Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, the Brycen Gray and Ben Price COVID-19 Cognitive Research Act. I was proud to introduce this legislation alongside my friends Ms. Wild, Mr. Kinzinger, Mr. Cardenas, Mr. Meijer, Mr. Peters, Mr. Joyce, and Mr. Gibbs, and I thank each of them for their leadership on the issue. I also thank the two wonderful leaders of our committee, Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas, and their staffs for moving this important legislation forward.

Before I get into the heart of the bill, I will take a minute to share a little bit about who Brycen Gray and Ben Price were.

Brycen Gray was a 17-year-old young man from my district in northeast Ohio. Adored by his parents, Shawn and Tara, as well as his brothers, Ricky and Patrick, Brycen sadly passed a little over a year ago. Known for his quick wit and sense of humor with just the right amount of sarcasm, Brycen could inspire the kind of laughter that makes you cry. Brycen was loving, charismatic, and selfless. Brycen was the kind of kid every parent dreams of.

Ben Price was a 48-year-old loving husband to his wife Jennifer, and a devoted father to their two amazing children Jett and Maya. Sadly, we lost Ben at the beginning of last year. Ben was a busy small business owner and farmer from the outskirts of Chicago, but his life revolved around his family, friends, and community. One of his passions was to jump-start the Special Connections of Grundy County, whose mission is to connect people with disabilities, like his beloved son Jett, to their community. Ben led by example and loved without reservation.

Both Brycen and Ben tragically passed after battles with cognitive impairments caused by COVID-19. Despite having no history of mental illness, each of them began to battle symptoms such as anxiety, panic, and paranoia. The disease took Brycen and Ben from two of the healthiest, most vibrant people you could find to individuals so debilitated that they could not bear to live another day. While they fought to the bitter end, each chose to end their pain.

There is no greater joy than being a parent. For those of us blessed to have children, we know it is the most important job any of us will ever have. To be sure, there are plenty of challenges attributed to the job. There is nothing more rewarding than watching your children grow, while at the same time there is nothing more terrifying than watching your children experience the tragedies that befell Brycen and Ben.

That is why the health and safety of our children should always come first. That is exactly why I started working on this bill. If we believe in protecting our families, we need to act now and start finding answers to why COVID-19 can have such a significant impact on the brain.

The legislation before us today is another important step in that effort. Thus far, we have learned that as many as one in three COVID-19 survivors experience a cognitive impairment following their acute infection. More alarming, nearly one in eight COVID-19 survivors are diagnosed with an illness for the first time. With nearly 80 million documented cases of infection in the U.S., the health implications could be massive.

While anxiety, mood, and brain fog are among the most common symptoms, researchers have also uncovered a prevalence of serious complications such as psychosis, dementia, paralysis, and brain hemorrhages. Moreover, additional impairments related to cognitive syndrome like impairments in memory, executive function, attention, and speed of information are common among COVID-19 survivors.

Despite the significant progress made by researchers to improve our understanding of COVID-19, it remains unclear how the virus alters brain function, who is most at risk, and what can be done to quickly diagnose and treat impacted patients.

The Brycen Gray and Ben Price COVID-19 Cognitive Research Act aims to close these gaps by accelerating our research efforts. Specifically, it authorizes the NSF to award grants on a competitive basis to support interdisciplinary research on the disruption of regular cognitive processes associated with both short-term and long-term COVID-19 infections.

Grantees will be tasked with carrying out foundational studies on the effects of cognition, emotion, neural structure, and function related to COVID-19 infections, developing new tools to evaluate cognitive disruptions from COVID-19, and examining the relevance of psychological and psychosocial factors. In addition, the bill stands up a team at the National Academies to study and produce a report on the issue.

We can't bring Brycen and Ben back, but we can ensure that their memories live on. I don't want to lose any more Americans because we weren't bold enough to take on an issue that might scare us, an issue we don't fully understand, an issue that is far more common than many in this body realize.

