Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, let me be blunt: there is a crisis at our southern border. You have heard about it from my Republican colleagues and I over the past few days. Just this year, more than 200,000 people have illegally crossed our border, including four known terrorists.

We must do something to stop this disturbing trend. The U.S. is a country of law and order. We must continue working to reform our broken immigration laws and enhance our border security.

That is exactly what this legislation will do. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act is a truly bipartisan bill, negotiated over many months by agriculture and labor representatives alike, to ensure those who wish to can come to our country, abide by our laws and contribute to our farms, ranches, and local communities.

The bill creates an employment- and merit-based program for foreign workers to legally work in agriculture, eliminating incentives for illegal migration and strengthening both our national security and our national food supply chain.

This legislation streamlines our H-2A guest worker program, giving employers more flexibility and allowing access for year-round agriculture sectors like dairy and horticulture.

Finally, the bill phases in E-Verify. So, once these laws are in place, we can enforce them and ensure that workers maintain a legal work status.

Madam Speaker, I come from one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, where many of our crops are labor intensive. As much as producers would prefer to hire American workers to work in their fields, in their orchards, and in their dairies, there simply isn't enough interest among domestic workers to get these jobs done.

For decades, Congress has attempted to pass comprehensive immigration reform to address our agricultural workforce, but we have been unsuccessful. This bill is the targeted, bipartisan solution our farmers and ranchers need.

I want to thank Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Diaz-Balart, Mr. Simpson, Mr. LaMalfa, and many others. I urge my colleagues to support this bill so we can get it to the President's desk for America's agricultural industry.

Mr. Speaker, over the past year, we have witnessed unacceptable acts of violence across our country. We have watched lives and livelihoods being destroyed.

Even now, after one of the most challenging years Americans have faced in recent history, the violence continues. In just the past few days, in both Portland and Seattle, rioters smashed the doors and windows of local small businesses, violently assaulted police officers, and firebombed the local courthouse.

In January, I called on my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to take a stand against political violence. But rather than condemning these appalling acts, politicians and the media continue to turn a blind eye. They ignore, downplay, and even defend these despicable and violent actions. It is inexcusable.

When we see this violence, we must condemn it for what it is: domestic terror.

Mr. Speaker, I stand firm against all acts of violence, and I continue to call on this body to do the same.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the career of John Schieche, Superintendent of the East Valley School District, who is retiring after 43 years of shaping the next generation of Central Washington students.

As a farmer, it is my duty to highlight the fact that John was first exposed to teaching during his days managing a 1,500-acre wheat farm. It was not uncommon for John to hire high school students as farmhands during the summer months and teach them how to operate heavy machinery. This experience made for an easy transition into teaching as an auto mechanics and shop teacher.

Over the years, John excelled in all areas of education, most recently, he was awared the 2018 Crystal Apple Award for his dedication to advancing school communications.

John started his journey to becoming superintendent in the early 1990's after being hired by the Yakima School District to serve as Director of the Yakima Valley Technical Skills Center.

During his time in that leadership role, John was also pursuing his credentials to become a

superintendent from my alma mater, Washington State University. Go Cougs.

John was hired to serve as East Valley's superintendent in 2002, and during his tenure, three of the district's schools have been recognized by the state as distinguished schools for their teaching and learning methods.

I wish him all the best as he makes his transition into retirement and returns to farm life. I thank John for everything he has done for our districts' students, and from one lifelong farmer to another, try not to work too hard.

Madam Speaker, today, I rise to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Moses Lake Baptist Church and to sincerely thank them for their contributions to the Moses Lake community.

Madam Speaker, central Washingtonians are people of deep and sincere faith. We know firsthand that churches and faith-based organizations like the Moses Lake Baptist Church are fundamental to the well-being and very fiber of our local communities.

From performing acts of service, to ensuring the spiritual and emotional health of their congregants, particularly during the challenging times of the past year, Moses Lake Baptist Church goes above and beyond to deliver the Word of God to individuals

and families throughout central Washington.

