To require the Secretary of Agriculture to convey the Pleasant Valley Ranger District Administrative Site to Gila County, Arizona.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation. My Democratic colleagues and I agree that it is a good idea to authorize the conveyance of the Pleasant Valley Ranger District Administrative Site to Gila County in Arizona.

However, I do want to talk about the broader context for this bill because it

was supposed to be considered today alongside a Democratic-led bill, the National Museum of Play Recognition Act. It is about as innocuous as it gets.

This is a bill that has a Republican co-lead. It would merely confer the title of ``national'' to this museum in Rochester, New York, which is a unique institution dedicated to the exploration of how play serves to promote learning, creativity, discovery, and cultural history.

The bill wouldn't provide Federal funding or any other benefits that my friends across the aisle could object to. I am talking about conferring an honorary title on a children's museum. It has areas for kids to play and imagine that they are in Sesame Street or the Berenstain Bears books.

Unfortunately, House Republicans have pulled the bill from today's agenda at the last minute because we are told that many Republicans think the museum is too woke and too DEI. That is right. That is the explanation we have been given for why the deal is off and the Democratic bill can't be considered today.

I don't know the names of who made this decision or what specific complaints are behind it, but I am guessing that some of my Republican colleagues don't like the fact that the museum currently has a small temporary exhibit called Black Doll Designers that lets visitors ``learn about the pivotal role that Black designers have played in diversifying toy aisles.''

In September, the museum also posted on Instagram about Hispanic Ballerina Barbie and how the My First Barbie line of dolls ``come in various ethnicities and styles, encouraging inclusivity and diversity. . . . ''

That doesn't strike me as controversial or offensive in any way, but is that why we can't have a vote on this bill here today? Some unidentified Republicans are triggered by that, by Hispanic Ballerina Barbie, or are our Republican friends just taking their orders from the far-right website Breitbart, which posted yesterday, attacking this museum for its content and for offering what it called diversity and inclusion internships. I guess those are dirty words these days.

That is how it works these days. Shortly after the Breitbart post went up, this bill disappeared from the agenda. It was pulled. That is how it works these days. Breitbart posts something. Congress reacts. Elon Musk tweets. Republicans in Congress walk away from a bipartisan budget deal.

Mr. Speaker, this is disgusting. Are my colleagues now puppets on a string, something that maybe should be an exhibit in the play museum that we are talking about here? It sure would seem so.

There is nothing more I can say. I believe this is disgusting. I will save my comments about the remaining bill on today's agenda for later, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I will close by saying I support this legislation. As we have already heard, this is a property that is adjacent to the rural town of Young, Arizona, surrounded by the Gila National Forest and formerly a Forest Service office building and administrative site that is no longer used by the agency.

This conveyance will provide Gila County with the opportunity to do something productive and important with the property. It will establish a veterans retreat and community center. That is a worthy goal. It will support and uplift our deserving community of veterans in that location, and the partnership made possible by this bill would provide some new life to deteriorating buildings, barns, barracks, and existing wastewater systems.

This is a bill that passed the House last Congress. It is unfortunate that the Senate didn't take it up. Hopefully, this time around, they will, and we can help fulfill Gila County's goal in creating what they have described as ``the ultimate experience for veterans and their families.'' We support all of that.

If this bill does become law, I hope our Federal Government will be sufficiently staffed to carry it out. With furloughs, firings, and attempts at encouraging early retirement, including a whole bunch of lawless attempts that I wish my friends across the aisle were a little more concerned about, we are already seeing basic government functions at risk.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues across the aisle to tell their friends in the White House to look before they leap and to stop dismantling the offices that serve our constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 837) to require the Secretary of Agriculture to convey the Pleasant Valley Ranger District Administrative Site to Gila County, Arizona.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 837, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 837, which is led by my friend from Arizona, Representative Crane.

This is a good bill that would transfer land from the Forest Service to create a retreat facility in Gila County, Arizona, for veterans and their families. Over 5,000 veterans call Gila County home, and there are over 500,000 veterans in all of Arizona.

Creating this facility will help the brave men and women who have served our country find healing, reconnect with nature, and ease the transition back to civilian life.

Nearly 60 percent of the land in Gila County is Federally owned, which creates significant limitations on available land for commendable efforts like the veterans' retreat center. The proposed location of this new center is a Forest Service site that is scheduled to be torn down.

This 232-acre site includes 17 buildings, 2 residences, 2 barracks, a historic ranger house and barn, and helipads.

Gila County plans to remodel and renovate many of the buildings to provide an excellent experience for veterans and their families. Repurposing the site is a win-win, as it will be a great resource for Arizona's veterans while freeing the Forest Service from maintaining property it no longer needs.

I commend Representative Crane for his leadership on this effort on behalf of his constituents. As a veteran himself, I know he understands how important this center will be for his community. His diligent work with Gila County and the Forest Service has led to this important effort, which will make a meaningful difference in the lives of Arizona's veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Crane), the lead sponsor of this bill about a veterans' retreat center.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud Representative Crane for his leadership in this effort. Representative Crane honorably and bravely served our Nation, and now, he is providing exemplary service to his constituents by championing this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of my bill, which passed the House last Congress and was the first piece of legislation I introduced in my first term.

It is a testament to veterans in Arizona. Specifically, my bill would enable Gila County, Arizona, to operate a veterans' center on 232 acres in Young, Arizona.

As a former Navy Seal, I know the importance of providing this resource cannot be understated. This legislation will serve our State and its heroes well.

The veterans' center would protect and maintain the rich history of the property while providing family housing, meeting and activity spaces, resource rooms, veteran ceremonial grounds, and outdoor recreation.

It would be the first of its kind in northern Arizona, providing resources and support to primarily rural veterans and their families.

Furthermore, this legislation is an exemplary model of efficient land management. Out West, the Federal Government retains vast amounts of land, limiting States' ability to maintain, conserve, recreate, and responsibly produce on lands within their own State.

Mr. Speaker, anytime Congress can vote on legislation that returns power to the States is a good thing.

In this case, veterans of northern Arizona will get a space to heal and reconnect with their families after putting their lives on the line for the peace and freedom of all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Arizona (Mr. Gosar), who helped lay the foundation for this effort, as well as Senator Kelly, who is leading this bill in the Senate.

Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that we can get this bill across the finish line, and I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.