Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 960, to rename the North Avondale Post Office in Ohio after Herbert Heilbrun and Johnny Leahr, two American heroes whose legacies we should pass down

from generation to generation and whose examples we should all follow.

At a time when our military was segregated, Herb and Johnny independently joined our armed services as specialty pilots flying dangerous missions. Herb flew B-17 bombers in the Army Air Corps during World War II, and Johnny flew P-51 Mustangs with the Tuskegee Airmen.

At that time, they did not know each other. Both men returned from the war and lived honorable and successful lives independent of each other.

Some 50 years after the war, Herb attended a Tuskegee reunion because he wanted to go and thank the brave men who flew cover missions for him and quite literally had his back. It was there that he met Johnny, and the two started to realize just how much they had in common and how much racial segregation kept them from realizing it.

Astonishingly, they discovered they had flown some of the same missions during the war. Johnny had flown cover on two of Herb's missions in France and Poland, yet they had never met. As they spoke, they realized that they were both from Cincinnati, Ohio, and even more amazingly, they had even been classmates at the same elementary school in North Avondale, Ohio. The reunion was the beginning of a beautiful friendship that would make our world a better place.

As best friends, Herb and Johnny decided that younger generations should learn from their experiences and from their friendship. The two traveled the country, giving talks about racial tolerance, respect, and friendship. Over the years, they spoke to countless audiences and were honored by the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations for their efforts.

Their work led to a book that they wrote together called ``Black and White Airmen: Their True History.'' It was written about them, and it chronicles their history, friendship, and efforts to bring others together to overcome their divides. Their book also contains a grade school class photo with Johnny standing right beside Herb. Even then, he had his back.

To honor their legacy and to continue their mission, I have introduced this bill with Congressman Steve Chabot to rename the post office at 3493 Burnet Avenue in Cincinnati the John H. Leahr and Herbert M. Heilbrun Post Office. The building is located in the neighborhood in which the two men went to school together.

Johnny and Herb share an incredible history and should serve as models to all of us. They were dedicated to their country and fellow servicemen, no matter their race or background. Renaming this post office after them will honor their legacy and ensure that more Americans will learn of their story, learn of their sacrifice, and learn from their example.

Herb passed away in December at the age of 100, joining Johnny, who passed in 2015 at the age of 94. They are now together in eternal glory.

Herb's beloved wife, Carol, said it best when describing Herb and Johnny as ``incredible men who lived incredible lives not only in service to their country, but also in the lessons they taught us later in life about friendship, respect, and tolerance.''

Johnny's son, John W. Leahr, poignantly noted that his father ``decided early on that he wasn't going to live a life full of hate or bitterness, despite the many injustices he had to endure throughout his life'' and that his father's friendship and efforts with Herb should ``serve as the gold standard of honor, respect, and kindness for us all.''

I am so honored to have spent time and developed friendships with both of these great American heroes and their families. I am incredibly grateful for their service and will never forget their dedication to our country and to the American people. We are made better by the example they set for us, a legacy to be very proud of.

God bless Herbert Heilbrun and Johnny Leahr, and may they rest in peace. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill to honor two great human beings and true American heroes.

Madam Speaker, on Friday October 1, 2021, I missed the vote on H.R. 5434, Surface Transportation Extension Act. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 313.

Mr. Speaker, this past December, America lost another hero from our Greatest Generation, Herb Heilbrun.

Born and raised in Cincinnati, Herb enlisted in the Army Air Corps after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He flew 35 missions during World War II, where he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for saving the lives of his crew after his plane was hit.

Following the war, Herb returned to Cincinnati, where he worked in sales and real estate before being named president of the Cincinnati Board of Realtors in 1970.

Herb's service did not stop after the war. Herb Heilbrun devoted the later years of his life to traveling our great United States of America with his best friend, a fellow Cincinnatian and Tuskegee airman named Johnny Leahr. They reached out to teach students the importance of respect, racial tolerance, and friendship.

Herb was truly a beloved member of our community. Always appearing at veterans' events, proudly in his uniform, he passed away at the age of 100.

It was a privilege for me to call Herb Heilbrun my friend. May we all honor him for his life of service and dedication to our country, to his community, and to his family. May he rest in peace.

