Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, on Saturday, May 7, 2022, thousands of residents from across Central Florida will gather at the Cocoa Beach Pier in Cocoa Beach, Florida, to take part in the Eleventh Annual ``Footprints in the Sand'' Cocoa Beach Kidney Walk. Katie and I have joined others in our community in participating every year since the first walk was organized in 2012 by Rich Salick, Bill Hahn and volunteers with the Florida Affiliate of the National Kidney Foundation.

The ``Footprints in the Sand'' Kidney Walk brings our community together to show our love and concern. So many of us have family, friends and loved ones that are afflicted by kidney disease, and they need our strength and support. The road ahead is not easy for them, but as the kidney walk demonstrates, they do not have to travel that path alone.

The National Kidney Foundation of Florida, its supporters and activists have made a significant difference in people's lives. They not only raise awareness about this disease, but they have helped push for much needed changes in our laws and new innovations to give patients more treatment options and a better quality of life. This year organizers of the kidney walk will recognize organ donors and their families for giving the precious gift of life so that others could receive a second chance and continue with their lives.

Those recognized include:

Dawn Futch honoring Micheal Futch, Vivien Pogeler honoring Scott Pogeler, Jasmin Persaud honoring Anand Persaud, Jennifer Eden honoring Blake Eden, Mandee Seitz honoring Aryia Grace, Teresa Ervin honoring Timothy Dean Ervin, Shebna Dorsey honoring Andrew Dorsey, Ellen Tuech honoring Geoffrey ``Geoff'' Wasden, Pat Brown honoring Michael Brown, Mary Carpenter honoring Shawn Carpenter, Tammy Lee honoring Dylan Rowe, Sherri Wilson honoring William ``Garrett'' Coe, Kathleen Deleonardo honoring Anthony Deleonardo, Monica Beyrooti honoring Seth Beyrooti, Susan Sharp honoring Sean Sharp, Leslie Collins honoring Jose Collins, and Nancy Velazquez honoring Pedro Batista.

I ask my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to join me in recognizing the strong will of these caring families, their loved ones and all those who have joined the effort and worked tirelessly to raise awareness about kidney disease.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 471, the PAUSE Act, to protect all Americans from Biden's border crisis.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the most competent, respected, and effective advocate for children and families that I have ever known, someone who has made a difference in the lives of countless Space Coast families, Irene Burnett.

When the space center was developed in the early 1960s, there were almost no social services, so Irene was brought in to lead the Human Planning Council.

Irene devoted herself to serving the health, mental health, and social needs of our communities, establishing circles of care, the first dental clinic, and the first legal aid society.

Irene's philosophy was: ``We don't work with blind or disabled, we work with people,'' always stressing the importance of not only helping individuals but families as well.

Irene exemplifies servant heart leadership. Thus, I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting Irene Burnett's lifetime of service.

Madam Speaker, on February 16, 2022, the City of Palm Bay will recognize the courage and bravery of the City's law enforcement officers and civilians during their Annual Award's Presentation Ceremony to be held at Bayside High School. Over two-hundred Law Enforcement Officials and Civilian Employees make up The City of Palm Bay's Police Department.

The 173 men and women who are the Sworn Officers of the Palm Bay Police Department lay down their lives daily to protect and serve. They exemplify their motto of ``Connect, Serve, and Impact'' as they connect with the community and serve with pride to provide a positive impact. Their noble and selfless actions help keep our community safe.

I am honored to show my support for the law enforcement personnel of the Palm Bay Police Department and their heroic acts. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing their sacrifices and the sacrifices of their families.

Among those to be recognized are the Officer of the Year Recipient, Officer Cole McDonald, the Civilian of the Year Recipient, Kimberly Carlo, Records Specialist, and the Telecommunicator of the Year, Communications Officer, Lyndsey Veina.

The Medal of Valor Award Recipients: Corporal Vincent Galioto, K9 Officer Byron Patrick, Officer Joseph Moreno, Officer Matthew Harris, Officer Omar Forbes, Officer Andrew Samuels, Officer Christina Martin, Officer Ryan Van Note, Brevard County Sheriff's Officers, Deputy Tyler Smith, and Deputy Jose Rodriguez.

The Distinguished Service Cross Award Recipients: Officer Caroline Jodoin and Officer Christopher Morris, Brevard County Sheriffs Officer Deputy William Kidd.

