Floor Statements

Mr. Chair, as Congress considers reforms to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, I rise once again to urge my colleagues to close a dangerous loophole that has existed since 2015, which allows our foreign adversaries to purchase our strategic oil supply.

As the law is currently written, oil from the SPR is sold by the Department of Energy to our highest bidders with little exceptions on what countries can purchase the U.S. supply.

That means that our fiercest adversaries like China and also Russia, Iran, and North Korea and other sanctioned governments can purchase and export our strategic oil.

In fact, Chinese-owned and affiliated companies have won purchase contracts during the past Presidential administrations.

Simply put, this loophole is threatening to our national security. It poses threats to our American families. The American people need to act quickly.

That is why, 2 weeks ago, I reached across the aisle to reintroduce a bill that my colleague, Representative Don Bacon, and I have that addresses this issue.

It is called the Banning Oil Exports to Foreign Adversaries Act. This bill is straightforward, and it is common sense. It prohibits the export or sale of the SPR to China, North Korea, Russia, Iran, and any country currently under U.S. sanctions.

Last week, my colleagues and I voted to pass a bill through the House that would prohibit the sale of our reserve to China, but that legislation does not go far enough.

Do we want North Korea buying oil? How about Iran or Russia?

It is clear that this bill remains the most comprehensive and bipartisan policy that has been put forward, and it now has more than 60 bipartisan cosponsors.

As a veteran and one of the most bipartisan Members of this body, my position remains clear: We need to put our national security over party politics. We have to ensure that our foreign adversaries are not allowed to profit at the expense of America and our safety and security.

I thank Mr. Gottheimer for his support for this legislation as an original cosponsor. This amendment we are speaking of right now reflects the fact that Congress has so much more work to do to close this loophole.

I urge our colleagues, Republicans and Democrats alike, to support the bipartisan Banning Oil Exports to Foreign Adversaries Act.

Let's send this legislation through in proper order, strengthen it, and work together to get it signed into law.

Once again, I thank Mr. Gottheimer for his commitment to this cause.

Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago, I stood on this very House floor and I voted to condemn violence at crisis pregnancy centers. A vote that was difficult to make, not because I think it was wrong to condemn violence, I don't.

Rather, it was difficult as an American to watch this governing body politicize the ideas of civility and decency that should be undoubtedly woven through every last one of us.

Mr. Speaker, I stand before you to condemn violence again, this time at an abortion clinic. I stand before you to acknowledge the violent attack at the Planned Parenthood in Illinois last week. The cowardly arson attack, a firebomb, damaged the building just days after abortion protections were signed into law in Illinois.

Let there be no mistake, this was clearly intended to terrorize women, girls, their families, and the medical professionals who serve them from exercising reproductive freedoms.

Now, I ask my Republican colleagues to join me as I have joined them in condemning violence and this violent attack. From this day forward, I invite all Americans to unequivocally say that we must restore civility and decency in every corner of our Nation because violence is never the answer ever.

Mr. Speaker, today, we have an opportunity in this Congress to close a loophole that has been open since 2015, a loophole that enables our adversaries to purchase oil from our U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserves.

There is a bill indeed to close that harmful loophole: a bill that will strengthen our national security; a bill that will signal to our fiercest adversaries that we will not bend a knee to those who threaten the safety of our allies and our servicemembers both here and abroad.

I am not talking about the bill that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have put forward today, but rather I am talking about a bipartisan bill--my bipartisan bill--the Banning Oil Exports to Foreign Adversaries Act.

We hear this phrase frequently in this Chamber, ``It is that simple.'' So let's make this argument really simple, very, very simple.

Our new majority has put forward a partisan bill that bans the sale of American oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve only to China.

I have put forward a bipartisan bill with Representative Don Bacon, and now with 44 others, that would ban the sale not only to China, but also to North Korea, Russia, Iran, and to all other adversaries.

It is modeled directly after similar and relevant legislation that I also introduced successfully in the NDAA regarding our critical minerals and rare earth element stockpiles.

This bill, my bill, is stronger, it is bipartisan, and it has a chance in the Senate. This bill, the bill we are talking about today, is weaker, it is partisan, and it will, unfortunately, likely never see it past the Senate's legislative graveyard.

Mr. Speaker, it is very hard to hear my colleagues talk about returning to proper and regular order in the House, when, in fact, if this very bill followed proper order and went through committee, we would likely be voting on a different piece of legislation today.