No family should have to endure the tragedy of losing a loved one from COVID-19's cognitive impacts. The Brycen Gray and Ben Price COVID- 19 Cognitive Research Act ensures we will do everything in our power to find answers and deliver solutions. We cannot afford to lose any more time.

Again, I thank Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas for their constant, incredible leadership on our committee. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Madam Speaker, on Roll Call No. 267, I mistakenly voted Nay when I intended to vote Yea.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of our bipartisan amendment that includes both the JOBS Act and the College Transparency Act.

Since I first ran for Congress, the number one issue that I hear in my district from employers is the lack of good quality candidates for good-paying jobs. From those days, I set out to try to find a way to close this skills gap and provide more opportunities for our local businesses and workforce. The JOBS Act does just that.

The JOBS Act expands Pell grant eligibility to qualified short-term programs in high-demand jobs. This will help Americans access these programs and learn critical skills that lead to these good-paying jobs. This will be a collaborative process with our States working with local employers and community colleges to make sure that only quality programs that lead to wage increases qualify to make sure that Americans can find jobs after completion of these programs.

On my way in this morning, I was actually speaking to an employer in my district, and I ran through the bill with him. And I said, what do you think of this? Would this help you? And his immediate response was, I have over 15 truck drivers that I am trying to hire, and I can't find anybody.

These are the types of programs that the JOBS Act will enable. This is why I think it is a commonsense--and I am thrilled to say-- bipartisan component of the bill, and I hope that everybody will consider supporting it.

Madam Speaker, I missed a vote on H.R. 654, The Drug Free Communities Pandemic Relief Act, due to a timing conflict, as I was questioning witnesses at a Select Committee on the Climate Crisis hearing during the time of the vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 321.

Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress

Baird (Walorski)

Cooper (Clark (MA))

Crenshaw (Ellzey)

DeFazio (Brown)

Garcia (TX) (Escobar)

Hice (GA) (Greene (GA))

Huffman (Stanton)

Kirkpatrick (Stanton)

Lawson (FL) (Evans)

McHenry (Budd)

Meng (Jeffries)

Moore (WI) (Beyer)

Moulton (Norcross)

Napolitano (Correa)

Ocasio-Cortez (Pressley)

Payne (Pallone)

Rodgers (WA) (Joyce (PA))

Rush (Underwood)

Sires (Pallone)

Wasserman Schultz (Soto)

Wilson (FL) (Hayes)

Madam Speaker, I, too, am pleased to be here today with my colleagues to recognize the life and incredible service of Sergeant Major Dan Altieri.

Originally from the northeast Ohio community of North Canton, Sergeant Altieri served our country honorably in the United States Marine Corps for 30 years, ending his career as the regimental sergeant major for the 25th Regiment.

His more than 10 overseas deployments included tours in Grenada, Lebanon, the Gulf war, Afghanistan, and Iraq, where he was with the Columbus-based Lima Company.

When Lima Company was struck by a series of deadly attacks in 2005, surviving officers turned to Sergeant Altieri to help them deal with the unspeakable travesties that the war had brought upon them. A testament to his leadership and courage, his marines often said they would ``Follow Sergeant Altieri.''

Sergeant Altieri's service also extended right here at home, serving in the Stark County Sheriff's Office in Canton for 25 years as a deputy, keeping our community safe.

Northeast Ohio mourns the loss of Sergeant Altieri, who was taken from us far too soon last week at the age of 62.

We will forever be grateful to Sergeant Altieri's service, and our community and country are certainly better off having witnessed his kindness and leadership.

Madam Speaker, 20 years ago, our nation experienced true evil.

On a crisp Tuesday morning, mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters went to work thinking it was just like any other day, not knowing in a matter of minutes that all of our lives would be changed forever.

On that fateful day, we faced grave uncertainty and an insurmountable threat to our way of life unseen in decades.

