Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank my great colleague from the State of Kansas.

Mr. Speaker, on March 21, we celebrated World Down Syndrome Awareness Day. What an appropriate thing to celebrate as folks with Down syndrome make incredible contributions to society every single day that should be acknowledged and appreciated.

I, for one, am thankful for all of those with Down syndrome that I have had the great pleasure and honor of knowing and learning from.

With the rise of prenatal screening tests across the United States, the number of babies born with Down syndrome every year has significantly decreased. And while we do not know the exact number of Down syndrome children who are aborted each year, it is estimated that approximately two-thirds of children diagnosed in the womb are aborted.

Two-thirds of children who would go on to make a significant impact in this world are murdered before they are given a chance to even be able to have that opportunity.

Iceland, in particular, has almost completely eradicated Down syndrome births.

Statistics show that they have an almost 100 percent termination rate of Down syndrome children.

France has a 77 percent termination rate; while Denmark is at 98 percent.

I pray that the United States will reject the idea that Down syndrome children somehow are less than other children. As a society, we should move away from any idea that advocates killing any child in its mother's womb. And as a pro-life Congressman, I believe that all life is valuable, especially the lives of those who cannot speak for themselves.

Aborted Down syndrome children are just that, they are children who have their own hopes and dreams for a future and to live a long, healthy life. To take away their right to life is inconceivable to me and abhorrent.

I will continue to fight for legislation that protects every single unborn child, regardless of whether or not they have an extra chromosome.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Arizona for yielding.

I rise today, Mr. Speaker, in strong opposition to H. Res. 109, the Green New Deal. This resolution is nothing short of a socialistic takeover of our energy, our transportation, and our agricultural industries that aims to change every single aspect of our lives, including how Americans eat, travel, stay warm, build their homes, and even what jobs we take.

As a fiscal conservative, I believe that the Green New Deal is entirely irresponsible. Recently, our national debt exceeded $22 trillion, and we have no realistic plan for paying that off. The Green New Deal would add trillions more to our debt, while simultaneously destroying the American economy.

It would also transfer tremendous costs onto the taxpayers, a total of $93 trillion over 10 years. For example, every home and every building would need to be retrofitted at the cost of $2.5 trillion over the next decade.

Additionally, the Green New Deal's stated goal is to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in that same timeframe, which will cost the taxpayer $11 trillion. Our current tax base could not support this catastrophic level of new spending. Therefore, taxes will need to be raised on every single American and business, inflicting massive damage on our economy due to the loss in take-home pay for the average family and resulting in job losses in the private sector.

Proponents of the Green New Deal also want to see all our American power come from wind or solar or batteries. This is completely unsustainable, currently, and will lead to blackouts, a dwindling food supply, and an all-out assault on private property rights.

The Green New Deal also contains no plan on what we will do with all the refuse and the trash that will be resulting from the millions of appliances, batteries, and buildings that need to be replaced or retrofitted.

This proposal, as grand in its scope as it is absent in its specifics, betrays a shocking naivete and a total absence of understanding of basic economic principles or even of our electric grid and infrastructure.

Most importantly, the authors of this proposal fail to appreciate the love of liberty and freedom that the American people share. Americans will never stand for such a radical, socialistic restructuring of our economy, and it must be strongly and emphatically rejected.

Over the last century, we have seen socialist governments around the world make the same empty promises of unlimited peace and prosperity if only their citizens would just relinquish control of their affairs and give up their freedoms and liberty to an overbearing government. The result has inevitably been the same: barren fields, crumbling infrastructure, broken economies, oppressed peoples, and, eventually, fleeing populations, as we

have seen firsthand in Venezuela, Cuba, the Soviet Union, and many other failed socialistic states.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize World War II veteran Reuel Walters for his service to the United States of America.

Reuel was born at home in Livingston, Texas on January 16, 1925. A midwife attended to his mother. One of six children, at the age of eighteen, Reuel was drafted and courageously answered the call to serve and defend his country in the United States Army. Reuel completed his basic training in San Antonio, Texas and deployed as a radio control repairman.

