Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to join the chorus of Americans across the country who are gravely concerned about the reckless Republican tax plan.

Middle class families in my district know that this plan won't help to get them ahead, and it is not because they are doing the math wrong. The plan throws a buffet full of enormous tax cuts for multinational corporations and billionaire real estate investors, and it leaves hardworking families to fight for table scraps.

Tens of millions of middle class families will ultimately face a tax hike, and the repeal of the State and local deduction raises taxes on many families in my district in California.

For example, in Orange County, my constituents deduct an average of $6,500 a year using the SALT provision. This proposal sends them a bill.

Republicans are asking my constituents to pay more, only to let companies that expand overseas pay less. That simply doesn't make sense.

I urge all of my colleagues, especially my neighbors in California, to reject this tax hike on middle class families.

Mr. Speaker, on roll call 580, I was unavoidably detained as a result of a death in the family. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

On roll call 588, I was unavoidably detained as a result of a death in the family. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, 3 years ago today, 43 students from Ayotzinapa, Mexico, disappeared.

I recently traveled to Mexico where I spoke with many of their parents and the family members of the students who disappeared. I was humbled by the strength that they show. After a 3-year struggle, they have asked for answers to two simple questions: What happened that night when their children were taken; and where are they now?

On this third anniversary of their loss, I am repeating my past calls for the Mexican Government to prioritize their search for the students, to bring justice to those responsible for their disappearance, and to investigate any obstruction of justice.

If the Mexican Government cannot do this, I urge them to allow the independent panel of experts to expand on their initial investigation. The students, their parents, and the Mexican people deserve answers.

Madam Speaker, last week, people across the Nation and around the world heard the heart-wrenching story of my constituent, Helen Huynh.

Helen is bravely fighting leukemia. She desperately needs a stem cell transplant, which requires a compatible match. Helen's sister, Thuy, is a 100 percent match, but she lives in Vietnam. She has been denied a visa to come to the United States for this potentially lifesaving procedure. She has been denied now three times.

This is outrageous, and I am doing everything I can to make sure this wrong is corrected. Mark my words: it will be corrected. I am working with Helen's family, the State Department, and the Department of Homeland Security to make sure that we are successful in bringing Thuy to Helen as soon as possible.

Mr. Speaker, too often we hear about our country being divided, and yet when it comes to the Dream Act, the message is clear: our country is united.

A wide majority of Americans and nearly 70 percent of Republicans want us to pass this legislation. They want us to provide permanent legal status to DREAMers--800,000 people who are working hard, studying in our universities, contributing to our economy, and serving in our military.

Mr. Speaker, I demand that we bring up the Dream Act for a vote. We cannot force these young people, who have received DACA, to wait any longer to know that America wants them to live here.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment preserves the National Ocean Policy.

The National Ocean Policy is a commonsense way to facilitate multistakeholder collaboration on complex ocean issues, and it promotes economic opportunity, national security, and environmental protection.

Mr. Chairman, I represent a coastal district in southern California, and I know firsthand that we can have a thriving ocean economy and, at the same time, protect and conserve our precious ocean resources.

Off the coast of my district, there are marine protected areas, State waters, Federal waters, and Department of Defense installations. We are a marine life hot spot--some of the best blue whale watching happens a few miles from our shore. We have a booming recreational fishing sector. We have a large shellfish aquaculture ranch that is now operating. We have beautiful beaches. We also have oil and gas activity with some rigs right near our shores. My district is also home to the Port of Long Beach, which is the second busiest port in the United States.

With so much activity happening, it simply makes sense to have the Navy at the table when NOAA is working on siting for a new aquaculture installation. It makes sense to have the fishery management council weigh in when oil rigs are being decommissioned, and it is a no-brainer that NOAA, the Coast Guard, and the ports all work together to get those massive ships in and out of port safely.

We want these collaborations to happen because we want to have a sustainable ocean economy, and by developing regional plans and having a framework for multistakeholder involvement, we can streamline this process and promote a robust ocean economy that also conserves our precious ocean resources.

Mr. Chairman, as we look to the future, the need for an overarching policy only grows. Issues like sea level rise and ocean acidification are too big and too serious for any one community or agency to tackle alone. Increased aquaculture development and new technologies for clean, local energy are creating economic opportunities but must be thoughtfully implemented.