Madam Speaker, I have personally experienced the kindness and prayers of the leadership, including Pastor Dennis Fountain and the congregation at the church. I know firsthand how they spread the message of love through God's teachings.

Madam Speaker, as we celebrate 10 years of faithful service, I extend my congratulations to Moses Lake Baptist Church and wish them many more decades of blessing our community.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman).

Mr. Speaker, this morning, I joined my Congressional Western Caucus colleagues, Representatives Chris Stewart and Yvette Herrell, to hear from community leaders in their States about the severe funding shortfalls they are now facing due to President Biden's moratorium on oil and gas leases on Federal lands.

We heard from county commissioners and education officials, including one who shared--in tears--the heartbreaking stories of students experiencing mental health challenges, who have attempted suicide due to the challenges facing our Nation's students. The last thing these communities need is to face budgetary deficiencies that threaten the support systems within our public schools. Yet, this legislation before us will contribute to those very budget shortfalls.

By further preventing responsible energy and resource production on Federal lands, we are harming our Nation's energy industry, but we are also harming our workers by destroying their jobs. We are harming our students by cutting their public school funding. We are harming our communities by slashing their State and local budget.

Mr. Speaker, you see, we are siloing off the effects of the pandemic from the actions and consequences of the Federal government regulatory mandates. The combinations of COVID-19, the Biden ban on Federal leasing, and now this massive land-grab legislation is simply going to devastate rural communities in the West.

Mr. Speaker, these consequences don't take place in a silo. They take a toll.

I can list many other concerning consequences--from harming our energy independence, restricting public access to our public lands, to increasing the poor health of our Nation's forest. But more than anything, I hope my colleagues will pause to think of the human impacts these actions will have on our neighbors, our fellow Americans, and the toll it will take after one of the most challenging years in our lifetimes.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include any extraneous material on the topic of my Special Order.

Madam Speaker, in the first days of his administration, President Biden has taken a record-breaking number of executive actions and he has signed more executive orders than any President in recent history.

I am very proud this evening to be joined by some of my colleagues from the Congressional Western Caucus. As a group, we represent constituents across the country who have been negatively impacted by these actions of President Biden.

On his very first day in office, the President signed an executive order to

revoke the Presidential permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. This innovative, first-of-its-kind energy project has been in the works for years with local communities, numerous States, and even our neighbor to the north, Canada, investing heavily in its creation.

Also, on day one, President Biden directed his Acting Secretary of the Interior to issue a 60-day moratorium on new oil and gas leases on Federal lands. And then if that weren't enough, to complete the one-two punch, a week later, he extended that moratorium indefinitely.

Madam Speaker, I am confident my colleagues will echo this sentiment: It is unconscionable that President Biden would, during a global pandemic, eliminate thousands of jobs and prevent the creation of thousands more with one flick of his pen.

As you will hear from my colleagues, this action was thoughtless and devastating to the hundreds of communities and the millions of Americans who rely on the oil and gas industry, from labor unions, local small businesses, to rural school districts, conservationists, people all over the country.

His long-term goals may very well be well-intentioned, but, Madam Speaker, right now, in communities across the country, jobs, revenue, and investment are lost. They have just disappeared.

Madam Speaker, what does President Biden propose to do in the meantime? This truly can be described as an attack on American energy and American workers.

Over the last 4 years during the Trump administration, the United States has made huge strides toward energy independence, becoming the largest net exporter of energy in the world.

President Biden's actions will unilaterally undo this progress. It will threaten our energy security and leave thousands of hardworking American men and women without a job. President Biden has acted without any input or meaningful debate from the Members of this Congress who represent the people who are most affected by his orders.

Madam Speaker, tonight, we are here to make our voices and their voices heard. I am proud to be joined, as I said, with many of the outstanding members of the Congressional Western Caucus, and we have a lot of them who have a lot of great things to say.

