Floor Statements

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chair, I strongly oppose this amendment. I appreciate the thoughts of the gentleman, but this is the wrong place to go about it.

This amendment just indiscriminately cuts programs in this bill without any thought to the relative merit of the programs contained in the bill.

For instance, this cut would result in fewer patients seen at the Indian Health Service, fewer safety inspectors ensuring accidents do not occur, deferred maintenance on our Nation's water and sanitation infrastructure.

More generally, investments in our environmental infrastructure and our public lands will be halted and the associated jobs will be lost.

This amendment would not encourage the agencies to do more with less. Simply put, it would force the agencies and our constituents to do less with less.

Yes, it is true the Interior budget does not meet the same numbers that the President sent over to us, but the President cut the Environmental Protection Agency by a third, he cut the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities. I can make a very long list that the President cut that this Congress would never stand for.

So this does not stand. We cannot go back to the President's original budget. We must stand together to oppose this amendment, which if it was passed, would harm the American people.

Mr. Chair, I oppose this amendment and encourage my colleagues to join me in opposing it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank the chair of the Rules Committee for yielding me the time, and I thank his fellow committee members for the hard work that they do and their staff putting in so many long hours around this appropriations process.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the rule for H.R. 3055. I would like to focus my remarks on the fiscal year 2020 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.

This bill includes robust funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations, two Federal agencies that touch the life of every single American.

I am proud to serve on the subcommittee that oversees this bill, and I am grateful to Chairman Bishop and Ranking Member Fortenberry for working together to come up with a bipartisan bill that supports the diversity of American agriculture.

As an example of the growing diversity of growing techniques that are used by American farmers, in Maine, organic food sales increased 39 percent between 2012 and 2017. Producing food free of toxic chemicals is better for the health of consumers, for the farmers, and for our environment.

This bill supports growing markets, including organic and locally grown food, by increasing the funding for the National Organic Program to $18 million and providing $23.4 million for the Local Agriculture Market Program.

The bill also boosts USDA efforts to reduce food waste by including $1 million for a new composting and food reduction pilot program, as well as $400,000 to establish the first Food Loss and Waste Reduction Liaison at the USDA. This is important because 30 to 40 percent of the food in this country is wasted. If food waste were a country, it would be number three in admitting global greenhouse gases.

Additionally, the bill acknowledges that farmers are an integral part of playing a positive role in climate change solutions. There is report language urging the USDA to look at carbon markets for agriculture, supporting the USDA's Regional Climate Hubs, and encouraging the USDA to look at other opportunities to support farmers dealing with the effects of climate change.

Lastly, Madam Speaker, the bill includes language preventing the USDA from relocating the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Economic Research Service.

I am deeply disappointed that the administration is moving forward with this ill-conceived plan, and I will continue fighting on this on behalf of NIFA and ERS employees.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the rule for H.R. 3055.

Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague and friend, Chairman McGovern, for yielding me this time.

Mr. Chair, I rise to support Chairman McGovern's amendment.

As members of the Food is Medicine working group, one of our priorities has been highlighting the benefits of medically-tailored meals.

Many of us know the importance of a nutritious, balanced diet, but we also know that many face significant hurdles in finding, buying, and preparing healthy food.

For people with chronic and acute disease, these challenges can lead to major health complications and major hospital bills. That is where medically-tailored meals come in.

Study after study show that participants with access to medically- tailored meal programs had fewer hospital inpatient admissions and fewer emergency department visits.

That is a big potential cost savings for programs like Medicare and Medicaid, but more importantly, it is a critical tool for keeping vulnerable Americans, like our seniors, healthy and independent, which is exactly in line with the goals of the Older Americans Act.

The gentleman's amendment would allow more seniors to access medically-tailored meals through OAA programs. I think this is an important step towards strengthening health outcomes and quality of life, and I urge its passage.

Madam Speaker, on June 5, 2019, Dr. Rod Schoonover, a Senior Analyst in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research of the U.S. Department of State, testified before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The hearing sought answers on the very real dangers and national security risks caused by climate change. The Administration, however, continued its pattern of anti-science and climate denial behavior. Though Dr. Schoonover was allowed to give his invaluable testimony, the Administration blocked his testimony from being entered into the record. We must recognize that climate change is a threat to our country's economic well-being, public health, and national security. I include in the Record part of Schoonover's summary, but urge my colleagues to read the full report here: https:// games-cdn.washingtonpost.com/notes/prod/default/documents/23db973- 209c-44c2-ab0f-1db57d157f51/note/7acf47a1-8ec4-4e76-a93e- 2d4dba26cb28.pdf#page=l

Unclassified

Chairman Schiff, Ranking Member Nunes, and distinguished

members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me to speak

with you today on the national security implications of

climate change.

As a U.S. intelligence officer in the Department of State

Bureau of Intelligence and Research it is my job to provide

clear, objective, and independent analysis to policymakers to

advance U.S. national security objectives. As a scientist in

the intelligence community (IC), I blend insights derived

from peer-reviewed journal articles and other scientific

reports with information gathered from daily intelligence

reporting to provide science-informed national security

analysis. My understanding of this and other issues is

deepened by the cadre of talented and dedicated officers in

the IC, many with technical expertise, who quietly serve U.S.

interests. This Committee is already aware that the IC does

not advocate for any particular set of policies, including

those that address climate change.

The Bottom Line

Fundamental characteristics of the global climate are

moving outside the bounds experienced in modern history and

there is uncertainty on how some aspects of the climate will

evolve. Given the complex social and political contexts in

which a multitude of changes are occurring, however, we can

expect new and compounded stresses on people and societies

around the world, many with outcomes important for national

security.

Climate change will have wide-ranging implications for U.S.

national security over the next 20 years through global

perturbations, increased risk of political instability,

heightened tensions between countries for resources, a

growing number of climate-linked humanitarian crises,

emergent geostrategic competitive domains, and adverse

effects on militaries. Increasingly probable amalgamations of

these security concerns are especially worrisome. Climate

change alone is unlikely to trigger state failure in the next

few decades but it will affect factors that that contribute

to conflict, such as access to natural resources. People will

increasingly decide to move because of deteriorating

conditions, both within nations and into countries that are

more prosperous. Perhaps most importantly, the rapidity of

concurrent and compounded changes to Earth's systems, from

human and natural causes, heightens the risk for unwelcome

and possibly severe climate-linked surprises.

Framework for Analysis

The IC's task with respect to climate change is to inform

policymakers of the myriad risks and uncertainties that may

lie ahead, rather than trying to predict the future. We have

therefore examined a wide range of climate change effects,

including those currently believed to have low probability,

particularly if the ramifications could be highly impactful.

The IC focuses on security considerations outside the United

States, so we do not address the direct effects of climate

change on the U.S.homeland. We expect, however, that many

judgements could nonetheless apply to the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Johnson), the committee chairwoman, for yielding me the time and for supporting this bill, as well as the ranking member from Oklahoma, both of whom have shown a true willingness to address the impact of climate change and the impact that it has had on our oceans.

The increased carbon absorbed by our oceans has presented a crisis that has touched coastal communities in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, as well as the connected water bodies in between. That is why it is encouraging to see the health of our oceans finally receive the attention from this Chamber that they have long deserved, with the four bipartisan bills before us today.

Despite congressional inaction, the Federal Government has done its best to address ocean acidification through existing programs and budgets.

I would particularly like to recognize the work of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, better known as NOAA, which has never shirked its responsibility to safeguard our seas in the face of climate change, even though the agency did not receive additional resources to meet this complex challenge. It is due to NOAA's research that we know that our oceans have increased in acidity by approximately 30 percent since the industrial revolution and could experience increases up to 150 percent by the end of the century.

Let's be clear. That data isn't just frightening on an environmental level. It also spells disaster for our economy.

America's coastal communities produce 45 percent of the Nation's gross domestic product, and nearly 3 million American jobs are directly dependent on the resources of our oceans and the Great Lakes. If we let this

problem intensify, the financial implications will ripple across all of our communities.

I remember hearing about the issue of ocean acidification taking hold in Maine during the summer of 2012. Maine had experienced a big spike in ocean temperatures that summer. Triggerfish, seahorses, and a lot of invasive species started showing up that year.

A little fishery for squid popped up in Penobscot Bay. Black sea bass, which are common south of Cape Cod, migrated north and became a major predator of small crustaceans, such as baby lobsters. In a State renowned for its lobster, you can imagine that the impacts on our economy were significant.

Meanwhile, our clammers and shellfish growers have reported similar impacts.

Bill Mook, an oyster farmer on Maine's Damariscotta River, told me that he has had to adjust operations to mitigate for ocean acidification and worries how future oyster production will be affected.

According to a recent study by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the Gulf of Maine is more susceptible to pressures of ocean acidification than any other region on the East Coast.

These are only a few of the reasons why I introduced the bipartisan Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act, which is one of the four bills under consideration today. My bill would direct NOAA to study the socioeconomic impacts of ocean acidification on coastal communities nationwide and, better yet, finally provide the agency with the additional authorized funding needed to do this essential research.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the four bipartisan bills before the House today, including my own. It is critical that we protect our coastal economies and our oceans so that they are here for the next generation.

Madam Speaker, this week we recognize the 75th anniversary of D-Day, and we recognize a Mainer who helped to liberate France and then Europe from Nazi control in World War II during the invasion of Normandy.

Charles Norman Shay is a Penobscot Tribal elder and a decorated veteran of both World War II and the Korean war. He has received the Bronze Star, the Silver Star, and the Legion of Honor, making him the first Native American in Maine with that distinction.

Charles Norman Shay was drafted at 19 and served as a medic in the 16th Infantry Regiment, First Infantry Division. When he landed at Omaha Beach

in the first wave, it was his first time in combat. Armed with only his medical supplies, Mr. Shay charged Omaha Beach dozens of times, pulling struggling soldiers from the sea, bandaging wounds, making splints out of pieces of wood, or comforting soldiers through their final moments.

Mr. Shay makes a pilgrimage back to Normandy every year to remember his fellow soldiers, and at 94 years old, Mr. Shay is returning for the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

Mr. Shay is a hero to all Mainers, the Penobscot Nation, and all Americans. Our country is indebted to him.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chair for yielding the time, and I want to thank my friend, colleague, and fellow New Englander, Mr. Cicilline, for his courage, his perseverance, and, frankly, his political talents at moving this bill forward and bringing us here today. And I am not going to cry in my minute.

I am proud that my home State of Maine is among the 21 States that has already enacted these protections. For almost 15 years, Mainers have stood against bigotry to provide equal access to housing, employment, and public establishments for our LGBTQ community.

And, guess what. The sky did not fall when we passed protections, and, in fact, our State is a better, more inclusive place because of it. Having guaranteed civil rights for our LGBTQ neighbors means we value the health, safety, and dignity of every Mainer.

But LGBTQ Mainers should have the same rights they enjoy in our State when they are outside of our State. This Congress must stand together in recognizing the humanity and the civil rights of all LGBTQ people, wherever they may live or travel.

The Equality Act will ensure LGBTQ citizens have equal access to employment, education, housing, credit, and all public services--public services which their tax dollars fund, by the way.

It is time to extend these civil rights to everyone, no matter who they love or how they identify. I urge my colleagues in the House to recognize that we must equally protect all members of our community under the law.

Let's pass the Equality Act.

Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. McGovern for his good work and for yielding me the time.

Greenhouse gas emissions did not happen in isolation. They have widespread impact and will not be curbed without global coordination. The Obama administration understood that fact, and that is why they entered America into an international compact to curb emissions on a global scale.

When the Trump administration retreated from the Paris accord last year, it meant the effects of climate change would only get worse in my home State of Maine. In Maine, climate change isn't an abstraction, it is not a silly floor debate that has no meaning. It is a very real threat to our economy and to our way of life.

I recently met with farmers in my State who told me climate change is here now and we need real solutions to adapt and to mitigate.

I met with climate scientists from the University of Maine who told me invasive species are threatening the livelihoods of our foresters.

I also met with shellfish growers and harvesters who are grappling with the effects of ocean acidification, of extreme weather events, and of the very real fact that the Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 95 percent of the Earth's other waters.

This is real, and I don't want my grandchildren looking back and saying: ``Why didn't Congress fix the problem when they could?''

H.R. 9 is the first piece of positive climate change legislation to receive a vote in the House in years. The bill will reaffirm America's commitment to fighting climate change and will put this Congress on a course to take on the climate crisis before it is too late.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania for yielding me the time.

I rise today in support of the Violence Against Women Act of 2019.

I want to thank the chair of the Judiciary Committee, and I want to commend the chair of the Subcommittee

on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security for her leadership and quick action to get this reauthorized in the 116th Congress.

I also want to thank the chair of the Rules Committee for his effort to bring this to the floor today and to have a strong debate.

The Violence Against Women Act is a success story. Since its groundbreaking passage in 1994, this bill has been an example of Congress working in a bipartisan way to address an intolerable problem, the problem of domestic violence. Today, we are here, over two decades later, making VAWA even better.

H.R. 1585 will improve services for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. It assists young victims of violence, and it extends programs to address bullying. It also updates current programs relative to dating violence and children exposed to violent acts.

Of particular importance in the State of Maine, the bill will further protect Native American women by expanding the provisions written in 2013. H.R. 1585 will include Tribal jurisdiction over non-Indian predators of dating violence, stalking, and trafficking. At last, the Tribes of Maine and Alaska will have the same protections provided to Tribes nationwide.

According to the most recent data from the National Institute of Justice, four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime. But, according to the way the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act has been interpreted by some, Maine has been left out of the law. Unfortunately, this has resulted in Tribal victims of domestic violence in Maine or Alaska losing out on protections that have been extended to Tribal victims of every federally recognized Tribe in the country.

The benefits that other Tribes have seen from allowing Tribal jurisdiction over domestic violence cases include: increased public safety for all of those living on Tribal lands, increased community conversations about domestic violence, updates to Tribal criminal codes, and increased collaboration among Tribes and local and State governments--all of which have been elusive for the Tribes of Maine.

Today's bill will address this long overdue unfairness that has left Maine Tribes not only to be treated differently, but has also left them out of the benefits of the 2013 VAWA bill.

For every Member of this body, there are many reasons to support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do so.

Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize two of my Maine constituents, Dr. Michael Taylor and Wendy Taylor, whose shared vision, determination, and commitment have changed and saved lives in Northern Haiti and engaged countless Mainers in support of better health and better lives.

Over seventy years ago, the founding documents of the World Health Association proclaimed that ``The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition.''

Michael and Wendy Taylor have long believed in this right, and they recognized the extraordinary need in Haiti. In establishing Konbit Sante in 2001, they committed to supporting the development of an improved health care system to meet the needs of the Cap Haitien community. Their vision was to ensure maximum local direction and partnerships within the existing system rather than the creation of a parallel system. And they knew that it was important to not just improve access to health care, but to improve the quality of that care.

The beauty of this effort has been in the Konbit--which, in Haitian Creole, loosely translates to working together for a common goal. Rather than providing short-term expertise, Konbit Sante's focus has been on strengthening infrastructure, enhancing training, and ensuring necessary resources. Right from the start, the Taylors recognized that real, sustainable improvements in an under-resourced health system required taking the long view. This has not been fast nor always easy, but this capacity building model--trusting and supporting Haitians to serve Haitians--has yielded extraordinary results.

Michael and Wendy have had successful careers, raised children, enjoyed art and music, nurtured deep and enduring friendships, and travelled the world--always coming back to coastal Maine. Along the way they have invested their time, talents, and resources in doing good, making lasting contributions for the betterment of humankind and inspiring so many others to join them.

Dr. Taylor is receiving the 2019 Presidential Citation today from the American Academy of Dermatologists in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the people of Haiti. His wife and Konbit Sante cofounder, Wendy, will be at his side. I want to congratulate them both, as they make me proud to represent the good people of Maine.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased we are able to be here tonight to have an hour with some of my colleagues to continue this conversation about the hardships people are facing due to this shutdown and the impact it is having on our country.

We have had so many interesting stories and tragic recollections of exactly what people are going through. As our Speaker, Speaker Pelosi, just said, we are holding Federal employees hostage; we are holding the safety of our country hostage; we are holding the American people hostage; and it is time to get the government going again and resolve our differences.

General Leave

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

So today is the 34th day of the longest government shutdown in history. It is a shutdown that has no excuse, and it has taken a great toll on dedicated public servants and their families across America.

Americans who have jobs are actually standing in line at food pantries here in Washington and back home in my State of Maine.

This Chamber, as of today, has voted 11 times to fund the government, to pay 800,000 workers, and to restart essential services.

President Trump's unwillingness to reopen the government is tone deaf to the financial circumstances of working Americans. Most are living paycheck to paycheck, pay mortgages and healthcare premiums, and need to keep food on the table. Government workers and contractors cannot afford these weeks being held hostage.

People who rely on government programs like SNAP and housing vouchers are feeling the stress. They cannot afford these weeks of being held hostage.

Businesses that are losing opportunities to expand and grow their businesses cannot afford these 3 weeks of being held hostage.

The consequences of this shutdown have rippled through our State and national economies. Members of Maine's Coast Guard, who protect us every single day, are about to miss their second paycheck while actively serving to protect our working waterfronts.

The USDA's partial closure in Maine has put Maine farmers in financial limbo, and SNAP benefits for Maine's most vulnerable are on the verge of a lapse. Many of Maine's craft brewers, who added $260 million to our State economy last year, have had to put new products and their businesses on hold.

At this time, I will share a few of the stories about what is happening and what we are hearing from our constituents in Maine as a result of this shutdown. I will read just a few clips from letters I received and the stories Mainers have shared with the local news, and I will outline some of the broader problems this historic shutdown has created for real people.

We heard from a brewery in the process of expanding to a second location. They had all their paperwork in with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau in the Department of the Treasury when the shutdown began, but now that brewer is waiting with an empty storefront.

Another brewery is just waiting for approval to open six new types of beer, all sitting and ready to be sold. As the owner says:

January is already a tough time in Maine, as I hope you

know, and to lose out on weeks of sales because of the

shutdown may cause us to close our doors. Please, I implore

you, do what you can to get the shutdown over with.

We hear from a lot of Federal employees in our State. Here is one that says:

Please do whatever you can to reopen the government. I have

28 years of Federal service and do not appreciate my

financial security being jeopardized by the President.

Another says:

Please do everything you can to help end the government

shutdown. As a furloughed Federal employee, the anxiety of

not knowing when or if I will be paid grows with every day of

the shutdown. I have savings to cover a few months of living

expenses, but I know many in this situation don't. We just

want to get back to work, and we don't want to be used as

pawns.

Another says:

I am exempted from furlough, and I am mandated to work

without pay. This shutdown is crushing me. I am a single

father of three who just went from a one-income household to

a no-income household. I keep hearing the President insist

that Federal workers support this. I must have missed that

poll. No one has asked me for my input. Please help end this

shutdown soon. This is not sustainable for me.

Another says:

This shutdown is the worst one that I have been involved

with since joining the Federal Government decades ago.

Earlier this week, I went to my credit union to take out a

personal loan to pay my bills. It is the first time ever in

my life I have had to do that.

Another says:

I work under a government contract, and I have just been

informed that I cannot come back to work until this

government shutdown is over. This is a terrible time of year

for myself and my fellow coworkers to not know when we can

continue our work, not that there is ever a good time for a

shutdown.

Well, the good news is, I have a lot more stories like this, but I want to share some of the time with my colleagues, and I will get back to reading them more.

So I now yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Underwood).

I thank the gentlewoman very much for her thoughts.

I am now happy to yield to my friend from Colorado (Mr. Perlmutter).

I thank the gentleman for taking the time to share those stories with us. It is so important that everybody understand the impact this is having in many areas that most people don't know anything about.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum).

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for sharing those stories.

I yield to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Perlmutter).

Madam Speaker, I thank everyone here tonight for providing the diversity of stories that are really coming from States across the country which we all represent. And I know it is just a small bit of what we are all hearing every day in our offices.

I yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin).

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland for his comments.

I know it is particularly challenging in a district where so many people are close to Washington and so many Federal employees have a multitude of challenges. So I appreciate the gentleman's good work and his thoughts.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Alabama (Ms. Sewell), my friend and colleague.

Madam Speaker, I thank Ms. Sewell from Alabama for being here tonight.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky).

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman so much for sharing that and for hosting a roundtable in her district.

Madam Speaker, I think every time we have a chance to have people gather to talk about this, at least they know we are listening to them, even if we haven't fixed the problem.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Soto).

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida for reminding us of some important compromises. Some I liked, some I didn't. But were it not for the Missouri Compromise, we wouldn't have Maine, so I am glad about that one anyway.

Also, as you said, we can compromise without holding hostage all of these workers we have been talking about tonight, without shutting down the government, and without shaking up people's lives. This is our challenge, to work it out as Members of Congress, as members of the executive branch. We can't ask our hardworking Federal employees to bear the brunt of all this.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Clark), who is also the vice chair of our Caucus. I thank her for being here tonight and for fitting us into her busy schedule.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Massachusetts for sharing those stories, which we are hearing throughout New England, and are so challenging and meaningful to all of us.

We have heard tonight from all regions of the country: north, south, east, and west, and so many of the stories are the same. We heard from families affected by the fact that our Coast Guard personnel are not being paid, the only branch of the military that doesn't get paid.

This is a hardship not only on them, but on their families as well who are home trying to make ends meet when they are off deployed; the TSA and the FAA, which we depend on every single day in our airports across the country

for our safety, for our security; people who work in the Federal courts; people who are not working, but are government employees. They are not essential, so they are furloughed, but they can't go out and get another job in the middle of all of this. They just have to wait until it is all over to collect that back pay.

There are so many contractors I hear from who can't continue with their contracts, because maybe they work with the Coast Guard or other Federal agencies, and they can't keep the funding going, and they can't give any certainty to when jobs will be completed or to their own employees.

I have a couple of minutes left and I am going to read a long story, but it might just take up exactly the right amount of time.

We talk so much about all of the employees, but there are so many others who are impacted by this, and, particularly, in the agriculture sector in Maine. We are very proud of our farmers. We are very proud of seeing new, young farmers getting into the business, of farms being revived and finding new markets.

This was a story from the Grace Pond Farm in Thomaston. They shared their story of how the USDA shutdown has impacted them. They said: ``We are often a little removed from the issues affecting others. We can sigh and rejoice, cry and shake our fists at the air with just a little bit of safe distance from way up here; but not this time. This shutdown affects everyone and that everyone includes us.

``We have planned, schemed and dreamed our way onto this historic farm property in Thomaston. Gregg and I have spent countless late nights, after catching chickens and milking cows, staring at screens and numbers, and putting together business plans and spreadsheets to grow sustainably.

``Our goal--to be able to just milk cows, grow chickens and turkeys, feed our kids and neighbors, and drive a car that runs. Gregg grew up learning how to enjoy dark mornings, working on a dairy farm in rural Pennsylvania. I grew up in central Maine, spending mornings waiting for the Skehan's dairy truck and learning how to beat my brother to the cream on top of that glass bottle.

``We want to ensure that both of these experiences are available to our kids, and to everyone in Maine, for years to come.

``Our farm is financed the old-fashioned way--on a tightrope. We operate on a faith-based budget, and that keeps things exciting. The FSA and the USDA rural development loans are valuable resources for poor folks that want to work hard and eat well--and we make good use of them.

``About a year ago, with a shifting dairy market impacting our current situation, we poured ourselves into the process of financing the new farm we'd found to fit our needs.

``Utilizing a community lender, we managed to secure that property, and relying on our faith-based budget, we went for it. Thanks to CEI for taking that chance on us. We also began the laborious process of financing the dairy infrastructure at the new property using the FSA as our security lender, because that's what they do for us.

``This is all contingent on our selling the `old' farm property--we cannot in any way carry two farms. After gratefully securing a buyer for the `old' farm, we were moments away from closing when the government was shut down. Just like that, we lost access to our mortgage holder and all of the necessary documentation and signatures that they alone can provide.

``Not only that, we were just a few weeks away from the deadline for our Maine DACF-based dairy loan, and found ourselves suddenly without the proof of security necessary. No skin in the game equals no dairy loan.

``We are now weeks past our closing. We continue to accrue heating bills, taxes, and mortgage interest on the `old' farm property, while we pay all of the same on the `new' one. We had to scramble to find another bridge loan for the dairy infrastructure, and due to the lender being anyone but the USDA, the interest rate is more than 5 percentage points higher--this translates to an annual number that made our `numbers guy' take a few breaths before commenting when he heard the news. We are thousands of dollars into this shutdown now.

``We operate on razor-thin margins. We are not alone. The companies that sell us grain, and chicks, and poults, are all actual people, employing other actual people, all operating on a faith-based budget, trying to preserve a way of life that we believe has value and merit. We need an end to the shutdown before we have to shut down and the way life should be is that much more lost to us all.''

Madam Speaker, I thank all of my colleagues for being here tonight and thank everyone who shared their stories and allowed us to let you in on a little bit of how this tragedy proceeds. I encourage a negotiation and a settlement.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank our future chair for yielding me the time. I appreciate it.

Mr. Speaker, I consider it a privilege to sit on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, where we fund agencies and departments that are important not only nationwide, but especially in my home State of Maine. So it is particularly heartbreaking to be here today urging my colleagues to reopen these agencies as we open a 21st day of an unnecessary government shutdown.

Today marks the first day that many Federal Government employees will go without a paycheck. There are over 1,100 Federal workers and their families in Maine alone. These include families at Maine's Acadia National Park and the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, the USGS research centers and the air and water program officers at the EPA. This shutdown has made life extremely difficult for these workers and these families, and it has halted the critical duties that they perform.

This bill funds vital programs that we use every day to protect our resources, to learn about the environment, and to connect Americans to our national treasures.

So far, the administration has used accounting gimmicks to give the appearance that these parks and agencies remain open, but you can't hide the real consequences of this shutdown. For example, at our national parks, there have been reports of habitat destruction, injuries, and even deaths since the beginning of the shutdown.

We don't need gimmicks. We need to reopen the government. Despite the President's refusal to do his job, I am proud that we are doing ours in Congress by moving these appropriations bills forward to reopen the government.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the American taxpayer, to support Federal workers and

their families, and to support the vital environmental programs that are funded in this bill. Please vote ``yes'' on H.R. 266 and end the shutdown.

Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Bishop of Georgia, our future chair, for yielding me the time. I rise in support of H.R. 265, the fiscal year 2019 Agriculture appropriations bill.

There is no reason we cannot pass these individual appropriations bills that have nothing to do with border security and have strong bipartisan support.

The fiscal year 2019 Agriculture appropriations bill includes robust funding for the USDA and the FDA, two Federal agencies that touch the lives of every American.

President Trump's obsession with the wall should not jeopardize Americans' access to important food, housing, and farm programs at USDA and FDA.

The shutdown is having real impacts back in my home State of Maine: for the farmer who would lose their family farm before refinancing of their FSA mortgage can be approved; for the single parent trying to make ends meet and not knowing whether their SNAP benefits will be there next month; and for the couple who won't be able to close on their dream home because they can't access a rural housing loan.

These are just a few examples of how disruptive this shutdown has been in my district. Just last month we finalized the 2018 farm bill, finally giving farmers and families certainty about these important USDA programs. That certainty was ripped away from them because the USDA can't start implementing the new farm bill until the shutdown ends.

Additionally, recent reports that the FDA is no longer conducting routine food safety inspections are alarming and totally unacceptable. The fiscal year 2019 Agriculture appropriations bill will provide the funding necessary for the USDA and FDA to once again fulfill their regulatory duties and provide resources to Americans who are counting on them.

Let's reopen our local USDA offices. Let's restart routine inspections to ensure safety of our food system, and let's keep nutrition assistance programs going to make sure hungry families have food on their tables.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the fiscal year 2019 Agriculture appropriations bill and end the shutdown.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, a commonsense bill to mandate background checks before the sale of a firearm.

During my first term in Congress, I served with my friend and former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords on the Armed Services Committee. Mr. Speaker, 8 years ago this week, during a public meeting with her constituents, a gunman shot her and 18 others, tragically killing 6.

Since that dark day in 2011, mass shootings have become commonplace, occurring in our schools, houses of worship, movie theaters, nightclubs, grocery stores, a newsroom, a concert, nearly every place imaginable that should be safe.

Although 97 percent of Americans support background checks, many Members of Congress simply pass along thoughts and prayers in the face of these tragedies instead of taking action.

Enough. The Nation's gun violence epidemic must be addressed by the 116th Congress.

I am in awe of Gabby's resilience and advocacy for overdue gun safety reforms like H.R. 8, which will ensure

that firearms do not end up in the hands of those who cannot pass a simple background check.

I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I stand today to recognize the Independent Transportation Network of America (ITN) for the selfless feat of providing one million rides to elderly and visually challenged people across the United States. This House Resolution commends ITN, a nonprofit, for serving the common good and making it possible for people to continue to be active participants in their communities after they can no longer drive safely.

ITN America founder Katherine Freund and her son were in a near fatal car accident. Rather than blame the other driver, an elderly man, Katherine realized that there were too few public transportation options available for elderly or visually impaired individuals to navigate their communities. In 1995 the Independent Transportation Network of America was born to respond to this critical community need. Because of Ms. Freund and her colleagues' passionate study of resources, logistics and technology, ITN to grow into a national consortium of thirteen affiliates in twelve states.

In my district, ITN America is much more than a taxi service. Drivers go above and beyond to ensure clients have a positive door-to-door experience while accommodating for luggage and other needs. ITN is constantly lauded for their outstanding customer service and prompt availability around the clock. In a letter to the editor of the Portland Press Herald, an ITN client effused her relief that she no longer has to worry about how she would make it to appointments or simply drive to the ocean on the weekend. ITN has restored the dignity of countless persons who have retired from driving or never had the privilege to drive--granting them agency over the life they deserve.

I was pleased to introduce H. Res. 851 earlier this year, which further recognizes the substantial achievements of ITN America and its valuable contributions to countless communities. Again, I congratulate the Independent Transportation Network of America and their incredible team for their exemplary leadership in achieving the milestone of one million rides. Remarkably, this marker hardly quantifies the transformative impact they have had on so many lives and I look forward to supporting ITN' s continued advocacy for the elderly and those unable to drive in Maine and across our nation.