Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an extraordinary milestone in the history of American reclamation, Western agriculture, and responsible local stewardship.

On June 30, 2026, the Quincy-Columbia Basin Irrigation District in Quincy, Washington, made its final construction repayment obligation associated with its portion of the Columbia Basin Project.

This is more than the closing of an account. It is the fulfillment of a promise made across generations.

The Columbia Basin Project is one of the great infrastructure achievements in the history of the American West.

At the center of the Project is the Grand Coulee Dam, one of America's most remarkable public works.

Through the Project's pumping plants, reservoirs, canals, laterals, and drains, water from the Columbia River is lifted, stored, delivered, reused, and put to beneficial use.

What was once arid ground today serves over 700,000 irrigated acres sustaining the production of potatoes, apples, wheat, corn, hay, grapes, livestock, and many other crops.

It also supports processors, equipment dealers, truck drivers, local banks, schools, small businesses, and rural communities whose futures are tied to the land.

Today, the Columbia Basin Project supports a diverse agricultural landscape that helps feed families across the country and around the world.

So we honor the Quincy-Columbia Basin Irrigation District, its irrigators, its landowners, its employees, and the generations of Central Washington families who made this achievement possible.

I congratulate the District on this historic accomplishment, and I took forward to the continued success of Central Washington agriculture for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to honor Moses Lake Police Officer Edgar Salazar for his public service and congratulate him on being named the 2026 Hometown Hero by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Washington.

This well-deserved award is in recognition of Officer Salazar's heroic actions at the Gorge Amphitheater Campground in 2023, when he put his life on the line and helped to prevent a mass shooting.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Officer Salazar for the remarkable courage he displayed that day in saving dozens of lives and for his continued service to the Moses Lake community. He represents the best in law enforcement and we are all grateful for his service.

Mr. Speaker, I hereby remove my name as cosponsor of

Mr. Speaker, I rise today along with my colleagues Representative Michael Baumgartner and Representative Kim Schrier to join many in the Pacific Northwest community and Indian country to honor Mel Tonasket, a leader and member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

Mel is retiring this week after more than 55 years of service to his tribe, community, and country.

After serving the Nation in the U.S. Navy, Mel worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs for eight years before being elected in 1970 to the Colville Business Council, the governing body of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Mel would continue to serve on the Colville Business Council as a representative of the district serving Omak, Washington, at

various times for the next 55 years, which concludes with his well- earned retirement.

Mel helped lead the Colville Tribes and Indian country during one of the most consequential periods in modern tribal history. He was pall of the generation of Native leaders who sought to reverse the federal policy of termination and fought to preserve the rights and future of tribal communities. That work helped protect the sovereignty of the Colville Tribes and contributed to a broader movement that reshaped federal Indian policy.

Mel's impact extended well beyond his reservation. From 1973 to 1976, he served for four years as President of the National Congress of American Indians, the largest and oldest national tribal organization in the United States. While President, he helped mobilize national support for landmark legislation, including the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, and the Indian Child Welfare Act. Between breaks serving on the Colville Business Council, Mel worked for the Indian Health Service and retired from federal service as the CEO of the Colville Service Unit, which provides healthcare to citizens of the Colville Tribes.

Over the course of his career, Mel served in numerous leadership roles and has represented Tribal governments in national and international forums. Through that leadership, he strengthened the voice of tribal nations at the national level and helped secure protections and opportunities that continue to benefit Native families and communities today.

It is my honor to join the Colville Tribes, the people of Washington State, and all those throughout Indian Country in congratulating Mel Tonasket on this remarkable milestone. We wish Mel the best of luck in his retirement and hope he can create more memories in this next stage of his life.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to honor the life and legacy of the esteemed elder, Davis Washines, known to many as ``Yellowash,'' of the Yakama Nation.

Washines was a Yakama citizen who took on many roles in his community. He served as police chief, was a fierce advocate for fishing rights and the environment, and was chairman of the Yakama Nation Council.

I had the honor of working with him throughout the years on issues, including Tribal rights and law enforcement,

water resource management, and the protection of cultural and natural resources in Central Washington State.

He will be sorely missed by the entire Yakama community, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, and all those who knew him.

My deepest condolences are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.

Madam Chair, I rise today in support of the fiscal year 2027 agricultural appropriations legislation as well as in support of farmers, ranchers, and producers across this Nation.