My first guest is a new member of our executive committee. He comes from the State of Minnesota, where at least 50,000 jobs are supported by mining in his home State, a tremendous amount of economic activity.

So I am very pleased to yield to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber).

Thank you, Congressman Stauber, in helping to put a human face onto the issue that we are speaking about. The real cost to American citizens, the loss of jobs cannot be understated and the impact to our communities and to families across this country. So thank you very much.

Madam Speaker, a lot of States will be impacted. The whole country will be. I am going to turn to someone from the great State of Texas, but you probably know this already: This ban from President Biden will eliminate 2 million jobs in the oil and gas industry in Texas alone--in one State.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin), from the Houston area, representing, I think, probably the epicenter of petroleum refining in this country, another fine Member of our Western Caucus.

Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Babin. I thank him for explaining to us and helping us understand the pipeline industry and what that does for our country, how it improves safety, and, certainly, our care for the environment as well.

Madam Speaker, I next turn to one to our newest Members--new to our caucus, but also to the House of Representatives--a young lady from the State of New Mexico. Yvette Herrell is doing just a great job in the short time that she has been here with us.

And let me just tell you a little bit about New Mexico. If you want an example of a State that is reliant on this industry, oil and gas, you have to look no farther than New Mexico.

You can correct me if I am wrong, but at least 134,000 jobs are supported by that industry. And I know it is a huge part of your State's economy.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Herrell).

Congresswoman Herrell, thank you very much for being with us.

Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Herrell. I appreciate her helping us understand the impact on the State of New Mexico, not just jobs but schools as well--$1 billion cost to the school districts of your State. I just can't imagine the long-term, detrimental impacts that that will bring.

Speaking of that, I turn to another gentleman from the State of Texas, someone I got to know very well on the Committee on Rules. Michael Burgess represents his district in Texas, and similar to what we just heard from New Mexico, I believe Texas school districts also, through property taxes on oil and gas production, on pipelines, on gas utilities receive at least $1 billion a year as well.

Dr. Burgess, thank you so much for being here this evening and helping us tell the American people the real impact of these decisions.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess).

Madam Speaker, I think you are starting to get the message that it is clear: This is going to impact every citizen of this country. These wrongheaded decisions are impacting our way of life, our cost of living in so many different ways.

I don't know what the next speaker is going to talk about for sure, but I will make a guess that Bruce Westerman, who is our new ranking member of the Committee on Natural Resources, hailing from the State of Arkansas, may talk about a tree. I am not sure about that, but certainly, the natural resource impacts here are going to be real, and I always say people may not understand that. But we passed a huge bill last Congress--I am sure you remember the Land and Water Conservation Fund--which was part of a bigger piece of legislation. Well, guess where a lot of that money comes from to make that happen? It is from oil and gas leases. And I think the great State of Arkansas is set to get a lot of money in 2021 from that fund. And this is going to have an impact there.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman), and thank him not only for his partnership and his activity and work on the Western Caucus, but also on the Committee on Natural Resources.

Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Westerman. I appreciate that very much, and I thank him for getting in that word ``tree.'' I appreciate that very much and for really helping us understand the true impacts not only to our economy but to our environment of these kinds of decisions.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Tiffany), another W State, which we have to stick together, a strong member of the Congressional Western Caucus. He comes from a State that also is set to receive a tremendous amount of funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which, again, is financed through oil and gas leases.

Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Tiffany for participating this evening, and I appreciate him being here.

Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Tiffany. Well- spoken. The economy, jobs, the environment, schools, national security, the impacts of these decisions are far and wide across this country.

One of the great things about a citizen legislative body is that we are made up of individuals from all walks of life, and I am very proud that we have, on the Western Caucus, a new member to the caucus and also a new member of our executive committee, but also someone whose family is one of these people who we are talking about whose jobs will be impacted by these decisions.

