Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on July 24 and 25, I regrettably missed the following Roll Call votes. Had I been present, I would have voted as follows:

No on Roll Call No. 391, Ordering the Previous Question (H. Res. 1376);

No on Roll Call No. 392, H. Res. 1376;

Yes on Roll Call No. 393, H. Res. 1367;

No on Roll Call No. 394, Perry Amendment No. 81;

No on Roll Call No. 395, Perry Amendment No. 82;

No on Roll Call No. 396, Perry Amendment No. 83;

No on Roll Call No. 397, Perry Amendment No. 85;

No on Roll Call No. 398, Tenney Amendment No. 91;

No on Roll Call No. 399, H.R. 8998; and

No on Roll Call No. 400, H. Res. 1371.

Mr. Speaker, on July 23 I regrettably missed the following Roll Call votes. Had I been present, I would have voted as follows: No on Roll Call Vote 381, Boebert Amendment No. 7; No on Roll Call Vote 382, Boebert Amendment No. 8; No on Roll Call Vote 383, Boebert Amendment No. 9; No on Roll Call Vote 384, Boebert Amendment No. 18; No on Roll Call Vote 385, Boebert Amendment No. 20, and No on Roll Call Vote 386, Brecheen Amendment No. 23.

Mr. Chair, I regrettably missed the following roll call votes. Had I been present I would have voted: No on Roll Call Vote 387, Brecheen Amendment No. 24; No on Roll Call Vote 388, Brecheen Amendment No. 25; No on Roll Call Vote 389, Harshbarger Amendment No. 45; and No on Roll Call Vote 390, Miller (IL) Amendment No. 57.

Mr. Speaker, I regrettably missed 22 roll call votes. Had I been present, I would have voted:

Nay on Roll Call No. 359 on Ordering the Previous Question;

No on Roll Call No. 360 on Agreeing to H. Res. 1370;

YEA on Roll Call No. 361 on S. 3706;

YEA on Roll Call No. 362 on S. 227;

No on Roll Call No. 363 on Ogles 36;

No on Roll Call No. 364, Perry 42;

No on Roll Call No. 365, Perry 43;

No on Roll Call No. 366, Perry 44;

No on Roll Call No. 367, Perry 45;

No on Roll Call No. 368, Perry 46;

No on Roll Call No. 369, Perry 47;

No on Roll Call No. 370, Perry 48;

No on Roll Call No. 371, Perry 49;

No on Roll Call No. 372, Perry 50;

No on Roll Call No. 373, Perry 51;

No on Roll Call No. 374, Rosendale 53;

No on Roll Call No. 375, Roy 54;

No on Roll Call No. 376, Roy 56;

No on Roll Call No. 377, Van Drew 62;

No on Roll Call No. 378, Van Drew 63;

No on Roll Call No. 379, Van Drew 64; and No on Roll Call No. 380 on

Mr. Speaker, I regrettably missed three roll call votes. Had I been present I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 356 on S. 3249, YEA on Roll Call No. 357 on H.R. 1631, and YEA on Roll Call No. 358 on H.R. 8812.

Mr. Speaker, I regretfully missed four roll call votes today. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call Vote 344, NO on Roll Call Vote 345, YEA on Roll Call Vote 346, and YEA on Roll Call Vote 347.

Mr. Chair, today I unintentionally missed one roll call vote. Had I been present, I would have voted: No on Roll Call No. 319, Amendment No. 64.

Amendment No. 68 Offered by Mr. Tiffany

Mr. Speaker, on June 5, 2024, I missed 5 Roll Call votes. Had I been present, I would have voted as follows: Roll Call No. 243, Schweikert of Arizona Part B Amendment No. 43--YES; Roll Call No. 244, Schweikert of Arizona Part B Amendment No. 44--YES; Roll Call No. 245, Steube of Florida Part B Amendment No. 45--NO; Roll Call No. 246, Motion to Recommit to Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025--YES; and Roll Call No. 247, Final Passage of Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025--NO.

Mr. Speaker, I missed 8 roll call votes today. Had I been present, I would have voted:

Roll Call 235, Ordering the Previous Question for H. Res. 1269, NO;

Roll Call 236, Passage of H. Res. 1269, NO;

Roll Call 237, Bost Amendment No. 8, NO;

Roll Call 238, Crane Amendment No. 10, NO;

Roll Call 239, Greene of Georgia Amendment No. 16, NO;

Roll Call 240, Mast Amendment No. 28, YES;

Roll Call 241, Self Amendment No. 42, NO; and

Roll Call 242, Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act, NO.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Larson for putting his work and soul on the line for the last several years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the more than 124,000 constituents in the Ninth District of north Jersey who rely on Social Security each and every month.