Earlier this year, I introduced a bill to rename a post office in Avondale after Herb and John, and I urge the House to pass it without delay.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to thank Springfield Township Police Chief Robert Browder for his service to our community.

Chief Browder began his career in law enforcement in 1986 as a Police Dispatcher, before being sworn in as a Police Officer with the Golf Manor Police Department in 1988.

After spending over two decades in law enforcement, he was promoted to Assistant Police Chief of Springfield Township. He served as Assistant Police Chief for 10 years, overseeing all department operations, before being promoted to Chief of Police in 2015.

Throughout his distinguished career, Chief Browder has served the Hamilton County Association of Chiefs of Police as Treasurer in 2016, Vice President in 2017, and President in 2018.

In addition to his service in law enforcement, Rob is a dedicated husband and father. His accomplishments throughout his career attest to his integrity, perseverance, and moral strength.

Chief Browder served with diligence and honor throughout his career. I thank Rob for his service to our community. I wish him the best in his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I urge defeat of the previous question so we can immediately consider S. 1867, the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2021.

The coronavirus pandemic has been marred by fear, confusion, and mistrust, and it appears very possible that this virus was genetically engineered through gain-of-function research in a lab at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, making the virus more contagious to human beings.

It is absolutely true that there has been political engineering, including even speaking on the facts of its origin and its initial spread. I am sure each and every one of us has talked to constituents who have said they just don't know what to believe is true when it comes to COVID. Well, we are in a position today to help, to provide some transparency and accountability. The best disinfectant is sunlight and that is what we can provide today.

I could stand up here for hours walking through the specific details of the report that I helped conduct with some of my colleagues on the Intelligence Committee, or by rehashing the findings from the hearings that our Republican colleagues on the Select Committee conducted, but I only have a few minutes, so here are a few key facts and pieces of information that our bill establishes.

Right now, what we do know is that, according to the Department of State, we have ``reason to believe that several researchers in the Wuhan Institute of Virology became sick in the autumn of 2019 . . . with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses.''

We also know Wuhan researchers, including Dr. Shi Zheng-Li, also known colloquially as the ``bat lady,'' conducted experiments involving a particular bat virus which showed an incredibly similar genetic makeup to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

We also know from publications that Dr. Shi was conducting dangerous gain-of-function research.

Further, we know that the Wuhan Institute, which presents itself as a civilian institution, has received U.S. taxpayer dollars through grants to the EcoHealth Alliance. The lab has collaborated on projects for China's military.

Finally, there is no animal intermediary found. As scientists have stated, COVID-19 in its present form would have taken years to develop naturally in its infectious state, yet it did not. Rather, it was seemingly immediate.

When I was on the Cincinnati Board of Health, we investigated health issues, and we provided our findings to the public. We never saw anything like this pandemic, but we played a key role in keeping our community healthy by preventing smaller outbreaks from happening again.

That is why, given these facts, the bill calls for three things. The bill first establishes that we must identify the precise origins of COVID-19 because it is critical for preventing a similar pandemic in the future.

Earlier this year, CDC Director Robert Redfield stated, ``the most likely etiology of this pathogen in Wuhan was from a laboratory.''

Even Director-General Tedros of the World Health Organization acknowledges that COVID-19 may have originated in a lab and thought it was worth investigating.

Second, given these scientific opinions and a whole slew of evidence, including what I noted earlier, the bill establishes that we have reason to believe that the COVID-19 pandemic may have originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology in their lab.

Finally--and this goes back to my original point about transparency-- the bill requires the Director of National Intelligence to declassify as much evidence as possible that they can of what they know about the origin of COVID-19; what activity the Wuhan lab was conducting; and what we know about the researchers who reportedly fell ill back in 2019.

The bill is about accountability for Americans who want to know, who deserve to know what caused this horrible scourge that took the lives of so many of our families and loved ones; that destroyed our businesses and livelihoods; that robbed them of years of their lives. Actually, the whole world wants to know.

It is critical to inform Congress so we can better prepare to stave off the next pandemic. I know some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have recently asked our leaders to establish a committee to do just that. I think it is a laudable goal, and this bill would help those efforts.

I can't stress enough that this bill is not controversial by any means. In fact, it passed the Senate in May with unanimous consent. Not one Senator objected, not Senators Cruz or Rand Paul, not Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren. If those four Senators can get on board with this bill, should not we be able to do the same?

