Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the incredible success of the St. Xavier High School swimming and diving team and to congratulate them on winning their 44th State championship. The dedication and hard work of these talented athletes is second to none, as they have claimed 24 of the last 26 State championships, 4 of the last 5, and 44 out of the last 54.

The St. Xavier High School swimming and diving team, the Bombers, or Aqua Bombers as they are also known, won their most recent championship with a score of 302 points, beating out the runners-up by 73 points.

The Bombers were led by Ohio Second District native Max Ward, who brought home first place finishes in the 100-meter butterfly and the 200-meter freestyle.

As a member of the St. Xavier ``Long Blue Line'' and a swimmer alum, I want to congratulate the talented swimmers, divers, and coaches on this incredible feat.

If they made it look easy, it was because it wasn't. Go Bombers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 3738, the Veterans Economic Opportunity and Transition Administration Act, or VEOTA Act.

As a retired member of the U.S. Army Reserve and Iraq war veteran, I know how important it is to help our warfighters succeed in their transition to civilian life.

Far too often, people think unjustly that veterans return from war defeated and with skills that aren't applicable to the civilian world. This could be no further from the truth and anything else I have ever heard. Our veterans are strong, dependable leaders and team players. Our commitment to programs that promote opportunity and success brings forth their abilities and potential.

I believe our servicemembers should have a plan from the day that they enter the military to the day they transition out and beyond.

We should care about their military and post-military careers. Our veterans are soldiers for life, as we say in the Army, and we need to put as much emphasis and attention on their success after service as we do during it.

Currently, the Veterans Benefits Administration is responsible for all Department of Veterans Affairs benefits provided to veterans outside of healthcare and cemetery services.

While there are many different benefits that the VBA provides, the bulk of staffing and resources have been, understandably, directed toward the administration of disability compensation and pension claims. This has resulted in a lack of attention on the administration of other VBA benefits, such as the Forever GI Bill, vocational rehabilitation, home loan benefits, and VA's portion of the Transition Assistance Program.

We can't let these benefits fall by the wayside, especially those that empower veterans and help set them on the path to success in civilian life.

By aligning transition, education, and employment programs in a fourth administration within the VA, this act will modernize the Department and ensure that these opportunity-focused programs get the high priority they deserve and the oversight they need to better serve our veterans.

I thank Representative Levin for leading this legislation with me now for the third time. We have many Senators supporting us, as well.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today celebrate the brave first responders of the Pomeroy Fire Department in Meigs County, Ohio, as they are being honored as the Ohio Fire Department of the Year by the State Fire Marshall and the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

The 30 members of the all-volunteer Pomeroy firefighting force have consistently demonstrated a level of training, preparedness, and dedication second to none. They've proven their commitment to excellence by pursuing advanced training, completing both in-service and multicompany training exercises, enhancing the force's efficiency, loss reduction, and ability to safeguard our community.

I cannot say enough about how much Pomeroy's Fire Department has given back to Meigs County, serving well beyond their roles as first responders--leading food drives, educating the community on fire safety and prevention, and distributing smoke detectors, among many other contributions.

I am pleased to honor the fine men and women of the Pomeroy firefighting force for their justly deserved recognition as the Ohio Fire Department of the Year. Their service makes our community, Pomeroy, Meigs County, and Ohio, a better place--and I could not be more proud.

Congratulations to them on this well-deserved award.

Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise today to honor the life of former Hamilton County Auditor Brigid Kelly who lost her battle with cancer on March 26, 2024.

Brigid lived an incredible life of service. She was a true public servant who focused on improving the lives of Ohio families. She worked to bridge the partisan divides and make a difference for our citizens, first as a Norwood city councilwoman, then as a State representative, and most recently as Hamilton County auditor.

While serving as representative, Brigid dedicated herself to easing the burdens that young families face. In every role she served, she did that. Brigid gave of herself to put constituents first, champion their needs, and attempt to ensure their lives could be made better. Her well-earned reputation of sincere civility was known and respected by all.

My prayers go out to all who knew and loved Brigid. The Cincinnati community, the State of Ohio, and our Nation mourn with her family and friends. May Brigid's memory continue to inspire us and future generations to serve our community with the same spirit of selfless service.

Mr. Chair, I certainly am a supporter of this underlying bill. This is a bipartisan product. It came out of the Intelligence Committee, and it came out of the Intelligence Committee when we realized a few years ago all the abuses that were taking place within our intelligence system. We knew we had to act. There had to be reforms, and there had to be criminal liability when people and their agencies are doing the wrong things. That wasn't in place, and for the last 2\1/2\ years, we have worked on this.

