While reducing the stress and strain on the force and their families. Further focuses last years management reform of the military Health System to provide clear responsibility for the delivery of Health Care Services and military medical treatment facilities, and for military medical readiness, the bill also stops all illconsidered costsaving measures that would close several u. S. Military hospitals overseas. We believe our Service Members and their families should continue to have the best medical care possible, wherever they serve. It improves response by adding a new provision specifically prohibiting nonconsensual of expanding Victim Counsel training to include training on the unique consequences by male and it can be appointed by a victim prior to a court martial. Finally, Service Members returning to civilian life and their spouses are challenged the chair the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Thornberry i yield 30 seconds. Mr. Coffman and rather than imposing a single federal standard, we provide a 500 reimbursement to defray these costs and we ask the states to develop common standards where possible. I want to thank ms. Speier and her staff and support in this process. We are joined by an active and informed and dedicated group of subcommittee members. Their recommendations and priorities are reflected in the National Defense authorization act in 2018 and i appreciate the dedication a and hard work of the subcommittee staff. I urge my colleagues to support this. And i yield back. The chair the gentleman from texas reserves. The gentleman from washington. Mr. Smith i yield two minutes the gentlelady from california. Recognize our subcommittee chairs and members in bringing this bill to the floor. As has been stated, the budget numbers we are talking about contained in the bill are aspirational. We have not passed a budget resolution and the budget control act is the law of the land. While it was a failing and pointing fingers does not solve the problem. We are on an uncertain and dangerous path, where we have not been honest with ourselves and where we continue to play games with our men and women serving in the military. We must recognize the only path of solving these issues is Bipartisan Legislation to repeal the b. C. A. Continuing resolutions and unrealistic bipartisan budget amounts to malpractice. I have to say, that i was encouraged that the senate included a proposal to continue paying the widows who died in defense of that our nation. It is our fundamental responsibility. And im encouraged by the promise our chairman made regarding this issue. The issue has to be fixed and it will be. And he has said there are difficult tradeoffs that have to be made. We will have to contribute to the solutions. Im prepared to do that. We have to hope together that we move forward and be prepared to do that. Thank you, mr. Speaker, i yield. The chair the gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Thornberry i yield two minutes to the chairman, mrs. Hartzler. The chair the gentlelady is recognized. Mrs. Hartzler i rise in support year 2018 National Defense authorization act. As members of congress, its our responsibility to provide support to our men and uniform wlile they serve our nation. This bill takes significant steps to address our readiness crisis by ensuring that our troops have the resources, training and capabilities needed to face the growing threats of today. Im proud of the provisions included in this bill to reform the Foreign Military sales process, provide funding to address the Critical Infrastructure needs and protect our nations highly sensitive u. S. Military information, information that our adverse areas are actively looking to exploit. F18thorizes 22 additional Super Hornets and funds the b21 radar to deter future aggression. I represent missouri 4th district. This bill funds programs for the b2 spirit and authorizes phase one of a new hospital facility. Since arisk to congress i have been fighting to fight the infrastructure needs, lake city is the source. These plants are in dire need of modernization and this bill authorizes much needed funding. Thanks to the leadership of chairman thornberry, the Armed Services committee increases defense spending. Appreciate the opportunity to talk about the bipartisan passion and i urge my colleagues o support its passage. Mr. Smith im pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from maryland, mr. Brown. Mr. Brown let me start by thanking chairman thornberry and Ranking Member smith not only for their leadership but the bipartisan approach to the work of the committee and as a new member of the 115th congress, i find it very refreshing and its no surprise that 50plus years in a row we have passed this. The United States faces various security threats, aggression from north korea and russia and campaigns in iraq. New battlefields in cyber space and outer space. After years of sequestration, there is consensus that Congress Must address modernization changes facing our military. Investments we made in equipping our forces. But increasing Defense Authorizations and appropriations absent a clear National Security strategy will not make our country safer. We need a smart, strategic approach to National Security that provides clear goals and objectives and incorporates in an allgovernment approach. Not only increasing defense spending but ensuring spend in the state department and usaid and nondefense programs that make the world more stable and secure. We owe it to our servicemen and women to provide them the resources to accomplish their Mission Abroad and pursue the american dream. And thats good schools and safe neighborhoods. We cannot do one at the expense of the other. The longterm success of our country depends on