Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and remember Joel Orgill, a friend of mine and a great west Tennessean who passed away this week at the age of 80.

Joe was a lifelong Memphian who inspired so many with his business prowess, his strong faith, and, most importantly, his kindness and commitment to giving back to his community. Through the years, Joe was always very nice to me and offered great advice and counsel.

Like most Memphians, I knew Joe as an astute businessman who started in the family business as a salesman and worked his way up to president and chairman of the board. Joe played a major role in growing Orgill, Inc., the company as it is known today, into one of the largest hardware distributors of its kind in the entire world and the longest running business in Memphis history.

Joe Orgill was a real titan in the hardware industry. Besides leading one of the major privately held companies in the Memphis area, Joe was a real people person. He had the rare ability to connect and to interact with people of all types and, more importantly, treated everyone the same way.

But much more importantly, Joe was a philanthropist who always gave back to his community. Joe Orgill dedicated an incredible amount of his time and resources to charitable organizations throughout the Midsouth: the United Way, Meals on Wheels, Church Health Center, Rhodes College, the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, and many more.

I mentioned Meals on Wheels. Joe took great pleasure in stopping whatever he was doing, whatever meetings, to personally deliver these meals to those most needy. To me, that really personifies Joe Orgill.

But most importantly, Joe enjoyed spending time with his family.

Roberta and I send our condolences to Joe's wife, Irene, as well as his four daughters--Adele, Irene, Anne, and Kate--and to the entire family.

While we mourn the loss of Joe, I know that his spirit lives on in his wonderful family and in the Memphis community, and I have no doubt that Joe Orgill's legacy will inspire generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Financial Institutions Examination Fairness and Reform Act. I also want to thank Representative Tipton for bringing this fine legislation.

In the Financial Services Committee, we often focus on relieving the regulatory burdens our smaller financial institutions face. While larger banks have the bandwidth, if you will, to comply with various regulations, our smaller financial institutions have their hands tied with onerous regulations and high compliance costs. Too often, this strains the ability for our smaller banks and credit unions to loan money to people who rely on them for capital.

The legislation that we are discussing today creates more transparency and certainty for community banks and credit unions undergoing each regulators' examination process. Currently, each of the four regulators has its own appeals process. As we know, each regulator has their own rules about what decisions can or cannot be repealed.

In many instances, this exam process can take months and is conducted secretively, often leaving the institution in the dark about the possible violations. If an unfavorable determination results from the exam, the financial institution is then forced to limit its ability to open new branches or from offering certain financial products.

Folks in every community across the country rely on these financial institutions to access credit, grow a business, purchase a new car, or pay for an unexpected expense. This important legislation restores some of the transparency to the examination process and prevents regulators from being the cop, the judge, and the jury.

In addition, this legislation will restore accountability on the part of the regulators to review their own decisions, and to do so in a timely fashion to limit the impact to our community financial institutions.

As we all can agree, our community banks and credit unions are best equipped to work with communities in which they serve.

This legislation provides a system of checks and balances by establishing clear standards to ensure the consistency and transparency of all examinations.

I want to thank Chairman Hensarling and the Financial Services Committee for their hard work. I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the National Strategy for Combating the Financing of Transnational Criminal Organizations Act.

On February 9 of 2017, last year, President Trump issued an executive order directing the Federal Government to combat international drug trafficking. Now, before I go any further, I want to take note that this executive order was issued in the third week of the Trump administration. This early action gives us an idea of how seriously we must take this issue. The executive order recognizes that illegal drugs are pouring into our country and they are threatening American safety, primarily at the hands of cartels and other transnational criminal organizations.

These criminal organizations are responsible, in large part, for the rising opioid epidemic sweeping across our Nation. Take my district of west Tennessee, where we continue to see a rise in the deaths caused by opioid overdoses. From heroin to fentanyl, and the more potent synthetic opioid known as carfentanil, we must continue to use every available resource to prevent the further destruction of our communities. We have got to say enough is enough.