We have worked on it in a bipartisan way not just with the Intelligence Committee but with the whole body. We opened this up to the entire body, Republican and Democrat, regardless of what committee a Member is on, and we worked together to craft a very good bill.

This isn't just an Intelligence Committee bill. This is a House of Representatives bill.

That is what we have brought forward. This bill ensures Americans' civil liberties are secure and that we have intelligence collection tools that we need to safeguard our country from foreign threats.

The Constitution asked us to provide for our defense, which is what we are trying to do, and to work against all enemies, foreign and domestic, which is what we are trying to do.

I want to set the record straight. It is already in statute that a warrant is required every single time the United States Government wants to investigate a U.S. person under FISA under section 702, but a warrant is not required to do a query to find out what we might need for probable cause to get a warrant. Now, this amendment wants to put a warrant on getting a query when time is of the essence.

Mr. Chair, if Ali Khamenei is talking about you and we pick up that, then I want to know why he is talking about you. I want to do a query into the information we already have to see if anyone else is talking about you.

Moreover, I want to find out if they are planning to assassinate you, Mr. Chair. I shouldn't need a warrant to try to find out if a foreign actor is trying to assassinate a U.S. citizen. I shouldn't need a warrant to find out if a foreign actor or terrorist is working with someone in the United States to harm other Americans, but if we want to investigate that person, then yes, we do.

There is a lot of misinformation out there. American civil liberties are not being harmed.

Mr. Chair, I will give you a hypothetical example, too. American citizen Bob Smith pops up in a FISA database. Some are saying that government can obtain or search Bob's emails, texts, and phone calls. That is not true. That is not true, but you can do a query to see if anyone else is talking about this person, and not just anyone else anywhere, but a foreign actor or a foreign terrorist whose information you already have.

Mr. Chair, I want to just say what is true and what is not true. A query does not investigate a U.S. citizen. In many cases, it is acting on behalf of a U.S. citizen to keep them safe.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Marcia Fudge, my friend, former colleague, and the current and soon-to-be-former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. I recognize Secretary Fudge for her service to our Nation, to our great State of Ohio, and to her local community.

I had the privilege of working alongside Representative Fudge for 9 years in this Chamber, working together to tackle the issues that matter the most to Ohioans. She has been a tireless advocate for Ohioans, willing to reach across the aisle to find common ground on key issues, like advancing access to affordable housing.

While we, of course, didn't always see eye to eye on everything, Marcia and I shared the important goal of helping Americans have the opportunities and resources needed to achieve the American Dream.

I am grateful to have had a fellow Ohioan working as Secretary on behalf of so many of my constituents. Public servants like Secretary Fudge, always willing to roll up her sleeves and get to the business of the American people, are a credit to our community.

I wish Marcia the best on the next stage of her journey.

Mr. Speaker, I am here today in support of the Dr. Michael C. Burgess Preventive Health Saving Act, a bill aptly named after my colleague and friend, my co-chair on the Doctors Caucus, Dr. Michael Burgess.

This important legislation is going to allow the Congressional Budget Office to measure the long-term impact of health policies, breaking free from the arbitrary 10-year budget window that currently constrains our ability to help our fellow Americans to live a healthier and longer life.

This is something that we as the Doctors Caucus have met with CBO on. They were not sure how to do it. Dr. Burgess put forward a way that we can get this done. We worked in a bipartisan manner to enact policies that can bring patients more access to drugs, treatments, cures.

Yet, when looking at the initial cost of bringing new treatments and drugs to patients, the long-term savings that are associated with keeping Americans healthier for longer are not considered. They need to be. The Congressional Budget Office should have the ability to fully score the impact that reductions in obesity, access to early and preventive treatments, and keeping patients healthier will have on Medicare, for example.

It has been my great honor to serve with Dr. Burgess on the Doctors Caucus and here in Congress. I am glad to support this bill led by Dr. Burgess, whose expertise and desire for quality care for all Americans has inspired many to practice medicine and encourage them to get involved with government. I encourage support of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the American Medical Association supporting H.R. 766.

American Medical Association,

Chicago, IL, March 18, 2024.

Hon. Mike Johnson,

Speaker, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Hakeem Jeffries,

Minority Leader, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Speaker Johnson and Minority Leader Jeffries: On

behalf of the physician and medical student members of the

American Medical Association (AMA), I am writing in support

of H.R. 766, the ``Dr. Michael C. Burgess Preventive Health

Savings Act.'' This bipartisan bill would provide leaders in

Congress with the ability to request that the Congressional

Budget Office (CBO) provide an estimate of the long-term

health savings that are possible from preventive health

initiatives.