Social Security is one of America's greatest success stories. After nearly 90 years, it still stands as a monument to decency, dignity, and the birthright of hardworking Americans.

Yet, throughout its storied history, it has been under attack. Going back

to 1935, it has been the subject of attacks and lies from day one. The Republican Study Committee just referred to, which represents three- quarters of the House Republicans, proposed slashing Social Security benefits by $718 billion.

If I was sitting at home right now, I would be asking if that means me. Does that mean my benefits, which I have paid into? They are going to vote now and take it away? It is the only thing I live on.

Republican leadership wants to create a so-called fiscal commission in our government funding bill. That is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Without aggressive action, Social Security lurches toward insolvency. Congress has a sacred responsibility to fight for its future.

That is why I am standing with Representative Larson on his Social Security 2100 Act to ensure the long-term strength and solvency of Social Security. I will keep standing as long as we have to fight. We are not going home. The Social Security 2100 Act provides paid-for benefit enhancements while not raising taxes on middle-class families. It is a no-brainer.

Our bill ends the painful 5-month disability waiting period. Imagine that. It would ensure Americans suffering with permanent disorders like Huntington's disease get the help they need without red tape or delay.

The bill eliminates the windfall elimination provision so that firefighters, police, teachers, and others get the full benefits that they have earned.

With the Social Security 2100 Act, we are fighting for our seniors who have worked their entire lives and rely on Social Security to make ends meet.

I remember the first congressional election I ran in, Mr. Speaker, in the year 1996--which wasn't yesterday. I remember I walked into the hall of seniors in the spring of that year before the election actually was on. I thought I knew everything about Social Security, but I never expected to get the first question about Social Security. I was asked: What are you going to do about Social Security? One of our seniors asked that question in 1996, and here we are, 28 years later. What do you know?

I will not vote for a convenient increase in the age requirement. They want seniors to work and drop dead so that they collect under the ground, I guess. They won't be above ground.

I will not vote for cuts of Social Security in order to pay for it.

We are fighting for working families. We must get this done for the American people. There are no excuses.

Those watching, call in. Let us know what you think. This is your money, our money.

Madam Speaker, a fan shouldn't have to sell a kidney or mortgage a house to see their favorite performer or team. That is what it has come to. That is what it has come to.

Of course, I remain committed to the BOSS and SWIFT ACT. It just takes a little longer. Sometimes we are slow learners. I am catching up to you. This is the most comprehensive and consumer friendly ticket reform bill.

This is a big deal. This is a very big deal because the chairman and the ranking member have introduced a lot of bills that protect consumers today. First of all, it is rare that it is bipartisan. Second of all, you are going to be really helping the consumer because that is who we serve. They pay our salaries. Everybody is a consumer. If you want to go to a concert, you want to send your family to a concert, you need a train load of money because people want to act like gangsters. They should go into the movies.

I want to thank Mr. Pallone who has been a tireless supporter of consumers in our quest to fix the ticket market for years. Of course, our solution is a little different. The ultimate solution is to break up Ticketmaster. They should have never been allowed under a Democratic administration to join together. I am a Democrat, and I am saying that to you, Madam Speaker.

Six years ago, Mr. Pallone and I called on the Federal Trade Commission to do more to protect consumers. In response, the FTC organized a workshop on live-event tickets to review the many challenges faced by ticket-buying fans. It is a menagerie. It was at that workshop that every single ticket seller agreed to the concept of an all-in ticket pricing law.

All-in ticket pricing is a policy I have been fighting for since 2009, and it will make a real difference, I believe, in people's lives. This change will take some of the mystery and the frustration out of concert on-sales, and it will also allow Americans to make real price comparisons. That is big.

What we are doing is setting up a system, and have set up and have allowed to be set up a system wherein only those affluent enough to afford those concerts--I mean, music, plays, ball games, they are for everybody. They should be accessible.

Today's measure includes other items we have been seeking for years.

Speculative tickets posted by sellers have led to countless horror stories for fans across America. In fact, I first understood this problem best when I started to get letters from Canada about this situation in 2008 and 2009.

The committee added two items from the BOSS and SWIFT ACT helping consumers get their refunds and ensuring fans are not duped by shady websites--and there are enough of them. They are out there. You can't believe it when you read it. People don't know what they are paying for the tickets when they finally get charged. They don't know what the fees are. The ticket market is like the Wild West--mammoth, opaque, speculative, and brutally unfair.

They are all in on it. Whether you are talking about the stars, whether you are talking about the actual sellers, they want to control everything. They want to control the venues, the beer and the peanuts-- you name it, the whole situation. That is why Ticketmaster controls at least 80 percent of the market--80 percent. If that is not a monopoly, what is? I will listen. I will listen.

