Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the service of my friend, Bob Palmosina, who retired last week after more than 8 years as the public works manager for Collier Township.

Before this role, Bob worked for more than 30 years in public works for the city of Pittsburgh and for Allegheny County. Collier is a growing municipality in my congressional district, and Bob led the Public Works Department to take care of a bunch of things: Clearing the roads from snow, road repairs, maintenance of parks and fields and courts, street signs, crosswalks, picking up leaves, and a heck of a lot more.

Public service is not for the weak of heart. The work and the hours can be grueling. Bob always remained focused and committed to his work and the shared prosperity of our community.

Bob continues to serve on the Allegheny County Council, and he is a dedicated coach and mentor to so many youth athletes in our area. I thank him for his service and wish him good luck in his next chapter.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and memory of my constituent, Phil Brandi, who passed away on July 17 at the age of 90.

He lived in Greentree and was born and raised in Sheraden. He was a beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend to many. He was married to Alice for 66 years. He loved spending time with his friends and family, especially his buddies at McDonald's, his Local 27 retirees, and his friends at the cardiac rehab at Ohio Valley Hospital.

A veteran, he served his country in the Army and was a proud member of Plumbers Local 27 for 65 years. Not only was he a proud union member and retiree, his son and grandkids have followed in his footsteps in Local 27.

Phil's life may seem ordinary to many, but I think he represents the very best of western Pennsylvania, the values of hard work, patriotism, and sacrifice. We honor his life. We honor his legacy, and we hold him and his family in our hearts.

Madam Speaker, I think what you will hear on this floor tonight is a unified voice that we reject political violence, that we mourn Mr. Comperatore's loss of life, that we wish a speedy recovery to the victims.

In this country, there ought to be no place for political violence. There ought to be no place for hate in the hearts of freedom-loving people, certainly not in western Pennsylvania, where we reel from it today.

We can and often do disagree in this body all the time. The American people expect that of us. When we see the votes on the board, we see those disagreements resolved that way. We see them resolved in the ballot box in November.

We cannot solve our differences with violence. We must always condemn it in all its forms. It goes to the heart of American democracy that when we have those disputes, we resolve them peacefully.

What we saw in Butler not too long ago when that violence comes to our political system, when it comes to the heart of how we govern ourselves in our elections. We, of course, mourn the consequence, the cost of that violence. Mr. Comperatore, who we have heard so many talk about so eloquently, shielded his family from gunfire that day, showing some courage in the face of violence.

I wish a speedy recovery to those still recovering, including my constituent from Moon Township, Mr. Copenhaver, David Dutch of New Kensington, the former President, who of course survived this attack, and so many others who witnessed it and I am sure still suffer from it.

I thank my colleague for bringing us together in this important moment. I think it is important the American people hear us with a clear and unified voice calling for unity, rejecting the threat of violence in our elections.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding time.

I think we can all agree in this body that this country has a sacred obligation to care for those that wore the uniform, who served in peace or in war or both, and that starts with adequately funding and staffing the VA to make sure that those who have earned their benefits, who have earned their care, can receive them.

That is why the Honoring our PACT Act that the ranking member and so many others got through this Congress is such a big deal. It is why it is so powerful. It expands VA healthcare and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic chemicals across generations who have served, and it fulfills that sacred promise this country has made.

Veterans have long been exposed to some nasty stuff in service in Vietnam, the Gulf war, Afghanistan, Iraq, and other places. My generation saw burn pit exposure in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. We now know how dangerous this exposure can be and is for folks; cancers and diseases.

The PACT Act meets this moment. It adds a presumption of service- related illnesses coming from that toxic exposure. It cuts through red tape that had been blocking too many veterans from the care they have earned.

We see the numbers. Over a million veterans and survivors have already had claims approved under the PACT Act. That is a big deal. It means those veterans and their families now have access to those benefits that are hard earned that their service ought to have guaranteed.

In this body we often have hot air, debates, all the rest. Here is some practical advice. Last year, we saw veterans have a deadline to submit their intent to file, and many did. That was to get backdated benefits back to when this bill passed the Congress in 2022.

Veterans and survivors who submitted that intent to file need to submit an actual claim as soon as possible if they have not yet done that. That is to ensure they get the most out of the PACT Act for those benefits that they have earned. They have a year after submitting intent to file to submit their final claim forms to receive those backdated benefits.

Mr. Speaker, VA.gov is the website to do it, to get more information, check the status of your claim. My office and the office, I am sure, of every Member here is willing to help a veteran. Go see a VSO, a veteran service organization, an accredited claims agent, an attorney. You can find some help.

I remind my fellow veterans of this: These are earned benefits. You have earned them through your service. Make sure that you are getting what you need to take care of yourself and your family.

The PACT Act is a big deal, but it is only going to be successful if we fund it, if we make sure every veteran in this country knows what they have earned, and we give the VA the resources they need to meet veterans' demands.

That is our task in this body. I will work with everyone here to get it done. I am proud of the work we have done in this Congress.

Madam Chair, I thank the ranking member for yielding time.

