Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight the ongoing, unprecedented disaster that is occurring at our southern border and underscore the need for immediate action.

In August, Customs and Border Patrol agents encountered 203,597 illegal immigrants at our southern border. That was an increase of 307 percent compared to the last August of the Trump administration.

This also put the U.S. at over 2 million encounters for fiscal year 2022. This is the first time ever that we have eclipsed 2 million in a single fiscal year, and we have about 1 month to go.

Despite all these facts, Vice President Harris said last week that the border is secure. If our so-called border czar thinks that this is secure, it is no wonder that we are continuing to see no viable options, and this problem continues to explode without a solution.

The Biden administration must take swift and immediate action at the southern border. We must restart the border wall construction, invest in proven technologies, empower Customs and Border Patrol agents to enforce the law, and hire more Customs and Border Patrol agents to support the men and women who are already giving us honorable service there.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Patricia Zajac of Utica, New York, who passed away earlier this year.

Patricia was born on February 1, 1947, and spent her entire life in Utica except for a brief period when she attended Golden West Community College in California. Upon her return to Utica, she worked as a nurse's aide at Faxton Hospital in Utica.

Affectionately known as the Mayor of Frances Street, Patricia was notably active in the Utica community. She was a graduate of the Utica Police Department's very first citizen's police academy, was a strong supporter of block associations, and was also active in local politics and projects that advocated for the betterment of her West Utica neighborhood. Patricia was also an active parishioner of Holy Trinity Church and a vital volunteer with the American Red Cross.

Patricia was also known for her efforts to care for homeless animals and pets and her strong support of our Nation's veterans. She was extremely proud of her daughter Mary's service in the United States Air Force.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Patricia so much for her lifetime of compassionate service to our wonderful community. Her memory will live on forever. I extend my sincerest condolences to friends, neighbors, and, of course, her loving family, whom she left behind.

Madam Speaker, my new district is actually where Susan B. Anthony, a pro-life woman Republican who got us our right to vote, actually was tried for voting. I am just happy and proud to represent that district.

We are elected Representatives. We should respect the Constitution and due process by debating these issues through regular order, getting the input from the people we represent, not the political partisans on one side or the other.

If we allow the majority to undermine constitutional safeguards for an imagined and fake emergency, they will create more imagined emergencies in the future to violate and undermine our constitutional principles and the right of the people to have a voice through representative government.

The law is clear. For years, the Supreme Court has consistently found that Americans continue to have access to many safe forms of contraceptives. Yet, we are here today, listening to another imagined emergency to try to repeal this right. The right to contraception is safe. This is not an emergency.

Justice Alito's majority decision in Dobbs versus Jackson was clear. The decision to return the issue of abortion to the States does not impact other issues like marriage or contraception as stated numerous times by Justice Alito in his opinion.

The real reason we are here today is because some of our colleagues would like to distract and scare the American people and score cheap political points rather than tackle the bread-and-butter issues affecting all Americans.

The majority won't admit that their radical spending and war on energy have driven inflation and gas prices to record levels.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and celebrate my good friend, former New Hartford Police Chief Michael Inserra, who retired at the end of June after an absolutely incredible career.

Michael has served our local communities in law enforcement over 40 years. Born and raised in my hometown of New Hartford, New York, Michael started out in 1982 with the Whitestown Police Department and quickly moved to the town of Kirkland Police Department. In 1988, Michael made his big move to the New Hartford Police Department to start a new career in law enforcement where he would serve for another 34 years.

Inserra was a sergeant in the department during one of the most challenging times in its history, during the line-of-duty death of Officer Joseph Corr. Inserra played a key role in apprehending the suspects and helping the department and community navigate the horrible tragedy and aftermath.

In 2010, Inserra was named chief of the New Hartford Police Department. Shortly after taking charge, the department made immediate changes, including modernizing its IT equipment, adding computers to all of their patrol cars, testing body cameras for their officers, and joining social media, which Inserra said helped strengthen the bond with the community.

To this day, Michael Inserra gives credit to the department for their continued success, commending them for professionalism and unwavering dedication to duty.

I thank Chief Inserra for his lifetime of service and commitment to the town of New Hartford. Our communities are grateful for his many years of service as is the New Hartford Police Department, which continues to thrive from his insight.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my amendment No. 860, which is a modified version of my bipartisan Stop the Chinese Communist Party Infrastructure Act.

There is a growing concern, and rightfully so, surrounding awards of costly and sensitive public works projects across the United States to companies affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, otherwise known as the CCP.

