Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this resolution of disapproval of the EPA's methane policy rule.

This resolution is another attack on the hardworking American men and women who supply energy that is so important to our economy and our national security.

Don't be mistaken, this is an attack on American energy security.

Remember those gas lines from the 1970s? Remember the energy security and dominance truly captured in the last few years?

In 2020, America became energy independent. It was a longtime goal. President Jimmy Carter established the Department of Energy with a goal of becoming energy independent, recognizing how important a diverse supply of energy is to America.

So why is the majority moving forward right now?

Gas prices are already on the rise, threatening our economic recovery and causing pain at the pump for Americans who are ready to put the pandemic behind them.

We are still recovering from the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack, which shut down the Nation's most important pipeline, causing supply shortages and price spikes.

If it is not already obvious to the Democrats across the aisle, affordable and reliable supplies of gasoline are absolutely critical to our economy. It is critical to our way of life.

This is a misguided resolution. Taken together with President Biden's executive orders banning oil and natural gas drilling on Federal lands and canceling the Keystone XL pipeline, it will likely drive gas prices even higher.

So why is the majority pushing this resolution?

This resolution has next to nothing to do with protecting the environment or reducing methane emissions. The States and the EPA already regulate methane emissions, and we have a well-established program that supports the industry to go even further.

Reducing methane emissions is a priority for all of us, for the oil and natural gas industry; and thanks to innovation and industry action, the United States methane emissions rates in the largest producing regions have declined 70 percent in the last decade, even as our production is surging.

The United States is the world's leading producers of oil and natural gas. That is something that we should be celebrating. That is so foundational to our economy, to our national security.

In addition to that, we are leading the world in emission reductions at the same time. The United States of America has led the world in reducing carbon emissions, more than the next 12 countries combined, more than any other country in the world.

Again, that is something that we should be celebrating. Let's not jeopardize that progress to fulfill the Green New Deal wish list.

We all know that this resolution is unnecessary. President Biden has made his intentions very clear. His administration has declared war on affordable fossil energy and energy security. President Biden has already canceled the Keystone pipeline and banned drilling on Federal lands. Now Democrats are proposing this resolution to clear the pathway for President Biden and the EPA to impose burdensome new regulations on the energy industry.

This is just the tip of the iceberg to regulate other sources under section 111 of the Clean Air Act, regardless of their overall contribution to air pollution.

Mr. Speaker, I would submit we should be focusing on results, not on feel-good measures. This is an attack on American energy.

Who is next?

The EPA has its crosshairs on the backbone of American industry, including manufacturing, paper, chemicals, plastics, and metals. Millions of good-paying American jobs are on the line. Our competitiveness is on the line. American leadership is on the line. Our national security is on the line.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing this harmful resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on June 15, 2022, I voted against bills En Bloc. Had H.R. 610, H.R. 293, H.R. 587, H.R. 1144, H.R. 1921, H.R. 2008, H.R. 2332, H.R. 2545, and H.R. 3642 each received a standalone vote, I would have voted in support of each bill. I opposed the En Bloc because I oppose H.R. 1703.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I want to also thank my colleague from Washington State (Mr. Kilmer) for his attention to the Puget Sound, and his commitment to putting us on a better path.

The Puget Sound is in crisis. The salmon in Puget Sound, the salmon that are most crucial to the orcas, are in crisis. You can see right here; this is the State of Salmon report. This is the graphic Washington State of Salmon report, and it says that the Puget Sound Chinook, the Puget Sound steelhead--over here--are in crisis.

And I might just point out, the Snake River Chinook are actually approaching goal. The Snake River steelhead are making progress. It is part of the reason that I believe the Puget Sound SOS Act is so important, to bring much needed oversight and enforcement of Federal pollution standards in Puget Sound. But we must do more.

Despite NOAA's research indicating that these salmon stocks are the most critical to our orcas, the State of Washington continues to allow outdated sewage treatment plants to illegally dump raw sewage into the Sound, creating conditions that are literally suffocating the salmon.

Over the years, 80 sewage treatment plants have illegally dumped toxins into the Sound, and now the Washington State Department of Ecology is considering permits to allow 58 plants to continue poisoning the water. It is unacceptable.

By establishing a Puget Sound Recovery National Program Office, I hope this bill will finally push the EPA to hold the State of Washington accountable for the damage that unchecked pollution in the Sound is doing for our endangered salmon and orcas.

