walmart really showed me, this is a company that has really made a good-faith effort in its own context and has done a lot. but, again, at the end of the day, the average walmart worker is still making less than $29,000 a year. that's not a living wage. what it showed me is corporate america left on its own will never move far enough or fast enough to reverse this wage crisis that we have in this country. just with so many working people getting up, working hard, and not being able to make ends meet. >> rick wartzman with his book sunday night at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span's "q&a." you can listen to "q&a" and all of our podcasts on our free c-span n app. >>heouse passed a 2023 defense policy and ogms

bill, 380-80 th5 democrats and 35eplicans voting no. the measure ends the military's covid vaccine mandate. the authorization package now heads to the senate which they plan to take up next week. mr. sm speaker. i rise to urge members to support this piece of legislation. i want to thank everyone who worked on this process. all told from the beginning of it to now, over 2,000 member requests were considered in some form or another, either in committee, on the house or as we worked with the senate. with that open, collaborative and bipartisan process, we have produced, i think, an excellent product. first and foremost, we support the men and women who serve in the united states military in this bill. most specifically, we serve the people who are economically struggling the most by a 4.6 pay raise, increase in basic housing

allowance, increase in basic needs allowance, making sure the price of items a at the commissary do not go up so much as to price people out of it. we support the men and women who serve in the military in this bill and that's the number one most important role that we have. this bill also continues on the work that we did on last year's efforts to reform how sexual assault is happenedled in the military by including sexual harassment in the portions that are under the jurisdiction of the special victims prosecutor. there are a laundry list of things we do to really improve the quality of life for service members and to exercise our oversight. this bill also contains a number of other oversight bill, the intel -- the intelligence oversight bill, the foreign affairs oversight bill, the coast guard authorization zale, authorization is the word i was looking for. as well as the water resources development. all told this bill is congress exercising its authority to

authorize and do oversight of the executive branch on behalf of the american people and i think that is enor mousily important. we are a co-equal branch of government. it is our responsibility to exercise that oversight and represent the people. now obviously, the most direct sort of blunt force way we do that is through appropriations. the money we spend. that is incredibly important as well. but the authorizing portion of what we do matters a great deal. it is our opportunity to as individual member os of this congress to set policy for this country. at the department of defense, first and foremost, but as i said also in this bill on intel and foreign affairs and the coast guard and elsewhere. madam speaker, the house really isn't in order. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. mr. smith: really important we get that job done and we do it really, really well. i condition go through every single item in this bill but i can tell you just about every member in this house has something in this bill that's

important for policy, important to their district. i know because they have been talking to me for the last six months about it. this is important policy that makes a huge difference for the people, embodying the people in this country. i urge my colleagues to support it. i want to say two more quick things before i yield -- three more quick things before i yield to my partner, mr. rog, on this. first of all i want to thank him, the staff and everybody involved in all of that. to yield -- to field that many requests takes a lot of time. the staff on the armed services committee has been outstanding. and we are a bipartisan staff. we work together in a collaborative process. all of the committee members, republican, democrat have worked well together. in this moment i'll even say something good about the senating they worked well with us also. in a bipartisan, bicameral way. i thank them for putting that process together. second i want to briefly address, there's always a lot of controversy about issues not

within our jurisdiction and whether or not they go into the bill. what has to happen on that is the committees of jurisdiction have to agree. democrat, republican, house, senate. you got to get all four. if you get all four, great. we're happy to carry it. if you don't, we can't. i know it's important to you. i know you wish we could. but we can't. we done have the votes for it. i hope people understand that as we work with them on those outside issues. lastly, i want to address the vaccine issue. i want to make a couple of things perfectly clear. number one, the policy that the department of defense put in place in august of 2021 requiring service members to be vaccinated buzz the -- was the absolute right policy. it saved lives and improved readiness for the united states military while it was in place because it was absolutely clear that that vaccine made an enormous difference in protecting people from the disease. they was absolute right poledcy. number one. number two, service members who refused to follow that order had

