Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, our country has been and continues to be the greatest force for good known to mankind. The men and women of our military have played a central role in this virtuous effort. There was no greater time of difficulty and challenge that tested this notion more than during World War II.

H.R. 6118 provides a way to honor the major contributions made by our cities during World War II by granting the Secretary of the Interior the ability to designate one city each year as a World War II heritage city, provided that city meets the criteria for recognition outlined in the legislation.

As many from the Greatest Generation know, World War II required a nationwide effort to assist with the many components of war production. Yet, there are many all across this great land who do not know that cities from across the Nation stepped up in a major way to assist with defense manufacturing and the production of food, clothing, and other necessary goods.

No one can attest to these efforts better than Captain Wilbur D. Jones of Wilmington, North Carolina. Captain Jones is retired from the U.S. Navy, a distinguished author, an active veteran, and a war historian who has worked to preserve our States' World War II history for the past two decades.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Captain Jones for his hard work and steadfast dedication to this cause. Without his leadership, the idea, introduction, and passage of this bill never would have come to fruition.

This legislation will provide every city that contributed to the many heroic World War II efforts an incentive to preserve that history, a great and noble undertaking so that all citizens will have a better understanding of our history and even more pride in our great heritage.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and the ranking member of the committee for their help with and accommodation of this bill. I would also like to thank our State Legislature for their very active support and endorsement, the Wilmington City Council, and Mayor Bill Saffo. I also should mention the great work of Senator Burr and Senator Tillis on the other side of the Capitol for their help in getting this legislation passed so that, hopefully, it will be signed into law by the President in the next couple of weeks.

Mr. Speaker, as everyone knows, southeastern North Carolina has experienced one of the most devastating hurricanes to hit our State in recent memory.

The eye of Hurricane Florence made landfall in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, and then proceeded to slow walk down the coast before turning inland, resulting in historic flooding, massive power outages, and devastating destruction to homes, businesses, and farms. Sadly, this storm has taken the lives of at least 35 North Carolinians to date.

What has transpired in my district is truly heartbreaking. But in the face of diversity, we have come together stronger than ever.

I want to make special mention and thank all the first responders; linemen; emergency, military, and medical personnel; as well as the elected officials at all levels, local business leaders, the news media, and all the countless numbers of citizens who are volunteering to help our communities by opening their hearts and wallets to those who need it.

I also thank President Trump and his administration for their rapid response and commitment to helping all those who have been affected. Working together, we will build our communities back stronger than ever, make no mistake about it.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman here, the ranking member, and so many others who have worked so hard on this legislation, which, I might add, could not be more timely for the State of North Carolina.

I want to thank our leadership team in the House and so many who have worked with me and the North Carolina delegation to include the disaster relief funding specific to Hurricane Florence. This is a critical first step of additional support from this body and Congress as a whole, and I also want to commend my colleagues Senator Burr and Senator Tillis on the other side of the Capitol for all their great work to get us to this point today as well.

Mr. Chairman, North Carolina's Seventh Congressional District is fortunate to have some of the most beautiful beaches and waterways in the United States, which are major contributors to our State's vibrant tourism industry, attracting more than 50 million visitors a year and generating more than $22.9 billion in revenue. This Water Resources and Development Act is critical to strengthening our country's infrastructure projects, all of which are so critical to the Nation's economy.

In the district I represent, Carolina Beach's Coastal Storm Damage Reduction project reached the end of its 50-year authorization in 2014. While the Army Corps of Engineers works to complete their study to determine future authorization of this project, this bill provides for continued authorization in the interim and long-term certainty of nourishment should the Corps study be favorable and funding available.

Our ports, beaches, inlets, and waterways are the lifeline of economic activity and job growth for our coastal communities, and they are incredibly important for the Nation as a whole.

I thank Chairman Shuster, Ranking Member DeFazio and the rest of my colleagues on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for putting forth a strong bill that addresses the unique coastal needs of North Carolina's Seventh District and makes great improvements to current law enabling critical projects to move forward while saving taxpayer dollars in multiple ways. A job well done.

I urge everyone's support.

Mr. Chairman, North Carolina's Seventh Congressional District is fortunate to have more than 63,000 veterans call it home.

Unfortunately, many of these brave heroes encounter a variety of problems that require congressional action, whether through casework or legislation, as is the case with my amendment tonight.

Recently, a veteran battling Parkinson's disease contacted my office in a desperate attempt to modify the beneficiary for his survivor benefits plan. In this particular case, the veteran is fighting for his life, and because one currently can only make changes during open season, he is unable to change the beneficiary of his plan. My amendment will provide flexibility, via waiver, to veterans such as this gentleman who desire to change beneficiaries.

I appreciate my colleagues' support for this amendment so that terminally ill veterans are given the ability to update their survivor benefit plan as they wish, when they wish.