Officers and Civilian Recipients of the Life Saving Award: Mayor Rob Medina, Sergeant Christopher Snedeker, Sergeant Edward Bermudez, Sergeant Neal Valenti, Corporal Brandon Neely, Corporal Jason McCoy, Corporal Michael Sielicki, Officer Aaron Arndt, Officer Brandon Williams, Officer Cassandra Woronka, Officer Jasmine Smith, Officer John Neal, Officer Kendra Smith, Officer Melanie Trimboli, Officer Scott Kenney, Officer Stephen Ball, Officer Virginia Stepp, Officer Tyler Fooks (Second Award), Officer Amanda Hollcroft, Officer Caitlynn Trenor, Officer Ryan Van Note, Officer Andrew Samuels, Officer Christina Martin.

Category 2 Awards

Officers and Civilian Recipients of the Meritorious Service Award: Lieutenant Virginia Kilmer, Sergeant Antoinette Schrum, Sergeant Mark Trammell, Corporal Christopher Richards, Detective Ken Shedrick, Detective Scott Searles, Officer Zachery Morris, Officer Greg Moore, Officer Chad Kirk, Officer Sharon Kurval, Officer Amanda Hollcroft, Officer Caitlynn Trenor, Reserve Officer Mark Gensiejewski, Desk Booking Specialist, Kendall McMullen, VCOP Eva Evans, VCOP Brian Evans, Communications Officer Meaghan Koleszar, Evidence Technician, Dawn Subrin.

Officers and Civilian Recipients of the Community Service Award: Lieutenant Michael Smith, Lieutenant Steve Bland, Sergeant Alcine Phang-Pennington, Corporal Samantha Missale, Corporal William Pennington, Corporal Vincent Galioto, Officer David Porter, Officer Monica Ruiz, Officer Robert Vickers (Second Award), Officer Ryan Austin (Second Award), Officer Tony Williams, Officer Christopher Morris, Officer Cole McDonald, VCOP Karen Sharpe.

Madam Speaker, due to a COVID-19 diagnosis, which resulted in my quarantining due to a doctor's order, I was unable to travel to D.C. for the legislative session on December 8, 2021.

Had I been present, I would have voted: NAY on Roll Call No. 406; YEA on Roll Call No. 407; YEA on Roll Call No. 408; YEA on Roll Call No. 409; NAY on Roll Call No. 410; NAY on Roll Call No. 411; YEA on Roll Call No. 412; YEA on Roll Call No. 413; YEA on Roll Call No. 414; YEA on Roll Call No. 415; YEA on Roll Call No. 416; YEA on Roll Call No. 417; YEA on Roll Call No. 418; NAY on Roll Call No. 419; NAY on Roll Call No. 420; YEA on Roll Call No. 421; YEA on Roll Call No. 422; YEA on Roll Call No. 423; NAY on Roll Call No. 424; NAY on Roll Call No. 425; YEA on Roll Call No. 426; YEA on Roll Call No. 427; YEA on Roll Call No. 428; YEA on Roll Call No. 429; YEA on Roll Call No. 430; YEA on Roll Call No. 431; YEA on Roll Call No. 432; YEA on Roll Call No. 433; YEA on Roll Call No. 434; and YEA on Roll Call No. 435.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor the Florida Institute of Technology's Cyber League Team, FITSEC, for their extraordinary perfect score and first place finish in the Fall 2021 National Cyber League team tournament on November 7, 2021.

The National Cyber League team tournament is a biannual national competition in which 650 institutions around the country face off to solve simulations of real-life cybersecurity problems. The National Cyber League assesses a team's ability to address nine critical cybersecurity workforce categories outlined in the NIST NICE Cybersecurity Framework and the NSA Knowledge Units. This year more than 3,900 teams competed, with our hometown team clinching the victory.

The Florida Institute of Technology of Melbourne, FL, in my district, is leading the way in cybersecurity research and education and has been recognized as a National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) National Center of Academic Excellence (CAE-R) in Cyber Defense Research.

Their rigorous undergraduate Cyber Operations Concentration, modeled after the NSA Cyber Operations Knowledge Units, is developing bright young minds that will most certainly be among our nation's future leaders. It is good to know that students right here in Brevard County will soon help solve the problems of tomorrow, like countering unchecked foreign threats and filling the shortages in this growing field already identified by the federal government.

The 2021 Florida Institute of Technology's team was coached by Dr. TJ O'Connor and consisted of two graduate and five undergraduate students in Computer Science, including Blake Janes, Carl Mann, Dave Breeden, Isaiah Thomas, Logan Suarez, Stephanie Wood, and Tiffanie Petersen.

I urge my colleagues to join me in congratulating FIT and these student leaders on their outstanding accomplishments and wish them every success in the future.

Madam Speaker, on December 18, 2021, Brevard County families, businesses and local community organizations will gather to celebrate the 13th Annual Family Christmas Extravaganza.

Having become one of the largest Christmas celebrations on the Space Coast, this year's event will be bigger and better than ever, promising a place for family and friends to partake in a wide variety of holiday festivities to get them in the Christmas spirit.