As a third-generation farmer myself in central Washington, I know firsthand the challenges facing farm country as they produce the food, the fuel, and the fiber for consumers both here and around the globe.

In this legislation we provide key support for international food aid, including the Food for Peace and the McGovern-Dole Food for Progress programs, helping to lift developing nations out of poverty while providing export markets for our farmers right here at home.

We continue critical investments in agricultural research, promotional efforts, loan programs for rural communities, and assistance for specialty crop producers.

This legislation also ensures that the Secretary of Agriculture remain a member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to prevent the Chinese Communist Party from purchasing our farmland, which is a matter of national security.

As we find ourselves nearly $40 trillion in debt, we must rein in spending. We must get our fiscal house in order, and we must ensure taxpayer dollars are spent as efficiently as possible.

Madam Chair, this bill does this. This is a good bill.

I thank Chairman Harris and Chairman Cole, as well as Mr. Bishop and Ms. DeLauro and the entire committee staff for their work on making this important piece of legislation as good as it gets.

Madam Chair, I urge all of my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the dedication and public service of Police Chief Ken Roske, who recently retired after nearly four decades with the Pasco Police Department.

Ken has served in multiple roles in the department and always with honor and distinction. For decades, Ken's fingerprints have been on efforts to ensure officers' needs are met and the public trust remains strong.

Some examples of his work include leading efforts to make Pasco accredited by both the State-level Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs and the international Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

He was also a driving force behind the department's adoption of equipping officers with body cameras, and he brought a regional police academy to Pasco, opening opportunity for people to serve who normally would not be able to do so.

I speak on behalf of the entire Pasco community in thanking Ken for his service, and I wish him the best going forward. I am fortunate and honored to be able to call him friend.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to talk on this very important bill.

As everybody who knows me knows, I am a huge fan of hydropower. The Pacific Northwest boasts some of the most abundant form of low-cost, carbon-free renewable baseload power in the country, and I want to see other parts of the country be able to enjoy the same kind of benefits that we do in the Pacific Northwest from hydropower.

That is why this legislation is so important. It will extend the deadline so that construction projects can commence because their licensing opportunities will be extended.

Our country needs this hydropower. We need all forms of power, but this, in particular, is something that will help us provide a critical role in meeting the growing demand that we see throughout our country.

As I said, this is baseload power. It is carbon-free. It is something that is important to everybody in the country to make sure that we are good stewards of our environment.

I appreciate the opportunity to be able to speak in favor of an option that we have in front of us that potentially could provide 2.5 gigawatts more power in the near future, which will go a long ways in meeting the important demands that we have in our electrical future.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate Julie and Juergen Grieb of Treveri Cellars for their recognition as ``influencers'' and ``trailblazers'' in Sip Magazine.

It all began in 2008 when Juergen first suspected that central Washington and Yakima Valley grapes might make a delicious sparkling wine.

Well, he put that theory to the test, and the wine was so good that when Julie tried it, she was blown away. That led them to working together to open Treveri Cellars, Washington's first sparkling winehouse.

Today, Treveri is a highly respected, multigenerational, family-owned business that produces over 50,000 cases of sparkling wine a year.

I congratulate Julie and Juergen again for this well-deserved outstanding recognition. Cheers to you both.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my outgoing communications director, Mr. Matt Reed.

Matt has been on my staff for 2\1/2\ years. During that time, he has been a crucial member of my team.

Matt has tremendous work ethic, an infectious sense of humor, and is a friend to everyone in the office. From late hours in the D.C. office to road trips throughout central Washington, Matt has been my megaphone across three Congresses, and we have enjoyed every minute of it.

As Matt departs from the House for, I am sorry to say, the upper Chamber, I am confident that he will succeed in his new role and that he will have a bright future ahead of him.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Cole for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, the fiscal year 2026 Homeland Security appropriations bill is the culmination of the hard work of our committee and our staff and provides critical investments to protect the American homeland.

As a member of the Subcommittee on Homeland Security, I know that this bill champions public safety and preparedness. It protects taxpayer dollars and refocuses the Department on its core functions.

With border encounters at a historic low, this legislation fully funds DHS and the effort to detain and remove violent, illegal immigrants from our communities.