Madam Speaker, I am anxious to hear from our new Member from Colorado, and I thank her very much for being a part of this discussion, coming from a State that has tens of thousands of jobs that rely on this industry.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Boebert).

Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Boebert. I appreciate her strong voice on behalf of not only the people she represents, but people all over the country. I thank her for those very valuable comments.

Madam Speaker, as you can already tell, we have a very strong class of new Members this year. I would like to turn to another who comes from the State of Utah, a State that I don't think is the highest with Federal land ownership, but pretty darn close. Sixty-three percent, I understand, of the land in

Blake Moore's State is under Federal ownership.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore). I know he has a great perspective on this issue, and I am very anxious to welcome him and give him the floor so that he can share with us his thoughts.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate that very much.

Continuing a theme of our strong freshman class, I turn to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Mann). This is kind of news to me. I didn't realize that Kansas is such a major producer of energy. I think of Kansas as wheat and corn, but energy is an important part of the economy. I don't think a lot of Americans understand truly the impact of these decisions in other States. I thank Congressman Mann for participating tonight.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Mann).

Madam Speaker, I appreciate Congressman Mann's involvement in the Western Caucus.

The voices we have are strong, and we will continue to speak loudly and clearly about the impact of some of these decisions.

Madam Speaker, you probably have guessed that the State of Texas has been impacted tremendously by these decisions. I am very pleased to have a gentleman from the State of Texas. Congressman Chip Roy is someone whom I have come to know and respect for his clearheaded thinking on so many different issues, and I know he can speak firsthand about the oil and gas industry and the impact to our economy.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy).

Madam Speaker, I appreciate Mr. Roy's strong voice and leadership on the Republican Conference. I appreciate very much his being part of this evening's discussion. Words couldn't be truer.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank you for your attention and listening to the message that we have.

Let me ask you a question: Could you imagine if former President Trump had signed an executive order during the middle of this pandemic to unilaterally kill thousands of jobs?

What would you say would happen?

It would be a national outrage.

Well, President Biden's reckless executive actions are a national outrage. As you have heard, Americans in rural communities across the country--in fact, in urban areas, too--will suffer because of this ban.

The Western Caucus advocates for responsible land and resource management. I can assure you that we will continue to be a strong voice for rural America. We will do everything in our power to fight for their livelihoods in the face of these devastating decisions by President Biden. So we--I, tonight, call on President Biden to please revoke and reverse these actions.

I appreciate your attention, Madam Speaker, and the opportunity to express our views on this very important issue, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for yielding me the time.

Madam Speaker, this is a sad day in our Republic, but not as sad or disheartening as the violence we witnessed in the Capitol last Wednesday.

We are all responsible. My colleagues are responsible for not condemning rioters this past year, like those who barricaded the doors of the Seattle Police Department and attempted to murder the officers inside. Others, including myself, are responsible for not speaking out sooner, before the President misinformed and inflamed a violent mob who tore down the American flag and brutally beat Capitol Police officers.

Madam Speaker, we must all do better. These Articles of Impeachment are flawed, but I will not use process as an excuse. There is no excuse for President Trump's actions.

The President took an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Last week, there was a domestic threat at the door of the Capitol, and he did nothing to stop it.

That is why, with a heavy heart and clear resolve, I will vote ``yes'' on these Articles of Impeachment.

Madam Speaker, the Democrats' proposed changes to the House rules will disenfranchise rural America, plain and simple.

In addition to throwing out budget rules to make way for socialist packages like the Green New Deal, Democrats are gutting the motion to recommit, which is an important tool for the minority to make substantive amendments to legislation.

Past Republican motions to recommit have included things such as restoring funding for critical rural broadband programs or allowing for effective wildfire mitigation and increased funding for hazardous fuel reduction in our Nation's forests, also, an MTR to protect our farmers and agricultural employers from being sued out of businesses.