to be disciplined. orders are not optional in the united states military. you cannot function that way. and we are not going to down. that but number three, right now, today, what is it, decembe. in 2022, a policy that says you have to have got then first shot, and that's what the policy is that we're undoing in this bill, it says you have to have gotten that first shot way back in 2021. either one johnson & johnson shot or the two-shot pfizer or moderna deal. right now the science does not support that makes you any safer today. it just doesn't. i urge the department of defense to go back and look at that policy and think about what the right and best policy would be. but it does make sense to repeal thatted orer from august of 2021. personally, i would have preferred the department of defense do it on their own rather than legislature telling them to but since they didn't i think this makes sense and i think we ought to do it. again let me just conclude by

saying this has been an excellent process. we have a nearly 4,000-page bill that exercises the authorizing and oversight authority of the united states congress on behalf of the american people. we did it very well. we have accomplished a lot in this bill. i think every member of this body can vote for it and feel really good about that. so i urge you to vote yes. with that, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington reserves. the gentleman from alabama is recognized. mr. rogers: thank you. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rogers: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in strong support of h.r. 7776, the james inhofe national defense act, providing the resources our war fighters need to defend our nation and defeat our adversaries is the greatest responsibility we have in this congress. we fulfill that responsibility with this this ndaa. we put our military members

first, giving theme 4.6% pay raise. this bill increases housing allowances and lowers prices at commissaries which offset the skyrocketing costs for ren and food. and it expands eligible for low-income military families to receive additional allowances to cover basic needs. this bill also ends the covid-19 vaccine mandate. the mandate has been needlessly forcing out thousands of talented and experienced variousmens. i'm pleased we reach an agreement on this. this bill also focused on ensuring our war fighters are the best equipped and trained in the world. we increase funding for readiness, reversing cuts for military construction and housing costs, expanding training availabilities for service members an improving the safety of the ships, aircraft, combat vehicles and facilities where our war fighters served. we also divest of over $6 billion in legacy systems that do little or nothing deter china

or other adversaries. we reinvest those savings in emerging technologies such as ample i., quantum computing and weapons systems. these are what we need to ensure our war fighters prevail in future battlefields. the threats against us are rapidly evolving. h.r. 7776 is laser focused on preparing our military to counter threats from china and other adversaries. it makes critical investments in new systems capable of surviving in contested environments. it includes provisions that will further harden our supply chain and industrial base against infiltration from china. and it reaffirms our support to allies in the region, especially taiwan. finally, it strengthen ours european alliance as these democracies face grave threats from that crackpot in the kremlin. i'm very proud that we have once again come together in a

bipartisan, bicameral fashion to fulfill our constitutional duty and produce a fiscal year 2023ndaa. i urge all members to support it and i also want to thank -- like the chairman i want to thank our staff for doing an incredibly good job of helping pull this together. i couldn't have a better partner in running this committee than chairman smith. thank you for your leadership, mr. chairman. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from alabama reserves. the chair will receive a message. the messenger: madam speaker a message from the senate. the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. the secretary: madam speaker. i have been directed by the senate to inform the house the senate has passed s. 3314, an act to provide for whi whistlebr incentives and protections, in which the concurrence of the house is requested. the speaker pro mr.smith: i yield one minute to the gentleman from rhode island,

mr. langevin. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from rhode island is recognized. mr. langevin: madam speaker, i rise in strong supports of this year's national defense authorization act and i thank chairman smith and ranking member rogers for their leadership. as chairman of innovative technologies and systems subcommittee, to research and research and our efforts to combat climate change including alternative aviation fuels. this subcommittee that works to deliver cutting edge technologies. and for the past 22 years it has been my job to ensure our troops never enter a fair fight. as i prepare to depart congress, i will cherish the opportunity to work across the aisle to