From 1941 to 1945, Reuel served in the Solomon Islands, Bougainville Island, Sipan Island and Guam. He saw the Enola Gay before it dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Reuel was in Guam when he heard the announcement over a loudspeaker that the war had ended.

After his time in the service, Reuel worked as a lineman for thirty- six years at Houston Line & Power. In 1985, he retired and moved to Livingston, Texas.

Madam Speaker, it is because of the sacrifices made by men and women like Reuel Walters that we are able to enjoy the freedoms that we hold so dear. Let us not forget this great generation. We thank Reuel for the contributions he has made to preserve our liberty.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to salute, honor and thank World War II veteran Richard Wade.

On February 5, 1924 Richard Wade, Jr. was born on an icy cold day to Richard and Mary Frances Wade. When he was only five weeks old, Richard's grandparents, David Kearney, an Irish immigrant, and his wife, Illa, began to raise him. Richard spent his childhood and teen years in Portland, Maine.

In January of 1942, Richard enlisted in the United States Navy. He trained in aviation radio at Naval Air Station Banana River, now called Patrick Air Force Base. He worked convoy coverage and submarine patrol and was a part of the Helicopter Development Squadron. While in service, he traveled to Brazil where he was stationed for three and a half months. Other assignments in Brazil took him to Aratu and Natal. In Natal, Richard worked the radio one night for so long that he became deaf and did not regain his hearing for two days. Richard received the American Theater Ribbon, World War II Victory Medal and Combat Air crewman Insignia.

While stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas, Richard received the news that the war had ended. He remembers the historic occasion and celebrating with his buddies. Richard worked for thirty years at Missouri Pacific Railroad as a truck driver. He retired and settled in Rye, Texas, and currently resides in Livingston, Texas.

We thank Richard Wade for responding to the call to protect and defend this great nation. His sacrifices exemplify why our nation remains ``the land of the free and the home of the brave.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of World War II veteran, teacher, professional football player and rancher, Mr. Merdolph Walker.

Merdolph was born on a cold winter's night on January 16, 1923, in Soda, Texas. He was born in a small wooden house as sleet and snow fell outside. The midwife attending to his mother had to walk a mile home that night holding kindling for a light. The oldest of seven children, Merdolph attended Soda Grammar School, walking two miles to and from school each day.

While attending college at Sam Houston State University, Merdolph was drafted into the Army, serving from 1942 to 1946 as a combat engineer. Stationed in Guam during World War II, he received orders in his first week to search for land mines. Merdolph spent his next six weeks on open waters unloading cargo boats. There were no beds onboard, so he slept wherever he could find an empty space. In one combat mission, gunfire was exchanged. Later, for seven months, Merdolph and other combat engineers would spend twelve hours a day building the runway used by the aircraft which dropped the atomic bomb and ended World War II. By that time, Merdolph was in Okinawa, Japan, where upon hearing shots fired and shouting, he and a buddy ran outside to learn the war had finally ended.

After returning to the states, Merdolph reenrolled at Sam Houston College. He received his master's degree in administration, majored in physical education and minored in industrial arts. In 1948, he began a short career playing professional football in Pittsburg before deciding he could make more money teaching and coaching. Merdolph taught and coached for thirty-four years before retiring.

Madam Speaker, let us pause to honor this patriot who has faithfully, and humbly served our country, state and community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to express sincere gratitude to World War II veteran, husband, and father, Mr. David Dacke.

David was born on September 11, 1927 in Houston, Texas. He met the love of his life Letha at the age of six when his parents told him he was to walk the new little girl on the block to school for her first day. David took her to class and showed her around, leading years later to their marriage. David learned to weld at the Parker Brother shipyard, a talent he would use in the Navy.

At the age of eighteen, David courageously answered the call to serve and defend his country. While in the Navy, he served on the USS Evans and swam in the beautiful blue waters of the Bikini Atoll before it later was the site of atomic bomb testing.