Chronic disease is a leading cause of death and disability

in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, each year more than 877,500 Americans

died of heart disease or stroke, more than 1.7 million people

were diagnosed with cancer, and more than 37.3 million

Americans have diabetes, with an additional 96 million adults

diagnosed with prediabetes, which puts them at risk for type

2 diabetes. These diseases, along with other conditions such

as obesity, Alzheimer's, and mental health issues, place a

significant burden on the economy, accounting for 90 percent

of our nation's $4.1 trillion in annual health care spending.

These figures will undoubtedly worsen as the population ages.

Congress should be able to consider the long-term economic

benefits of legislation that would promote wellness and

disease prevention initiatives that reduce chronic

conditions. However, the way in which the CBO currently

``scores'' legislation severely constrains the ability of

policymakers to accurately assess legislation that would

prevent chronic disease. For example, while research has

demonstrated that certain expenditures for preventive

medicine generate savings when considered in the long term,

those cost savings may not be evident when evaluating only

the first 10-year ``scoring'' window.

We believe this legislation represents a significant step

towards providing Congress with the means to obtain a more

relevant long-term economic picture of the benefits of

legislation to prevent chronic diseases. The legislation

would allow, among other things, the Chair and Ranking member

of the budget and health-related committees in the House or

Senate to jointly request an analysis of the two 10-year

periods beyond the existing initial 10-year window. The

provisions requiring these requests to come jointly from the

Chair and Ranking Member of the budget and health-related

committees in the House or the Senate will ensure the CBO is

not diverted to frivolous or overly partisan analyses.

Furthermore, the legislation's definition of ``preventive

health'' appropriately captures the unique nature of this

concept by including actions that focus on the health of the

public, individuals, and defined populations to protect,

promote, and maintain health and wellness, as well as prevent

disease, disability, and premature death as demonstrated in

credible, publicly available studies and data.

The AMA applauds your leadership in bringing this important

legislation to the House floor for consideration and looks

forward to working with you on this and other efforts to

promote wellness and increase chronic disease prevention.

Sincerely,

James L. Madara, MD.

Mr. Chairman, I rise here today in support of H.R. 485, the Protecting Health Care for all Patients Act, and I thank Chairwoman McMorris Rodgers for bringing this important legislation forward.

I am a physician who is proud to join my colleagues in leading this bill that bans the use of quality-adjusted life years, QALYs, as it is called, in all Federal programs.

As a physician I took an oath, determined to treat each patient as a human being first and foremost. Quality metrics intentionally devalue treatments for disabled and chronically ill patients in determining whether a treatment is cost-effective. In other words, telling the patient, you are not worth it.

The bottom line is this: These cost measurements put an artificial dollar value on a person's life, valuing the lives of Americans differently.

In doing so, QALYs interferes with the sacred duty of a physician to care for all patients equally. Treating all patients equally and with a personal touch is something that I have always taken great pride in.

Our healthcare system must value all lives and ensure every person is treated with dignity. Our government should never deny healthcare to all Americans based on how much a life is perceived to be worth. This is a check on our morality. This is a check on our values. We should value human life and work towards healthier human lives, not devalue human life nor indignify one another.

Mr. Chair, I urge all my colleagues to join me in blocking government bureaucrats from putting an arbitrary price tag on the life of every American--bureaucrats that will never meet you or take responsibility for your care.

Mr. Speaker, America and Members of Congress really need to understand the impact these recent cuts to the Medicare physician fee schedule have on patient access to healthcare across the country.

The cuts that took place January 1, 2024, took effect, impacting providers everywhere. Providers have to continue to bear the costs and the many challenges that arose during and after the pandemic, including staffing shortages, supply chain shortages, and continued rising inflation. As the cost of providing care continues to rise, the reimbursement to physicians who provide that care continues to be cut. We can't keep this up.

Here is the scary part. Doctors retire early. Some reduce Medicare patients out of survival for their practice or stop seeing them at all, and they hate that. They quit taking call. They go to a cash-only practice in order to keep their doors open.

If we don't act swiftly to address these cuts now and in the long term, patients are going to suffer the most. The physician shortage will continue to rise. Hospitals and independent community-based providers will continue to shut their doors. America's seniors will be left with no option for high-quality, affordable healthcare. Rural communities in underserved areas will become healthcare deserts.