But while that day brought us immeasurable pain and suffering, it also brought us together as a nation.

It showed us that even in our darkest hour, the United States will never back down and proved again that Americans will always rise to the occasion.

As we come together to remember 20 years that have passed since this tragedy, I would like to reiterate to all those who served:

Your sacrifices and service have not and will not be forgotten. Just as we will never forget September 11, 2001, we will never forget

your patriotism in ensuring our nation remains free and safe.

To the families who lost loved ones on that fateful day, we continue to grieve and promise to never forget their memory.

May God bless those who lost their lives, those who risked their lives and are now dealing with the consequences today, and our brave men and women who continue to fight the global war on terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Cuban people and against the illegitimate, violent dictatorship that continues to assault the basic freedoms and rights of the Cuban people.

This photo here behind me is of two of my heroes, my abuelo and abuela. In 1960, they and their children were forced from their homeland by the communist regime for having the audacity to say no to Castro and his thugs.

Sixty years later, that same regime and that same poisonous ideology wreak terror on the Cuban people as the people march courageously in the streets, knowing full well what brutality awaits them as they ask for the most basic of human rights.

Yet, there are some in this body who foolishly wish to blame America for the plight of the island and the suffering of the Cubans. Let me say emphatically that the Cuban people are suffering and crying out for freedom because the communists have spent 60 years cynically destroying their country and trying to break the spirit of their own people. They will not succeed.

I stand firmly against the Castro regime and any of their apologists, and I stand with the Cuban people who are crying out for freedom.

Mr. Speaker, after postponing 1 year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I am excited that, on Friday, the Olympic Games in Tokyo will officially begin.

What better way to mark this occasion than by recognizing the incredible accomplishment of Katie Nageotte, who will be one of the many Olympians competing in this year's summer games.

A native of Olmsted Falls, Katie is a graduate of Olmsted Falls High School and Ashland University who will be representing our community and country in this summer's games, competing in the women's pole vault event.

Her victory at the U.S. trials in the women's pole vault event caps a 5-year campaign to reach the Olympic Games, and she joins an elite list of northeast Ohioans to qualify for the games.

I am incredibly proud of Katie for earning this opportunity to represent not only our community but the United States.

Congratulations to Katie and her family. We look forward to watching her make northeast Ohio proud.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the

life of Brycen Gray, a talented and bright young man who was sadly taken away from us this past April.

A native of Strongsville, in my district, Brycen was a student- athlete at St. Edward High School. Dubbed a comedian by his friends and family, he had the power to bring a smile and joy to everyone he encountered.

Unfortunately, we lost Brycen in April. Following a battle with COVID-19, Brycen began to exhibit symptoms associated with COVID psychosis. Though he fought to the bitter end, he tragically passed after taking his own life.

Mr. Speaker, when I hear these stories and when I talk to the family, it is impossible not to get emotional. We lost a gifted, talented young man. And the hurt and pain that is inflicted upon those left behind is something no one should ever have to endure.

This is a moment where we should turn grief into action and actively find solutions. To start, we should work with the scientific community to gain a better understanding of the mental health implications of COVID-19 on Americans and other root causes of suicide, in particular amongst young Americans. This will help us look for further warning signs and make sure that young Americans get the help that they need.

We must not let Brycen's memory be forgotten. I pray for his parents, Shawn and Tara, and his two brothers, Ricky and Patrick, and the rest of the Gray family that has had to battle this horrible loss.

Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago our country witnessed the incredible marvel of American ingenuity when NASA successfully landed its Perseverance rover on Mars, laying the groundwork for the next generation of space travel and exploration.

Perseverance has four primary goals: determine whether life ever existed on Mars, understand the climate of the planet, characterize the geology of Mars, and finally, make any preparations necessary for human exploration. These goals are crucial not only for our Nation's eventual mission to send humans to Mars, but also for the continued advancement of mankind as a whole.