provide for our national defense. i thank my colleagues and staff. but most of all, i thank each and every service member in protecting our way of life. to honor their sacrifice, i urge my colleagues to support the ndaa. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from alabama is recognized. mr. rogers: i yield a minute to mr. lamborn. mr. lamborn: i rise in support to speak in support of the national defense authorization act. as the ranking member of the strategic forces subcommittee there are several provisions i'm excited. the bill directs the establishment of hyper sonic initiative and requires a strategy to defeat hyper sonic threats. the bill reverses fully funded

nuclear try add modernization and restores for the cruise missile and prohibits retirement of the gravity bomb and advances planning for east coast missile defense site. it requires a strategy for protection of satellites and resilient and response space capabilities and replenishes stocks of munitions that have been provided to ukraine. i'm supportive of the proceedings to rescind the covid-19 vaccine mandates. i would like to conclude one final public thank you to jim cooper for his service and steadfast partnership. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from alabama reserves. the chair lays before the house an enrolled bill.

the gentleman from washington is recognized. the clerk: an act to ensure for state regulations of marriage and for other purposes. mr.smith: i am pleased to yield one minute to the gentleman from connecticut, mr. courtney. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. courtney: i rise today in support of the bipartisan ndaa. as you know, article 1 section 8 of the constitution mandates that congress shall provide and maintain a navy and the sea power forces subcommittee does exactly that. we increased the number from eight requested to 11 and invests in the supply chain necessary for their construction. the bill authorizes maritime administration for the first time to build 10 new vessels to recapatalize our fleet.

also included is the first congressional in support of the office security between u.s. and u.k. which establishes joint training for a nuclear powered submarine fleet. i thank my colleagues ranking member rob whitman and our staff and our defense fellow all who contributed so much to this measure. i urge my colleagues to vote yes and join chairman smith and ranking member rogers. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington reserves. the gentleman from alabama. mr. rogers: i yield to mr. whitman. >> i thank mr. rogers for yielding. we remember the 81st anniversary

of the bombing of pearl harbor. our national security was placed in peril. times have changed and japan is the bedrock ally of the united states today. i can't help but wonder if we learned the lessons of pearl harbor and be caught unprepared by another attack.were not read. and an air force that continues to see come pat fire power. i am pleased to have rejected reckless niter objectives proposed by the biden administration. this bill authorize is 20% increase in ship construction and rejects an ill advised strategy and blocks poison pills that were tacked on to this legislation. i look forward to the next congress where we can assert a

revised trajectory and need to assure our partners and allies by deterring future agetions. i thank ranking member rogers for his leadership and adopting his vision today, that has real growth for defense and thank chairman smith to reach bipartisan consensus. this is a good bill and advances the national security of the united states. i urge all members to support the bill. i thank the gentleman for recognizing me and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from alabama reserves. the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr.smith: i yield one minute to the chairman of the readiness subcommittee, mr. garamendi. mr.garamendi: readiness subcommittee makes her sure our bases and personnel are prepared for anything to climate change, fires, housing and the like.

as i look at you there on the podium, i'm saddened. i'm going to miss you, i'm going to miss the work you have done and the extraordinary efforts you have made over your many years. behind me who i'm also going to miss and jackie speier and jim cooper. extraordinary group of people, you have carried this committee and carried all of us and thank you. and with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington reserves. the gentleman from alabama. mr. rogers: i concur with my friend and colleague from california, you are going to be missed as a member of this body. we have been fortunate to have the privilege of serving with you and i would like to recognize my friend and colleague from missouri. she has been a very valuable member of our committee for a long time. and i yield a minute and a half

to the gentlelady from missouri, mrs. hartzler. mrs.hartzler: it is an honor of my life. i rise in strong support of the national defense authorization act for fiscal year 2023 and i want to thank you ranking member rogers and chairman smith for developing this comprehensive bill and the subcommittee chairman, representative norcross, for his leadership and collaboration over the past several years. this legislation would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the entire committee staff and including kelly, my keefe of staff and defense fellow, and i appreciate all of their efforts. the ndaa is a bipartisan product and it is an honor to contribute to the development of these bills. as ranking member of the subcommittee i am pleased this reverses president biden's cuts