Prohibiting the allocation of funds to this important program would stifle collaboration among all the stakeholders on these complex issues, as I pointed out before, relating to environmental protection, national security, economic opportunity, and ocean policy.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, we just heard a very interesting argument that said that we should not support or fund the National Ocean Policy because, instead of by executive action, it should have been done through congressional legislation.

But I would remind everyone watching this that, prior to the beginning of the National Ocean Policy by the previous administration, over the 4 years before that, four bills were introduced. Each one--two by a Republican leader, two by Democratic leaders--did what was just asked of us: to introduce it by the Congress. It was never taken up by the Congress in the administration prior to President Obama.

What was called the Oceans Conservation, Education, and National Strategy for the 21st Century Act was never heard. That is why it was done through executive action. That is why we need to continue this. Without having coordinated ocean policy, we will have tremendous problems as we move forward, as I pointed out, both in terms of economic opportunity, national security, and also environmental protection.

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

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 3440, the DREAM Act, to protect DREAMers like Eduardo, a UCLA student and an anti-bullying activist.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the bipartisan amendment that I am leading on with Representative Comstock, along with many of our colleagues on the STARBASE Caucus. I appreciate it being included in the en bloc package of amendments.

This amendment would simply increase funding for the Department of Defense's STARBASE program from 25 to $30 million for the fiscal year 2018, bringing funding back to the fiscal year 2017 enacted level. Providing science, technology, engineering, and math, STEM education, to America's

youth is critical to the global competitiveness of our Nation.

The STARBASE program engages local fifth grade elementary students by exposing them to STEM subjects through an inquiry-based curriculum.

Serving communities from Los Alamitos, California, to Winchester, Virginia, and across the Nation, there are now 59 programs in congressional districts throughout 30 States, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Close to 1 million fifth graders across the Nation have now had the opportunity to participate in hands-on STEM classes on military bases thanks to STARBASE.

Moreover, the Department of Defense's STARBASE program is one of the most cost-effective programs across the Federal Government.

Mr. Chairman, I urge the adoption of this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, ``irresponsible, reckless, duplicitous,'' all words used to describe Iran during the JCPOA negotiations.

Soon, if this administration abrogates the JCPOA, those words would apply to us: ``irresponsible'' for shredding an agreement that makes the world a safer place, ``reckless'' in giving Iran an excuse to immediately restart the nuclear program, and ``duplicitous'' in breaking an international agreement for no legitimate reason but to fulfill a campaign promise.

Make no mistake, Iran is still a bad actor. It destabilizes the region. It funds terrorist activities. That is why we voted to increase nonnuclear sanctions on Iran yesterday. But the Iran nuclear agreement is being adhered to, and it is working.

Under this administration, are we, as a nation, no longer as good as our word?

Mr. Chairman, my district is a poster child for the need for ocean coordination and information sharing. In my district, we have the busiest port complex in North America, we have offshore drilling, we have San Clemente Island, which is a naval training ground where they have a ship-to-shore firing range. We have abundant wildlife in the district. On top of that, sea level rise and extreme weather threatens neighborhoods and businesses all along the coast of my district.

With so much activity happening, it simply makes sense to have the various stakeholders at the table, to make sure ships come in and out of port safely, to ensure that our thriving economy stays thriving, and to give the military space to train. We want these collaborations to happen because we want to have a sustainable ocean economy.

By developing regional plans and having a framework for multi- stakeholder involvement, we can promote a robust ocean economy that also conserves our precious ocean resources. The country and my district needs a comprehensive approach to our ocean resources, which the National Ocean Policy provides.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, Howard L. Chambers, who has served as the city manager of the City of Lakewood for more than four decades, has announced that he will be retiring from his role at the administrative helm of the city. Howard has served longer as city manager of the same city longer than any other city manager in California--this in a profession where the average length of service in California cities is about seven years.

A true ``native son,'' Howard is a lifelong member of the Lakewood community, growing up near Mayfair Park, going to neighborhood schools, even working at the local YMCA.

After earning his degree at Cal State Long Beach, Howard interned at the City of Lakewood for two years, handling youth services. He then went to work with the City of Rosemead as an assistant city manager. Howard returned to Lakewood in 1972 in the role of an executive assistant to the city manager. In 1976, the same year he earned a Master of Arts degree in Planning and Administration from Pepperdine University, Howard was named acting city administrator and shortly thereafter hired to permanently fill the position. The city council later officially re-titled the position as city manager.