While we need to do much more, today's bill starts to lay down the law to achieve real change for Americans. We are doing it Jersey style. They will catch up with us.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman D'Esposito for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I am always proud to stand and support our brave law enforcement officers who suit up every day. That is especially true during National Police Week.

This year, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial will add 282 names of officers who have died in the line of duty.

I am thinking of my good friend, Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik. A dedicated public servant, we will never forget his sacrifices that made our community a better place.

As the longtime co-chair of the Law Enforcement Caucus, I know any successful effort to fund and support the police must be bipartisan. I am deeply disappointed to see law enforcement politicized these last several years. We must stand united against all attacks on police, not just certain attacks, all attacks. That includes our brothers and sisters working for Federal agencies, too, who many times are forgotten.

When I say all attacks, I mean attacks on January 6, 2021. Mr. Speaker, you don't need a cannon on the front lawn of the Capitol of the greatest country in the world to say there are actions against our police and law enforcement. Of course, there was no cannon on the front lawn that day.

This is Police Week. This is Police Week that can be any week in our society. It should be every week, the respect that we show for those people who protect our lives day in and day out.

I am proud of the bipartisan solutions we have enacted to improve the physical and mental health of our officers, the same thing with our firefighters. In 2015, we enacted the bipartisan National Blue Alert Act to protect law enforcement officers who become targets of violent criminal attacks. This law has resulted in 37 States developing blue alert plans to help catch those who seek to hurt our police.

In 2019, we permanently authorized the lifesaving Bulletproof Vest Partnership grant program. Vests are directly attributable to saving the lives of over 300 officers in the last 10 years. Last Congress, I introduced my Law Enforcement Training Act which authorized $270 million to support officer counseling and training for addressing mental health. It cannot be a stigma, and we need to address it. It should be something that someone comes forth with to seek help. We have to create that environment within our departments and within our society.

This Police Week, let us do right by law enforcement communities. Let us pass bills that actually fund the police not in words but in action.

Frankly, I regret that each of the police bills coming to the floor this week are more partisan and political than the next. Take a look at them, Mr. Speaker. Read them.

Conversely, across the building, I am glad to see the Senate acting by advancing my Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act. This bill would ensure first responders who die or become disabled from occupational cancer get their Public Safety Officers' Benefits. This builds on the bill to reform and expand Federal death and disability benefits that we passed during Police Week in 2021.

Pay, benefits, healthcare, housing assistance, and fair retirement treatment, bills addressing these items can make a real difference for our officers and their families. I hope that we can get that Honor Act and other important priorities to the President's desk this Congress.

God bless our police, and God bless our America.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this legislation to reauthorize the Assistance to Firefighters Grants, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants, and the United States Fire Administration.

It is hard to imagine now, but 25 years ago, Federal support for our fire services was nearly nonexistent, very little equity, but then funding for firefighting was primarily the responsibility of the State and local governments.

During budget shortfalls, fire departments were often the very first to get cut. When a department needed equipment or personnel, they resorted to bake sales and pancake breakfasts, although there is nothing wrong with those. That is a heck of a way to bring responsibility of protecting the citizens.

Working with local fire departments, national advocates, retirees, partners in Congress, and the White House, we passed the FIRE Act into law after getting volunteers and career firefighters here to Washington, D.C., to follow every Congressman and get on their case. That is what we did.

While we will take credit for this legislation, it is really the firefighters that did this. They came to Washington. It seems like a lifetime away.

Career firefighters, fire chiefs, volunteers, everyone came together to make sure our fire groups were no longer the forgotten piece of the public safety equation.

Our law delivered Federal dollars to local departments for the very first time. In 2003, we created the SAFER program so departments could meet their staffing needs.

The success of these programs speaks for itself. Since its inception, AFG has delivered more than $9 billion to equip and train firefighters.

When we were looking at this legislation out in the West, there were some departments that had to push the equipment to the fire. That is the case, and that existed over 25 years ago.

I am proud to say that SAFER has awarded more than $5 billion. This has been called one of the most efficient programs.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that SAFER awarded more than $5 billion to departments to hire, recruit, and retain firefighters.

These grants are amongst the most effective in the entire Federal budget. Fire departments rely on the Fire Administration for fire data collection, public safety education, and service training. Without reauthorization, these programs would all go kaput September 30.

Thank you to my fire service co-chairs, Representatives Hoyer, Bost, and Fitzpatrick, as well as the House cosponsor, Congressman Kean from New Jersey, for joining us in our bipartisan quest.