and restores funding to continue and rebuild and modernize our military. this bill authorizes funding for f-18 super hornets. 24f-15 to ensure the air force has the capability and capacity to be both current and future threats and modernization. this has been a top priority of mine since coming to and i am pleased that working with the army to ensure proper investments are made. i am pleased this bill includes language to language to ensure chaplains can use it for suicide programs and combat the threat posed by china. i urge my colleagues to support this with a yes vote. and i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr.smith: i am pleased to recognize the gentlelady from california, the chair woman of the personnel subcommittee, mrs. speier. ms. speier: thank you, mr. rogers, this ndaa moves us forward in reforming the military justice system. we took sexual assault out of the command. and take sexual assault out of the chain and require investigators who will investigate cases. both are critical for the safety of personnel because sexual harassment begets sexual assault. i visited bases in alaska twice. this expands the behavioral work force and each service member a paid trip home in 2023. we need to increase the pay of

military child care center workers. we have 19,000 families on waiting list and only using a third of the capacity in our facilities. this bill provides for a study. i hope we will do the right thing and make sure that these child care providers are making northern those flipping burgers at the local restaurant. this has crucial leave and paid leave needed to go to another state to receive an abortion. i thank the staff. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from alabama is recognized. mr. rogers: i'm going to miss the gentlelady from california. she has been a great member of our committee and championed some important issues and we'll miss her. i want to respond to her last remark. there is nothing in this bill that authorizes leave and paid

travel to have. there is nothing in this bill that authorizes that. >> i rise in strong support of my friend, jim inhofe national defense authorization act and he is former chairman of the senate armed services. i thank chairman smith and ranking member rogers for their hard work and my friend and subcommittee friend ruben gallego who is the chairman of the subcommittee. we have done many things. we have new authorities for them to operate. we have gotten resources for them to operate throughout the world in global power struggles with some of our competitors. our nation faces unprecedented challenges. i am proud this includes the covid mandate is removed and will not be losing soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines.

that we will not keep to recruiting to stay low, that we will have more people join in a force. i am committed to free costs, health care for our servicemembers which include our national guard and reserve. i thank ms. speier. and we are going to miss her and you, mr. speaker. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington. mr.smith: i yield to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. norcross. mr. norcross: thank you chairman smith and ranking member rogers. the tactical land subcommittee manages our nation's security risks and keeps american land and air forcees the best in the

world. i thank our ranking member, mrs. hartzler this will be her last ndaa and putting america above all others. this is an issue before us. it is a bipartisan bill and we have the oversight of the f-35 while reducing the risk of the industrial base. i cannot adequately express my frustration that the buy american provisions has been left out. certainly i do want to thank the professional staff who made it toes for what we do here each and every day and thank the men and women who maintain this great and build this industrial base, the finest military in the world. to my professional staff. it wouldn't be possible. with that, i yield back and urge a vote for this bill.

. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from alabama is recognized. mr. rogers: i yield to the gentleman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> i stand in support of this bipartisan defense bill that will help protect the country and take care of the men and women who sacrifice for our country on a daily basis. we have an $858 billion top line, an increase other president biden's budget qusm we continue to support and improve the lives of service members by authorizing a military basic pay raise of 4.6%. we have $500 million for housing allowances to counteract the skyrocketing costs of rent. i support the repeal of covid-19 vaccine mandate. we have a number of issues looking at improving mental health services for members and their families and it reinforces that parents of children

attending d.o.d. schools have a right to review materials and disciplinary policies. also critical is ensuring our professional military education is geared toward war fighting. i would like to thank the chairwoman, ms. speier, for her work with me on looking into the state of our professional military education enterprise and for all the work we have done together over the last few years. i would like to end by thanking mr. langevin for his remarkable service. we worked together on the cyberspace solarium commission and as i would like to say, jim was sounding the alarm about cyberspace before it was cool. he's a remarkable lead for the that regard. we're going to miss you. thank you very much. i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from alabama reserves. the gentleman from washington state is recognized. mr. smith: may i inquire how much time is left on each side. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington state has 9 1/2 minutes remaining. alabama has nine minutes remaining.