Mr. Speaker, I urge defeat of the previous question and for immediate consideration of S. 1867. It is for transparency. It is for accountability. It is for truth. It is for doing the right thing on behalf of humankind.

Mr. Speaker, when I became a physician, I took a Hippocratic oath to do no harm. It has guided my actions and my conscience to do no harm.

For the past 41 years, most Americans, regardless of their views on abortion, have agreed on one very simple principle: No taxpayer should be required to pay for abortion. We have agreed that Americans who believe life begins at conception should not be coerced by the government to violate their conscience.

As a Senator, Joe Biden told his constituents that, ``The government should not tell those with strong convictions against abortion, such as you and I, that we must pay for them.'' That was Joe Biden then.

Tragically, President Biden and our colleagues across the aisle now want to eliminate lifesaving Hyde amendment protections and force every U.S. taxpayer to fund abortions through government spending.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 18, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Madam Speaker, I have heard it mentioned here today Democrats telling us why we voted against the bill. They didn't ask us.

I can tell you why I voted against the bill before. And I think it is known by the other side, because I offered an amendment to this bill for a commission, that if you are very serious and curious about the defense posture of this building and the posture of those who work in it, then would you please include in this commission to investigate and look at the events of June 14, 2017, at the baseball field?

Do you know what, Madam Speaker?

There weren't any Democrats there that day except for one, the one that tried to kill us.

Madam Speaker, you talked about an insurrection. If not for the Capitol Police being there that day, 20 to 30 Members of Congress from the House of Representatives on the Republican side may have been assassinated that day changing the balance of power in this Congress.

That is an insurrection.

Why is it the Democrats voted that down to include that as part of the commission?

No one could explain that. It has all got to be about one event.

I do not condone for one second what happened here on January 6--not for one second--but if you are serious, Madam Speaker, about looking at what we need and what goes on and what inspires people to attack this building and the people who work here, then let's take a look at everything.

Why aren't we including the event on Good Friday when the gentleman drove up and killed a Capitol Policeman?

He could have had a car full of explosives and pulled a Timothy McVeigh-type of event.

Why are we not looking at that as well?

This is incomplete, and it is insufficient.

After the events on June 14, 2017, Speaker Paul Ryan stood in this Chamber and got applause from both sides of the aisle when he said: ``An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.''

We didn't hear that this time, did we?

No, we did not.

This has been created as a partisan issue at a time when it should not be partisan. If you are not partisan, Madam Speaker, then you include all the things that threaten us, that threaten this body, that threaten this building, and that threaten the people who work in it.

Let's be serious. If you are serious, be inclusive, be complete, and do the right thing.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in very strong support of H.R. 3385, the HOPE for Afghan SIVs Act, which the gentleman from Colorado and I introduced to help knock down one small barrier to getting our Afghan friends and allies out of harm's way, which they greatly deserve.

I truly appreciate the words expressed by my colleague because they reflect so many of my same feelings.

The bill is not a permanent solution to fixing our special immigrant visa program, but it is a critical temporary waiver to help cut down on the backlog of pending Afghan SIV applications.

During a time of great emergency, it is a life and death situation, without a doubt.

There is currently only one facility in Afghanistan that performs the required medical exams, located in Kabul. Because exams are only valid for a few months, many applicants must make repeated trips to Kabul at their own cost and risk.

H.R. 3385 would allow the Secretary of State and the DHS Secretary to jointly issue a 1-year waiver for the in-country medical exam requirement, up to 3 years. But, importantly, the bill requires, to the greatest extent practical, that the applicant undergoes the medical exam no later than 30 days after being admitted to the United States.

It explicitly states that nothing in the bill prohibits our agencies from adopting appropriate measures to prevent the spread of disease here. All it does is allow the applicant to undergo the medical exam here instead of in Kabul.

During my tour in Iraq, I worked alongside Iraqi interpreters who risked their lives to serve with us and help us complete our mission. Many eventually used a similar program to escape harm's way and to build a life in the United States. The two that I worked with and supported are now full U.S. citizens here in America. One is a cardiologist, and the other has a family practice.

As we withdraw from Afghanistan, the Afghans who served by our sides, the translators, the contractors, and the guides, without whom we could not do our jobs, are left in the crosshairs of the Taliban. They worked for the United States, despite knowing the risk to their own lives and their families. They believed in us, and they believed in our cause.