My Republican colleagues know my background. I am one of the most bipartisan Members of this body, and proudly served in the military for 13 years. I am here today because we have a chance to put our national security above our party politics.

I call upon my colleagues--all of them--to join me in good faith to support the bipartisan Banning Oil Exports to Foreign Adversaries Act. Let's send this legislation through the proper order, strengthen it, and work together to get it signed into law.

I urge my colleagues to look at the facts and to show servicemembers and veterans that we put their safety and their sacrifice ahead of political gamesmanship.

Before I conclude, I do want to thank my dear colleague, Representative Pallone, for his leadership and for having included this bill--my bill--in the Buy Low and Sell High Act of last Congress.

Mr. Speaker, as students across this country are readying to take their finals and midterms, I want to recognize Albright College's work to innovate education in the United States.

Albright's Total Experience Learning Dual Enrollment program lets high school juniors and seniors enroll in college courses and allows them to complete an entire semester of coursework before they even begin college. As a former high school chemistry teacher and leader of a literacy nonprofit myself, I am so proud of this successful program.

Next week, the president of Albright College will be at the United Nations, where Albright will be recognized by a science subcommittee of the United Nations as the innovative K-12 educator model for the United Nations International Year of Glass.

Without a doubt, the students and staff of Albright's Total Experience Learning are force multipliers, and it is my honor to represent and support all the forward-thinking constituents, businesses, and academic institutions like Albright within our Sixth Congressional District.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Senior Master Sergeant Paige Flaherty, who for the past year has joined my office as a

member of the Air Force's legislative fellowship program. Paige embodies some of the best qualities of our forces, and indeed, of our Nation.

Her tireless work with my team these past 11 months has revealed not only the immense depth of her commitment to public service, but also her intelligence, her kindness, and her grit. I am grateful for her leadership and insight, which I have relied upon time and time again as we have worked together to advocate for military families and those who serve in uniform.

Although I am extremely sad to see her leave my staff and resume her work in the Air Force, I appreciate all she has done as part of my team.

Thank you, Paige.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today also in support of S. 4900, the SBIR and STTR Extension Act of 2022. This bipartisan legislation is both timely and necessary to ensure that our Nation remains on the forefront of innovation, research, and development of the products and technology of our future.

As an entrepreneur myself by trade, and with experience scaling several businesses in Pennsylvania, I know personally just how important that seed funding can be to a business' success and to the potential to get its products to the shelves.

The Small Business Innovation Research and Technology Transfer Programs, otherwise known as America's seed fund, offer competitive Federal awards to small firms in order to tackle the 21st century problems and needs. Simply put, funds from these programs move innovative technologies from concept to marketplace, or from the lab to our government programs and systems.

Despite the overwhelming success of these programs, there is one major problem that we have in Congress that we all must address, and that is we are standing here today. The SBIR and STTR programs are set to expire in just 2 short days unless we come together and pass this bill and send it to the President's desk.

The consequences of a program lapse would be so devastating on many, many fronts. For instance, the Department of Defense has shared that failure to reauthorize this program will result in approximately 1,200 warfighting needs not being addressed; not to mention that these programs are remarkable taxpayer investments, returning $22 to the economy for every $1 spent on projects at the DOD.

I have been proud to work with my colleagues across the Small Business and the Armed Service Committees to lead this effort to extend the authorization of these critical programs. Indeed, in June, I successfully offered a bipartisan amendment to prevent a harmful program lapse in our annual defense bill. As the defense bill is, unfortunately, still pending in the Senate, I thank Senators Cardin and Ernst for their sponsorship of this important legislation, which will reauthorize the SBIR and STTR programs for an additional 3 years.

Furthermore, this legislation adds measures aimed at commercializing projects and expanding Federal research security to protect against technology theft.

I thank the leadership for their support. Time is of the essence, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Madam Speaker, as a former servicewoman and a veteran myself, I rise today in support of our current and future servicewomen and their fundamental freedoms.

The Dobbs decision has already had a devastating effect on women across this country. According to a recent Rand study, 37 percent of servicewomen who were pregnant within a year of the study had an unintended pregnancy.

Now, nearly half of all Active-Duty servicewomen live in States that have

severely curtailed abortion access, and this is devastating, of course.

Access to abortion care is essential to a woman's health, and it is central to her economic and social well-being. Servicewomen who live in States that have banned or restricted abortion now must incur the expenses that are necessary to travel to receive medical care, and they must now go to their commands to ask for permission to travel.