This is truly, Mr. Speaker, a bipartisan piece of legislation that worked.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the legendary career of New York Yankees broadcaster, John Sterling. A resident of Edgewater, New Jersey, John began announcing Yankee games on the radio in 1989. After a distinguished 35-year tenure with the Yankees, John recently announced his retirement.

From 1989 to 2019, John Sterling did not miss a day of work, announcing a Ripken-esque 5,060 consecutive Yankee games. He announced every game Hall of Famer Derek Jeter ever played in. One-quarter of all games in the Yankees' storied history. Sterling's incredible longevity and consistency are integral parts of his broadcasting brilliance.

John Sterling's voice is one of the most memorable in the Big Leagues. His passion and love of the game of baseball could be heard in each game he announced. After a big Yankee strike out, run batted in, or play in the field, you could always expect to hear the contagious exhilaration in his voice. His announcement ``Theeeeeeeee Yankees Win!'' was a signature to decades of triumphs.

John Sterling will also be remembered for the unique home run call he devised for every Yankee player. From ``Bernie goes Boom?'' and ``It's an A-Bomb for A-Rod!'' to ``It's a Thrilla from Godzilla!'' and ``Robbie Cano, Don'tcha Know!'' John never lacked creativity. To any Yankee fan among America's millions, it was always exciting to hear John's first home run call for a new free agent acquisition. He never disappointed.

When you think of the Yankees, the first word that comes to mind is greatness. Twenty-seven World Series Championships. Forty American League pennants. The home of Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, and Mariano Rivera. From 1996 to 2001, the Yankees had one of the most impressive stretches in Major League Baseball history, winning four world championships over the span of only five years. John Sterling was right there for this stretch, announcing their playoff games and World Series championships. A legendary franchise needed a legendary announcer like John Sterling.

New York sports fans have been fortunate to listen to games announced by some of the greatest broadcasters ever. Mel Allen. Red Barber. Vin Scully. John Sterling joins that list. John Sterling will be remembered as one of the best sports broadcasters in history.

The House sends its congratulations to John Sterling on a historic career and its warmest wishes for his retirement. May God Bless John Sterling. And God Bless America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a constituent who has dedicated decades of service to our community through his commitment to the Boys & Girls Club of Clifton, Mr. Robert Foster. For forty-seven years, Robert played an integral role, shaping the lives of countless young people in our district. ``Mr. Bob'', as he is affectionately referred to, announced his retirement in December of 2023 after serving as Executive Director for seventeen years. The Boys and Girls Club of Clifton is right to honor his legacy at their Annual Great Futures Gala.

Mr. Foster's involvement with the Boys & Girls Club began at the age of five when he followed his older brothers to the Club in Kingston, New York. Inspired and grateful for the coaching, mentoring, and encouragement he received, Mr. Foster knew from a young age that he would continue his participation by pursuing a career in the Boys & Girls Club of America (BGCA).

After obtaining a Bachelor of Science from Springfield College, Mr. Foster started his career in the Boys & Girls Club of Clifton. He served as the first full-time Social Recreation/Team Director. During this time, Mr. Foster fulfilled diverse roles such as Swim Instructor, Coach, Program Director, Operations Director, and Assistant Executive Director. By 2006, Mr. Foster earned his Masters of Human Resource Development at Clemson University and was appointed as Executive Director at the Boys & Girls Club of Clifton. His work for the Boys & Girls Club expanded beyond Clifton serving as the Acting Director of the City of Garfield from 2007 to 2009 as well as the Treasurer and member of the Executive Board of the Boys & Girls Club of New Jersey.

As Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Clifton, Mr. Foster's leadership contributed to the Club's growth ultimately accumulating 5,400 registered members. He collaborated with the Board of Trustees to manage an operational budget of $6.4 million which accounted for 28 full-time and 175 part-time staff members, all program operations, and the appointment of a new chief executive officer. During his tenure, Mr. Foster partnered with the Clifton Board of Education to establish the Minds in Motion, 21st Century Grant for Schools No. 4, No. 12, and No. 17. Mr. Foster embodied the values of service over self and effectively empowered our youth by fostering their personal and academic growth.

Outside of the Boys & Girls Club, Mr. Foster's community service throughout the years includes his involvement in Clifton's Interagency Council, the Passaic County Workforce Development Council, Clifton Optimist Club, Rotary Club of Clifton, and his work as a Commissioner with the Clifton Board of Recreation.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join our colleagues, Mr. Foster's family, friends, and all those whose lives he has touched in recognizing Robert Foster for his dedication and contributions to his community and the State of New Jersey. May his work be a guiding light in our community and inspire others to strive for excellence in service.