Eliminating this opportunity to amend legislation further diminishes the voices of rural communities, and, frankly, Madam Speaker, it is a slap in the face to rural Americans. It is clear Speaker Pelosi's Democratic majority, albeit a heck of a lot slimmer than it once was, is threatened by our reinvigorated Republican Conference.

Rural Americans deserve better.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Colorado for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, fixing our broken immigration system has been a top priority of mine while I have been in Congress. Today, we in the House have an opportunity to address one small piece of our broken system, but a very important one.

I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the Fairness for High- Skilled Immigrants Act. This bipartisan legislation takes an important step toward ensuring the United States can continue to recruit and maintain the highest caliber of educated professionals in the world.

Mr. Speaker, as you have heard, under current law, the quota of employment-based immigrants for a country like Iceland with a population of 338,000 people is the same as the quota for India, which has a population of more than 1.3 billion people.

Eliminating arbitrary per-country caps and addressing the employment- based green card backlog from highly populated countries will allow high-skilled professionals, many of whom are already living and working in the United States on a temporary visa, to continue contributing more fully to our local communities and economies.

It will also provide certainty to the employers and communities that rely upon these highly skilled workers.

Mr. Speaker, in my district, many of these high-skilled professionals are world-class medical scientists, including oncologists and cardiologists. I have heard from and met with many of these professionals, just like Mr. Buck from Colorado has, throughout my State in central Washington.

Dr. Obulareddy and her husband, Dr. Chithiri, came to the United States in 2006 to study medicine. Dr. Obulareddy is now a specialist in oncology serving my constituents in Yakima and surrounding communities. She states, ``We always wanted to give something back to this great country, and hence, we decided to move to rural America, which is experiencing an acute shortage of physicians for a long time now. This shortage is more severe for specialist physicians like me.''

She and her husband, and many like them, also dream of opening businesses to create more American jobs, but their temporary status does not allow them to do so.

Dr. Obulareddy and Dr. Chithiri are from India and have been told the backlogged wait time for them to obtain their green cards is--now, get this, Mr. Speaker--between 70 and 150 years. This demonstrates just how seriously flawed the current program is and why we need this legislative fix.

We should continue to recruit and retain these highly educated, highly trained individuals in order to meet the demands of our local communities and economies.

The need for rural healthcare specialists is a problem across my district and across rural America, which is why I am grateful for these professionals who are helping address these problems facing our local communities.

Mr. Speaker, as I continue to work toward addressing other components of our broken immigration system, I am proud that this bill takes a step in the right direction, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole) for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table H.R. 3401, with the Senate amendment thereto, and concur in the Senate amendment. This bipartisan bill passed the Senate with 84 votes and could be sent to the President's desk for his signature today.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak on a crisis that affects communities across our Nation. That crisis is that of missing and murdered indigenous women.

Native American and Alaska Native women throughout the country face a murder rate 10 times that of the national average, with 84 percent experiencing some kind of violence in their lifetime.

In my home State of Washington, Native Americans make up about 2 percent of the population, but a recent report by the Washington State Patrol shows that indigenous women account for 7 percent of the State's reported missing women.

My congressional district in Central Washington sits at the epicenter of this crisis. In the past 5 years alone, seven women have been murdered or have gone missing on or near the Yakama Nation reservation.

These women are not just statistics in a database. They are mothers, daughters, sisters, neighbors, and friends. There are those who are missing, like 25-year-old Alillia Minthorn, or Lala as her friends called her, who was last seen in Toppenish and has been missing since May 5; 31-year-old Rosenda Strong, who was last seen in Wapato on October 2 of last year; 34-year-old Freda Gun, who went missing in Kennewick in 2016; and 18- year-old Rosalita Longee, who was last seen in Wapato in 2015.

Then there are the unsolved murders, including 23-year-old Linda Dave, whose remains were found in Toppenish in February of 2017; 31- year-old Minnie Andy, who was assaulted by an unknown assailant in Wapato, and later died of her injuries in July of 2017; and 23-year-old Destiny Lloyd, who was reported missing on Christmas Day 2017, only to be found days later, murdered, on the side of the road.