that. Mr. Speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Thornberry i yield two nutes to the chairman, ms. Stefanik. Ms stefanik today, i rise in strong support of the National Defense authorization act for fiscal year 2018 which increases readiness and those who serve our nation are fully equipped and fully supported. Im proud of the oversight regarding stronger cyber warfare capabilities and enabling our special forces around the globe providing resources to counter rrorism and energizing programs. Ur achievements in Cyber Security carries three broad themes. Includes a bill introduced by myself and Ranking Member nching begin and they are in formed. We bolster International Partnerships for cyber warfare including efforts to Information Warfare and third, the bill continues to build and enhance our u. S. Capabilities and activities. This bill reinforces counterterrorism and Unconventional Warfare by fully resourcing u. S. Special Operation Program and activities and increasing oversight of intelligence activities. I would like to thank mr. Rodgers for including language. And i would like to thank mr. Coffman for including portions of my bill the list of relocation burden. And before i conclude, i would like to thank the chairman as well as my Ranking Member jim lanching vin for his Bipartisan Energy and cooperation on all of these issues. I urge my colleagues to vote yes. With that, i yield back. The chair the gentleman from washington is recognized. Mr. Smith how much time is on each side . The chair 9 1 2 minutes. Mr. Smith we are going to reserve. The chair the gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Thornberry i yield one minute, a valued general from nebraska, mr. Bacon. Mr. Bacon i rise in support of this bill. I served in the military under the past five president s and witnessed the erosion of our combat edge. We out trained our competitors th a two toone flying advantage. And it is unconscionable to send them into combat. But thats where we are at today. I was charged with preparing our forces to prevail over any adverse area. And given the damage by 22 reduction of defense funding while we are at war. This will right the ship. Providing the means to build the readiness and invests in peace through strength. The constitution charges this dy to provide for the common defense. And we meet this obligation with back. 18 ndaa than i yield mr. Smith i continue to reserve. The chair the gentleman from texas. Mr. Thornberry i yield one knight. A member, mr. Mr. Knight i rise in the National Defense authorization act for fiscal year 2018. This is mindful dedication to our soldiers, sailors and airmen and marines. And im speaking on behalf of this legislation. The acquisition reforms will get answered equipment. This bill brings much needed innovation to the tax dollars and commercial businesses engage. It prifertizes oversight of service contracts. His accounts for over 50 of expenditures. And it will help secure a better value spent through forms. Small business strile base is a critical part of procurement and unique ability to strengthen by driving innovation and competition in the marketplace. It is important we create opportunities and strengthen programs and eliminate barriers strengthen our industrial base. Mr. Smith mr. Courtney, you ready to go . I yield three minutes to the gentleman from from connecticut and the Ranking Member on the subcommittee on sea power and projection forces. Mr. Courtney thank you to mr. Smith for yielding and compliments and chairman thornberry and the two of you have collaborated to keep this undertaking on schedule. A trunk indicated schedule and you. Kudo to both of and i rise in strong support of the 2018 ndaa. And i served with chairman whitman who is in his first term. But in our deliberations was the buildup of our navy fleet. In december of last year, the prior navy secretary, who served in the Prior Administration laid out the requirement for increasing the navys fleet from 308 ships to 355. In january of 2015, they got us on a construction path to get us to a larger fleet. And time is of the essence in growing the navy. And that was why so many of us were surprised on may 23 and disappointed when the white house sent over a 308 budget. Im proud to say that on a bipartisan basis we have done much better. We add five additional ships in 2018 for a total of 12 to get us moving toward the larger fleet that Prior Administration and the new administration know we need. One area im particularly proud of is the area of ound undersea forces of our undersea forces. Our panel once again led the way in forging an aggressive but realistic plan to grow our submarine fleet. To achieve this, our bill authorizes multiyear Procurement Authority for 13 virginia class attack submarines for the next five years. Not only would this keep us at the twoyear level that weve been on for the last few years, it would go even further by reaching a threesubmarine build rate in the coming years. The sea power portion of the bill does much, much more to support a range of priorities on the seas and in the skies. Far too many to itemize here today. Im proud of the bipartisan contribution of all of our subcommittee members into the product before the house today. And again to mr. Wittman for his first year as subcommittee chairman, in particular i want to highlight the work of our subcommittee staff in helping us craft a the bill. Im joined by one of my staff, steven, who has been working with us and is going to be moving on to better things. I want to publicly thank him for his outstanding work in terms of helping us get to the place we are here today. In closing i would urge my colleagues to support the Defense Authorization bill and yield back the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Thornberry im pleased