This year's event will take place at Fred Poppe Regional Park in Palm Bay from 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. and will be completely free of charge thanks to over 60 local businesses and organizations. As a demonstration of love, The House, Eastwind Pentecostal, Victory in Christ Jesus, Elevation, Center of Love Church, Grace Bible, Jornada al Cielo, Church on the Rock, His Place Ministries, Christ is the Answer (CITA), Bay West, and Wings of Grace have all united to bring the 13th Annual Family Christmas Extravaganza to our City and County.

Because of their generous contributions, families will be able to enjoy food galore, ride horses, and see live entertainment. This year's Family Christmas Extravaganza will even feature God in a Box production by ANEW Life International, a 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament by Court Kingz, and an acrobatic show by Cirque Adventure.

The House of Palm Bay, City of Palm Bay Parks and Recreation, along with several community business partners such as Thrifty Specialty Produce, Chick-Fil-A, Gator Automotive, Ben & Jerry's, The Source, and Dignity Foods are just among the few names of many we must thank for providing the venue and resources to make the celebration unforgettable.

Senior Pastor Ken Delgado of the House at Palm Bay said in anticipation of the event, ``With today's news being filled with division, contention and expressions of hatred, it is exciting to see the City of Palm Bay, along with its businesses and citizens, create an event where love, joy and peace is expressed. The Family Christmas Extravaganza is the greatest expression that so many people yearn for and is what the angels proclaimed at the birth of Jesus saying, `Peace and good will towards all men.' ''

The City of Palm Bay issued a proclamation in support for this year's celebration, proclaiming December 18, 2021, Family Christmas Extravaganza Day.

The spirit of the holidays is all about giving and spending time with loved ones. This year's Extravaganza brings our community together to remind us of that.

I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting all those who are doing their part to spread the Christmas spirit this holiday season and those who have worked so hard to make the 13th Annual Family Christmas Extravaganza possible.

Mr. Speaker, the President's theme, Build Back Better, just can't pass the straight-face test. In reality, it is more like demolish America faster.

If you really think it builds America back better, your view of America is a lot different than most of the people I know.

We grew up in an America where college professors taught students how to think, not what to think.

We grew up in an America where you could express your thoughts on any subject without having the media collude with Big Tech to censor you through bullying, intimidation, or bogus so-called fact checks.

We grew up in an America where parents were encouraged to support the education of their children, not targeted by the Department of Justice as domestic terrorists for telling the school board members that they think they are going in the wrong direction.

We grew up in an America where immigrants, like most of our predecessors, our ancestors, were welcomed if they came here legally.

I can move to Mexico, but it would be impossible for me to become a Mexican. I can move to Honduras, but I can never become Honduran. I can move to Somalia, but it would be impossible for me to become a Somalian. On and on it goes.

But it is possible for people from other countries to come here and become Americans. If they work hard and play by the rules, they can build a better future for themselves and their families. They can achieve the American Dream.

That is why people risk their lives, and some have died, trying to come to this country. No other countries with the kind of policies you are trying to force down the throat of Americans are like that.

Yes, we lived in an America where most folks, unless they were plagued with affluenza, wokeness, entitlementitis, or Trump-phobia, believed they lived in the greatest and the freest country in the history of the world.

Pre-COVID-19, we lived in an America with the lowest unemployment rate in decades, the lowest African-American and Hispanic unemployment rate since they began keeping records.

An America that was energy independent.

An America with mostly fair elections.

And an America with secure borders.

Speaking about secure borders, let's be clear. There is a crisis at the border, even though the President, the Vice President, and most of my colleagues across the aisle deny it. Coming into our country illegally does not make someone a legal immigrant any more than someone breaking into your house makes them one of your family.

Most people know there is a difference between legal immigration and the illegal invasion that we are witnessing right now. Proposed mass amnesty will only encourage others to come and try illegally. It is not hard to see where you are coming from.

Based upon the false promise that he would unify America, President Biden got into the Oval Office, and my friends on the other side of the aisle gained a razor-thin majority in the House and Senate. But we all know, everybody knows, the unification promise was a lie, and their majority is going to be short-lived. So they must feel compelled to rush through a radical agenda before the midterms.

Now, people are understandably frustrated. Actually, they are very angry, and they are not going to sit back and take it much longer. Instead of the bogus Build Back Better plan and reconciliation plan, you know what they want? They want the Democrats to help put America back where they found it and leave it the hell alone.

Let's go, Brandon.

Madam Speaker, ironically, it was my bill, the Election Reform Act of 2001--after the closest Presidential election in history, decided by about 350 votes--and my Election Reform Act, after all that hostility, passed 38-2 in the Senate and 120-0 in the Florida House, and that is how election reform bills should pass. If they don't pass with an overwhelming majority of both sides, they are not fair and they shouldn't be enforced.