The important legislation that we are discussing today will create a plan to track illicit money channels and cut them off at the source. Specifically, it directs the United States Treasury Department to develop a national strategy aimed at disrupting these financial crimes. The Treasury Department will work hand in hand with the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, the State Department, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to produce a yearly report outlining a strategy and detailing ways that the United States Government can continue to prevent these financial crimes.

For far too long, these criminal organizations have used illicit business ventures to further finance their activities, which range from money laundering and cybercrime to the trafficking of drugs, human trafficking, weapons trafficking, and trafficking in endangered species.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that these cartel and transnational criminal organizations generate nearly $870 billion a year. This money is used to directly threaten the security and the prosperity of the United States of America and other countries in the Western Hemisphere. Our legislation is a critical step in disrupting this illicit finance and putting an end to the needless crimes committed by cartels.

As we have seen, these organizations have evolved in a continued effort to evade law enforcement. Therefore, in an effort to stay one step ahead of these bad actors, we have also got to evolve. These transnational organizations have developed interstate networks to and from the border in which drugs come up from Central America and the cash returns back to the country of origin. We simply cannot stand idly by as these activities continue. We must keep money out of the hands of those who intend to cause harm to our Nation.

I think this legislation does exactly that. I greatly appreciate the hard work done by my colleagues from the Financial Services Committee on this very important legislation. I urge all my colleagues to support its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I am here today to speak on behalf of west Tennesseeans and the millions of Americans who are being hurt by the Schumer shutdown.

Let me be clear from the very start: this shutdown rests solely on the shoulders of Senate Democrats. Just like me, they were elected to Congress to solve problems and, instead, they are playing political games and putting American lives at stake.

The Democrats chose to shut down the government over something that we have plenty of time to discuss. Meanwhile, they are damaging critical programs that protect American citizens. Let's think about what is at stake: 9 million children rely on the Children's Health Insurance Program--9 million innocent children; 2 million servicemembers are currently going unpaid; 100,000 National Guardsmen have been sent home; pilot training has stopped; half of the civilian employees at the Department of Defense have been sent home.

Right now, our Nation is less safe because Democrats are putting non- U.S. citizens over U.S. citizens. It is simply un-American. It is shameful and it is reckless. This Schumer shutdown is an embarrassment to the Democrats.

On Thursday, House Republicans did their jobs. Let's work together and get our jobs done. Let's open this government back up and fulfill our promises to the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4712, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which was introduced by Representative Marsha Blackburn.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade. Unfortunately, with this decision, we have seen the number of abortions occurring in the United States growing each year. According to Planned Parenthood's 2016-2017 annual report, abortions make up 96 percent of the organization's pregnancy resolution services, whereas prenatal services dropped significantly.

Additionally, Planned Parenthood has performed more than 1.6 million abortions over the past 5 years. Now, more than ever, it is crucial that we celebrate the sanctity of life by encouraging and supporting pro-life legislation. The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which I am a proud cosponsor of, affirmatively states that if a baby is born after a failed abortion attempt, doctors must exercise the same degree of medical care on that child as a baby born on any other day.

If doctors refuse to do so, they will be held criminally accountable for their actions. As a proud west Tennessean, I believe we must give a voice to the unborn and preserve the life and health of all children.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great west Tennesseean and a dear friend of mine, District Attorney General Phil Bivens.

After more than 25 remarkable years, Phil Bivens is retiring from his post as district attorney general of Tennessee's 29th judicial district, which covers both Dyer and Lake Counties.

Since 1992, Phil Bivens has been the consistent voice of law and order in his community. District Attorney General Bivens is a lifelong resident of Dyer County and a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin and the University of Memphis School of Law.

Throughout his career as a prosecutor, District Attorney General Bivens has handled some incredibly important cases and has earned a reputation for being fair, honest, and by the book.

In 2016, District Attorney General Bivens was elected to the executive committee for the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference. Serving in this respected leadership role, he has advised the Tennessee General Assembly on issues related to the criminal justice system.