In central Washington, we know firsthand the important work done by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This bill increases FEMA grant programs by 5 percent above their previous levels and restores critical staffing positions lost under the fiscal year 2025 continuing resolution. It also delivers funds directly to communities across the country, including my own Yakima County, to establish a dedicated emergency operation center and ensure timely and well-coordinated emergency response efforts.

The U.S. Coast Guard is fundamental in protecting our border and domestic security. This bill boosts funding for the Coast Guard and provides funding to counter China's footprint in the Indo-Pacific.

Lastly, as a member of the Select Committee on the CCP, the Chinese Communist Party, I am pleased to see this bill refocuses the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, or CISA, on its core cybersecurity mission and rightsizes the agency to preserve critical functions. This includes funding to counter threats from adversarial nations and ensure critical infrastructure systems are protected from these threats.

Mr. Speaker, this Homeland Security bill is the last piece in completing 12 fiscally responsible, bipartisan spending bills. It is a testament to--

It is a testament to the hard work of the committee and subcommittee leadership on both sides of the aisle and the dedicated staff that spent an untold amount of time to make this process work.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues on both sides to support this negotiated bill that provides the resources necessary to secure our borders, protect Americans here at home, and ensure we are being good stewards of taxpayer dollars.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate Mr. Moore doing this Special Order this evening. It is truly an honor and a privilege for me to join my colleagues in honoring the life and the legacy of our good friend, Doug LaMalfa.

Throughout my time in Congress, I worked hand in hand with Doug on the many issues that face the American West. He had a love for his work. He had an understanding as a fellow farmer in the value of the rural way of life, and he fought to protect all of those things.

When I stepped down as chairman of the Western Caucus, Doug was the clear choice to take the gavel. He was elected unanimously to lead the caucus into its next chapter. Truly, Congress and the people of California's First Congressional District have lost a true advocate for the issues that we all face.

Mr. Speaker, Doug was much more than a colleague. Doug was a dear friend. He had a kind soul and a sincere love for all of the people in his life, as you have heard this evening. While Doug may have towered over you, as you shook his big hand, you were never small in his eyes. He was humble, generous, a loyal friend, and liked by everyone he met.

I am going to miss Doug's big grin, as he always greeted me as Lieutenant Dan. Joan and I are going to truly miss Doug. We send our deepest condolences to his wife, Jill, and their four kids during this incredibly difficult time. I thank and ask all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join us in honoring the great work that Doug accomplished over the years.

May we preserve his legacy. May we be more like him, and may he rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in full support of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025.

For over 10 years, children in schools across our country have been deprived of the many benefits of whole milk, and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans has reported that nearly 90 percent of Americans do not meet their daily dairy intake recommendations.

This overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation brings common sense back to how we help the next generation stay healthy, putting vitamin D and calcium-rich whole milk in front of millions of children nationwide.

However, Mr. Speaker, children are not the only ones who stand to benefit from this legislation.

American dairy farmers produce and process some of the highest quality products in the world. With school milk accounting for more than 8 percent of fluid milk demand, this legislation allows our dairy farmers to have their products go right back into the communities from where they were produced.

I thank my colleagues in both Chambers on both sides of the aisle for helping put this nutritious, high quality whole milk back into our schools and also for bringing back common sense into how we keep Americans healthy.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote on Roll Call No. 313 and Roll Call No. 314. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 313 and YEA on Roll Call No. 314.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Cole for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, over 40 days after the Senate Democrats shut down the Federal Government, we are finally reopening. The result of the shutdown has been thousands of employee furloughs, major disruptions to our air travel, servicemembers going without pay, delayed food assistance for low-income individuals and families, and much, much more.

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, the responsibility of funding the Federal Government is one that I take very seriously, especially in light of our Nation's debt surpassing $38 trillion.

The performative tactics that we have watched over the last 7 weeks have truly been a disservice to Americans. My friends across the aisle should never have put leverage or politics over those people who they represent.

The most important thing right now is that we get back to work, making sure that the Federal Government can provide the essential services that people depend on and that Congress can continue working to pass full-year funding legislation, providing responsible Federal spending and funding those essential services.

Mr. Speaker, we are making significant progress with the inclusion of these three appropriations bills, but our work is far from over. I encourage all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this deal, vote to end this unnecessary shutdown, and help us get back to the business of hardworking Americans across this country.