Mr. Speaker, I urge congressional leadership to put the health of America first. Ensure that patients and Medicare beneficiaries have access to the providers who care for them.

We have to stop these cuts. Every cut the government makes affects the entire United States. We are one great Nation, but we become a less healthy Nation.

This is just one issue that gets in the way of our goal to make the United States of America the healthiest nation on this planet.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the Social Security Child Protection Act, H.R. 3667.

Child identity theft is a serious problem in our country, and families across America should have the ability to protect their children when a child's Social Security number is compromised early in life.

When a child's identity falls into the hands of the wrong person, it sets the stage for a future of financial problems and headaches that can hinder their ability to do things like open a bank account, purchase a car, or establish a line of credit.

I know firsthand that when adoption takes place, often there is a recommendation that that child, who may already have a Social Security number, get a new Social Security number for their protection.

Unfortunately, the Social Security Administration's current policies make it challenging for families to obtain a new Social Security number after a child's Social Security number has been compromised.

This commonsense legislation that we propose would direct the Social Security Administration to issue a new Social Security number to a child under the age of 14 if that child's Social Security card was lost or stolen. Parents should not be forced to navigate bureaucratic red tape to protect their child's financial future.

I am proud to be leading this bipartisan solution with my friend and colleague, Representative Blumenauer. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this measure, and I thank my Ways and Means colleagues and staff for their support of this sensible legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the hard work and dedication of the Live Oaks Career Center JROTC Cadets. Beginning as a local Army JROTC program in 1993 to teach high school students leadership and citizenship classes, the Live Oaks JROTC program has evolved into a nationally recognized leadership and citizenship program.

This year, three teams of Live Oaks JROTC Cadets competed against 216 other teams in the U.S. Army Cadet Command Junior ROTC Raider Challenge Championships at Fort Knox. The Live Oaks male and female teams finished first in their divisions, and the coed team came in fifth place. Twenty-eight cadets earned full-ride scholarships to the university of their choice due to their success.

Live Oaks' JROTC Cadets demonstrated incredible tenacity and grit in their championship success, qualities that will serve them well in their southern Ohio communities. I am proud to congratulate them today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today because I am deeply concerned by the impact that recent cuts to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule will have on patient access to healthcare across our great country.

On January 1, 2024, a 3.4 percent Medicare cut took effect, impacting providers all across the United States. This is in addition to previous cuts.

Providers have continued to bear the cost of many challenges that arose during the pandemic and after the pandemic, including staffing shortages, supply chain shortages, and continuing rising inflation--all of these.

As the cost of providing care continues to rise, the reimbursement to physicians who provide the care continues to be cut.

If we do not swiftly act to address these cuts now and in the long term, patients will suffer the most. The physician shortage will continue to worsen.

Hospitals and independent community-based providers will continue to shutter their doors, and, sadly, America's seniors will be left with no option for high-quality, affordable healthcare.

I urge congressional leadership to put the health of Americans first by stopping the Medicare cuts and ensuring that patients and Medicare beneficiaries have access to the providers who care for them by not cutting them out.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Bradley Poppell, a senior at Archbishop Moeller High School, on being named Mr. Ohio Soccer by the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association.

The Men of Moeller amassed a 24-0-1 record, being ranked number one in the country for three weeks during the season. The team only allowed one goal during the regular season and would go on to be state runner- up in Division One.

Bradley led his team with 23 goals and six assists this season as the team captain. Alongside his play at Moeller, he plays on the Cincinnati United Premier U19 team, which is ranked number one in the state of Ohio.

In the classroom, he is ranked near the top of his class with a 4.7 GPA and is also a school captain. This is alongside his high test scores and multiple AP-level courses.

I am excited to nominate Bradley to the United States Air Force Academy, where he will be a member of the men's soccer team. He hopes to receive a pilot slot, just as his grandfather did in the Class of 1970.

Mr. Speaker, on December 11, 2023, I was unable to be in attendance for votes on the House floor due to official Congressional travel. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on rollcall No. 707, YEA on rollcall No. 708, and YEA on rollcall No. 709.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to welcome Reverend Jared Timberlake and his family to the House Chamber.

Reverend Timberlake has dedicated his life to selfless service, first through his time as a fellow Army soldier and then later through his work as a youth minister and pastor at Sandhill Baptist Church in Scioto County, Ohio.

As President George Washington said in his farewell address: ``Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.''

Nearly 250 years later, I am glad we welcome our religious leaders to the people's House to open our work with prayer.

Madam Speaker, I thank Reverend Timberlake for his decades of service to our country and to the local Scioto County community.