When I was the United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, I also served Dyer and Lake Counties, so we worked together very closely. We worked together to tackle dangerous crimes and drug crimes. Most recently, District Attorney General Bivens has been instrumental in combating the growing opioid crisis that is hurting west Tennessee and certainly the entire country. During our time together, I saw firsthand District Attorney General Bivens' strong work ethic and dedication to making west Tennessee a safer place. He is a true public servant.

In addition to being known as a prosecutor, he is also the voice of the Dyersburg High School football team. District Attorney General Bivens spends Friday nights calling some of the most thrilling high school football games in the Nation.

In summary, District Attorney General Bivens is a real west Tennessee legend. While he may soon no longer be our district attorney general, I know that he will never stop working to make his community a better place, just as he has his entire life. I will always be grateful for the time that we worked together.

I wish Phil Bivens; his wife, Barbara; and their whole family the best as they begin their next exciting chapter.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1730, the Protecting Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act of 2017. I introduced this bipartisan bill with the support of my friend, Representative Derek Kilmer of Washington State. Our legislation is essential in safeguarding religious institutions of all kinds from atrocious threats and acts of violence.

Earlier this year, we saw a disturbing rise in bomb threats at Jewish community centers, churches, and other religious institutions across the country. Our communities were in distress as cemeteries were vandalized because of their religious affiliation.

This kind of hate crime is simply unacceptable. After all, religious tolerance is the bedrock on which this great Nation was founded.

According to a report by the Anti-Defamation League, the number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States increased dramatically, by 86 percent, in the first 3 months of 2017. We can attribute this year's increase to 155 vandalism incidents, including three cemetery desecrations and 161 hoax bomb threats against religious community centers. This is a dramatic increase of 127 percent over the same quarter in 2016.

On November 13, 2017, the FBI released its 2016 annual Hate Crime Statistics Act data documents. The study found that more than 100 hate crimes occurred at churches in the United States in 2016 alone.

Unfortunately, hate crimes motivated by religious affiliations accounted for 1,538 total offenses and 1,273 incidents that were reported by law enforcement.

Hate crimes do not just hurt one person. They cause great distress to our families, communities, and society as a

whole. In my own home State of Tennessee, we, sadly, experienced multiple bomb threats at a local Jewish community center. These events shook the entire community.

In addition to the fear inflicted upon these institutions after a threat, there are tangible ramifications for the centers. Many community centers and places of worship are forced to temporarily close their doors as a result of these threats.

Families who rely on the center's services, such as Bible study and early childhood education programs, have been forced to choose between their faith community and their safety. Here, in the United States of America, people should not have to make that choice. Our Nation was founded on the idea of religious freedom, and our commitment to religious freedom must remain unshakable. It is time we say enough is enough. Religious intolerance has no place in this country.

The Protecting Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act of 2017 would ensure that individuals who make credible threats of violence against religious community centers and places of worship can be prosecuted for committing a hate crime under Federal law.

This bipartisan bill strengthens Federal criminal statutes to prevent threats while preserving our First Amendment rights. It is our moral imperative to protect the right of all Americans to worship freely and without fear, a right that is sewn into our Nation's very fabric. We must strongly condemn any acts of hate against people and all institutions of faith.

I thank Representative Kilmer for his hard work on this legislation. I am proud of this bipartisan effort that we have led. I also thank all of the cosponsors of this bill and Chairman Goodlatte for his leadership on the Judiciary Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this very important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act of 2017, legislation of which I am proud to be an original cosponsor.

In west Tennessee, where I am from, and in other rural areas across the country, there is no doubt that manufactured housing is a critical and affordable option for many families. In fact, more than 8\1/2\ million families--that is roughly 22 million Americans--have chosen this option because of the affordability and the value. Where I am from, one out of ten west Tennesseans has chosen manufactured housing as the best option to make their home.

For this reason, our legislation is essential to protecting consumer choices and financing options for those seeking to buy a manufactured home, while also leaving in place important consumer protections.