Their military personnel records are automatically updated in a system showing that they are pregnant. Pregnant servicewomen are afforded no medical privacy, and they face the knowledge that their colleagues and their commanders will know if they have to travel to seek an abortion.

With this vital healthcare out of reach for some and far too difficult to access for others, the consequences are widespread and tangible, not just to women's lives, but to this Nation.

Our military readiness, our retention, and our recruitment are all in jeopardy. Our servicemembers put their lives on the line every day defending our freedoms, and now we must clearly defend theirs.

For many, military service is not only a call to serve a purpose greater than themselves, but it is also, frankly, a path to economic stability and to educational opportunities.

To those who say that this is a theoretical argument, let me tell you the story of a fellow airwoman. Air Force Major Theresa Mozzillo, from our Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, just reached the milestone of 20 years of military service. Her promotion to Lieutenant Colonel is in just a couple of months, and I want to extend my gratitude and congratulations on her reaching this tremendous milestone.

As a result of the Dobbs decision, she bravely came forward and shared this with us. When she was a junior enlisted servicemember, making only $550 every 2 weeks and living in the dorms, she had an abortion. She was 21 years old and joined the Air Force for the economic and educational opportunities it provided, like many people do.

Safe and legal access to abortion allowed her to continue her military service and training commitments without disruption. This decision to utilize vital reproductive healthcare helped her to establish a dedicated career in our military and to serve this great Nation. A decision that today might no longer be hers to make. A decision that will no longer be available to the 84,000 servicewomen and thousands of spouses and military family members who live in States where safe access to abortion is now illegal or severely restricted.

Today, over 42 percent of the military is comprised of our most junior servicemembers. Today, most junior enlisted servicemembers make a little over $2,000 a month. Can you imagine being forced to become a parent when you only make a little over $2,000 a month, live in a dormitory, with no economic support, no established housing, and likely no family nearby and looming military obligations as well?

As I mentioned, I am a very proud Air Force veteran, in fact, a third-generation member of the military. My military service was pivotal to my own personal and professional growth, and I rely on lessons I learned in Active-Duty service and as a child of an Active- Duty member every single day of my life.

We must ensure that women continue to have opportunities to serve in our military without losing control of their own bodies. We must ensure that every servicewoman is afforded the same privacy and bodily autonomy as her peers are. We must ensure that every servicewoman and military family member has safe and legal access to abortion care, regardless of where they are stationed.

The economic consequences of being forced to become a parent are, for many, insurmountable. Regardless of a woman's reason to end a pregnancy, we cannot simply abide by an environment where a servicewoman is given less bodily autonomy than her male counterparts are.

Women are a vital part of our military. In our renewed strategic environment, and with ongoing recruitment and retention challenges across the military, we simply cannot afford to discourage women from entering military service in service of this Nation.

We must remember that no one has the right to interfere with a person's ability to make decisions about their own health and their own well-being.

I ask my colleagues to stand with me and with many of us here on the dais today on behalf of our Nation's servicewomen.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 3588, the bipartisan Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act.

This is a very straightforward bipartisan bill. It would modernize the math curricula and improve K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, otherwise known as STEM, education in the United States.

We know that STEM education taught in schools today is simply not keeping pace with the rapidly evolving needs of the public and private sectors. We also know that this lack of skills has a direct correlation with the STEM skills shortage across our Nation.

To fix this, my bill will help schools update their math curricula to make them more relevant and applicable to real-world scenarios.

The National Science Foundation would be tasked with providing competitive grants focused on modernizing STEM education through mathematical and statistical modeling, including data-driven and computational thinking. It will also direct the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study on the same topic.

As an engineer myself and a former chemistry teacher and entrepreneur, I know firsthand just how vital this is for the next generation and for the future of our workforce in our Nation.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the United States will need 1 million additional STEM professionals than it is on track to produce in the coming decade alone.

Thankfully, with this legislation, we have the opportunity to provide tangible critical thinking skills to the next generation that will enable them to succeed in the workplace and beyond. It is far past time to bring problem-solving into the 21st century.

When I was in school, math was often portrayed as a one-dimensional skill that existed solely in the math classroom. Let's now show our students that a skill set in STEM is invaluable to analyzing trends on social media or predicting sports outcomes, and it is as valuable for that as it is to succeed in any chemistry class.

I am very grateful to Representative Jim Baird for joining me, to Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas for their leadership on this topic, and to everyone else who played a role in bringing this very important and bipartisan bill to the floor.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my commonsense amendments that, one, ensure community banking institutions will work better to support young women and people of color, and two, that credit unions help us advance financial literacy.

