Niki Tsongas: “I thank Ranking Member Smith for yielding. Earlier this month, the Armed Services Committee advanced the fiscal year…”

“I thank Ranking Member Smith for yielding. Earlier this month, the Armed Services Committee advanced the fiscal year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act to the House floor with broad, bipartisan support. I thank Chairman Thornberry and Ranking Member Smith for their work in developing this year's bill. I have greatly appreciated the bipartisan tradition that annually allows us to come together to best protect our country and those who serve on our behalf. The Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee has embodied that spirit of bipartisanship, and I would like to thank my friend and colleague Congressman Mike Turner for all the work we have done together over the past several years. I am especially pleased that the bill under consideration today includes proposals related to better understanding and reducing physiological episodes in Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force aircraft. I believe it is important to keep calling on DOD to solve this problem across multiple aircraft, wherever it occurs. The bill also appropriately directs the Air Force to continue the JSTARS recap program while the service works to develop a next- generation JSTARS in order to ensure this critical capability remains available to maximum effect to our servicemembers.…”