It is also critically important that we stop this pollution at its source so that the money we are authorizing for the Puget Sound Recovery Act is actually effective.

Madam Speaker, I am urging leadership in my State, stop the sewage, save our Sound, save our salmon, save our orcas.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Monica Babine. On May 26, 2021, Monica was presented with the 2021 Digital Equity Champion Award for her outstanding work in the field of digital equity. For more than 30 years, she has worked on this issue that is so critical to Washington's 5th Congressional District.

Currently, Monica is the Senior Associate of the Program for Digital Initiatives at Washington State University's Division of Governmental Studies & Services. In this role, she works with business, government, economic, and community development organizations to increase broadband awareness, access, and use across the state of Washington.

Monica has a keen understanding that access to reliable, affordable broadband is basic infrastructure in our 21st Century digital economy. Her work to help close the digital divide and expand access to broadband in Eastern Washington's most rural communities cannot be overstated.

Monica has proven time and again to be a true leader in her field, creating the Broadband Action Team model and serving as a valuable resource for local leaders interested in broadband planning. As a result of her work, more people than ever are engaging to identify local broadband needs and make plans to address them.

Monica's focus on rural communities has made her an incredible partner, and I am grateful for her efforts as we continue working together to address this issue in Congress. Her tireless work to bring together members of our Eastern Washington community, including policymakers at every level, is so important to help close the digital divide once and for all.

Madam Speaker, for her commitment to expanding access to broadband, her exceptional leadership, and her ongoing work to improve the lives of people around her, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Monica Babine.

Madam Speaker, my heart is heavy as I rise today to honor the life of my dear friend, Cat Davis, who passed away on May 26, 2021. Cat was a remarkable soul, and she was one of God's greatest gifts to everyone who knew her. My prayers are with Cat's family as we mourn her passing.

I first met Cat and her mom, Sally, at a unity dinner that I hosted several years ago in Spokane, Washington. Cat had bright purple hair that caught everyone's attention. When she first approached me, she gave me a big hug, and I knew right away that her stand out hair color was the perfect match for the clear vibrancy she had for life.

In that moment, not I, nor anyone else could have imagined the depth of suffering she had been enduring. Under the surface, Cat was fighting for her life as she battled Scleroderma, a rare autoimmune disease without a cure. During our first meeting, Cat told me she needed a stem cell transplant, but Medicare refused to cover the surgery. This would have devastated most people, but not Cat. Instead, her will to live and her desire to fight this illness only grew stronger.

In June 2017, Cat and Sally travelled to D.C. to meet with the Director for the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services in my office in the Capitol. Cat passionately shared her story and pleaded for them to grant the transplant surgery, and they responded positively. It had been worth the difficult trip from Spokane to D.C.

Cat would eventually be granted approval for surgery, and with it, a second lease on life. I watched as Cat continued to approach each day with hope, enthusiasm, and deep understanding of the impact a life lived for others has. As our friendship continued to deepen over the years, she and her mom became a special example to me of love enduring all things.

As the Bible says in I Corinthians, ``Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love.'' Cat's love and friendship will forever be imprinted on my heart, and for that, I will always be grateful.

Madam Speaker, Cat Davis lived an amazing life that deserves to be celebrated. In honor of Cat's love, legacy, and passion that has inspired all those who knew her, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Cat Davis. May God grant her eternal peace in His kingdom.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1629, the Fairness in Orphan Drug Exclusivity Act.

The Orphan Drug Act was enacted to incentivize the development of drugs that treat rare diseases. Products designated as orphan drugs may be entitled to 7 years of market exclusivity, meaning a drug produced by another manufacturer that contains the same active ingredient to treat the same condition is barred from entering the market during this time.

However, we have seen in recent years that some drug manufacturers, in an effort to block competition from the market, have tried to take advantage of a loophole in existing law. H.R. 1629 will close this loophole and prevent potential abuse of this program in the future.

We must preserve incentives to innovate, especially for drugs that treat rare diseases, while preventing bad actors from attempting to exploit those incentives to benefit from a national crisis, as was done during the opioid epidemic.

This legislation strikes that careful balance. This bill garnered both Republican and Democrat support last Congress. I hope we can continue to work together to move H.R. 1629 forward in the future on a bipartisan basis.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I voted no on H.R. 1065, however, this

vote was a mistake. I support H.R. 1065, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.

