS CONGRESS. IT HAS EXPAND INTERESTED IRAQ TO SYRIA AND NOW MAYBE TO TURKEY UNDER THIS CONGRESS. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY, THE CONSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITY OF THIS CONGRESS, THE 113TH CONGRESS, TO AUTHORIZE IT. AND YET WHILE THE BILL AUTHORIZES THE MONEY TO CARRY OUT THIS WAR, IT DOES NOT ALLOW US A YES OR NO VOTE ON ACTUALLY AUTHORIZING THE WAR. LAST NIGHT IN THE RULES COMMITTEE I OFFERED AMENDMENTS TO LIMIT FUNDING FOR THE IRAQ-SYRIA WAR UNTIL CONGRESS ENACTED AN AUTHORIZATION TO ENSURE THAT U.S. GROUND TROOPS IN IRAQ WOULD NOT ENGAGE IN COMBAT OPERATIONS. BOTH WERE REJECTED. BOTH WERE REJECTED. MR. SPEAKER, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. IT IS THE INSTITUTIONAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY OF THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES TO DECIDE MATTERS OF WAR AND PEACE. IT IS TIME FOR THE LEADERSHIP OF THIS HOUSE TO STEP UP TO THE FLORIDA STATE AND BRING AN AUTHORIZATION TO THE FLOOR. IT IS TIME TO DEBATE IT AND VOTE ON IT BEFORE THE 113TH CONGRESS ADJOURNS. NO MORE EXCUSES, NO MORE WHINING. JUST DO IT. THE RULE ALSO INCLUDES H.R. 5759, THE PREVENTING EXECUTIVE OVERREACH ON IMMIGRATION ACT. GIVE ME A BREAK, MR. SPEAKER. GIVE ME A BREAK. FOR OVER A YEAR AND A HALF A SENATE PASSED BIPARTISAN COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM BILL HAS BEEN AWAITING HOUSE ACTION. ALL IT NEEDS IS A HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP WITH THE POLITICAL BACKBONE TO TAKE IT UP. BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW THAT THE VOTES ARE THERE. WE COULD PASS IT TODAY OR TOMORROW OR NEXT WEEK. WE COULD PUT AN END TO ALL THIS RANCOR, ALL THE NASTY SOUND BITES BY SIMPLY DOING WHAT WE ARE PAID TO DO. DEBATING AND VOTING ON MAJOR PIECES OF LEGISLATION. I WOULD SAY TO MY FRIENDS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE, IF YOU DONT WANT THE EXECUTIVE TO TAKE ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION, START ACTING LIKE A REAL CONGRESS. THERES STILL TIME BEFORE WE LEAVE TOWN FOR THE HOLIDAYS, STOP THIS FARCE. TAKE UP THE SENATE BILL. PASS IT. AND SEND IT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR SIGNATURE. MR. SPEAKER, WHETHER IT COMES TO ISSUES OF WAR AND PEACE OR WHETHER IT COMES TO MAJOR ISSUES LIKE COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM, THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE. ALL WE NEED TO DO IS OUR JOB. I URGE MY COLLEAGUES TO DEFEAT THIS RIDICULOUS TRIPLE CLOSED RULE. I RESERVE THE BALANCE OF MY TIME. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: THE GENTLEMANS TIME IS RESERVED.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 01:26:47 +0000
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