Bad actors have taken advantage of the availability of unaccountable Federal tax dollars. It is critical that Congress ensures that the Chinese Communist Party-linked entities do not receive these, or any other Federal funds for that matter, for primary or subcontracts to complete infrastructure projects in America or through the Department of Defense.

U.S. taxpayer-funded infrastructure projects should be held to a high standard of both quality and security. Public funds should not line the pockets of the Chinese Communist Party, which is engaged in a large- scale offensive against American national and industrial security or help fund the Chinese Government's continued human rights abuses.

While hardworking Americans struggle to make ends meet, Federal, State, and local governments have awarded major public works projects to the Chinese Communist Party-affiliated entities who have in turn produced lackluster results and cost the American people billions of dollars in the aftermath. The United States must do more to stand up to Communist China, while simultaneously bolstering our domestic construction and manufacturing industries.

This is why I submitted the Stop Chinese Communist Party Infrastructure Act as an amendment to this year's National Defense Authorization Act. This important legislation prohibits the Department of Defense from using Federal funds to enter, engage in, or award public works contracts in the United States to entities headquartered in China or affiliated with the Chinese Government or the Chinese Communist Party.

It is time for Congress to step up to the plate in support of American manufacturing and industry and against Communist China's gross human rights abuses and predatory trade practices.

Madam Speaker, I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this amendment.

Madam Speaker, I also rise today in support of other amendments introduced in this year's National Defense Authorization Act.

The first amendment requires an assessment of the previous U.N. arms embargo on Iran as well as a report on what steps the Departments of Defense and State are taking now in the absence of the U.N. arms embargo to constrain Iranian arms proliferation.

The second amendment requires a report on the activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps operatives abroad, including the ways in which the U.S. is working with other nations to counter the threat that they pose.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, and yet, the IRGC-affiliated officials continue to operate freely and openly in many foreign countries, often under the auspices of Iran's illegitimate diplomatic operations.

Even here in the U.S., the Iranian regime is reportedly continuing its efforts to plan and execute attacks against former senior government officials, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The time is now for the United States to increase cooperation with our partners and allies around the world to address and expose the full range of threats posed by Iranian operatives.

Finally, my last amendment requires a report on the threat of aerial drones and unmanned aircraft to U.S. military bases both here and abroad. Every U.S. military base and installation should be prepared to detect, disable, and disarm hostile or unidentified, unmanned aerial systems. Sadly, we know many are not.

My amendment will be a significant step forward to ensure that the Department of Defense has the resources it

needs to deploy unmanned traffic management, UTM systems, to protect our interests and personnel. The report is long overdue.

Madam Speaker, I strongly encourage my colleagues to support these amendments, and I thank the chairman and the ranking member for including these amendments.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and work of my dear friend, Mrs. Mary E. Wheeler of Yorkville, New York.

I came to know Mary in a role no one ever wishes to have, that of a Gold Star mother. Mary's son, Private First Class Joseph Keith Wheeler, a United States marine, was killed in combat on March 31, 1968, in Quang Tri Province in Vietnam, at just 18 years old.

Mary and her family were devastated by the loss of Joseph. But through Mary's pain, she found great purpose to support other Gold Star mothers and their families, as well as Active-Duty members, veterans, and their loved ones.

Mary was active until the day she passed in the American Gold Star Mothers Chapter 56 in Utica, New York. This led to Mary being national president of the American Gold Star Mothers from 1999 through 2000, meeting Gold Star mothers and families from across this Nation and interacting with political leaders of both parties in Washington for commonsense policy to support veterans and their families, especially those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, like her dear son, Joseph.

Mary was heavily involved in other veteran service organizations, such as The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Military Order of the Purple Heart Auxiliary, and countless other organizations in our community, including the Whitestown Senior Center and the Salvation Army, which she supported her entire life.

Mary was also dedicated to her family: her late husband, Charles; her children; grandchildren; and great-grandchildren. Mary's great- grandson, Shaun, and her great-granddaughter, Skylar, have a special place in my heart as Skylar's grandmother, Felicia, was my longtime administrative assistant for over 25 years. They all were a very important part of my life, and I considered them family. So I had another connection to Mary through her great-grandchildren.

Words cannot do justice to the many contributions by Mary throughout her

great life, the many lives she has touched, including the mothers and the families she supported. It was an honor and a privilege to get to know Mary, not only through the great work she has done, but to know what a genuine person and kind soul she was and a wonderful mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

Mary will be an inspiration to all of us for so many years to come, and her hard work and dedication will be felt by veterans and their families for generations not just in our community, but throughout the Nation for her great work and devotion to this cause.

My sincerest condolences to Mary's family and her friends, and everyone in our community for this difficult time in losing Mary, who was a wonderful, honored member of our community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize National Dairy Month, which we celebrate each June.