Always looking to push his skill level further, he earned a Master of Public Administration

degree from the University of Southern California in 1981 and was a Fellow of the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government in 1988. In 2005, he completed a rigorous evaluation process and became a Credentialed Manager under the auspices of the International City/ County Management Association.

Howard eventually served 34 years as Lakewood City Manager, retiring in 2011. However, within a year, the city council asked him to return to the role. He returned in 2012 and remained until his retirement this year. In total, his 41 years as city manager represent nearly two- thirds of the 63-year-old city's entire existence. It is safe to say that the vast majority of the city's 80,000 residents have known no one but Howard as city manager.

During his tenure as Lakewood city manager, Howard managed the city's largest public works project in its first 50 years: the $16 million improvement of the Lakewood Civic Center and construction of The Centre at Sycamore Plaza. He later oversaw the $21-million expansion and modernization of the Lakewood Sheriff's Station, the largest single project in the city's history. The sheriff's station expansion project was completed without a new tax, tax increase, or special assessment.

None of this has gone unnoticed and on his watch, Lakewood has deservedly earned many awards for the quality of its services, its commitment to responsive government, and its innovations.

Over his record-setting 40 years behind the city manager's desk, Howard has become a respected leader among area city managers, always willing to take the time to share his professional experience with his colleagues on issues affecting Southern California, its residents, and its infrastructure.

Howard has also worked tirelessly and effectively on ad hoc committees and coalitions to address federal, state, and local issues, and has never shied away from a principled battle. As a long-term member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), Chairman of the Southeast Los Angeles County Municipal Management Group, the California Contract Cities Association, and a member of the League of California Cities' City Managers Division, Howard has worked with elected and appointed city officials, legislators, regulators, the business community, residents, and others to achieve solutions to the critical issues affecting local governments.

In addition to his public service, Howard has made community service a priority. His involvement includes the Lakewood Rotary Club, the Weingart-Lakewood Family YMCA, Lakewood Special Olympics, the American Heart Association, Su Casa Ending Domestic Violence, Lakewood Regional Hospital, Kris Kringle Charity Golf Tournament, and Project Shepherd.

For his sustained excellence, he has been recognized throughout his career by a variety of organizations including ICMA, Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, California Jaycees, YMCA, Lakewood City Council, Lakewood City Employees Association, and Su Casa Ending Domestic Violence.

Howard is considered a legend in the city management profession and is known for his ability to build working relationships with city staffers, civic leaders, and state legislators. He also is a role model for his peers. Known for his ``teachable moments,'' he has become a mentor and teacher to an entire generation of new city managers. He has been and will continue to be passionate about local government, and his involvement in community activities and achievements in public service have resulted in significant benefits to Lakewood and surrounding communities.

I have truly appreciated the time I have spent working with Howard. He has a great sense of humor and even when we have disagreed, he is respectful and thoughtful. I will miss Howard's leadership and his guidance.

Mr. Speaker, the Senate version was supposed to be the one, according to the President, with heart. There is no heart in this bill.

Sixty percent of my constituents live in Los Angeles County which, in total, has about 5 percent--one county in the country has about 5 percent--of this country's Medicaid recipients. The proposed Senate bill cuts to Medicaid would put more than a quarter of those currently receiving Medicaid assistance in L.A. County, nearly 900,000 people, at risk for losing health insurance.

This is not a healthcare bill. This is a tax cut for the wealthy, dressed up to look like serious legislation. The rich get richer, while everyone else is left to get poorer and sicker.

This is not who we are as Americans.

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I, like many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, am concerned about

the long-term prospects for water infrastructure and storage in the West.

As the western climate continues to get hotter, we are going to have more hot, dry, drought years. That is why many States and communities, including the cities that I represent, are doing all that they can to make their water infrastructure more resilient, to reduce unneeded runoff, to recycle water, and to store as much ground water as possible.

To support these critical activities, Congress needs to invest in our country's water infrastructure. The bill before us today does not do any of these things. It does not authorize new or additional funding for water projects. It is not an infrastructure bill.

Instead, the bill before us today makes many Americans nervous because it loosens key environmental safeguards and imposes arbitrary deadlines for the approval of dams on our rivers and streams. This bill threatens the health of our streams, our rivers, and coastlines, which could harm fish populations important to commercial fisheries.