It will be a black eye on the United States if we don't do everything in our power to protect these allies. If we don't honor our promises, if we allow our friends to be targeted and killed by groups like the Taliban, ISIS, and al-Qaida because they worked with and for the United States of America, we will send a message to those we will need to rely on in the future that we are unable to live up to our side of the bargain.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his tireless work in bringing this issue to the forefront as we withdraw from Afghanistan, for all the staff that put in so much time to get this done, and for our bipartisan Honoring Our Promises Working Group for keeping the pressure on the administration to make sure that we don't leave our allies behind.

Mr. Speaker, please support this bill. It is a good thing for America to do.

Madam Speaker, there is an ongoing crisis at the border. President Biden himself had admitted it. Despite his political staff's best efforts to avoid acknowledging the truth, he has admitted it.

I have served as a doctor in private practice for more than 26 years. I have served on our Board of Health in Cincinnati. I have served in a combat support hospital in Iraq, where we provided outstanding care to thousands of detainees. I have seen quite a few crisis situations in my life.

Two weeks ago, I led a group of healthcare experts and national security experts to the border. What we saw was a very difficult situation. It is a humanitarian crisis. It is a national security crisis. But it is also a national health security crisis.

Our group visited HHS' Donna Processing Center, which, per COVID guidelines, is supposed to house 250 individuals. That day, it had 3,500. Earlier that week, it housed 5,000.

The sites we visited had seen cases of lice; scabies; meningitis; chicken pox; flu of unknown origin; and, of course, COVID-19. What really stuck out was that we are only testing symptomatic individuals for COVID-19.

We have learned through this pandemic to know better, to know that this is not an effective way to stop COVID from spreading among the camp or fueling surges across our Nation.

Worse, we are releasing people into our Nation without ever having tested them for COVID. You don't have to be a doctor to know that is dangerous.

That is why I offer this motion to recommit today and delay this legislation until every migrant released by Customs and Border Patrol produces a negative COVID test before boarding a U.S. domestic flight.

If international travelers are required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test before they can come into the United States from a foreign country, why are we making an exception for this surge of migrants?

American citizens are banned from the U.S. without a COVID test, but not non-U.S. citizens?

That is bizarre.

We risk all the progress we have made in this country to contain this virus by allowing this vulnerability to go unaddressed.

Madam Speaker, if we adopt the motion to recommit, we will instruct the Committee on the Judiciary to consider my amendment to H.R. 1333 to require that migrants released by Customs and Border Patrol show proof of a negative COVID test before they are allowed to board a plane.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record the text of the amendment immediately prior to the vote on the motion to recommit.

Madam Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mount Notre Dame High School girls basketball team on winning the Ohio High School Athletic Association championship.

Mount Notre Dame captured the Division 1 State championship title after beating Newark in a 2-point double overtime thriller. This championship was the eighth championship for the Mount Notre Dame basketball program--the most in Ohio school history.

Coach Scott Rogers led his team to a 28-0 record, a number two national ranking, and has won 72 consecutive games.

Among the team's many talented athletes is junior guard KK Bransford who was recently named Ohio's Ms. Basketball.

I commend Coach Scott Rogers and the entire Mount Notre Dame girls basketball team for this historic accomplishment and tradition of excellence.

Congratulations, again, to the Mount Notre Dame players, to Coach Rogers and his staff, and to the Mount Notre Dame faithful.

Mr. Speaker, the pandemic was a problem that led some healthcare providers to close their doors. In a bipartisan way, in the previous session of Congress, we made an effort to fix that problem.

Now, because of the Democrats' irresponsible spending bill, healthcare providers who are struggling will see decreased payments, which is the last thing they need right now, and it is the last thing we need right now.

Medicare reimbursement rates are already low, only balanced out by non-Medicare payments. The better way is to target the funding to those who need it and are still working to come out of the pandemic. We can fill the gaps without adding to the deficit.

Wasn't the idea of a rescue to improve access to care? Yet, 9 percent of the $1.9 trillion really went to address the COVID crisis.

They bailed out failed pension funds without reform and ignored our doctors and healthcare providers on the front lines of the pandemic. They cut payments to caregivers. $1.9 trillion, yet cuts to healthcare providers during a pandemic.