Mr. Chairman, America's farm families have had to weather a 5-year recession with depressed prices resulting in a 52-percent drop in net farm income. Two-thirds of our farming operations today are in economic trouble, and chapter 12 bankruptcies have risen by 33 percent in just 2 years. So it is no secret that our Nation's farmers and ranchers are struggling.

I hear all this talk during the past month about a free market, how everything would be so much better without farm programs. ``We want a complete, total free market,'' they say. From an intellectual and philosophical standpoint, I would love that. We all would. But here is the problem: that isn't the real world.

There is no free market when you have countries all around the world subsidizing their agriculture production to the hilt. For example, Communist China agreed to a subsidy limit as part of their accession to the WTO in 2001. But what do they do? They exceed that subsidy limit by $100 billion on just three crops alone in 1 year. That is no free market.

Farm programs account for 0.24 percent of the total Federal budget, and in return, every individual and family in this country is guaranteed an abundant, affordable food supply, and the very best nutritious food at an exceptionally affordable price. That is, quite frankly, a huge return on a relatively small investment, not to mention what agriculture means to our rural economies and our trade balance with the rest of the world.

American agriculture is more than just being the best producers in the business and feeding the world. It is about food security and national security. Once a farm is gone, it isn't coming back. It is not like your local hardware store that goes out of business; it is not like that space isn't going to be replaced by another business; it will. Farms, on the other hand, are replaced by developments taking some of our very best farmland out of production.

Mr. Chairman, we have lost 44 million acres of farmland during the past 30 years.

Mr. Chairman, passage of this farm bill is absolutely critical to the livelihood and success of our farm families and food supply. I encourage and hope that every one of us will vote for this bill.

This farm bill strengthens the farm safety net while making other vital improvements to current law that will benefit our farm families, rural communities, and animal agriculture sector--such as the establishment of a new U.S.-only vaccine bank to prevent Foot-and-Mouth disease, authorizing $1.1 billion to provide broadband service to harder-to-serve rural areas, and providing the Secretary of Agriculture with tools necessary to help combat the ongoing opioid crises which is hitting rural America especially hard.

Additionally, this farm bill makes common sense changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to encourage work and provide for job training.

The vast majority of Americans would agree that if you work you should be better off than if you don't work. Under this bill, we simply ask that those who are of working age and are perfectly capable, work 20 hours a week. And, if one can't find work we will pay for their job training so that everyone can attain the skills necessary to get the job they want.

The unfortunate reality is that we have too many SNAP recipients stuck in the program with no pathway to upward mobility. Why? Because current SNAP requirements are outdated and riddled with loopholes that incentivize the status quo and fail to support those who need it most. In fact, more than 2/3 of work-capable adults on SNAP are not currently employed.

Today unemployment numbers are at 3.9 percent. In the year 2000, the last time unemployment was this low, there were 17 million people on SNAP. Today, we have more than 41 million people on SNAP yet the unemployment is exactly the same. Mr. Speaker, if that doesn't illustrate the problem, I don't know what does.

We must do better.

This farm bill puts this country on the path to do just that. It makes much needed reforms to ensure that recipients of these benefits-- those who are perfectly capable of work--have a pathway to upward mobility, can get good jobs, and ultimately use their God-given talents to achieve a rewarding career.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. It is a great honor to be with the gentleman here tonight, and I commend him for his great leadership on this issue.

This really, really is a great, great bill. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP, as we all know it, is a nationwide food assistance program that provides a nutritional safety net for low-income families and individuals who meet certain eligibility requirements.

Now, I think the vast majority of Americans would agree that, if you work, you should be better off than if you don't work. Our farm bill makes commonsense reforms to ensure that recipients of these benefits, those who are perfectly capable of work, have a pathway to upward mobility, can get good jobs, and ultimately can use their God-given talents to achieve a very rewarding career. That is what this is all about.

As we drafted this farm bill, we stayed focused on providing those who find themselves in unfortunate circumstances the ability to lift themselves up and the ability to succeed and contribute to society.

Another aspect of the farm bill I want to highlight is in the nutrition title as well. It provides assistance to low-income seniors through the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program. This vital program increases the consumption of good quality food by expanding, developing, and aiding in the development and expansion of domestic farmers' markets, roadside stands, and community-supported agriculture programs.

It does so by providing seniors with coupons that can be exchanged for eligible foods such as fruits, vegetables, honey, and fresh-cut herbs.

Mr. Speaker, these are just a few of the commonsense reforms included in the 2018 farm bill among many, many more. I hope that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will take the time to really study and understand what these reforms will mean to our farm families, rural America, and the upward mobility created for those individuals and families in this country who need a helping hand.

Mr. Speaker, an unforeseen medical condition prevented me from voting on 2/7/2018. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 61;

YEA on Roll Call No. 62; and

YEA on Roll Call No. 63.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to pay tribute today to the late Reverend Billy Graham, a very cherished Christian leader and exemplary North Carolinian.