In 1947, David returned home from the Navy. When he left home, Miss Letha was a girl, but she had become a young lady by the time he returned. The two sweethearts were married on March 26, 1949. They had two children, Darrell and Diana. This year David and Letha will celebrate their 70th anniversary.

After the war, David worked as a welder building barges in a ship yard. He also was in the chicken business where he supplied eggs to Houston schools and businesses. David retired and moved to Livingston in 1993, where he and Mrs. Letha still reside.

David Dacke has demonstrated his dedication to the United States of America. It is with great admiration that I thank him for his selfless service to our country.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember Dorothy Geraldine Noak Rothermel who passed away on March 1, 2019 in Pasadena, Texas.

Dorothy Geraldine Noak Rothermel was born December 20, 1929 in Carmine, Texas to Herbert and Clara Keng Noak. Dorothy graduated from Round Top-Carmine High School in 1947. On December 28th of that year, Dorothy married Thomas Hugh Rothermel of Burton, Texas.

Ms. Rothermel attended Blinn College in Brenham; Southwest Texas State College in San Marcos; and graduated from the University of Houston in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Vocational Home Economics. She also did graduate work at the University of Houston and at the Sacred Heart Dominican College in Houston.

Dorothy worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone in Houston and New Braunfels as a Switchboard Operator. In 1963, Dorothy started teaching at Pasadena High School. Her career at Pasadena High School spanned twenty-four years where she served as Department Chairman and a Classroom Teacher in the Vocational Homemaking Department. After retirement, she served as a substitute teacher at Round Top-Carmine High School for several years.

Dorothy held memberships in the Texas State Teachers Association, Vocational Homemaking Teachers of Texas, Texas Retired Teachers Association as a Life Member, Washington County Genealogical Society, the German-Texas Heritage Society, Brenham Area Retired School Personnel Association, and the Texas Wendish Heritage Society.

Ms. Rothermel loved to research and write articles on the family history of the Noak, Keng, Hinze, Rothermel and Vogelsang families. She served on various committees helping to further her interest in genealogy, including the Fayette County History Book and the 100th Anniversary History Book of Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Carmine.

In retirement, Dorothy served as a member of Martin Luther Lutheran Church, President of the Ladies Aid, Secretary for the Church Council, and Secretary of the General Board for the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (WCLA).

Dorothy is survived by her Daughters: Connie Sue Rothermel Bird and husband, Marshall, of Splendora, and Pamela Rothermel Guthrie and husband, James, of Pasadena; Granddaughters: Rachel Diana Bird Poffinbarger and husband, James, of Splendora, Johanna Ruth Bird, of Houston, and Moriah Ashlee Guthrie, of Pasadena; and Great- Granddaughters: Camille Poffinbarger, Corinne Poffinbarger, and Cristin Poffinbarger, all of Splendora.

Madam Speaker, it is my honor to remember the life of Dorothy Geraldine Noak Rothermel. May God comfort her family at this time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of a dear friend and loving father, whose unquestioned patriotism and lifelong service to others will be sorely missed.

The world lost a great man when my friend, Dr. Loren J. Feldner, D.D.S. went to be with the Lord on January 17, 2019. Dr. Feldner was more than just a leader in his profession; he was a force for good in the world. His colleagues will remember a true advocate of the dental field, someone who served faithfully through his state dental society and the American Dental Association. After hours, he volunteered his professional expertise, working with underprivileged communities and veterans. This passion for others was evident through his care and treatment for patients, which was second to none.

Outside of the office, Dr. Feldner was a devoted family man who chased the fullest life the world could offer. Loren spent his free time piloting his boat, driving race cars, and traveling the world with his daughter Alexandra and his love, Terry Park. His laugh was contagious to all who encountered him, and he genuinely cared about every single person who crossed his path. Loren served people with the same passion with which he served God. His generosity had no bounds, and I will certainly miss our friendship.

I will continue to pray for the Feldner family through this difficult time. Loren's legacy on Earth will be long-lasting, and it brings me peace knowing my friend is finally home.