Stated against:

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

I am disappointed that we are kicking the can down the road on a short-term extension of DEA's emergency scheduling order to keep dangerous fentanyl analogues in schedule I.

While I will vote in favor of this bill today because allowing this lifesaving order to expire is unacceptable, this short-term extension from the Democratic majority fails to meet the gravity of the situation facing our communities, our border, and our country.

They have had 2 years to come to the table and work with us on a permanent solution to combat fentanyl and fentanyl analogues and the dangers that they pose to Americans. If we don't act, these dangerous drugs being smuggled across our southern border would effectively become street legal.

We need a permanent solution to save the lives of people in despair and to protect our communities, and we need Democrats in the House and the Senate to wake up and take it seriously. Nearly all States are seeing a spike in synthetic opioid deaths, with 10 Western States reporting a more than 98 percent increase. This pandemic has made it worse.

In my home State of Washington, the fentanyl positivity rate has increased 236 percent, more than any other State in the country. My community lost two teenagers recently from a suspected fentanyl-related death. They had their whole lives in front of them.

Just a few milligrams of fentanyl, what can fit on the ear of Abraham

Lincoln on our penny--that is a pretty small amount--is lethal.

Fentanyl analogues are oftentimes more potent, and more than a thousand of them have been created over the years to mimic fentanyl's opioid effects and outsmart the law.

With class-wide scheduling, any dangerous variant of fentanyl is controlled under schedule I. According to the DEA, right now, there are 27 new fentanyl-related substances that have been encountered and immediately controlled under the class-wide scheduling order. All of those substances are many times more potent than heroin and pose serious health and safety risks. One recently encountered substance was approximately eight times more potent than fentanyl.

In addition to the ongoing, unprecedented humanitarian crisis at the border, fentanyl and other dangerous opioids are also pouring across our border at an ever-increasing rate. The Border Patrol just reported a 233 percent increase in fentanyl seizures at the southern border just in the last year.

If the class-wide scheduling of fentanyl-related substances is allowed to expire, drug traffickers will be further emboldened to smuggle this poison into our communities.

The Trump administration also worked hard to make the Chinese Communist Party accountable for the fentanyl analogues that were being manufactured in China, forcing them to crack down on it. If we let this expire and do not make it permanent, we will be sending a clear message to the CCP that it is okay for them to ease up and let this illicit industry continue to grow.

Moving forward, we must work with the DEA and other agencies to make this scheduling permanent, just like Mr. Latta's FIGHT Fentanyl Act, while making reforms to improve scientific research on these substances.

I am glad that the majority is agreeing with us that we cannot let this expire. I am gravely disappointed that it is only a few months. This extension will buy us far less time than the 1-year extension Republican leader Jim Jordan and I put forward and the 7-month extension that was requested by the Biden administration.

If this 5-month extension is signed into law, I call on Democrats and Republicans to begin working immediately on a longer term solution. We stand ready to immediately begin the bipartisan work necessary to get a permanent fix signed into law. I am committed to working over the next 5 months to solve this issue once and for all and not just settle on a short-term extension.

Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this temporary extension, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie), the lead Republican on the Health Subcommittee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tampa, Florida, (Mr. Bilirakis), a leader on the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), the only pharmacist on our committee, and a leader on this issue.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlemen from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce), a great member and leader on the committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Fitzgerald).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Van Duyne).

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak in support of H.R. 172, the United States Anti-Doping Agency Reauthorization Act, sponsored by Representatives Mike Thompson, Bill Johnson, and Diana DeGette.

This bill will reauthorize the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, USADA, which is the national entity charged with administering anti-doping programs in the United States for Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American, and Parapan American sports.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency handles in-competition and out-of- competition testing, results management processes, drug reference resources, and athlete education for all U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee-recognized sport national governing bodies, their athletes, and events.

USADA is also the administrator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship Anti-Doping Program.

Reauthorizing this important agency will further the advancement of clean sports, fair games, and positive sportsmanship.

I urge my colleagues to support the bill. We will be hearing from one of my colleagues here in a moment, a colleague on the committee, Bill Johnson.