Americans are feeling the rise in prices at the gas pump and in our grocery stores. Favorite products are in short supply, and some are even not available. To make matters worse, they are discovering that the resolution before us is full of wasteful spending and big tax increases.

The administration only responds to our economic crisis by making excuses and pointing fingers. Claiming supply chain disruptions and inflation are just high-class problems is incredibly wrong.

Madam Speaker, you can call it what you want on TV, but at the end of the day, it is just, plain and simple, bad policy. All this resolution does that we are asked to vote for is to green-light more of it.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this resolution.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, this week is National Estuaries Week, a special time to raise awareness about the vital role estuaries play in our communities and our economies, and to encourage local involvement in caring for our diverse ecosystems.

My home in Florida is part of an estuary called the Indian River Lagoon. Supporting the health of our lagoon also supports vast economic, environmental, and recreational needs of our communities.

When our Nation's estuaries are thriving, we know our environment, our fishermen, our businesses and, most importantly, our families are thriving. I encourage my colleagues to join us in recognizing National Estuaries Week and the important role estuaries play in our communities.

Madam Speaker, I rise to direct the House's attention to H. Res. 3281, the RPM Act.

The RPM Act is necessary because of a gross abuse of the Administrative Procedures Act by unelected, unaccountable, unrecallable bureaucrats.

Madam Speaker, most people aren't aware that the chances are better than a thousand to one if you are ever hauled into Federal court under charges, it is more than likely you will be subject to a violation of rules, administrative rules, that are enforceable as laws.

Most Members of Congress seem oftentimes to forget that, and we have allowed the rule-makers, the unelected, unaccountable people, to make an incredible amount of laws that become a heavy burden on our society.

So we are hoping, with the RPM Act, H. Res. 3281, we can right some of those wrongs.

Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to join Congresswoman Bonamici as an original cosponsor.

For those of us who live on the ``coast,'' the coast is that unique place where our lives, our environment, and our economy participate in a special relationship with the ocean.

In my own State of Florida, we know that about 6 million people work in our coastal counties. They earn nearly $280 billion dollars in wages and produce close to $700 billion in gross domestic product.

Life on the coast is rich in rewards, but also uncertain and often perilous.

Those of us who live on the coast have known for a long time how important sustainability and resilience are for our coasts. We have weathered the storms of the past and we must do so in the future.

Science and research are our best hope for continuing to live in harmony with our coasts.

Research can prepare us for assaults on our coasts and help us defend our wildlife and biodiversity from threats like acidification.

We must take care of our precious coasts so that we can continue to enjoy the lifestyle and the economic well-being we cherish.

That is why I've joined Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici in directing NOAA to pick up the role of leading research for coastal acidification.

I ask my colleagues to support the COAST Research Act.

Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to rise in support of H.R. 2533, The National Estuaries and Acidification Research (NEAR) Act.

I want to thank Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici and Congressman Brian Mast for working with me to advance this important legislation.

I also want to thank the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for their valuable input.

The NEAR Act is a national proposal with a very special personal connection. People in my district--the 8th district of Florida-- understand in a very deep way, the economic and environmental importance of the ocean and our estuary--the Indian River Lagoon.

This bill focuses on estuaries--those wondrous nurseries and homes for sea life.

Unfortunately, the Indian River Lagoon, and other valuable estuaries throughout the country, are being threatened by ocean acidification, along with other stressors.

Scientists tell us that when carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, about one third of that carbon dioxide is absorbed by seawater, creating carbonic acid.

Shellfish and other marine organisms don't do well in acidic waters. We know that.

We have over a decade of research on the impacts of acidification in the open ocean. Unfortunately, we don't have the same kind of knowledge about acidification in estuaries and waters near our shores.

We need to deepen our investment in research in our estuaries so we can protect and restore our estuaries and defend our environment and coastal economy.

The story of my district and the Indian River Lagoon plays out along our entire national coastline. More than half of the U.S. population lives in coastal areas.

Five years ago, Congresswoman Bonamici and I cofounded the bipartisan Congressional Estuary Caucus to preserve and restore our estuaries. Coastal watershed counties provide an estimated 69 million U.S. jobs and contribute an estimated $7.9 trillion to the GDP annually.

The National Academy study authorized by the NEAR Act is a great step toward filling in the gaps in our knowledge of how acidification affects our estuaries--both environmentally and economically.

Mr. Speaker, when we take care of our environment, we take care of ourselves, and therefore, I ask my colleagues to join me in taking this important step toward understanding how ocean acidification affects our precious estuaries and support this bill today.