The dairy industry is a major force in our economy. It is the largest single segment of New York's agricultural industry. There are more than 3,500 dairy farms across New York. This month and every month, we celebrate their contributions to communities across America.

Many of the dairy farms in the 22nd District are family owned and operated. As they continue to recover from the disruptions of the pandemic, I will work tirelessly to support our local dairy farmers the same way they worked tirelessly to deliver for our communities and our Nation.

People of all ages, especially children, receive crucial nutrients to grow healthy and strong by drinking milk. That is why I have cosponsored bipartisan legislation like the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act to ensure that every child will have access to nutrition-rich milk in school cafeterias, just like the awesome chocolate milk that I got when I was growing up. As Elon Musk said, ``Chocolate milk is insanely good.''

As we celebrate National Dairy Month, we appreciate the dairy farmers who both drive our local economies and ensure our communities are healthy. Let's put milk, whole milk, and chocolate milk back in our schools.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Hern of Oklahoma and the Republican Study Committee's Budget Task Force for their diligent work in putting together this year's Republican Study Committee budget. Thank God we have a budget. This important document lays out a road map to restore fiscal sanity in America.

We are in a dire fiscal state. We here in Congress know it, and the American people, more importantly, know it as well. President Biden and Speaker Pelosi's reckless spending has led to 40-year high inflation, proving once again that we simply cannot spend our way to prosperity.

Our national debt has grown by $7 trillion since the COVID pandemic began. Today, it totals more than $30 trillion.

I have a wonderful constituent who puts the debt amount on his building every single day on a main thoroughfare, a guy named Frank Suits, who is a great American. He puts it out there just so the people know how much we are spending and how this isn't making us prosperous, especially in New York.

This is larger than our gross domestic product. In the face of this sobering reality, what does President Biden propose? Spending even more. His proposed budget increases spending by over 66 percent over 10 years and calls for $73 trillion--with a t--in new spending. Under President Biden's plan, the United States will reach the highest sustained spending limit in our Nation's history.

This is not how we jump-start an economy, control runaway inflation, and deliver for the American people. The budget proposed by the Republican Study Committee takes a different approach. It focuses on reining in wasteful spending, balancing our budget for once, and helping those in need while living within our means and focusing on balancing the budget within 7 years.

The Republican Study Committee budget also includes a bill I introduced, the Transparency and COVID-19 Expenditures Act. This important legislation would require a full audit of and report on Federal spending during the pandemic. With countless reports of fraud, waste, and abuse, Americans have a right to know how their tax dollars are being spent, how they were spent, and if they were spent the way they were intended.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored that this bill is included in the Republican Study Committee budget, further demonstrating the Republican Study Committee's commitment to transparency, accountability, fiscal responsibility, and just plain good governance.

Inflation in the United States continues to outpace much of the developed world. It is clear to me and to the American people that this isn't Putin's price hike. It is Biden's price hike.

Rather than doubling down on failed policies of the past and spending even more of your money, our money, it is time for Congress to turn around this ship, restore fiscal sanity to Washington, and put our Nation back on a path to economic prosperity.

Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to Congressman Hern for his leadership and especially his leadership on energy. What a lot of people don't realize about New York State is we have among the richest shale reserves, the Marcellus and Utica Shale, that we can't touch because of New York's failed policies.

We could bring economic prosperity. We could bring national security, energy security, to our Nation just from New York State and really just bring our State around. That is something that we are fighting in New York.

We hope with your leadership out in Oklahoma and across this Nation, working with the Republican Study Committee members, which I am so proud to be part of this great group, that we finally have a budget. We are putting out a plan. We are telling the American people that we have a plan, and we have a plan to win. We will make sure that the American people come back and that America sees the greatness it once had.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Hern for doing these Special Orders, for highlighting this plan, for taking a leading role. We are grateful, and we certainly could use a dose of prosperity in upstate New York.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the participants of this year's Congressional Art Competition in New York's 22nd Congressional District.

Each year, dozens of high school students from across the 22nd District submit pieces of art that they have spent countless hours and put tremendous effort into perfecting; although every work of art is abandoned, it is never perfect.

Last year's winner, Gavin Schiavi from New Hartford, submitted a beautiful piece done completely with colored pencil, and our judges were thoroughly impressed with the attention to detail and the amazing work done by Gavin.

This year, we made a few additions to the competition. During the last week of April, we held two community art shows where the students' artwork was on display for the public. Over 100 people attended these viewings, voting on two pieces as their favorite; those from Gianna Yacobucci of New Hartford, and Salwa Nadeem of Vestal.

