Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6042) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 213 William Hilton Parkway in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, as the ``Casear H. Wright Jr. Post Office Building'', as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6042 to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 213 William Hilton Parkway in Hilton Head, South Carolina, as the Caesar H. Wright Jr. Post Office Building.

Mr. Caesar Wright was born on Hilton Head Island in 1935 when the island was sparsely populated by Gullah farmers and fishermen who had lived in the area since the end of the Civil War.

He attended public schools on Hilton Head, as well as Penn School on St. Helena. He went on to briefly attend Claflin College before serving in the U.S. Air Force.

In 1968, Mr. Wright joined the Postal Service, serving one of the two existing routes on the island in those days. He was the island's first Black postal carrier and was an inspiration for his twin brothers, who both became postmasters.

Mr. Wright delivered the mail for 29 years before retiring. Sadly, Mr. Wright passed away in 2019 at the age of 84.

Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Mr. Wright by naming a post office on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, after him, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 6042, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7514) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 345 South Main Street in Butler, Pennsylvania, as the ``Andrew Gomer Williams Post Office Building''.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7514 to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 345 South Main Street in Butler, Pennsylvania, as the Andrew Gomer Williams Post Office Building.

Mr. Williams was born in Richmond, Virginia, on September 8, 1840. At the age of 10, he went to work as a nail cutter in the local factory.

At age 21, he helped to raise three companies of men to become part of the newly created 63rd Pennsylvania Volunteers. He was elected captain of Company E but declined the honor and rank to initially serve as the third sergeant.

In 1862, Mr. Williams was promoted to second lieutenant on the field during the Second Battle of Bull Run. He fought in over a dozen battles and was wounded four times.

During the Battle of the Wilderness, he was struck in the left temple and was found barely alive 4 days later on the battlefield. He was then mustered out with the rest of his regiment on August 6, 1864.

After his return home, he was unable to work due to his wounds. He entered Duff's Business College in Pittsburgh to become a bookkeeper and also read law at home.

Mr. Williams went on to serve one term in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and 4 years in the Pennsylvania State Senate.

Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring Mr. Williams by naming a post office in Butler, Pennsylvania, after him, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge the passage of H.R. 7514 for a true American hero, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6630) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1400 N Kraemer Blvd. in Placentia, California, as the ``PFC Jang Ho Kim Post Office Building''.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6630 to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 1400 North Kraemer Boulevard in Placentia, California, as the PFC Jang Ho Kim Post Office Building.

PFC Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea, and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1990. He lived in New York before moving to Orange County.

He graduated from Valencia High School and enrolled in Fullerton College, then enlisted in the U.S. Army in June 2005, completing both basic training and advanced individual training at Fort Benning, Georgia.

PFC Kim was then stationed in Germany as part of the Army's 1st Infantry Division before being deployed to Baghdad. Tragically, he was one of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle. He received the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, and four other awards, medals, and badges for his exemplary service and sacrifice.

Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of PFC Jang Ho Kim by naming a Post Office in Placentia, California, after him, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 6630, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6218) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 317 Blattner Drive in Avon, Minnesota, as the ``W.O.C. Kort Miller Plantenberg Post Office''.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6218 to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 317 Blattner Drive in Avon, Minnesota, as the W.O.C. Kort Miller Plantenberg Post Office.

Warrant Officer Candidate Plantenberg was born in St. Cloud in 1991 and raised in Avon. He attended Albany Area High School and went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

He enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard in 2016 as an aircraft electrician and served a 9-month deployment in Kuwait where his unit provided aerial medical evacuation.

Following his deployment, he was hired as a Federal technician mechanic at Army Aviation Support Facility No. 2 in St. Cloud.

Warrant Officer Candidate Plantenberg tragically lost his life alongside fellow guardsman, Chief Warrant Officer 2 James A. Rogers, Jr. and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charles P. Nord when their helicopter experienced a mid-flight mechanical failure near St. Cloud.

Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Warrant Officer Candidate Plantenberg by naming a Post Office in Avon, Minnesota, after him, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 6218, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6220) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 3rd Avenue Northwest in Perham, Minnesota, as the ``Charles P. Nord Post Office''.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6220, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 103 3rd Avenue Northwest, in Perham, Minnesota, as a Charles P. Nord Post Office.

Mr. Nord was born on June 6, 1989, in Minnesota where he lived on his family farm. He attended school in Perham, where he was a member of the cross country and track teams.

Shortly after graduating from high school, he felt he needed to do more for his country, so he enlisted in the National Guard to become part of a tank crew. He eventually rose to the rank of staff sergeant.

In September 2015, he was selected into a warrant officer training program

to qualify for helicopter flight school at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Charles excelled in his training and graduated with high honors.

After completing flight school in 2017, he joined a General Support Aviation Battalion as a medevac helicopter pilot.

In June 2018, he was deployed to the Middle East and attained the rank of chief warrant officer 2. He tragically lost his life alongside two fellow guardsmen when their helicopter experienced a mid-flight mechanical failure.

Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues in honoring the life of Mr. Nord by naming a post office in Avon, Minnesota, after him.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 6220, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6221) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 155 Main Avenue West in Winsted, Minnesota, as the ``James A. Rogers Jr. Post Office''.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6221, to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 155 Main Avenue West in Winsted, Minnesota, as the James A. Rogers Jr. Post Office.

James Rogers, Jr., was born on June 23, 1991, in Madelia, Minnesota. He graduated from St. James High School in 2010 and St. Cloud State University in December of 2019.

He joined the Minnesota Army National Guard in June of 2009 as a field artillery automated tactical data systems specialist. He completed the warrant officer basic course in May of 2013, he was commissioned as warrant officer 1, and he attended a Black Hawk helicopter flight school at Fort Rucker, Alabama.

From May 2011 to May 2012, Chief Warrant Officer Rogers was deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and again from June 2018 to June 2019 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Inherent Resolve.

His awards include the Air Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, among many others.

He tragically lost his life alongside two other fellow guardsmen when their helicopter experienced a mid-flight mechanical failure.

Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Chief Warrant Officer Rogers by naming a post office in Winsted, Minnesota, after him.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 6221, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Respect for Marriage Act.

In all my decades of public service, I have never wavered in my support for the LGBTQ+ community. In 1990, I introduced the first legislation in New York State history to grant legal recognition to same-sex couples.

When the Defense of Marriage Act was introduced in 1996, I was one of 67 House Members to vote against it. I knew then what I know now: DOMA was a bigoted, discriminatory solution to a problem that never existed.

It never made sense that I, or anyone in this body or in this country, could get in a cab and marry the cabdriver that same day or some stranger on the street, but a bold, brave New Yorker and a friend of mine named Edie Windsor could not have her marriage recognized.

She sued. She won in court. Today, this law will codify her court case. I dedicate my remarks to her and thank her for her lifelong commitment to LGBTQ rights and equality.

Madam Speaker, I urge my friends on both sides of the aisle to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for her leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the rule for the Respect for Marriage Act.

In all my decades of public service, I have never wavered in my support for the LGBTQ+ community. In 1990, I introduced the first legislation in New York State history to grant legal recognition to same-sex couples. When the Defense of Marriage Act was introduced in 1996, I was one of 67 House Members to vote against it. I knew then what I know now: DOMA was a bigoted, discriminatory solution to a problem that never existed.

It never made sense that I could get into a cab and meet someone that I have never met before, a cab driver, and marry a complete stranger. You could marry the driver that day. Yet a bold, brave New Yorker, and a friend of mine, named Edie Windsor could not have her marriage recognized. She took that fight to the Supreme Court and won.

Mr. Speaker, the Respect for Marriage Act will ensure LGBTQ equality, but much more work needs to be done. I thank Chairman Nadler for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9308) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 6401 El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego, California, as the ``Susan A. Davis Post Office''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this matter.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 9308, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 6401 El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego, California, as the Susan A. Davis Post Office.

Ms. Susan Davis was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but spent most of her life in California. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and went on to receive a master's degree in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

She became active in politics through the local branch of the League of Women Voters. In 1994, she was elected to the California State Assembly where she chaired the Committee on Consumer Protection, Government Efficiency, and Economic Development.

In 2000, Ms. Davis was elected as a Member of Congress representing California's 53rd District, a position she held for 20 years. During her career, she became a prominent member of the Armed Services and Education and Workforce Committees. Throughout her tenure, she authored several bills and amendments which were enacted into law.

After years of public service, Ms. Davis announced that she would not seek reelection in 2020.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring former Representative Davis and her accomplishments by naming a Post Office in San Diego, California, after her, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Jacobs), who is the distinguished vice chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Development, International Organizations and Global Corporate Social Impact.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. In closing, I urge passage of H.R. 9308 to name a post office after Ms. Susan Davis, who is a very good friend and former colleague, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8025) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 South 1st Street in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as the ``Martin Olav Sabo Post Office''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on this matter.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 8025, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 South 1st Street in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as the Martin Olav Sabo Post Office.

Mr. Martin Olav Sabo was born in Crosby, North Dakota, to Norwegian immigrant parents. In 1959, he received a bachelor's degree from Augsburg College in Minneapolis and later pursued graduate studies at the University of Minnesota.

At the age of 22, Mr. Sabo was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives where he later served as minority leader and was the first Democrat to serve as House Speaker from 1973 to 1978.

In November of 1978, he was elected to the House of Representatives and served for eight terms. During his tenure, he chaired the House Budget Committee where he guided the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 through the House.

During the 109th Congress, he was a member of the House Appropriations Committee and served as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Homeland Security.

After retiring from Congress, Mr. Sabo was the cochair of the national transportation policy project at the Bipartisan Policy Center. In 2016, at the age of 78, Mr. Sabo passed away.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring former Representative Sabo and his accomplishments by naming a post office in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after him, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. Omar), who is the distinguished vice chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers. I urge passage of H.R. 8025, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8203) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 651 Business Interstate Highway 35 North Suite 420 in New Braunfels, Texas, as the ``Bob Krueger Post Office''.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this matter.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8203 to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 651 Business Interstate Highway 35 North Suite 420 in New Braunfels, Texas, as the Bob Krueger Post Office.