mr. smith: thank you. mr. speaker i'm pleased to yield one minute to the gentleman from arizona, the chair of the intelligence and special operations subcommittee, mr. gay yay go. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. gay yay go: i rise in support of h.r. 7776, the james inhofe national authorize eight act for fifth fiscal year 2023. first off the intil a win for service members providing a 4.6% pay raise, increased funding for basic housing allowances and improves women's health care. the bill authorizes a range of critical provision to address challenges from china and russia. we provide $6 billion for the group initiative, $00 million for the ukraine security initiative and $225 million for the baltic security initiative. all of which is much-needed support for ukraine and our nato allies and partners. as chair of the intel and special operations subcommittee i'm proud of the bipartisan work of our subcommittee members. including historic reforms to

defense intelligence enterprise, special operation forces and our approach to the issue of civilian harm. the bill authorizes up to $50 million to support nato special operations headquarters, an effort that will improve relationships among special operations forces of nato countries. it also establishes an oversight framework ensuring that congress is notified no later than 48 hours after d.o.d. approved a new military information support operation and the bill delivers on our commitment to -- mr. smith: i yield the gentleman 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. gallego: it provides $25 million to inch suspect the civilian harm negation plan. i want to thank my subcommittee ranking member, trent kelly, for his contribution to this bill and his strong, bipartisan -- his strong bipartisanship work. i would like to thank my staff subcommittee, shannon green, craig green, will braden,

patrick the vince and of course my m.l.a. michelle and defense fellow charlie. it is a good bill and i urge my colleagues to support it. thank you, madam speaker, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from washington state reserves. the gentleman from alabama is recognized. mr. rogers: i yield a minute and a half to my friend, mr. rouzer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rouzer: thank you. i rise today not just to support the ndaa but other provisions contained therein. one of which is very important to this country as well, the water resources development act of 2022, or wrda as we know it. continuing bipartisan biennial tradition, in may wrda passed the transportation committee by voice vote and later passed this chamber with an overwhelming vote of 384-37. since then we have been work

waring senate colleagues to final ides this very important piece of legislation. wrda came together with input from members from across the country and is an example of what can happen when congress works together to find solutions for their constituents and the american public. this area's wrda authorizes several chiefs reports, studies and environmental infrastructure prompts. it brings focus and prior toy many important projects in my home state of north carolina and throughout the country to better protect our communities from flooding. the legislation also supports fundamental core missions such as navigation and storm damage reduction which in turn support our economy and help keep the supply chain move, little rally. i'm honored to have had the opportunity to help craft this important bill with critical input from my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. i especially want to thank chairman defazio and chair napolitano and chair carper and ranking member capito for their

leadership and work on this vital, very commonsense legislation. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i appreciate their doing. so i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from alabama reserves. the gentleman from washington state is recognized. mr. smith: i'm now pleased to yield one minute though gentlewoman from virginia, the vice chair of the armed services committee, ms. laura. -- lohria. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. loria: this is a historic investment in our defense. i will say that it makes a strong step forward in our important priorities within the pacific for some of our most challenging arias of the world. the investments in the pacific, the continuing assistance to ukraine and as well as making advances in shipbuilding and preventing the decommissioning

of some ships and platforms that remain relevant in this very challenging time. but i will always say we can and should continue to do more in the future and i trust my colleagues to make those investments as we move forward. mrs. luria: as i wrap up my term here on the armed services committee and the house i want to thank the staff on both sides of the aisle as well as my staff in my congressional office and district office for their unrelenting focus on the issues covered in the ndaa and proud to say we had 23 items in this year's bill that do provide significant tangible results for both our national defense for the navy and for the hampton roads region. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from washington state reserves. the gentleman from alabama is recognized. mr. rogers: i yield one minute to my friend and colleague from texas, mr. pfluger. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pfluger: i rise in support of this legislation and want to

