DeLauro Praises Legislation for its Support of our Armed Forces

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn.-3) praised the focus on making critical investments in meeting the needs of our military – not only for equipment and training, but also for the needs of their families and their family's healthcare in the fiscal year 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill. The bill was approved by the full Appropriations Committee and will now be debated by the House, following passage there, the legislation will also need to be voted on by the Senate, approved by both chambers and signed by the President.

"This funding ensures we are providing the men and women of our Armed Forces with the resources, equipment and support they need to do their jobs, as well as making a critical investment today in our military's future," said DeLauro. "Whether it is producing the best helicopters in the world, making the most advanced jet engines or developing medical research that will save lives, Connecticut is a leader in delivering this vital equipment and knowledge to our country's servicemen and women. And that is highlighted by the funding included in this bill."

The legislation provides $636 billion for the Department of Defense – nearly $3.8 billion below the President's request – including $508 billion for base defense accounts and $128.3 billion for Overseas Deployments and Other Activities. Notably, the funding for Overseas Deployments means that the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are funded through the annual appropriations bill, rather than, as previously done, funded through war supplementals.

Of interest, the bill encourages the Defense Department to procure a new fleet of aerial refueling tankers and requires the Air Force to lay out how it will rebid the contract. Last year, the Government Accountability office determined that the contract award was flawed. The resulting rebidding of the contract will put the Boeing Team, which utilizes engine expertise of Pratt and Whitney, back into strong contention for the contract.

Key investments in the Defense Appropriations bill to keep our commitments to our troops and their families:

Keeping Our Commitments to Our Troops and Their Families

• Military Pay: The bill provides a 3.4% military pay increase, 0.5% above the request; and $122.4 billion – $7.9 billion above 2009 – to fully fund the requested end strength levels for active duty and Selected Reserve personnel.

• Compensation for Stop Loss: The bill continues efforts to end the practice of "stop loss" and includes $8.3 million to pay troops $500 for every month their term of service will be involuntarily and arbitrarily extended in 2010.

• First Class Medical Care: $29.9 billion – $4.1 billion above 2009 and $2 billion above the request – to provide our troops top of the line medical care. This includes $500 million – $128 million above the request – for traumatic brain injury and psychological health. And $2.2 billion for the wounded, ill and injured programs, as well as $636 million for peer-reviewed research programs: $150 million for breast cancer research; $80 million for prostate cancer research; $30 million for orthopedic research; $25 million for ovarian cancer research; $15 million for spinal cord research; and $10 million for ALS research.

• Supporting Military Families: The bill includes $472.4 million for Family Advocacy programs and fully funds Family Support and Yellow Ribbon programs. In addition, the bill includes $20 million for Army National Guard Family Assistance Centers and reintegration.

• Readiness Training: $11 billion, $76 million above the request, for critical readiness training so that our troops are prepared to successfully perform their missions.

Improving Fiscal Responsibility

• Reigning in Outsourcing: $5.1 billion, $104 million above the request, to allow defense personnel, not contractors, to perform critical department functions. Additionally, the bill reduces contracted advisory and assistance services by $51 million, and includes general provisions to stop further conversions by the Department of Defense from government functions to contractors.

• Inspector General Oversight: $288 million, $17 million above the request, for the Inspector General to hire additional investigators to ensure proper oversight of DoD acquisition and contracting.

• Undefinitzied Contracts: The bill contains a provision restricting the use of funds in certain aircraft programs until prior year contracts are fully negotiated and definitized; restoring much needed discipline to the contracting process and providing leverage for the department to achieve the best possible pricing for the taxpayer.

Further the bill continues a general provision prohibiting the establishment of permanent bases in Iraq or Afghanistan; requires the Defense Secretary to report on the status, goals and timeline for the redeployment of troops from Iraq; and continues a general provision prohibiting the torture of detainees held in US custody. Additionally, the bill maintains the provision that no funds may be used for publicity or propaganda purposes not authorized by Congress. DeLauro has been a leader on holding the Pentagon accountable for a propaganda program discovered by the New York Times.

The fiscal year 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill included funding for the following initiatives in Connecticut:

Sikorsky Aircraft, Stratford

• 79 UH-60 Black Hawks: $1.3 billion

• 18 MH-60S Navy Knight Hawk Helicopters: $414 million

• 24 MH-60R Navy Sea Hawk Helicopters: $818 million

• Navy CH-53K Heavy Lift helicopter research & development: $524 million

Pratt and Whitney, Middletown

• 28 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Lightening II: $5.6 billion (14 for the Marine Corps; 4 for the Navy; and 10 for the Air Force)

• F-22 Raptors: $369 million for the advanced procurement of parts for the F-22

• 3 C-17 Globemasters (each has 4 Pratt and Whitney engines): $674 million

Advanced Affordable Turbine Engine Program, $4 million: for the Aviation Applied Technology Directorate of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command to continue developing the next generation utility and attack helicopter engine.

Advanced Logistics Fuel Reformer for Fuel Cells (Phase II) project, $3 million: for the third year of funding for a three-year project to develop a highly efficient, small scale, liquid fuel reformer that will reform Navy logistics fuels.

Blood Safety and Decontamination Technology, $3 million: to be used by the Army to develop a prototype system for red blood cells that can be operationally evaluated in military and civilian blood centers to significantly reduce the risk of infection from blood transfusions.

Broad Spectrum Therapeutic Countermeasure to OP Nerve Agents project, $2 million: for the Defense Department to develop a broad-spectrum therapeutic capable of protecting both the central and peripheral nervous systems from injury by nerve agents and reducing reliance on pretreatments.

HQ USNORTHCOM-National Center for Integrated Civilian-Military Domestic Disaster Medical Response (Yale New Haven Health System) Program, $2 million: to continue activities in coordination with USNORTHCOM that support the civilian-military integrated medical response required by HSPD-21.