In fact, close to 60 percent of new manufactured homes sell for less than $70,000, and are usually available at lower monthly payments than what it

costs to rent. Manufactured homes are offered as a fixed rate, fixed term option.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support this commonsense, bipartisan legislation, which will allow many Americans seeking the American Dream of owning a home to continue to have access to affordable manufactured housing.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Veterans Day, which is Saturday, November 11. On this Veterans Day, I know all Tennesseans join me in honoring the brave men and women who have served in our Armed Forces.

There is no greater sacrifice than to lay your life on the line for your family, friends, neighbors, and country. We must remember the great debt that we owe our veterans and members of the armed services who fight to maintain our freedom.

To all those who have lost loved ones to war, we join you in honoring their remarkable service. Their courage is what makes the United States of America the greatest nation on Earth.

Our veterans have sacrificed so much on our behalf, so it is our duty to ensure that their sacrifice ends when they come back home. I promise to always fight to protect our veterans and active servicemembers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Save Local Business Act, legislation that will protect our small business operations and end harmful and excessive government overreach.

For 30 years, small businesses operated successfully under a joint employer policy that was fair, stable, and crystal clear. Unfortunately, in 2015, the National Labor Relations Board, under the previous administration, decided to insert itself and overcomplicate the important employer-employee relationship. The unelected bureaucrats at the NLRB stifled small businesses when they decided to step in and blur the lines of responsibility.

Sadly, our working families were impacted when the NLRB decided to empower labor union special interests. The last thing our independent businessowners need is more government red tape that will prevent them from reaching their full potential.

The NLRB's expanded joint employer scheme discourages large companies from doing business with our smaller local companies. The effects are incredibly far-reaching. The expanded joint employer rule harms countless industries across the country, particularly small franchisees, construction companies, and service providers.

For example, ServiceMaster, a global company with more than 33,000 employees, has chosen to locate its headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee. A great deal of my constituents work for ServiceMaster Franchise Service Group, and the NLRB rule change has put their job security in jeopardy.

We have all heard concerns from our constituents, and now we can do something to get government off our backs. We must look out for hardworking Americans and roll back these oppressive job-killing rules. I am pleased that the Save Local Business Act will undo this unreasonable regulatory burden, and I thank Congressman Byrne for his leadership in this effort.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Zeldin for his leadership on this very important issue.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud the President's decision to decertify the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or what is known as the Iran deal.

This deeply-flawed Iran deal has failed to prevent the Iranian regime from ballistic missile testing and overall hostility that threatens American national security interests. Quite frankly, this was a bad idea from day one.

Most recently, on September 23, 2017, Iran test-fired a new long- range missile that could carry multiple warheads, and is the country's third test of a missile with a range of approximately 1,240 miles.

An Iranian news agency further stated how this missile ``adds to Israel's misery and will be their nightmare.''

As we have seen, Iran continues to be the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, and the IRGC has known connections to Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

Over these past few years, we have seen these terrorist proxy groups carry out attacks on American troops and innocent Israeli civilians. In addition, Iran has gained access to over $100 billion in previously frozen assets, enabling the money to be funneled to various terrorist organizations.

From the frequent ballistic missile tests to supporting terrorism and funding proxies, such as Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, Iran has escalated its aggressive behavior since the deal was signed just 2 years ago.

Ultimately, this deal temporarily pushes back Iran's ability to build up its nuclear infrastructure and does not cease the Iranian regime's ambition to become nuclear after 15 years. The bad deal, therefore, ushers Iran into a nuclear club, where it can continue to test uranium pathways and pursue illicit nuclear materials, unbeknownst to the IAEA.

President Obama entered that poorly crafted agreement using unilateral executive authority, quite frankly, circumventing the consent of Congress and disregarding the will of the American people. As we have seen, this was clearly a bad deal from day one. It does not stop Iran's path to obtaining a nuclear weapon, but, rather, paves it.