thank the chairman and ranking member for focusing our efforts with this piece of legislation on the threats. this most complex threat environment we've faced, i believe, in our he'sry. getting rid of things that distracted us like a vaccine mandate where we saw elite military forces strog make a choice that i believe was unconstitutional and i believe that focus is so necessary right now. for those that are in killeen, texas, in the fort hood area, which is home to the largest active duty armored military installation in the free world you have much-needed military construction funds coming to you to enhance your readiness. for those at goodfell air force base we're proud of the soldier, sailors, airmen and guardians trained there every year. it's a complex threat environment, we have to remain focused. i urge my colleagues to support this piece of legislation and the most kohl emduty we face which is supporting our military men and women and their families. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from alabama

reserves. the gentleman from washington state is recognized. mr. smith: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm pleased to yield one minute to the gentleman from oregon, chairman of the transportation and infrastructure full committee, mr. defazio. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. defazio: today is a historic day for this bipartisan, bicameral work in the congress. i ask unanimous consent to insert into the record a yoipt explanatory statement to accompany the water resources development act of 2022. this bill makes mystery as the fifth c consecutive water resources development bill. the first time in the his throif united states congress this has been done. it authorizes 25 construction reports to the chief of the core of engineers. essential to portland, oregon, tacoma washington, and here in washington, d.c. the bill also meets the challenge of clie klee mat change even though some deny it exists by rebuilding and maintaining critical navigation

jetties, break waters, to dimensions necessary to address sea level rise, extreme weather events, impacts of coastal storms, inland flopping, it also addresses future water supply needs in the arid west and makes communities more resilient. for the first time in over a decade significantly expands the corps' environmental authorities to address drinking water and wastewater needs. it also includes the don young -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. defazio sneak don young coast guard authorization act of 2022, authorizing $13.6 billion an $14.5 billion for the next year for much-needed infrastructure. it also authorizes a third polar security cutter, the russians have 20. ice breakers. the arctic is opening up. we need a third cutter and then we need the smaller cutters. i want to thank chairman graves,

ranking member graves, chair napolitano, ranking member rouzer, and ranking gibbs and all of my staff for their tremendous work on this committee. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from washington state reserves. the gentleman from alabama is recognized. mr. rogers: i whole heart think agree with mr. defazio on those ice breakers. it's inexcusable we don't have that capability. but with that, i have no further speakers and i'm prepared to -- i reserve until the chairman is ready to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from washington state is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i'm now pleased to yield one minute to the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute.

ms. jackson lee: mr. chairman, i know how hard you work. i would have preferred the mark of the president's budget but this is hard fought and hard won. heat me thank you for the raise that has been given to our serviceworkers, their housing allowance, let me thank you for this important research strain to the historically black colleges, for ukraine, let me also thank you for what we have fought for in the name of vanessa guillen and that is for the sexual assault that occurs in army, navy and other branches that may not point out a particular one, but let me also stand on this floor and say hostage brittney griner has come home. and that is a testament to what america is all about. and i want to thank all those who played a role and indicate that as she has come home and her family is ecstatic i want to make sure we know former marine paul whalen should be brought home as well.

thank you for making sure there's an authorization bill that responds to the people of the united states military. i'm delighted about the amendments about breast cancer dlrks 10 million for triple negative breast cancer. i'm delighted for the p ptsd funding and to ensure the neesm military are taken care of. i ask my colleagues to recognize the importance. thank you, britney grinner is home, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from washington state reserves. the gentleman from alabama is recognized. mr. rogers: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington state is reneck ised -- is recognized. mr. smith: we are, i believe -- we are -- thank you, mr.