Madam Speaker, it is my distinct honor to remember Dr. Loren Feldner. May God bless his family and all those he leaves behind.

``He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.

``The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.''

Section 3:

``He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States.''

Section 4:

``The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.''

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Arizona for this Special Order and for the opportunity to speak.

Mr. Speaker, last weekend, a handful of colleagues and I toured the southern border between Arizona and Mexico, meeting with Border Patrol agents, ranchers, law enforcement, and Angel Families, who have lost loved ones to illegals. Mr. Speaker, I can say, more confidently than ever, that we need stronger border security. This is not--I repeat, not--a manufactured crisis on the border, as we are hearing the opposite side of the aisle say.

This crisis at the border is getting worse, but the solution is the same: we must secure our borders in order to regain control of our broken immigration system. The brave men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect our country are doing so without the full support of the Federal Government, and that is unacceptable and tragic. It certainly is not a manufactured crisis.

We need to build a border wall, construct roads and infrastructure, improve our technological resources, and restore pay to Border Patrol agents that was stripped out under the Obama administration. I hear our Democratic opponents say across the aisle that walls are immoral and ineffective. A wall is not immoral. It is absolutely necessary. Certainly, a wall will not prevent all illegals from coming over, but no wall keeps no one out.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to put their money where their mouth is and actually go and visit our southern border.

This is what our opponents say across the aisle is border security. We saw it. We were there. I want the American people to see this, and my constituents to see this. Our Democrat colleagues need to go down to the border and see this.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Lamar State College Orange on the occasion of their 50th anniversary.

Lamar State College Orange is a unique campus on the Sabine River in Orange, Texas, composed of re-purposed buildings that revitalized the downtown area creating a beautiful campus. LSCO opened in the fall of 1969 as an extension center of Lamar University and first held classes for 362 students in the vacant Tilley Elementary School located on the site of the former naval base in Orange. That structure burned in 1971, prompting community leaders to raise funds for the purchase of a new facility. The fund raising campaign produced $250,000 that allowed for the purchase of a building located on Front Street in downtown Orange. That same year the Texas legislature approved the operation of a two- year educational center in Orange and appropriated $125,000 to support the operation of the center then known as Lamar University at Orange.

Dr. Joe Ben Welch played a key role in the early growth and development of the college. He served as director, dean, provost and president during his nineteen-year tenure at the institution. The initial class offerings focused on academic courses that would transfer and count toward a baccalaureate degree. Welch, however, saw the need to offer career-oriented programs that would prepare students for immediate entry into the workforce, and he began to add programs such as vocational nursing and welding. This mix of academic and career- oriented programs defines the campus mission to this day. Dr. Welch retired in 1989 after nineteen years of service to Lamar.

In 1994, the Board selected Dr. J. Michael Shahan as President of LSCO. Under Shahan's leadership, the campus has grown to over 2,000 students and made significant improvements to the campus infrastructure. The Ron E. Lewis Library was completed in 2001, the first new construction in the college's history. A new nursing school and classroom building was added in 2013. Dr. Shahan saw Lamar through hurricanes and floods and still managed to continue the growth that led to an enrollment of more than 2,600 students today. After twenty-four years, Dr. Shahan retired in 2018 with the honor of having the new Cypress Event Center being renamed the J. Michael and Bridget Shahan Event Center.

In 2018, Dr. Thomas Johnson was selected as President, and under his leadership Lamar State College Orange will no doubt continue its legacy of two-year academic programs, numerous technical programs and customized training programs to meet the needs of local business and industry playing a key role in southeast Texas' growth and development.

Madam Speaker, it is my distinct honor to recognize Lamar State College Orange on this important anniversary. May God continue to bless and grow LSCO and the community and students it serves.

I was at the border this past weekend.

I certainly was.

Mr. Speaker, as a Representative from the 36th District of Texas, I made a promise to my constituents and the American people to secure the southern border, and I intend to keep my promise.