Before making its journey to the red planet, Perseverance spent some time in my backyard in northeast Ohio. It was researchers and scientists at Cleveland's NASA Glenn Research Center that developed the rover's power source and oversaw testing the rover's parachute needed to land safely on Mars.

Mars truly is the next frontier in space travel and exploration. I am incredibly grateful that northeast Ohio has added yet another chapter to our State's already rich history in space travel and exploration.

I look forward to what Perseverance can teach us about this new unknown and what our next endeavor will be.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to this en bloc amendment and H.R. 1, the so-called For the People Act.

It is hard to know exactly where to begin when considering how misguided this bill truly is. If this bill becomes law, we will have nationwide universal mail-in balloting, ballot harvesting, and taxpayer-funded elections where for every $1 of contribution from an individual, the Federal Government will kick in $6. Additionally, this bill eliminates the voter ID laws in all 50 States and effectively eliminates signature matching.

The sad truth is that there are things that we could be doing on a bipartisan basis to improve our election process. In the last Congress, many of my Democratic colleagues supported auditing of election results. I agree and believe we could find genuine compromise on that important point.

It is for all these reasons and many, many more that I urge my colleagues to oppose H.R. 1. It is a bad bill.

Madam Speaker, I would like to remind my friend from Illinois that if it weren't for my participation, I don't know that we would have won that game.

Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Burgess for his leadership.

Madam Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, we will call up H.R. 1371, the Crush the Virus Act of 2021, introduced by my good friend, Mr. Tom Reed.

This is legislation that is based off of the Problem Solvers Caucus- endorsed framework for additional funding in order to defeat the virus by making further investments into testing, vaccine distribution, PPE, and utilizing the Defense Production Act.

In other words, this is a targeted solution that can garner bipartisan support--unlike what we are doing today--and show the American people that we are committed to working together to defeat the virus.

To date, while Congress may have struggled at times to deliver timely results, we have come together each time to pass needed legislation to help small businesses, hospitals, and Americans impacted by the virus. This is the way Congress is supposed to work. But instead, House Democrats have embarked upon a purely partisan approach, pushing aside Republican lawmakers, like myself, who actually want to find common ground.

And for what?

A nearly $2 trillion bill that is not targeted for the coronavirus, includes policies that will hurt job creation, and in the words of Larry Summers--who is no Republican--is a ``step into the unknown.''

Madam Speaker, what the American people need is for us to put partisanship aside and identify targeted funding prior to spending $2 trillion of taxpayer dollars only weeks after this body enacted another nearly $1 trillion, much of which has yet to be spent.

Madam Speaker, this is why the Problem Solvers Caucus came together earlier this year to identify, in a bipartisan way, the still outstanding funding that is needed to defeat the virus. The bipartisan agreement is the basis for the legislation we will bring up if we defeat the previous question here before us.

My friend Tom Reed's bill, the Crush the Virus Act, will provide more than $160 billion in targeted aid, including: $11.5 billion for manufacturing and production of vaccines; $35 billion for the Provider Relief Fund; and $5 billion for the use of the Defense Production Act.

This proposal will speed up vaccine distribution and administration in a timely manner and supports our brave frontline healthcare workers.

I thank Mr. Reed for his leadership as co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus and for pushing this proposal.

Madam Speaker, let me make a final point and a broader appeal to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. The American people sent to Washington the slimmest House majority in quite some time and an evenly split Senate. The message they sent was clear: It was not that you have some broad mandate to jam down a bunch of progressive policies, it was that they want us to actually work together, to come together and solve the problems in a bipartisan way. I think the message was clear. And the more the majority ignores it, the shorter their majority will be.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the life of Hinckley Township Trustee Ray Schulte.

Serving our community as a township trustee for 12 years, Ray defined what it means to be a public servant who always puts the community and the people he loves first.

In addition to his service on the board, Ray was involved in many different aspects of the township, in particular, the historical society, among many others, including local charities. Ray truly loved his community and

was passionate about making it a better place.