to yield one minute to a valuable member of our committee who continues to serve our nation in the reserves. The gentleman from indiana, mr. Banks. The chair the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Banks thank you, mr. Chairman. I rise today to express my strong support for the fiscal year 2018 National Defense authorization act. As the most recently deployed veteran serving in congress, serving in afghanistan, just two years serving in afghanistan just two years ago, i know the National Security challenges facing our country firsthand. While these challenges are not easily solved, this legislation represents a significant step forward. I want to take a moment and specifically thank chairman thornberry for his leadership in a and assistance to myself and other freshmen members of the committee. Working together with colleagues on both sides of the aisle, the Armed Services committee has crafted a bill focused on rebuilding and reforming the department of defense. By procuring what we need, fixing what we already have, and by being good stewards of the taxpayer dollars by proposing new contract audit reforms, this bill begins the hard work of getting our department back on the right track. While we cannot control the existential threats facing our nation, we must ensure that those in uniform are ready to address those threats when necessary. Moreover, as this weeks tragic c130 accident that claimed the lives of 16 members reminded all americans mr. Thornberry im pleased to yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman. Mr. Banks we know our Service Members place their lives on the line each and every day. From give our troops a well deserved raise to funding our vital Missile Defense programs, i believe that this legislation begins the process of rebuilding and reforming our military so we are ready for whatever comes next. With that, thank you, mr. Chairman. I yield back. The chair the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from washington is recognized. Mr. Smith if i may inquire, i believe that the your last speaker. Are you prepared to close at this point . Ok. I yield myself the balance of our time. The chair the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Smith what i really want to focus on is the budget problem. Thats really underlying all of this. I think weve heard a lot of good speeches from members talking about what is in this bill. How important it is. How whats in this bill is attempting both to meet our National Security threats and, as importantly, to make sure that we take care of the men and women who serve our military, who fight to protect us. To make sure, first of all, that they and their families are taken care of from a financial standpoint, but also to make sure that they have the equipment and training that they need to be ready to fight the fights that is we ask them to go to. I think thats one of the great challenges. Is whatever it is we decide ought to be our National Security strategy, i think the thing we can all agree on is that we need to make sure that we provide the training, equipment and support so that the men and women who serve in the military are ready for that fight. The worst thing we can do is create a hollow force. Set up an expectation, you need to do all of this, but were only going to train you for that. So if this other stuff comes up, youre not going to be ready. Weve talked about this a lot in our committee, to make sure that we are ready for the fight that comes. Thats where the budget creates a very significant problem. Weve talked a lot about the budget control act. And sequestration. Its pretty clear why we had the budget control act and sequestration. I was here for it. We were days away from not raising the debt ceiling. Basically not meeting our commitments to pay our bills. And there are those who figured that that could be a significant problem. So we made an agreement. We were going to try to get the budget under control, sequestration was put in place, with the expectation that it wouldnt be implemented because we would come to a grand bargain on revenue and spending that would get our deficit under control. Well, we didnt and sequestration kicked in. But as we sit here today, even if we got rid of sequestration, even if we got rid of the budget caps, we are still 20 trillion in debt. Were going to run a 700 billion deficit. And this is projected to go nowhere but up in the years ahead. I dont believe that is sustainable. I dont think we need to balance the budget tomorrow or next year or even in the next five years. But we need to get ourselves on a sustainable path. And we flat refuse to do that. When you look at you dont see a lot of campaigns promising to cut specific programs or promising to raise taxes. I love the fact that if you poll the American People, theres a very clear consensus on what they think we ought to do about this problem. First of all, somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 of them support a bald budget. Now by the way balanced budget. Now, by the way. If you ask them, heres all the places where the government spends money, what would you like to cut . The answer to that question is nothing. I mean, literally nothing. The pew research folks do a poll on this every year. And every single category, a majority of people would rather keep the money the same or increase it as opposed to decrease it. Of course if you ask them what taxes they would like to increase, by and large they dont want to increase taxes. Its interesting, you can, if you can convince people that the taxes in question will not apply to them, for a brief moment they will be supportive of it. But then someone will come along and convince them that at some point it might apply to them and then they oppose it. Our task is to