I also want to thank the chairman for working together to get this done today.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Johnson), a colleague and leader on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers. I urge support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 578, the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research Act. This legislation is bipartisan, a companion of H.R. 1202, that was led by Representatives McHenry, Gonzalez, and Matsui.

S. 578 will designate sesame as a major food allergen. This means that, with the enactment of this legislation, manufacturers would have to list this ingredient on the food packaging label of products containing sesame.

Recent studies indicate that sesame allergies are of growing concern in the United States, with a prevalence rate on par with allergies to soy and fish, which are both listed as major allergens under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

This commonsense legislation will provide consumers with the information they need to protect themselves and their families from certain dangerous and life-threatening allergic reactions.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McHenry), one of the leaders of this legislation and the leader of the Financial Services Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 189, the John Lewis NIMHD Research Endowment Revitalization Act, which was introduced by my colleagues, Representatives Barragan, Carter, and Taylor.

This bill will authorize the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to award research grants to current and former centers of excellence that conduct research on minority health disparities.

Health inequities are disproportionately experienced by minority populations, and these disparities can have adverse impacts on health outcomes, economic opportunities, and overall quality of life. The current COVID-19 pandemic has only underscored these disparities, which is why this bill is so important.

Continued support of these centers of excellence is critical in advancing minority health, addressing health inequities, and expanding educational and training opportunities for those interested in further advancing research in this space.

I would like to thank my colleagues and especially my colleague on the Energy and Commerce Committee on the

Republican side, Representative Buddy Carter, for leading this initiative.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), an important leader on this legislation as well as on the committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on Monday, June 24, 2019 I unfortunately missed evening votes due to a flight delay. I also missed a vote on June 25th. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 399; YEA on Roll Call No. 400; YEA on Roll Call No. 401; YEA on Roll Call No. 402; and YEA on Roll Call No. 411.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share a story of power, people power.

This story doesn't take place in the Halls of Congress, in the department of such and such, or in D.C., which is too often called ``the most powerful city in the world.'' This story takes place at Hope House, a women's homeless shelter in Spokane, Washington.

Hope House, which is expanding because of a grant made possible because of tax reform, helps women find a second chance.

Heather Thomas-Taylor is the director. As The Spokesman-Review reported, she knows everyone staying at the house by name. She feeds them from donations from restaurants and churches.

Once, a bride and groom, still in their dress and tux, donated 2 weeks' worth of food left over from their reception. Around the holidays, Hope House fridges are so full they can't even ``fit a slice of bologna'' in them.

Mr. Speaker, this is what an empowered community looks like, and it has provided more than mandates and centralized bureaucratic power can ever provide.

Why is that? Because people like the employees at Hope House, the director leading its expansion, the bride and groom, and our church congregations have the power to improve the world around them.

I have another story to share, but it isn't one of hope. It is one of people losing their ability to serve their community.

Nearly 14,000 people live in Pend Oreille County in my district. Many work in timber, mining, the hospital, or elsewhere. However, in the entire county, we are down to one childcare center, just one, which is run by the local Tribe, and they have a long waiting list.

Statewide regulations are making it too difficult for local providers to comply with licensing requirements. As one provider said in Washington, ``There's a rule for a rule for a rule.''

Even the public hospital in Pend Oreille County, with its resources and lawyers, couldn't comply to open a daycare center.

Just imagine if these one-size-fits-all rules were coming from the Federal Government for every single neighborhood in America. It is not that far from reality.

I hear every day from local officials, schools, farmers, and people who are overwhelmed by costly mandates forced on them by the Federal Government. This is not what a government of the people, by the people, and for the people should look like.

I rise to share these stories so that we will protect the people's voices and, ultimately, their power to create those solutions that will work in their lives and their communities.

By design and common sense, the institutions closest to the people yield the best results as well as build trust. If you were suddenly in need, who would you trust, Hope House, which you can look in the eye and know by name, or a phone number that directs you to someone sitting in a cubicle in Washington, D.C.?

Losing that trust in community solutions is what we risk when we start embracing socialism. Socialism will diminish our individual liberties, isolating us from the institutions that empower us to make a difference in the world around us. It will concentrate power, where the people's voices don't stand a chance against corruption.

That is why power doesn't belong behind an unelected bureaucrat's desk, where scandals like we have seen at the IRS, the VA, and the FBI can run rampant.

The promise of America is where people, not the government, is trusted with the potential to achieve our dreams. We have a voice. We have that power in our community.