Hinckley Township will certainly miss Ray's leadership, service, and positive outlook on life, though his work will forever be memorialized in our community. Ray's leadership will certainly be missed but never forgotten.

I pray for Ray's wife of 29 years, Emma, who serves as chief deputy recorder of Medina County and is a constant presence for so many people in the Medina Courthouse.

May God bless their three children, Michael, Christie, and Adam, and their four grandchildren during this challenging time. It is truly an honor to recognize such an individual whose class and love for community made us all better people.

Mr. Speaker, I was one of the first Republicans, I believe, to speak out once the comments became public on Sunday. I did it Sunday afternoon, and then I did it again on Monday.

But I cannot, in good faith, support this resolution because I can't possibly overlook the partisan nature in which it was brought forward, and the number of issues that we have control over in the House that we are choosing to ignore and have continued to ignore since we were sworn in in January.

We have Members of this body who have called detention facilities concentration camps; have supported people who are labeling our Border Patrol agents and our ICE officers as Nazis.

The gentleman just mentioned some folks outside of this body of Congress who may, he believes, have been inspired by certain comments. Well, where is the condemnation of these?

When are we going to stand up and condemn those who call Americans, who are doing their jobs, by the way, enforcing laws that we enact, Nazis? When are we going to push back on that?

When are we going to push back on comments, after one of our Members was criticized, they said, and I quote: After the comments, ``I got a text message from a friend who's like, hey, next time, you know, really clarify. Maybe talk like a fourth grader because maybe the racist idiots would understand you better''?

Am I a racist idiot? Do I read at a fourth-grade level? Do the Members of this body?

Have we gotten so broken as a Congress, where a simple disagreement results in us labeling one another racist idiots? Is that who we are?

Where's the condemnation? When are we going to speak out about that?

And I don't have to remind this body about the last time we were here for a similar process, when one of our Members said: ``It's all about the Benjamins,'' implying that Members of both sides of the aisle are being purchased and bought by our Jewish brothers and sisters.

When are we going to stand up and speak out against that? Because I have been here for 7 months now, and it is the same thing over and over again.

And the people who lose--and we all know this--are the constituents who are relying on us to actually work to solve problems.

We have done nothing to support USMCA, to bring it up for a vote. We have done nothing to bring down the cost of prescription drugs. We haven't done anything since we have been here, and the reason is because we have been focused on fighting each other online; biting back and forth; rushing in front of the cameras; boosting our Twitter followers; and inciting the very division that prevents us from seeking common ground.

I, like I know most of my colleagues, came here to find common ground. We came here to fight for the ideals that make our Nation great.

I am the son of Cuban immigrants, proudly.

Mr. Speaker, I have been sitting here now for about 10 minutes listening to my colleagues on the other side saying this solves the problem, that this bill finally solves the problem. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is the poorest faith effort I have ever seen to solve the problem.

The Senate has a bipartisan bill. It is not perfect. I don't love that bill. But it is a bipartisan bill that we could vote on tonight, and we could actually solve something. We could actually get something done.

What happened instead? Instead, we, as Republicans, were completely shut out of the process, and they negotiated amongst themselves. That solves absolutely nothing. Not to mention there

isn't a single person whom I have heard on the other side of the aisle who has been serious and honest about what is actually causing this problem, about solving the horrible incentives that we have in our immigration system that incentivize the most dangerous journey up through our southern border.

I am the son of Cuban immigrants. My family escaped from communist Castro to come to this country and did it legally. I would love to see a good faith effort. My door is wide open to anybody anywhere who wants to have a serious conversation about how we reform our immigration system.

I understand my colleagues on the other side of the aisle do not like the President. I get that, okay? But that doesn't change the fact that our immigration system has been broken for decades, and the only people on planet Earth who can solve that problem are the ones in this body.

If my colleagues want to solve the problem, come find me. My door is wide open.