Therefore, I am offering a straightforward amendment. It simply requires proposed new dams to go through the normal project review process if they are likely to harm commercial fisheries.

The construction of poorly permitted dams has been a major cause of mortality for California's fisheries. In California's Central Valley, they currently block Chinook salmon and steelhead from more than 90 percent of the historical spawning habitat.

My amendment will help protect my State's economically important fisheries from further harm. Commercial fisheries from my home State sustain thousands of jobs across California and the West Coast, and, currently, we have what can only be described as a fisheries crisis.

Many fisheries are at record-low population levels. According to some estimates, 78 percent of California's native salmon will be extinct or disappear within the next century if current trends continue.

Simply put, many West Coast fishermen and fisherwomen who depend on California's fish runs are hanging on by a thread. The thousands of fishermen and fisherwomen, and other employees of restaurants, hotels, and other businesses that depend on healthy fish runs, have been struggling mightily.

Even now, many fishermen and fisherwomen are still recovering from the total closure of the ocean salmon fishery along the West Coast in 2008 and 2009, because of poor California salmon returns. The closure devastated the Pacific Coast fishing industry and, ultimately, required millions of dollars in disaster aid from Congress.

In recent years, fishery managers have also had to severely restrict commercial fishing season because of low population levels. My amendment will help prevent future harm to people who are already struggling just to get by.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from northern California (Mr. Huffman).

Mr. Chairman, I include in the Record three letters, including one from the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, which is the largest organization of commercial fishing families on the West Coast, collectively representing thousands of family-wage jobs and the West Coast commercial fishing industry that contributes billions of dollars to the U.S. economy, strongly opposing this bill, H.R. 1654, and supporting the amendment.

Pacific Coast Federation

of Fishermen's Associations,

June 12, 2017.

Dear Representative: The Pacific Coast Federation of

Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA) is the largest organization

of commercial fishing families on the West Coast,

representing the interests of hundreds of family-owned

commercial fishing operations who harvest and deliver fresh

seafood to American consumers and for export. Collectively,

we represent many thousands of family wage jobs and a West

Coast commercial fishing industry that contributes billions

of dollars to the U.S. economy.

On behalf of the hundreds of hard working commercial

fishermen we represent, we are OPPOSED to H.R. 1654 for many

reasons, among them the following:

While the concept of streamlining permitting for federal

water projects is attractive on its face, our primary problem

in the arid west is not a lack of water storage projects, but

lack of funds for maintaining and repairing the many existing

projects that are already in place. Hundreds of existing

water projects are badly in need of repair, with many

dangerously close to failing. And as we recently witnessed

with the catastrophic failure of the Oroville Dam, an

``expedited review process'' like what is envisioned in H.R.

1654 could lead to poor or rushed impacts analyses

potentially resulting in further catastrophe or economic

disruption. It is now apparent that the Oroville Dam's 2017

emergency spillway failure was predicted--but the warning

signs were ignored--in its expedited environmental impacts

review process.

H.R. 1654 is simply the wrong approach. It would undermine

existing laws protecting both the public and public resources

by making the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) the

lead agency for all environmental reviews, in effect leaving

Reclamation in control of the entire environmental review

process. However, Reclamation has neither the expertise nor

the capacity of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the

National Marine Fisheries Service to inform the development

of major infrastructure projects to reduce their impact on

valuable wildlife and fisheries. Under H.R. 1654, these

agencies would be stripped of their authority and duties to

oversee and authorize water storage projects, to the

detriment of the people of the West and the American

taxpayer.

H.R. 1654 also implements overly restricted and burdensome

project review timelines, including provisions that would

require expedited review under the National Environmental

Policy Act (NEPA)--timelines that may be inappropriate for

very complex projects like the damming of streams and rivers.

These fast-tracking provisions interfere with the ability of

agencies and the public to meaningfully analyze proposed

complex projects, and could also limit the public's ability

to weigh in on infrastructure developments that could affect

communities for decades. Further, the bill permits non-

federal public entities to contribute funds to expedite

project permitting, raising serious conflicts of interest

questions about the fairness and impartiality of the federal

review process.

H.R. 1654 also establishes perverse incentives for western

states to cede their independent authority. Under the new

regulatory scheme, state agencies could be compelled to

adhere to the bill's procedures, thereby requiring those

state agencies to cede control to Reclamation and comply with

its timelines. This weakens the essential and independent

role that states play in reviewing proposed water

infrastructure projects within their borders.