To reiterate, Madam Speaker, these are just seven cases from the last 5 years. There are currently 71 open cases like this in Washington State; 31 of them occurring on or near the Yakama Nation reservation.

The local community has been working to tackle this crisis. Tribal and community leaders have held multiple rallies and community forums to raise awareness and demand action.

The diligent reporting of the Yakima Herald-Republic has highlighted the community response and activism on the ground, creating an online hub to list open cases involving missing and murdered Yakama Nation women and providing resources for the community to report disappearances.

Recently passed State laws, spearheaded by State Representative Gina Mosbrucker in Olympia, have enhanced data collection and improved communication between Tribal leaders and various State agencies.

I absolutely applaud these efforts, and I am inspired by the progress being made at the local and State level; however, this is a national problem that requires a national response. That is why I, along with my colleagues, Representatives Torres and Haaland, introduced Savanna's Act.

Our legislation aims to address and bring awareness to the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women at the Federal level by improving coordination between Federal, State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies. The bill would develop guidelines and best practices for Tribes and law enforcement agencies across the country to enhance the reporting and recordkeeping of crimes against indigenous women and improve communication between law enforcement and families of victims.

Now, this bill may sound familiar. Last Congress, the Senate unanimously passed a version of Savanna's Act that stalled in the House. Representatives Torres, Haaland, and I worked with Tribes, advocacy groups, law enforcement, and Senators Murkowski and Cortez Masto to improve the legislation and introduce a bill that can--and should--be signed into law.

The bill is named in honor of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a 22-year- old member of the Spirit Lake Tribe, pregnant with her first child, who was murdered in August of 2017. Her murder

brought long-overdue national attention to missing and murdered indigenous women.

After meeting with local families of victims, State and local law enforcement, and regional Tribes, it has become clear to me that central Washington has a unique perspective on this crisis.

The stories about these women are heartbreaking. It is with these stories and mine that I have urged both House Judiciary and Natural Resources Committees to hold a field hearing on the Yakama Nation reservation to learn firsthand how this crisis is plaguing our communities.

I am pleased to have gained the support of local Tribes and the YWCA in Yakima in calling for a field hearing, and I am eager to have committee members hear their stories as well.

Thankfully, justice was served upon Savanna's murderers. We owe the same justice for the many murdered, missing, indigenous women.

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to speak on my bipartisan amendment to prevent any funding in this Interior appropriations bill from being used to close or transfer the operation of U.S. Forest Service Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers.

Fortunately, Mr. Chairman, after overwhelming concern expressed by a broad coalition of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and on both sides of the Capitol, I am pleased to report that the Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, has listened to our concerns and informed us that the proposal to end the CCC program will be withdrawn.

Over the past several weeks, I have helped lead this coalition to tell the important story of our Civilian Conservation Centers and the value they provide in supporting rural communities and maintaining our public lands, actively managing our Nation's forests, and helping restore communities harmed by catastrophic wildfires.

I would like to thank Secretary Perdue for listening to the concerns of central Washington communities and for preserving the unique and important role these centers play in rural communities.

I look forward to working in partnership with the CCCs; the U.S. Forest Service; and our many local, regional, and Federal partners in strengthening

these programs so they can continue to efficiently and effectively support the U.S. Forest Service motto of: Caring for the Land and Serving People.

Mr. Chairman, I intend to withdraw my amendment, but I will continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I thank my good friend and colleague from Maine, Ms. Pingree, as well as my good friend and colleague from Oregon, Mr. Schrader, for their comments.

In the weeks since this proposal had been announced to close the Forest Service Job Corps CCCs, I know my colleagues have, and I also have, received dozens of personal accounts and testimonials from men and women across my district whose lives were profoundly impacted for the better by the CCC program. I will quote a couple of those comments, Mr. Chair.

The first one: ``Job Corps saved my life.''