Following these events, our independent judges voted on the winners. The first-place winner was Nadja Wall, with her painting ``The Aquarium.'' In second was Anita Grant from New Hartford; third, Olivia Muse from Vestal; and fourth, Emily Carlson from Holland Patent. Our judges agreed this is one of the best years we have seen in terms of competition and the quality of work submitted.

I thank all of the teachers and students for their work, and the parents as well, for their support of these remarkable students and their fantastic work.

I look forward to viewing everyone's work from all Members of Congress in the hallways of Congress.

Madam Speaker, since the onset of the pandemic, Congress has passed several COVID-19 relief bills totaling an unprecedented $5.3 trillion. While some of this spending was unwise, other programs, like the Paycheck Protection Program, provided much-needed relief to employers and businesses devastated by the pandemic.

One particular area of concern is the COVID-19 Economic Industry Disaster Loan program, otherwise known as EIDL. This program, unlike other relief programs, was direct lending by the SBA, the Small Business Administration. This means the agency did not partner with our local banks and credit unions and, instead, approved and administered these loans directly.

Since the COVID-19 EIDL funding passed, we have learned of countless cases of fraud, waste, and abuse. The Federal Government is simply not set up to be a direct lender.

This is one reason I introduced the House version of the Transparency in COVID-19 Expenditures Act, which would require an audit of all Federal COVID-19 relief spending. There is obviously room for improvement in providing additional oversight and returning fraudulently awarded funds back to the taxpayers.

In response, Ranking Member Luetkemeyer has done great work introducing the COVID-19 Economic Industry Disaster Loans Fraud Statute of Limitations Act of 2022 that will help fix part of the shortcomings by expanding the statute of limitations for EIDL loans and fraud from 6 to 10 years, the same as bank fraud. This will give officials a greater window to track down fraudulent activity and hold bad actors accountable.

No one should be wrongly profiting from the need to distribute aid during this pandemic. The American taxpayers deserve better, and I applaud

the ranking member's efforts on this. I urge all my colleagues to support this.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to partner with the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Houlahan) to introduce the bipartisan Women-Owned Small Business Program Transparency Act. In 2014 and 2019, the Government Accountability Office found that the Women- Owned Small Business program has several oversight deficiencies and needs to release more in-depth performance metrics to ensure it addresses the needs of women-owned small businesses and the taxpayer.

This legislation today addresses these concerns, requiring the Small Business Administration to annually disclose the total number of businesses that are certified as women-owned by the SBA, the number certified by third-party certifiers, and fees charged by third-party certifiers, the dollar amount and percent of contracts to women-owned small businesses, and the information on contracts incorrectly awarded.

For over two decades, the Women-Owned Small Business program has set aside at least 5 percent Federal contracting dollars for certified women-owned small businesses. This plays a small, but important, part of ensuring that the Federal Government does not leave our Nation's small businesses behind and that we continue to have a robust and competitive contractor ecosystem to pull from.

In New York's 22nd Congressional District, small businesses make up 94 percent of all employers, and I have witnessed firsthand the tremendous impact of women-owned small businesses. In fact, my own family business is a women-owned business. Whether it is Curcio Printing in the Southern Tier or AeroMed Technologies in Utica, our communities and, yes, our taxpayers benefit when women-owned businesses thrive.

With these additional metrics available to policymakers, it will pave the way for future improvements to the Women-Owned Small Business program. Only through full transparency can we ensure that this program works effectively and efficiently for small businesses and for taxpayers.

I thank, again, my partner and colleague, the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Houlahan), for cosponsoring this great piece of bipartisan legislation, and I urge my colleagues to join us in supporting this.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of National Autism Awareness Month, which we honor in April each year.

Madam Speaker, 1 in 44 children in the United States are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder has increased 16.3 percent since the year 2000, making it even more important to expand research and provide adequate resources for people who are on the spectrum. By increasing awareness, we can support the more than 5.4 million individuals in America living with autism spectrum disorder.

Our early childcare programs, especially in schools, must have the knowledge, resources, and ability to provide assistance to those living with autism. Early diagnosis and treatment can make all the difference.

I will take a moment to recognize my dear friend, Vincent McLaughlin, of Saugerties, New York, who truly is an inspiration to me and to all of us who are standing there trying to help the cause of autism awareness.

Vincent is an active and dedicated member of his community with full- time employment and doing volunteer work for the fire department and numerous other not-for-profit agencies in his community. He constantly strives for increased awareness for autism through his selfless service and tenacious advocacy.

Vincent is a shining example of how effective and beneficial early treatment and community empowerment can be for people with autism spectrum disorder.