speaker. i yield myself one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: there are so many people to thank in this process and we've done that. there are a number of members who are leaving the committee, staff members who are leaving as well. but i do want to take just a moment to thank three members in particular on the democratic side. certainly mr. langevin who is previeding over this, appropriately. ms. speier and mr. cooper. who are our three subcommittee chairs. during the four years we were in the majority, all three chaired subcommittees and delivered as much consequential legislation on the armed services committee as i've seen. the leadership the leadership has been invaluable and difficult to replace. jim's leadership on cyber and

intelligence -- innovative technologies. your subcommittees are a mouthful. i'm trying to what it stands, information technology and cyber and guts what makes our national security apparatus run, the information systems to make sure they are robust, effective and protected. the leadership -- i yield myself an additional 30 seconds. mr. cooper brought us the space force and his leadership has been invaluable and ms. speier, i can't imagine a more tenacious advocate to protect our men and women. her leadership has delivered real results. all three of you will be missed and i yield one minute to the distinguished speaker of the house, ms. pelosi.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. the speaker: thank you, mr. chairman for yielding and thank you for your tremendous leadership to protect and defend the american people and our constitution. thank you for your kind words that my colleague from san francisco, jackie speier, for her leadership on behalf of the men and women in unifrom. mr. speaker, thank you. what an honor to speak on this important legislation with you in the chair, to ensure the national security of the american people, whether on the armed services committee, intelligence committee, other initiatives, cybersecurity or the rest. you have been a leader and taught us a lot about your areas of expertise and more and because of you, we were able on one of the anniversaries, the a.d.a. to change the

infrastructure of the house so that you could preside. you were the first to preside and now as we come to the end of your service and leadership in the congress, not in the world, that you should be in the chair. it's an honor to all of us. you bring honor to that position, and i thank you for your service and your leadership, mr. langevin of rhode island. mr. speaker, i rise in support of this year's strong bipartisan bicameral national defense authorization act, the foundation of america's national security priorities. this legislation honors our fundamental charge under the united states constitution to provide for the common defense. that's why democrats have fought tirelessly from heroic servicemen and women to promoting american leadership

around the globe. thank you -- thanks to the distinguished chair of the armed services committee, adam smith and ranking member member, mike rogers, and all the members and staff assembling this bipartisan bicameral legislative package. it makes it stronger. for -- i would like to say some of the things in this legislation because as our country grows and needs are greater, the cost goes up as well, but how those resources are prioritized is very important for our colleagues who are making it accountable to understand our definition of strength and that starts with a deeply deserved 4.6% pay raise to ease the sting of inflation. and empowering pentagon to

allowance bringing food prices directing more funding tosome miss areas so meeting the personal needs of our personnel is so very important and this legislation does just that. building on the sweeping progress in last year's ndaa to combat sexual assault in the military, this year we require independently trained investigators outside the immediate chain of command to investigate claims of sexual harassment as well and jackie speier was important in all of that. we blocked to eliminate the right to travel to access abortion for servicemembers stationed in a state that criminalizees reproductive health. health is a value for every woman everywhere.

this legislation delivers funding for research and development at hbcu's and steers additional funding to other minorities serving institutions. this is so important because democrats and republicans know we must build a diverse inclusive national security work force, one reflective of our nation. by investing in these essential engines of opportunity, we expand the talent pipeline and make sure the nation's brightest minds will meet our toughest national security challenges. at the same time, we are investing in america's global preell imnens. to honor our troops with cutting-edge technologies, equipping to tackle complex 21st sent friday threats. you know this so well,

mr. chairman, and ranking member, and we are harnessing clean energy to ensure our defense facilities and fleets are resilient to climate change. meanwhile, we are nurturing our growing semiconductor industry, which we reinvigorated earlier this year. the ndaa will require the government to use chips made in america and bolstering our economic competitiveness. this year ndaa makes progress to promote american leadership in the global arena. families here at home depend on national security and stability. with this legislation, we ensure that america and our allies maintain a military edge and strategic regions across the world investing more than $11 billion in the pacific