Madam Chair, I am opposed to this amendment. Put simply, I think it does some pretty bad things, among them making it impossible for the Department of Defense to contract with any organization that might try to identify propaganda from our adversaries.

For instance, if a nonprofit wants to say and identify something as Communist Chinese propaganda, under this amendment, the Department of Defense cannot work with that organization in identifying something as propaganda from our adversary.

I cannot imagine that is the purpose of this amendment, yet that is exactly what the legislative text does. It goes on to apply, beyond the organizations the gentleman from Texas recognized or acknowledged, to include any entity, any nonprofit that does any of these categories listed in the amendment.

It includes fact-checking, rating the credibility of that entity. Again, not banning it, not silencing it, but identifying it. The mere fact of an adversary of ours having propaganda in this country and an organization identifying that propaganda, this amendment would bar the Pentagon from working with it.

Now, if my colleagues on the other side want to offer a soft on Communist China amendment, have at it. We are not going to support it. I cannot imagine that is the purpose of this amendment, yet that is exactly what it does.

Madam Chair, I urge a more narrow redrafting of this amendment. As it is drafted, it makes it very difficult even to do something as simple as identifying propaganda from our adversaries. This is foolish. It is not drafted appropriately, and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle ought to withdraw it.

Madam Chair, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for yielding.

I rise in opposition to the bill. I think that at this moment, my fellow veterans and the VA are at a critical point in time. We are seeing folks come in, because of the PACT Act, who served in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, who were exposed to burn pits. We need to meet that moment by investing in the VA.

Unfortunately, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have decided to use this bill to attack abortion rights and to attack reproductive freedom. I think every veteran who raised their right hand was writing a blank check to this country, and my fellow veterans who are women ought to have the full reproductive care they have earned from the VA. This bill, which would ban abortions, even where there are health risks to a veteran, is unacceptable to me and is unacceptable to so many in this country and so many who have served.

I urge my Republican colleagues to meet this moment by working with us and getting these toxic attacks on people's freedom out of these spending bills. Let's get a bill that we can pass together.

Madam Speaker, on Tuesday, the large majority of us came together to pass the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act.

The bill includes a provision to exempt from Federal taxes payments for residents like my constituents who were impacted by the East Palestine train derailment and who received payments from Norfolk Southern Railroad.

This is something I have been pushing for along with many others.

The East Palestine derailment was a disaster for a lot of families in Beaver County, which is just over the State line from our neighbors in Ohio.

It is ridiculous to me that folks who were hurt by this toxic train derailment in their backyard or their farm have to pay taxes on Norfolk Southern's payments to them.

Let's remember: It was the railroad's negligence and incompetence that caused this whole mess in the first place.

I was glad on Tuesday night that we passed a bill to help folks who were hurt.

If the Senate follows suit, as they should, these payments will be exempted from Federal taxes, as they should be.

Let's keep going to hold big railroads accountable and make freight rails safer. Madam Speaker, we can do that by passing my bill, the Railway Safety Act.

Mr. Speaker, today I want to honor my Forest Hills constituent, Ms. Julia Parsons.

She stepped up to serve in 1942 as war raged across the world.

Joining the Navy program, Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES), she was tasked with destroying German U-boats by breaking Nazi code.

She worked tirelessly, using logic puzzles and clunky computers as weapons. In the battle for the Atlantic, the war felt extremely close by. Her co-worker's husband's convoy frequently went through enemy infested waters. Every code the women unwound helped keep him and his shipmates alive. Yet, that very code contained personal details of German soldiers. She learned of a new father's son the same day he did, but had to use that information to spell his demise.

Ms. Parsons couldn't breathe a word of her work. She knew, better than anyone, that loose lips sink ships. When people asked what she did, she described codebreaking as ``office work'' and was often dismissed as a low-level secretary. The war ended her work, but not her silence. She was not able to share the truth until the information was declassified beginning in the 1970s.

As a fellow Navy veteran, I'm especially proud to tell Julia Parson's story and celebrate her service this Women's History Month.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Stephen Mackin, Sr., of Thornburg, Pennsylvania.

Steve was born on November 7, 1960, and was a lifelong Pittsburgher. He graduated from Bishop Canevin in 1979 where he made many lifelong friends.

A hard worker always seeking perfection, for the past 42 years Steve worked at and co-owned Liberty Fuel & Supply in Carnegie, working alongside his father, brothers, sons, nephews, and many friends.

He was a good man who knew how to have a good time when he could. He loved to get away to the beach to spend time with his family and cracking open an Iron City. He was a very proud grandfather, a loyal brother, and a devoted member of a big family.

Steve was committed to supporting the kids in our western Pennsylvania community. He was my basketball coach at St. Philip's, and I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, Steve was tough, but he always brought out the best in us.

Sadly, Steve passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack on March 6 of this year. He was just 63.

Steve will be missed by his loving family, including Ruth, his wife of 35 years, their three children, and his siblings, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren, all of whom wish they had more time together.

To the Mackin family, whom I am proud to call my friends: Our whole community mourns Steve's passing.

Madam Speaker, today, I want to congratulate Sister Linda Yankoski, CEO of the Holy Family Institute, on being recognized as a Pittsburgh Business Times Women of Influence and receiving their Career Achievement award.