``The 10 months I spent at Fort Simcoe were the most beneficial months of my life.''

Another person said of the program: The CCC ``didn't just change my life but saved my life.''

``I am so grateful for Columbia Basin Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center. . . . If they hadn't accepted me, I would be in a different, much worse phase of my life.''

Mr. Chair, I would, again, like to thank the Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Perdue, for hearing the strong support expressed by my colleagues and myself on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service Job Corps CCC program.

Mr. Chair, I respectfully withdraw the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, as the designee of the gentlewoman from Texas, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the amendment that I introduced with my friend from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) to prevent Federal funds from being used to close or transfer the operations of the U.S. Forest Service Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers.

Mr. Chair, I am a strong supporter of this administration's demonstrated commitment to rural prosperity for communities often ignored or forgotten across this country. Their focus on promoting policies to protect rural communities is so important to regions of the country like my own district of central Washington.

Unfortunately, the recent proposal to close many Forest Service Job Corps facilities and remove the Forest Service-based mission from the remaining centers will hurt rural America.

It is for this reason that I have been working with a bipartisan coalition of Members from across the country, both in the House and in the Senate, to prevent this proposal from moving forward.

The three centers in central and eastern Washington are critical to supporting our rural communities, which are on the front lines of facing ever-worsening impacts of catastrophic wildfires.

I have met the students who aid active management efforts in our Nation's forests and help restore communities devastated by wildfires. The public service they provide is worthy of our support.

Mr. Chair, I include in the Record letters from the National Association of Home Builders to Speaker Pelosi and Leader McCarthy.

National Association of

Home Builders,

Washington, DC, June 12, 2019.

Hon. Nancy Pelosi,

Speaker, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Speaker Pelosi: On behalf of the more than 140,000

members of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB),

I write in support of Amendment #13 (#95 for Division A,

sponsored by Representatives DeFazio, Newhouse, Schrader, and

Gianforte) to H.R. 2740, the Fiscal Year 2020 Labor, Health

and Human Services, Education, Legislative Branch, Defense,

State, Foreign Operations, and Energy and Water Development

Appropriations Act. This bipartisan measure would prohibit

funds appropriated for Job Corps from being applied towards

the closure of any of the 25 Job Corps Civilian Conservation

Centers currently operating.

The recent termination of the Department of Agriculture's

training partnership with Job Corps and subsequent

announcement by the Department of Labor (DOL) of nine center

closures is deeply concerning to NAHB and its workforce

development arm, the Home Builders Institute (HBI), which has

trained and placed thousands of students for careers in

residential construction through its 45-year partnership with

Job Corps. HBI Job Corps programs are offered at 65 centers

across the country, and have equipped at-risk youth with the

skills and experience they need for successful careers

through pre-

apprenticeship training, job placement services, mentoring,

certification programs, textbooks and curricula.

DOL's planned Job Corps center closures stand to impact

more than 43 construction training programs, six of which are

operated by HBI at three of the affected locations. Many of

these centers serve rural and dislocated communities and have

enrollment numbers exceeding national and regional averages.

However, the Department of Labor has not disclosed any

performance metrics or data to support its closure

determinations and it has provided little information on how

it will continue to serve the thousands of at-risk youth who

will be displaced from their local centers. Further, DOL has

not informed contracted training partners like HBI whether

their successfully operating programs--and their

administering staff--will be relocated or simply terminated

along with the centers they have served.

At a time of endemic labor shortages in the industry and a

record-setting 404,000 open construction positions,

eliminating in-demand workforce training programs could prove

catastrophic for the labor market, the underserved youth that

have benefited from the opportunity to learn a skilled trade,

and the communities and businesses that turn to Job Corps for

their workforce needs.

NAHB encourages Congress and the Department of Labor to

work together to address outstanding stakeholder questions

about the proposed closures and urges DOL to offer a plan

that ensures minimal disruption to affected Job Corps

partners and students. In the interim, we ask Representatives

to support Amendment #13 to prevent a hasty shuttering of any

Job Corps centers.