initiative and european initiative and further support for ukraine for ukraine assistance initiative and security of our nation is not only measured in our military might but in the health and strength in our well-being and respect and as i draw to conclusion, i wanted to salute the people of ukraine for their courage, president zell ins ky. and the democracy, their neighbors in europe as well and throughout the world. so we have a moral responsibility. a very practical one to support our ukraine initiatives. importantly there are two dwicial provisions that democrats fought to attach. first is a version of federal firefighters fairness act, a

long south democratic priority to make it easier for firefighters who contract certain diseases to qualify for federal workers' congressmen occasion. i call our firefighters our no built. they risk their lives to protect our families, homes and communities from devastation. with this provision, we take another step to deliver the benefits they are entitled to, that they have earned. the second initiative is the oceans package. a very important and i understand bipartisan initiative closely gishted with military leaders. this bipartisan legislation is a force for america's national security and economic competitiveness. four in 10 americans live in coastal counties and the well-being depends on strong

secure water sources. by taking actions to preserve our oceans and great lakes, we are protecting jobs and businesses and resilience to clean water and preserving aquatic life and their natural habitat. our military leaders have told us that the climate crisis is a top threat facing our nation. the climate crisis is a security issue. we are also modernizing and securing more hurricane hunter aircraft to help protect communities the from extreme weather and climate disasters. today we are confronting threats to democracy here and around the world. i want to salute the president and people of ukraine. their fight for democracy is ours as well. we have not only a moral but a strategic responsibility to

continue to support their fearless fight as we do in this legislation. in order to uphold our sacred responsibility and ensure that americans are safe and america is secure, i urge a strong bipartisan vote and send it to the senate and onto the president to become the law of the land. my understanding there is agreement between the house and senate in a bipartisan way. thank you, mr. rogers. on a separate note, we are overjoyed that brittney griner is on her way home after the president's tire less work to secure her release. earlier today we passed the mairnlg protection act and so happy that she will be joining her wife when she comes home. congress remains firmly committed to supporting the administration as it continues to work to secure the release of

paul whelan whose putin has detained. paul whelan said the president made the right decision and keep the focus to get him to be free. i salute the chair smith and ranking member rogers for their great accomplishment in getting a strong bipartisan bill that keeps our country strong and measures our might in terms of our hardware of course, but also in terms of people who keep us strong. with that, i urge a strong bipartisan vote and yield babying. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from washington state reserves. the gentleman from alabama is recognized. mr. rogers: i yield myself the remainder of my time. i thank chairman smith. no better partner that i could

have and i am grateful for his leadership and thank chairman reed and jim inhofe is retiring at the end of this congress. throughout his decades of service, he has been a consistent champion to our men and women in uniform. it is fitting and appropriate that we named this year's ndaa after jim inhofe and i thank our staff on both sides of the aisle and legislative counsel and c.b.o. for their tremendous contributions as well. yesterday was the 81st anniversary of the devastating attack on pearl harbor. we built the strongest military in the world with a mission to protect the greatest nation on earth. this bill before us today will ensure our military can continue to carry out that sacred mission. i urge all members to support it

and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the gentleman from washington state is recognized. mr.smith: i yield myself the balance of our time. really, i can't say it any better than the speaker said. that was an outstanding work we have done and the policy we have put forward. we have come together in a bipartisan, bicameral way to reflect our values and supports the men and women who serve in our military and gives us the opportunity to meet our national security requirements. it has been an outstanding process with pretty much everybody in this body participating in it and producing an outstanding product. i urge members to all vote in favor of the national defense authorizing act for 2023. i thank everyone for their work

the speaker pro tempore: the hoe ssed the 2023 defense policy and programs bill. 3350-80. with 45 democrats and 35 republicans voting no. the mearends the military's covid vaccine mandate. the 8 $858 billion national defee thorization package heads to the senate which they plan to take up next week. >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government. we are fund bide these television companies and more. including charter communications. >> broadband is a force for empowerment. that's why charter has invested billions. building infrastructure, upgrading technology, empowering opportunity in communities big and small. charter is connecting us. >> charter communications supports c-span as a publi service. along with these other television providers. giving you a front row seat to

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