It is an honor justly earned for her 40 years of service as a woman of faith at the Holy Family Institute and decades of dedication to at- risk youth and communities across western Pennsylvania.

I congratulate her.

Celebrating the Life of Jim Roddey

Madam Speaker, I rise today to join so many in western Pennsylvania in celebrating the life of Jim Roddey and extending my condolences to his family and loved ones.

A proud marine, Jim led Allegheny County through a critical transformation, serving as the first county executive and ushering in a new era of county government.

I had the privilege of working with Jim on the bipartisan Blue Ribbon Commission on Pennsylvania's Election Security, where his counsel was invaluable and where patriotism carried the day over any party label.

Fair winds and following seas, marine.

Mr. Speaker, 1 year ago this weekend, my constituents in Beaver County and our East Palestine neighbors lived through Norfolk Southern's disastrous train derailment. They caused a massive toxic fireball. Frankly, we are lucky that no one died.

Since then, what has Congress done to protect our communities, to make freight rail safer?

Absolutely nothing.

Folks in western Pennsylvania are sick and tired of being treated like collateral damage in the way of corporate profits.

Those railroad profits have not been shabby. From 2018 to last year, Norfolk Southern enriched their shareholders with $18 billion.

My bill, the Railway Safety Act, is supported by the Biden administration and former President Trump and will make rail safer. This shouldn't be partisan. Along with my Democratic colleagues, I am joined by nine Republican cosponsors, and, yet, nothing has changed.

The railroads are running the show here like it is the 19th century. It is time for politicians to stop carrying their water, to stop treating my constituents and our neighbors like fodder.

We need action. It is time to pass the Railway Safety Act.

Mr. Speaker, I love this country, as so many here do. I remain as committed to it today as I was when I entered the Naval Academy as a 17-year-old. Through my voting rights, election security, and cybersecurity security work at Pitt Cyber and the Brennan Center, I know, like others, that the threats to this beautiful and fragile democracy of ours are serious.

In this very Chamber on January 6, insurrectionists attacked the people's government, spurred on by lies and conspiracy. Every patriotic American understands that government of, by, and for the people is a lot stronger than the guns and threats of extremists.

With antidemocratic forces on the rise, Congress needs an all-hands- on-deck approach to protecting our Constitution.

That is why, today, I launched my defend democracy agenda, a three- part policy roadmap to strengthen American democracy. Public trust is central, so my agenda starts with a critical slate of policies to try and earn back that trust.

I hope all with a love of country will join me in supporting these anticorruption, transparency, and reform measures for Congress and for political campaigns.

Mr. Speaker, I represent many of the people who made the steel that built this country and who still make the steel this country relies on.

We are seeing today, unfortunately, corporate executives, egged on by Wall Street, selling off U.S. Steel to a foreign company.

U.S. Steel has benefited from strong action in this country: tariffs from President Biden and President Trump, the Inflation Reduction Act, defense spending, the infrastructure bill, and more, while chasing the biggest, fattest bid and blowing off the steelworkers whose work made them rich.

Profits matter, don't get me wrong, but other things matter, too: our workers, our jobs, our communities, and this country.

We need an economy that reflects that, that says that hard work matters, not just greed. Let's keep fighting for all that.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Western Pennsylvanian Jim Leyland's election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

A former Pittsburgh Pirates manager, he led the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 through 1996. Even though it was his first Major League head coaching gig, he did a damn fine job. Over his 11 seasons with the Bucs, he accrued 851 wins with the team--the third best record in Pirates history.

Jim Leyland led the club to three straight division titles and was named Manager of the Year twice (and then again as manager of the Detroit Tigers). He of course led the Florida Marlins to win the 1997 World Series, and he won the American League pennant in 2006 with the Tigers.

He's a die-hard baseball guy and a beloved Pittsburgher. I'm proud to represent him as my constituent in Thornburg, PA.

I welcome Jim to the Hall, and I congratulate him on this historic achievement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the hard work and legacy of Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.

County Executive Fitzgerald is finishing up his third and final term in the county's top elected position--one he has held since 2012.

Born and raised in the City of Pittsburgh, Rich Fitzgerald graduated from Carnegie Mellon University. He and his wife, Cathy, have eight children. ``Fitz,'' as he is fondly called, is well-known for his work ethic and his ability to bring people and organizations together to tackle the biggest issues facing our region.

He first was elected to the County Council in 1999 and served on the Council--including as Council President from 2004 through 2011--until his successful election as County Executive.

Under his leadership, Allegheny County has seen strong and solid job growth, a diverse and growing economy, and an excellent quality of life. The 2020 Census is a testament to County Executive Fitzgerald's leadership: for the first time in sixty years, the county's population grew over a decade. He also led the region through the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic with consistency and reassurance, striving to protect public health and keep the economy strong.

While we only crossed paths in elected office a short period of time, I greatly appreciated his guidance, experience, and collaboration.

Fitz is a public servant through and through. Though he closes this chapter as Allegheny County Executive, the impact of his work for the Common Good will remain.

On behalf of the good people of Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District, I thank Fitz for his years of service.