It is a privilege today to acknowledge April as Autism Awareness Month. May all Americans living with autism receive the tools, resources, and support necessary to live fulfilling lives. Autism should never be a barrier preventing Americans from achieving success or pursuing happiness.

Good luck to all of them, and especially my dear friend, Vincent McLaughlin. Thank you so much for keeping me aware and for inspiring all of us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6441, the Women's Business Centers Improvement Act, legislation that I am honored to lead with my colleague, Representative Sharice Davids.

Female entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses play a critical role in our Nation's economy. As a longtime small business owner myself, and the owner of a woman-owned business, I understand the challenges women- owned small businesses face, especially in rural communities.

The Women's Business Center program at the Small Business Administration has been helping women overcome obstacles and build thriving businesses for over 30 years. With more than 150 locations across the Nation, the Women's Business Center program provides over 150,000 female small business owners annually with resources

and guidance, helping them to identify opportunities for growth.

The bipartisan Women's Business Centers Improvement Act will strengthen the Women's Business Center program, increase authorized funding, and enact commonsense taxpayer protections and oversight provisions to safeguard public dollars and ensure that the program efficiently serves the American people.

Additionally, the bill will expand the cap on grants made available under this program, which will better support our women entrepreneurs. These improvements will help the Women's Business Centers program run efficiently and expand into more communities, like those underserved communities particularly in my district and Ms. Davids' district and all across New York and our Nation.

I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan women-owned small businesses bill and vote ``yes'' on H.R. 6441.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize seven amazing students from the Camden Central School District Track and Field team, who recently traveled to Mayfield, Kentucky, during their February break to help residents after a devastating tornado ripped through the State 2 months ago.

Led by Coach Phil Lucason, seven members of the team volunteered their time: Lizzy Lucason, Will Carver, Ryan Beaulac, Joe Doran, Nate Hurd, Ivy Murphy, and Dillon Melchoire. Incidentally, Dillon made a special stop at the University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky on the way back to sign a letter of intent to run track for them next year. But these students worked in a large distribution center helping hundreds of residents per day, who were seeking food and other household supplies.

The students also spent time working alongside contractors who were rebuilding the many buildings devastated by the storm.

Their tireless efforts on behalf of those whom they had never met is a beautiful example of selfless service.

The 22nd District is so incredibly honored to have these excellent students representing us and showing just how willing our community is to help people in their greatest time of need. I thank them for their tremendous service to our community.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor for me to represent New York's 22nd Congressional District, which is home to generations of Burmese refugees, dating back to the first family arriving in the early 2000s, and where nearly 5,000 Burmese refugees reside.

On February 1 of last year, Burma's military seized power in a violent coup, ending 5 years of flawed, but promising, democracy, dragging Burma back into a brutal military rule.

Over the last year, the world has watched in horror as the military targeted innocent Burmese men, women, and children. The latest estimates indicate that over 1,700 people have been murdered and more than 13,000 arrested by the junta.

In the face of this violence and repression, the resilience of the people of Burma is no less than inspiring. The legislation we are considering today is an important step forward in standing with the people of Burma and holding their perpetrators accountable.

The BURMA Act will impose mandatory sanctions on the military regime, as well as entities that continue to support it.

While the White House has begun to take steps to reimpose the sanctions regime that the former Democratic administration prematurely lifted, it is time that the Burmese military is again sanctioned as a matter of law, especially now that the United States

has finally recognized that their crimes against the Rohingya amount to genocide.

Now, more than ever, I urge all to remain committed to the people of Burma's quest for democracy, for peace, and freedom, and to oppose this affront to human dignity.

I thank Chairman Meeks and Congressman Chabot for championing this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support this measure.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, America stands as free people against dictators and despots. It is part of our values, and it is an important signal to the world that the United States stands firm against autocrats, whether in Burma or Russia.

Last Friday, China's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, showed the world how true this is. He met with his counterpart from the Burmese junta regime and said that the Chinese Communist Party would back the Tatmadaw ``no matter how the situation changes.''

We are at a critical point in history. Authoritarian regimes like China are partnering with their autocratic allies around the world to make the globe less free; to undermine human dignity and individual freedom; and to oppress those who stand up and have the courage to speak out as the Burmese people have. It is sickening, and it is one more reason why this legislation is so timely.

It is critical that America stands united in supporting the people of Burma and championing their fundamental human rights in the face of military oppression. I will continue to be a voice for this community as we fight to oppose this affront to the people of Burma's dignity and freedom and quest for peace.

I, once again, urge my colleagues to support this measure. I yield back the balance of my time.