Mr. Robert Charles Krueger was born on September 19, 1935, in New Braunfels, Texas. He received a bachelor's degree from Southern Methodist University in 1957, a master's from Duke University in 1958, and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Oxford in 1964.

From 1975 to 1979, Mr. Krueger served two terms in the House of Representatives for the 21st Congressional District of Texas. Following his loss in a bid for the Senate, he served in President Jimmy Carter's administration as Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Mexican Affairs in the State Department.

In 1993, he was selected by Governor Ann Richards to fill Lloyd Bentsen's vacated Senate seat. He served only 5 months after losing a special election to Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Mr. Krueger was appointed by President Bill Clinton to serve as Ambassador to Burundi, and after 2 years, he became Ambassador to Botswana, serving until 1999.

Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring Mr. Krueger's life of public service by naming a post office in New Braunfels, Texas, after him, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett), the chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health.

Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Texas.

Madam Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 8203, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4899) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 10 Broadway Street West, in Akeley, Minnesota, as the ``Neal Kenneth Todd Post Office''.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material for this matter.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4899 to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 10 Broadway Street West, in Akeley, Minnesota, as the Neal Kenneth Todd Post Office.

Mr. Neal Kenneth Todd was born in Akeley, Minnesota. After graduating from high school in 1938, he joined seven of his brothers in the U.S. military.

At the age of 22, he was assigned to the USS Oklahoma as a Navy fireman first class. On December 7, 1941, while stationed at Pearl Harbor, the ship was attacked by the Japanese air force.

Mr. Todd was serving with his brother, Wesley, who was able to escape the ship. Unfortunately, months later, Neal Todd was pronounced dead and awarded the Purple Heart. He is honored at the USS Oklahoma Memorial and Honolulu Memorial of the Courts of the Missing.

On February 11, 2021, Mr. Todd's remains were successfully matched, and he was reunited with his brother in Akeley, Minnesota.

I encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring Mr. Todd and his service to our country by naming a Post Office in Akeley, Minnesota, after him.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 4899, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3825) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3903 Melear Drive in Arlington, Texas, as the ``Ron Wright Post Office Building''.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 3825, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3903 Melear Drive in Arlington, Texas, as the Ron Wright Post Office Building.

Former Representative Ron Wright was born on April 8, 1953, in Jacksonville, Texas, and went on to attend the University of Texas at Arlington for 2 years, studying history, psychology, and political science.

From 2000 to 2008, he served on the Arlington City Council and as Mayor Pro-Tem of Arlington from 2004 to 2008. He then served as district director for Congressman Joe Barton for 9 years.

In 2018, Representative Wright ran for Texas' Sixth Congressional District. During his tenure, he served on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on Education and Labor.

I encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring the life and service of Representative Wright by naming a Post Office in Arlington, Texas, after him.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge passage of S. 3825, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), Branch 36., on the occasion of their 46th annual dinner dance. For over 130 years, Branch 36 has demonstrated its steadfast dedication to its members, their families, and the larger communities of Manhattan and the Bronx.

Founded in 1889, New York Letter Carriers, Branch 36 has represented the interest of its members and their families by fighting for adequate benefits and working conditions, offering scholarships to New York City youth, and defending pensions for retirees.

In 1970, as a rank-and-file letter carrier at Grand Central Station, Vincent Sombroto assumed leadership of the wildcat postal strike that directly led to the creation of the modern U.S. Postal Service. The following year he was elected president of Branch 36, and later went on to become the 16th President of NALC

Branch 36 is located in the Vincent Sombrotto Post Office at Grand Central Station, which was renamed through legislation that I introduced in the House of Representatives after his passing in 2013 and its leadership today continues in his tradition of leadership.

Branch 36 President Charlie Heege and all of the Branch officers and members provide such an important service to vulnerable residents and communities. Through all of their continued efforts, Branch 36 remains a true beacon of leadership and strength.

The support of the NALC was also crucial to passing the Postal Service Reform Act, which I introduced in the House of Representatives. This legislation with critically reform the Postal Service and ensure it is on stable financial footing.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the laudable history of Branch 36 and in expressing my gratitude for its continued commitment to its members, families, and community.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 533) to require a guidance clarity statement on certain agency guidance, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, S. 533 would require Federal agencies to include a guidance clarity statement on the first page of guidance documents.

Federal Rules, regulations, and guidance are complex, even at best of times. For most Americans who do not spend hours per day reading through the Federal Register, guidance documents can be very confusing. This simple, good government bill will help clarify for the public that agency guidance is intended to help guide the implementation of Federal regulations, not to act as additional legally binding rules.

I thank Representative Luetkemeyer and Ranking Member Comer for working with us to perfect this bill. This is a bipartisan bill which has passed the Senate by unanimous consent.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation so it can be sent to the President's desk, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman from Pennsylvania has no further speakers, then I am prepared to close.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of S. 533, and I yield back the balance of my time.