As we work in Congress to implement further sanctions against the Iranian regime, we must work toward a strategy that protects our allies in the Middle East and effectively prevents Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. We must remain vigilant against those who wish to inflict harm on America, and stand united with our allies around the world.

Mr. Speaker, again, I thank Congressman Zeldin for his leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a very good friend of mine, Lewis Donelson of Memphis, Tennessee.

This October, ``Lewie,'' as most call him, is turning 100 years old, and I cannot be more proud to celebrate with him.

Lewie is a brilliant lawyer who has practiced law for almost 70 years. He founded one of our Nation's largest law firms with Senator Howard Baker, now called Baker Donelson. But Lewie's impact extends far beyond his legal accomplishments.

Lewie was one of the founders of the Shelby Republican Party, and he was instrumental in building the party throughout the entire State of Tennessee. In 1968, Lewie helped establish the very first Memphis City Council at the height of the civil rights movement and played a significant role in resolving the sanitation strike led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He led the charge for peaceful integration and legal equality in Memphis.

Lewie served as Tennessee's commissioner of finance for then-Governor Lamar Alexander. He was chairman of the Board of The Med in Memphis and served on the board of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, also in Memphis. Amazingly, through all of this, Lewie taught his Sunday school class at Idlewild Presbyterian for more than 60 years.

Lewie is a visionary and a leader. He is bold and not afraid to do the right thing. Roberta and I are so glad to call Lewie our friend, and we cannot wait to celebrate his 100 remarkable years.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the en bloc package, which includes my amendment to increase funds to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas by $10 million.

After many grave conversations with law enforcement throughout my district, it is crystal clear that this drug scourge is one of the top concerns right now, if not the top concern.

Mr. Chairman, I know my colleagues are having similar discussions in their districts, so they understand just how serious the issue is becoming for the American people. Our drug task force in the Eighth Congressional District of Tennessee desperately needs these funds, as we have seen a spike in trafficking of narcotics across Interstate 40 in west Tennessee.

The spread of illegal drugs in west Tennessee and across the Nation leads to higher crime rates, which means our local, State, and Federal law enforcement are being stretched incredibly thin. But we must also think of the resources needed to battle the drug addiction epidemics, such as the opioid crisis. We should be proactive now because prevention is the best long-term solution.

Our law enforcement are working tirelessly, but they simply do not have the proper resources to effectively combat drug trafficking. We must do more to support our law enforcement in this fight, and I believe that increasing funds to the HIDTA program is a really good first step.

No doubt, officers at the local, State, and Federal level have expressed support for this amendment, and I urge my colleagues to support these en bloc amendments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.J. Res. 111, which uses the Congressional Review Act to disapprove and nullify the rule issued by the CFPB on July 10, 2017.

Time and time again, we have seen the CFPB abuse their power and authority to unilaterally issue rules without seeking any input from Congress.

Since its establishment, the CFPB has displayed complete disregard for due process, as it has issued enforcement actions against companies that are unjustly accused of wrongdoing.

Frankly, the CFPB's recent antiarbitration rule is no different. This rule would change the ability for consumers to resolve disputes with financial services companies through arbitration, which has consistently provided consumers with expedient, efficient, and less costly resolutions.

In short, making consumers pay more for less is the exact opposite of consumer protection, and is the reason we need to reject this harmful rule.

I applaud the work of Chairman Hensarling and the other members of this committee on this work to hold the CFPB accountable.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R.

10, the Financial CHOICE Act. For 7 years now, Dodd-Frank has stalled our economic growth. While community banks and credit unions did not cause the recession, they have carried most of the burden following the crisis.

These smaller financial institutions are the lifeline of local businesses, farmers, entrepreneurs, and anyone striving for true financial independence. The Financial CHOICE Act will bring relief from onerous rules and regulations that have hamstrung the ability to loan and to borrow money.

Once businesses can access more capital, they will be able to grow, hire more employees, contribute more to their communities.

I want to thank Chairman Hensarling and this committee for working tirelessly to bring the American people the relief that they need.

Mr. Chair, I urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation.