Chris Collins

Mr. Chair, I attended the Medal of Honor Ceremony for David Bellavia, my constituent, at the Pentagon. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 415; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 416; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 417; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 418 and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 419.

Amendment No. 32 Offered by Ms. Dean

Mr. Speaker, I attended the Medal of Honor Ceremony for David Bellavia, my constituent, at the Pentagon. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 420; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 421; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 422; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 423; and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 424.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Iraq war veteran David Bellavia, who is, tomorrow, receiving the Medal of Honor from President Trump.

On November 10, 2004, while clearing a block of houses in Fallujah, Iraq, then-Staff Sergeant David Bellavia's platoon came under attack. David quickly rose to action and charged into a house where his men were trapped. He provided cover fire, which allowed his men to safely exit the building.

David then reentered that house, going floor to floor and neutralizing the threat by individually killing four insurgents and wounding a fifth in what can only be called an epic battle.

That day, David Bellavia rescued an entire squad and cleared an insurgent stronghold, protecting his platoon from further threat.

Tomorrow, President Trump will award David the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions, becoming the first living Iraq war veteran to be so honored.

Congratulations to my constituent and my friend. Most importantly, we thank David for his heroic actions and his service to our country.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition, but I do support the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment introduced by Congressman Pascrell, and I am a proud cosponsor in this bipartisan effort to address the increased rate of cancer incidents with firefighters.

While common sense tells us these emergency responders frequently inhale smoke and other harmful substances, it is essential that a link is identified between specific chemicals and diseases and cancers in order to provide more safeguards for our first responders.

This registry will allow the Centers for Disease Control to compile a large database of cancer incidents amongst firefighters, and through expanded research, we hope to develop new technologies, protocols, and safeguards for these brave men and women.

Mr. Chair, I want to thank Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking Member Granger for providing increased funding to the Firefighter Cancer Registry compared to last year; however, it is vital that we secure the full authorized amount of $2.5 million to ensure the registry can be fully implemented by the CDC.

Mr. Chair, I am proud to have worked with Congressman Pascrell in passing the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act last Congress, and look forward to continue working together to support the firefighters who risk their lives every day.