What Democrats are trying to do today is ignore the negative consequences of the bill they passed earlier this month. The consequences of the bill passed 2 weeks ago means there will be payment cuts to providers.

$1.9 trillion? Someone should be helped in this measure, but we can do better. We can do better, but we weren't talked to for our ideas.

Mr. Speaker, Members should ask themselves: What about all of this today? Will the next several generations of Americans look to us and say thank you as they get stuck with paying our bills?

Madam Speaker, I rise today in memory of Mitch Stone. He was a University of Cincinnati football superfan, and he was an inspirational young man who passed away years after his battle with brain cancer.

In 2009, at age 11, Mitch Stone was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. The Cincinnati Bearcats football team took Mitch in as one of their own and

saw him through his treatments. Mitch found strength and support through the UC Bearcats football team, and they found strength in him.

Mitch went on to attend the University of Cincinnati, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 2020. He was a Kolodzik Business Scholar, an honors program at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business. Mitch used his experience to start his own foundation called Mitch's Mission, which helped children overcome their own health challenges.

Mitch's death is a tragedy that we continue to mourn, but his life is a testimony to the good in this world. His legacy and the positive effects of his works will live on.

Rest in peace, Mitch.

Madam Speaker, on Wednesday, March 17, 2021, had I been present to vote on rollcall No. 86, I would have voted ``nay.''

Allred (Davids (KS))

Axne (Stevens)

Barragan (Beyer)

Bera (Aguilar)

Bishop (GA) (Butterfield)

Blumenauer (Beyer)

Buchanan (Gimenez)

Bush (Clark (MA))

Cleaver (Davids (KS))

DeSaulnier (Matsui)

DesJarlais (Fleischmann)

Garamendi (Sherman)

Garbarino (Joyce (OH))

Grijalva (Garcia (IL))

Hastings (Wasserman Schultz)

Johnson (TX) (Jeffries)

Kahele (Mrvan)

Kim (NJ) (Davids (KS))

Kirkpatrick (Stanton)

Kuster (Clark (MA))

Langevin (Lynch)

Lawson (FL) (Evans)

Lieu (Beyer)

Lowenthal (Beyer)

McEachin (Wexton)

Meng (Clark (MA))

Moore (WI) (Beyer)

Moulton (Underwood)

Napolitano (Correa)

Payne (Wasserman Schultz)

Peters (Kildee)

Pingree (Cicilline)

Porter (Wexton)

Rush (Underwood)

Schneider (Sherrill)

Sires (Pallone)

Slotkin (Stevens)

Timmons (Steube)

Waltz (Cammack)

Watson Coleman (Pallone)

Wilson (FL) (Hayes)

Young (Joyce (OH))

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose this solely Democrat payoff spending bill.

I will agree with my colleagues, it is historic. I agree with my colleagues, it is consequential. There is no doubt about it. I am sure that with $1.9 trillion, somebody will be helped. I am quite sure of that. But the next generation of Americans are not going to be thankful.

Let's be honest with the American people. This is not a COVID relief bill. Members of this body came together four times last Congress and passed legislation that actually provided relief to our constituents. This bill is so incredibly far away from that, as Republicans have been completely frozen out of this process.

Mr. Speaker, what is the result? Only 9 percent goes towards defeating the virus.

$1.5 billion for Amtrak, which is already sitting on $1 billion in unspent aid. Maybe riding Amtrak is a good place to socially distance. Maybe that is the reason.

$50 million for environmental justice grants, Mr. Speaker. That doesn't educate our children.

Roughly $1 trillion on other liberal pet projects, when we have $1 trillion from the previous bipartisan bills that has been left unspent.

Can someone explain what that has to do with COVID relief? Anybody?

If Members are serious about directly addressing the medical and economic challenges our country faces, like getting businesses open, getting students back to school, getting vaccines to Americans who want them, I will work with anyone in this body to do so. You know Republicans will, because we did several times until Democrats ignored us this Congress.

Please, let's not pretend this bill is about COVID relief. That simply is not true.

Madam Speaker, due to previously scheduled travel, I was unable to vote in person in the House of Representatives on March 8, 2021. On that day, I missed two recorded votes. On Roll Call No. 63, had I been present, I would have voted ``Nay.'' On Roll Call No. 64, had I been present, I would have voted ``Nay.''