Sincerely,

James W. Tobin III.

Mr. Chair, the National Association of Home Builders accurately states that ``the Department of Labor has not disclosed any performance metrics or data to support its closure determinations, and it has provided little information on how it will continue to serve the thousands of at-risk youth who will be displaced from their local centers.''

In fact, Mr. Chair, many of the facilities slated to be closed, six out of the nine, like the Fort Simcoe facility in my own district, are some of the highest-performing centers in the country.

This simply makes no sense.

I thank Mr. Schrader and Mr. DeFazio, my colleagues from Oregon, as well as my colleague from Montana (Mr. Gianforte), for their leadership on this issue, as well as the dozens of bipartisan Members who have been working alongside Mr. DeFazio and myself to stop this proposal from moving forward.

I urge my colleagues to support our amendment.

Mr. Chair, I yield to the gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. Rodgers), my colleague from just east of me.

Mr. Chair, I would like to, again, urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart, as the city of Kennewick and the greater Tri-Cities community mourns the loss of Councilman and former Mayor Steve Young.

Steve held the distinction as the second longest-serving mayor in the long history of the city of Kennewick, serving the people for nearly a decade in that role. But his service went far beyond those years.

Outside of his continued service as a councilman, Steve's footprint stretched far and wide, across not only the city of Kennewick and the Tri-Cities but the entire State of Washington.

His vision, his advocacy, and his passion for serving the community will continue on through the many contributions he provided for the Tri-Cities.

The long list of community organizations, nonprofits, and local and State boards on which Steve served rightly demonstrate just how passionate he was about serving his community.

My deepest condolences go out to Steve's wife, Anita. My thoughts and prayers go out to her and the entire Young family.

May my friend rest in peace. We will miss him.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Arizona for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the rule that is before us today. As Democrats in the House bring forward legislation in the name of supporting the environment and climate, I would like to talk a little bit about the process.

My good friend Chairman McGovern and the Democratic majority of the House Rules Committee received a total of 91 amendments submitted for consideration on the legislation that we have before us, and as you just heard from Mr. Cole, of the 45 Democratic amendments, more than half were made in order, 26 of those; but of the 44 Republican amendments submitted for consideration, only 3--let me repeat that--3 of those were made in order.

Myself, I offered 2 of those 44 amendments. They were noncontroversial. They were ruled germane to the legislation before us by the House Parliamentarian, and all they did, simply, was recognize the clean, renewable benefits of hydropower and the clean emissions- free benefits of nuclear power, but Chairman McGovern and his committee refused to allow this recognition.

So we have got to ask ourselves, Madam Speaker:

Why? Why, if we are supposedly here to debate policy affecting our environment and our climate, why would they not want to discuss the clean energy that comes from hydroelectric dams like those in my district along the Columbia and Snake Rivers?

Why would they not want to discuss the emissions-free energy produced by nuclear power plants like the Columbia Generating Station in my district in central Washington.

It is because the efforts put forward by Democrats in the House, be it the flawed Paris agreement legislation that is before us or the radical Green New Deal proposal--which, I might add, has no mention of hydropower and actually calls for the end of nuclear power in our Nation--have nothing to do with science and everything to do with politics.

The majority party, the Democrats, with these proposals, is more focused on pushing a mandated top-down system that will inevitably do nothing to help our environment.

What we should be doing, and what my Republican colleagues continue to advocate for, is focusing on the free market approach spurred by collaboration and innovation between our national laboratories, research universities, Federal partners, and the private sector.

Madam Speaker, I would say to my friend Mr. McGovern that, when Republicans were in the majority, we made a conscientious effort on the Rules Committee to provide equitable treatment of amendments offered to legislation. With the process before us today, it is disappointing to see the chairman not following in that good faith effort, and I would urge a ``no'' vote.