We sincerely request that you vote NO on H.R. 1654. This

bill will not solve the problems it purports to address, and

it would have widespread consequences far beyond water

deliveries and water storage, including adverse effects to

regional and local fishing industry economies and the jobs

and communities those economies support.

Sincerely,

Noah Oppenheim,

Executive Director.

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

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor consumed by great sadness. Yesterday's attack, as we have all heard, was an attack on the entire United States Congress.

It is even more tragic that this attack occurred during a practice for one of the most bipartisan traditions in the Congress.

I stand here with my colleagues hoping for a speedy recovery for my dear colleague, Representative Steve Scalise. My thoughts and prayers are with him, but also for all of the others that were injured, for all of their families, and for all of their loved ones.

It is clear we all know that, without Capitol Police on duty with Representative Scalise, there would have been many more victims.

I want to express my deepest gratitude to those officers who put their lives on the line, but I also want to pray for them and all those who were injured. I ask and I hope for their speedy recovery.

Mr. Speaker, after a life of service to both the Republic of Vietnam and to the Vietnamese American community in Southern California, Nhon H.T. Nguyen passed away April 18, 2017 at the age of 91.

Nhon was born in 1927 in Hue, Vietnam. She joined the military finance administration in 1950 and transferred to service at the Nguyen Tri Phuong Military Hospital in Hue in 1957, where she was eventually promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant.

It was during her service at the hospital that she witnessed the sacrifices and loss of disabled soldiers, which motivated her to dedicate her life to serve disabled veterans, war widows, and children of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam.

In 1967, Nhon transferred to the Women Military Institute and Training Center, where she rose to the rank of Captain and was appointed to serving in the Women Military Bureau at the Joint General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam. Two years later, she was promoted to the rank of Major and named as the Head of the Research Department. In 1972, she transferred to the Republic of Vietnam Air Force and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

In early 1975, she was honored by the Republic of Vietnam with the Knight Decoration of the National Order of Vietnam (De Ngu Dang Bao Quoc Huan Chuong) for her twenty-five years of service to the armed forces.

Following the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, the Communist government imprisoned her in numerous ``re-education camps'' such as Long Giao, Quang Trung, Hoc Mon, Z30D, Ham Tan, and Long Thanh, where she was forced to perform harsh labor for four years.

In 1990, Nhon and her family resettled in the United States under the HO2 program (Humanitarian Operation), and they have been living in Orange County, California since.

Shortly after arriving in the United States, she joined the Former Political Prisoners Mutual Assistance Association, providing help to resettle South Vietnam veterans to the U.S.

In 1996, she joined the Republic of Vietnam Disabled Veterans and Widows Relief Association as the Secretary General. After a decade of service, she was unanimously elected President of the organization by all its members in 2006.

Under her leadership as President, the RVN Disabled Veterans and Widows Relief Association, in partnership with SBTN and Asia Entertainment, organized a total of ten ``Cam On Anh'' Benefit Concerts, with all of the proceeds going toward assisting disabled South Vietnam veterans, widows and their children who are still in Vietnam.

Along with her lifelong career of military and charitable service, Nhon was an outstanding Vietnamese Girl Scout and a Scout Leader, joining Girl Scouting in 1941.

Despite the difficult circumstances during the war and being in military service, she always lived her life embodying the Scouting values and helping younger Scouts whenever necessary.

She also became a founding member and advisor in 2004 of the Lang Bach Hop Quang Te Scouters Association of Southern California.

For her merits and contributions to the Vietnamese Scouting Movement, the International Central Committee of Vietnamese Scouting awarded Nhon the Bach Hop Medal in 2012 and the Bac Dau Medal in 2016--the two highest awards given by the organization.

When asked in a 2011 interview what motivated her to continue her volunteer work to support disabled RVN veterans in Vietnam, she said ``I feel happy when I am able to join the Vietnamese community and organizations in organizing the Cam On Anh Benefit Concert because of the fraternal love and brotherhood. As soldiers, that sentiment is very strong. I imagine the happy moment when they receive our assistance, when their children have a little bit more to eat, to wear, and their family feels a little bit more warmhearted when they see fellow compatriots overseas are still thinking of them and their sacrifices.''

Nhon is survived by her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.