As a businessowner and entrepreneur myself, I understand the challenges of getting product from the garage or trunk of your car into a storefront window or onto the online sales opportunities.

We know that Community Development Financial Institutions, or CDFIs, are all key partners in successful business development, but they cannot do it alone.

My first amendment builds on past successes by revising the Young Entrepreneurs Program to ensure that women and people of color receive the focus and financial support that they need.

Simply put, our local economies truly grow and thrive when we support all of our budding entrepreneurs. We have an established partner to help us do that already, which is credit unions. That brings me to my second effort, which would require credit unions to include a description of financial education programs in their reports to ensure that information is accessible and transparent.

Financial management, budgeting, and making informed and effective decisions with resources are keys to business success.

I thank Chairwoman Waters for bringing this.

Madam Speaker, I proudly rise today to urge my colleagues to vote for my straightforward, bipartisan bill that supports our Nation's female entrepreneurs. It is called the Women- Owned Small Business Program Transparency Act.

As an engineer myself, and an entrepreneur and operator, I know very much firsthand that data can help us to address and understand some of our most pressing issues in business. Here is what the data says: Year after year, women-owned small businesses continue to be underrepresented when it comes to Federal contract funding. In other words, the playing field isn't nearly level.

The good news is that there is already an initiative that is designed to address this. It is called the Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contracting Program. This program is popular and necessary to bridge the disparity in Federal contracts, but it needs some additional improvements.

My bill will do just that by increasing transparency, oversight, and accountability. Through this program, the SBA aids other Federal agencies in meeting the statutory goal of awarding 5 percent of Federal contracts to women-owned businesses, a goal which the chairwoman mentioned has only been met twice in history.

The program has experienced challenges, including a significant backlog of applications and poor visibility of the approval numbers by national certifying entities. Our bipartisan bill will address these concerns by requiring the SBA to share six critical pieces of information:

One, the amount of contracting dollars that are awarded.

Two, the number of certifications that are issued.

Three, the amount of program examinations that are conducted.

Four, the number of companies that are decertified.

Five, the number of contracts that are incorrectly awarded.

Simply put, this bill will allow Congress and the SBA to work together to help women secure government contracts, especially those in underrepresented industries, which include the signature crop of our region, the mushroom industry, and also include underrepresented industries such as the dairy product manufacturing industry, which is represented by ByHeart, the only baby formula manufacturer that

has been started in the last 15 years, that also happens to be in my district.

The time is now for us to act, both as our female businessowners continue to recover from the pandemic and as additional contracts are issued through the historic implementation of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague and fellow entrepreneur from across the aisle, the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Tenney) for her partnership on this bill that will help level the playing field for all female entrepreneurs across our country.

I also thank and extend my thanks to Chair Velazquez and Ranking Member Luetkemeyer.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my amendment that ensures that States and other eligible entities under the Community Services Block Grant Modernization Act of 2022 can utilize funds for behavioral health purposes.

These past 2 years have had a devastating effect on the physical and mental health of people across the Nation, especially those who live in poverty or in under-resourced areas.

In my district, we have seen hospitals shuttered, families suffer, and young people facing unprecedented mental health challenges.

By adding explicit language on behavioral health to this bill, we underscore the heightened need for increased resources to reach those that are underserved and most at risk.

Thankfully, recipients like my home State of Pennsylvania are already receiving funding through this grant program to alleviate the causes of poverty and provide opportunities for employment.

But the community services block grant program must emphasize that in order for States to truly attack the root causes of poverty, they must address the rising rate of mental illness and substance abuse disorders.

Just yesterday, the CDC announced that there were more than 100,000 drug overdoses in 2021, a record high, and a 15 percent increase from 2020. This data shows that something must change.

We all know that for people to participate meaningfully in the workforce and to achieve self-sufficiency, they need the tools, first and foremost, to address their physical, mental, and behavioral health.

As a prior businessowner, I understand the importance of this firsthand, because America thrives when our workers thrive.

Community services block grants have been successful in supporting those who are most underserved across our communities for decades.

Let's, please, build on this mission and ensure that the program meets the needs of our diverse 21st century communities and workers.

I ask my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment.

Madam Speaker, I am here today to lift up the voices of my community, to address an issue facing too many Pennsylvanians, as well as others across our country. I am here to talk about rising prices and inflation.

When Sidney from Malvern tried to renew an essential prescription, it was on back order and he doesn't know when it will be back in stock.

Andrew from Mohnton is a small business owner affected by supply chain issues, making it difficult for him to employ his staff and keep his equipment running.

And Dennis from Downingtown had to sell his car because he could no longer afford the high financial burden on top of other expenses.

Our communities deserve support in facing these challenges, and it is vital that we do everything that we can to confront them. I helped establish an Inflation Working Group to find policy solutions to lower costs for Americans, reinforce supply chains, and fight inflationary pressures. Simply put, we must use every tool in our toolbox to support our families.

We live in an increasingly globalized world, which is why I, along with a bipartisan group of my colleagues, traveled to Australia and India to speak with our international partners about cooperation on trade, investments, and shoring up our supply chains.

I promise to continue to make this issue a priority, working with all of my colleagues to find substantive solutions for my constituents and for all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Women's Business Centers Improvement Act, and I thank Representatives Davids and Tenney for their work on this very important and bipartisan piece of legislation.

As our small business owners continue to recover from the pandemic, Congress must do everything it can to ensure access to quality entrepreneurial development resources.

Underscoring the need for this bill, a recent study in partnership with the Association of Women's Business Centers found that profits for female business owners dropped by 26 percent from 2020 to 2021, with average profits of about $47,000 less than male-owned firms.

The economic pressures of the pandemic have hit women-owned businesses particularly hard, including increasing operating expenses due to supply chain disruptions and rising costs.

As an entrepreneur myself, I recognize the challenges women business leaders face every day and especially in this moment. It is why I stand before you to talk about the importance of passing the Women's Business Centers Improvement Act.

This legislation will make needed improvements to the Small Business Administration's successful Women's Business Center program. The bill will also strengthen the Office of Women's Business Ownership and will improve coordination between the Association of Women's Business Centers and the SBA.

Furthermore, this legislation allows Congress to increase funding for Women's Business Center programs, which I have been proud to advocate for with my colleague, Representative Marie Newman.

With these additional resources, the SBA will be able to advise and train more women entrepreneurs. I have seen the demand for such programs right in my community of Chester and Berks Counties.

In fact, this bipartisan effort is especially impactful for our Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which has one of the highest numbers of women-owned businesses in the Nation. The time is now to build on that success.

I thank Small Business Committee Chair Velazquez and Ranking Member Luetkemeyer again for helping to bring this important bill to a vote before the House today. I urge my colleagues to join me and vote ``yes'' today on this bipartisan bill to support our small business owners.

Mr. Speaker, last week, I held an in-person townhall to hear how inflation impacts our community. Too many Pennsylvanians are making tough choices to put food on the table, gas in their tanks, and other budgetary choices.

Today, I rise to discuss why confronting Putin abroad helps address inflation issues here at home.

It is no secret that we live in a global market. We became acutely aware of that fact during the pandemic. Ukraine and Russia provide us, and the world, grain, oil, gas, and even things like fertilizer.

When we are at war in these areas or people are at war in these areas, this impacts our economy colossally. We are again seeing how connected we are, this time not from a global disease but, rather, from a diseased man.

Vladimir Putin is infected, and he is inflicting untold horrors on the people of Ukraine and simultaneously destabilizing our world economy and order.

To fully address these rising costs and inflation in part caused by this Russian war, our top priority has to be bringing a just, durable, and lasting peace to this conflict in Ukraine.

The longer the war rages on, the longer it will take for our economy to recover. That is why we must impose strong sanctions against Russia, coordinated with our allies; we must expedite weaponry to Ukraine; and we must return to prepandemic domestic oil production levels to meet our domestic needs and to help bring down global market costs.

For the people of the Sixth Congressional District of Pennsylvania, I promise to keep doing everything in my power to make sure we can alleviate pressures that are felt at home from abroad.

Mr. Speaker, as the 2022 tax filing season gets underway, I rise to draw attention to the issues that my constituents face when trying to navigate the IRS.

James from Nottingham came to my office because his 2020 return was delayed for almost a year. Lisa from Berwyn called us after she learned that a clerical error at the IRS had led the Social Security Administration to claim that she owed them a significant amount of money. And Tina from Malvern worked with my team to secure a full refund.

Stories like these are far too common. As recently as the end of last year, the agency had a backlog of over 8 million new and amended individual returns.

That is why I was proud to join with over 190 of our House colleagues in sending a letter to Treasury Secretary Yellen, urging her to provide taxpayers with relief and flexibility while the IRS addresses its backlog. These backlogs lead to delays and errors that are devastating to the families and businesses at the heart of my community and many others. It is imperative that this relief and flexibility be provided.