The promise that socialism can provide these things is a false one. It never happens.

Mr. Speaker, I will say it again: We are a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. For those words to be true, the people's House must recognize where the people have the most power and freedom to make the best decisions for ourselves and our families. It isn't in the Federal Government.

Like in Pend Oreille County, it is in the community. It is our community, our neighborhoods, our homes, our schools, PTA meetings, churches, local governments, and, yes, at Hope House and daycare centers, too. It is neighbor helping neighbor. We all need each other at different times in our lives.

Mr. Speaker, it is community that we must stand for, for the American Dream to flourish.

Mr. Chair, I appreciate the leadership of my colleague from Washington State (Mr. Newhouse), as well as the leader from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), on this bipartisan amendment in support of the Job Corps.

I, too, want to stand in support of the important work that the Job Corps is doing, specifically in Ferry County.

In addition to closing other centers, the administration recently announced its plans to terminate the agreement between our Job Corps in Curlew and the USDA.

In rural Ferry County, which is largely publicly owned, it is right in the midst of a million-acre national forest. The Job Corps is very important. It is very important in that it is one of the largest employers in the county.

It is also where young people, at-risk youth, are gaining critical skills necessary to fight fires and to better steward our Federal forests in eastern Washington. We are facing larger and larger catastrophic fires. This Job Corps program is so important, as well as the other programs that it is offering.

This amendment will stop funds from being used to close the Curlew Job Corps, as well as others. Whether for jobs, a healthier environment, or those on the front lines fighting forest fires in Washington State and throughout rural America, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' and support this amendment.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to reflect on moral character, which is essential to the promise of America in order for us to flourish.

I am reminded that we stand on the shoulders of so many who have gone before us and impacted our lives in many ways--members of our greatest generation--who bravely fought tyranny and oppression during World War II. They were driven by honor, duty, and country. They were selfless, not drawing attention to themselves or seeking to be a celebrity or a hero. They are the models for character that we must always celebrate and remember. They would never admit it, but they are heroes, heroes for bravely and humbly doing their part to protect our freedom.

Madam Speaker, why is character so important? Why does it matter? It is because our character--who we are and the decisions that we make when we are tested--is foundational to the rule of law.

In this body, we talk a lot about the Constitution, our God-given rights, bills and laws, checks and balances, the rules and the procedures that govern debate, the branches that make up this government, and so on. All of these pieces of our government are significant, but they are lifeless and have no meaning without the spirit of good faith.

If we, representatives of the people, don't lead with moral character, America doesn't stand a chance against corruption and the breakdown of trust with the people we serve. It is on us, each one of us, doing our part for what is righteous, what is just, and for what will keep America free.

President Reagan once said:

Freedom isn't passed down to us in the bloodstream; it has

to be fought for.

In other words, freedom involves choices, and that is precisely why character matters.

Every single day, every single moment, our character is tested. In politics, it is tested by the temptations of power, palace intrigue, ambition, and personalities.

I won't blame either side of the aisle, Madam Speaker, but these are the smoldering fires that burn around us that threaten our institutions and our laws.

Did you know that only 3 percent of Americans trust the government will do the right thing--3 percent. Forty-six percent of Americans say that they have very little confidence in Congress. That is a crisis of confidence, and it is a call for reformation of character, so that people will trust and can trust that their representatives will always act in good faith on their behalf.

Again, it starts with us being better examples, not for the glory or the recognition, but because it is the right thing to do. We must be countercultural to the divisiveness that has taken hold of modern politics today. That means stopping the blame game, honoring another's argument, even when we disagree, and acknowledging, and even celebrating, our differences without attacking the other side's character. That is the way that we will come together to find out how we can make tough decisions without kicking the can down the road.

I fear what may come if things do not change. As Abraham Lincoln famously said, ``A House divided against itself cannot stand.'' The strength of our Nation, our Constitution, our laws, and our institutions have no greater guardians than us. It is this government of

the people, by the people, and for the people.

We must take this responsibility seriously or, again, we won't have a fighting chance to rebuild the trust of ``we, the people'' and keep the promise of America alive. I have said it before in the well of this House: this is the promise that will keep us free and empower the next generation to shine. For their sake, our character, the spirit that leads us to do what is right and just, must be our guide so our House will forever stand.