The last 2 months alone, Border Patrol agents have apprehended roughly 140,000 illegal aliens on the southwest border, which is a staggering 86 percent increase from this time last year alone. Without question, funding to build the wall is crucial, and now is our chance.

In December of 2018, Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 27,000 members of family units, the highest monthly total on record, a number which has been on a steady incline for months. I have seen this with my own eyes.

Mr. Speaker, last month, I joined my Republican colleagues here in the House and voted to fully fund the government and secure money for the border wall. Regrettably, the Democrats blocked this commonsense legislation and are now unwilling to negotiate with us or the President.

The crisis at our southern border is a dire national security and humanitarian concern, and a solution must not be delayed any longer. The border encompasses approximately 2,000 miles; but with too many of those miles left open, we are hurting our border States, and, quite frankly, the entire Nation is put at risk. It is past time for the Democrats to come to the table with a serious offer so that we can move forward toward meaningful border security.

Simply put, we have very little idea who is coming across the border, what their intentions are, and we have to get a handle on this. Criminal organizations, cartels, and others who wish to harm us are easily entering our country undetected.

Indeed, 500 Texans have died at the hands of illegal criminals in Texas alone. And Houston, which I represent part of, is the number one port of entry for sex trafficking in the United States, a very dubious, indeed, record there.

I am willing to fight for this, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same.

I thank my friend, the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Hartzler), for the time.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 474.

Mr. Speaker, ``securing our border'' is a term that we have heard so often it has lost its punch inside the beltway. But that doesn't mean the American people have forgotten about it.

We made a promise to our folks to secure our borders, and we have to keep that promise. Without question, funding to build a wall is necessary, and now is our chance to do it. Many sections of our border cannot be secured without a wall, and Congress must act to ensure that it is built. But bad policies like catch and release must be addressed by Congress as well.

Take the recent quotes and actions from many of the migrants who have been in these caravans, abusing our catch-and-release policy to seek asylee status in order to work in our country. These migrants were demanding entrance and jobs, waving foreign flags

while burning ours, cursing our government and our President, and vowing that our laws mean nothing to them.

Are these people who share our allegiances? Should we not demand a lawful immigration system so that we can determine who we let in? Is not a secure border a prerequisite for that?

We must increase penalties for illegally crossing our border. Earlier this year, I cosponsored the Zero Tolerance for Illegal Entry Act, which would make doing so a felony. This would encourage legitimate asylum seekers to do so at authorized points of entry. This should be a component of reform.

Just this week, in a story we have seen over and over, agents arrested illegal border crossers with over 100 pounds of meth. Without our border agents, these dangerous drugs would be in our schools and in our communities.

We made a promise to our constituents to build this wall. We must prioritize the interests of the American people. I am willing to fight for this, and I hope that my colleagues are as well.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Our Nation lost a true patriot on November 30 with the passing of George Herbert Walker Bush.

Our 41st President ascended to the office with an impeccable resume for the position, having served as Congressman, Ambassador to China, CIA Director, and Vice President to our 40th President, Ronald Reagan.

His service as a Navy pilot during the Second World War, during which he was shot down over the Pacific, cemented his status as an American hero. But the humble Bush rarely referenced his war experiences. Indeed, President Bush rarely discussed his own record.

His accomplishments as President, particularly on the world's stage, seem more impressive with the passing time, and historians and scholars hold his administration in increasingly high esteem.

Mr. Speaker, I met President Bush only once, but I still treasure the photograph that I had taken with him. He was a real gentleman.

Despite a life spent in public service at the highest levels, President Bush was a devoted family man. He was constantly surrounded by his loved ones. His children adored him, and his relationship with his wife, Barbara, has long been celebrated for its commitment and its warmth.

The people of Texas, which became his adopted home after his service in the Navy, will forever hold President Bush in special regard.

George Bush led an exemplary life. His service to his country and his kindness to his fellow Americans ranks him among our most beloved of Presidents. His reputation as a loving husband and father will persist, and I believe that his legacy as President will continue to grow long after his passing.

Thank you for your service. Rest in peace, Mr. President.