Born on a dairy farm almost 100 years ago in Charlotte, North Carolina, Billy Graham grew up learning the value of hard work, personal commitment, and developed an unwavering commitment to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

After being ordained and graduated from Wheaton College, Billy married the love of his life and fellow student, Ruth McCue Bell. Shortly after, he began preaching throughout the United States and Europe, emerging as a rising young evangelist.

By 1949, at the young age of 31, Billy was launched into international prominence following his Los Angeles crusade. Originally scheduled for just 3 weeks, the crusade in Los Angeles had to be extended to more than 8 weeks, due to the overwhelming interest and overflow crowds.

During his lifetime, Reverend Graham preached all over the world, from remote villages in Africa to the Middle East to the former Communist bloc. I find this feat quite notable, considering the hostility that communists and tyrants of all stripes have for Christianity and their hatred for the spread of the Gospel.

Without question, Billy Graham was preaching in hostile territory; and without question, God protected him. It is said that his ministry reached an estimated 215 million people in more than 185 countries, and probably many more than that. After hearing the messages and teachings of the Holy Scriptures, many of those millions accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior.

There is no doubt that Billy Graham was called by God to share His Word, and he did so with wisdom and humility. In fact, I believe he heeded that call as well, if not better, than anyone else ever has.

His legacy and influence in the world will continue to be felt for generations to come. If there has ever been a good and faithful servant, it is most certainly Billy Graham.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend and encourage the thousands of great, noble North Carolinians participating in the 2018 March for Life this weekend.

We know from God's Word, the Holy Scriptures, that life begins at conception. Unfortunately, since the Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade, more than 59 million innocent lives have been terminated through abortion. That is almost six times the population of North Carolina.

Without question, it is our moral obligation to fight for and protect the lives of those who cannot speak for themselves, the talented and able lives of those who are no different than our own.

Today and every day, I am honored to stand with those who so bravely fight to protect the most vulnerable among us. With each passing day, we shall continue to advance this very noble cause.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to make it back to Washington, D.C. to vote on the evening of 1/8/2018 due to inclement weather conditions. Had I been present, I would have voted Present on Roll Call No. 1.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Amy Wright, the cofounder of Bitty & Beau's Coffee Shop in Wilmington, North Carolina, on being named CNN Hero of the Year.

When Amy and her husband, Ben, found out that 70 percent of adults living with disabilities do not have jobs, they opened the doors of Bitty & Beau's in January 2016 with the goal of providing these worthy individuals the opportunity to interact, contribute, grow, and succeed in the workplace.

As those in Wilmington know, Bitty & Beau's is more than just a place to grab coffee. It is a warm, inclusive environment with exceptional customer service. Named after their two children who have Down syndrome, the coffee shop employs 40 exceptional individuals with disabilities.

Congratulations to Amy on this very special honor. Her and Ben's contribution to our community and our fellow man is truly remarkable and an inspiration for us all.

Mr. Speaker, I greatly appreciate my colleague from Colorado for leading this Special Order on the Bible, its importance to each of us, and its influence on our constitutional Republic.

Our Founding Fathers understood that Biblical values were the basis for our Republic and that this country would be slowly destroyed if the people's knowledge and adherence to those values were ever lost.

In reference to this danger, John Adams wrote: ``Democracy will soon degenerate into an anarchy, such an anarchy that every man will do what is right in his own eyes, and no man's life or property or reputation or liberty will be secure, and every one of these would soon mold itself into a system of subordination of all the moral virtues and intellectual abilities, all the powers of wealth, beauty, wit, and science, to the wanton pleasures, the capricious will, and abominable cruelty of one or a very few.''

In a simpler language, that means ``tyranny.''

When Alexis de Tocqueville visited the United States early in the 19th century, he wrote in ``Democracy in America'' that our Nation's ``religious atmosphere was the first thing that struck me on arrival in the United States.'' He believed that adherence to the virtuous standards was indispensable for the preservation of liberty.

Mr. Speaker, he was correct in this assessment. This brings me to one of my own favorite passages in the Bible: the Apostle Paul writing to Timothy, in 2 Timothy 3:16 through 2 Timothy 4:5. And I might add that I find this passage to be more and more relevant to our times with each and every passing day.

It reads: ``All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

``I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the Word, be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

``For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires and will turn away their ears and will turn aside to myths.

``But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of the evangelist, and fulfill your ministry.''

Mr. Speaker, on October 10, I was attending the funeral of a friend. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 558 and YEA on Roll Call No. 559.

Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to say that North Carolina is home to many great student athletes that serve as community role models.

One prime example is MacKenzie Gore who graduated from Whiteville High School this month and has been named the 2017 Gatorade North Carolina Baseball Player of the Year. And, not only that, he was just recently selected 3rd overall in the Major League Baseball draft by the San Diego Padres!

MacKenzie not only demonstrates athletic excellence, but also exemplary character and work ethic--the two primary traits necessary for great success. Very few have achieved as much as early in life, and it's the culmination of years of hard work and commitment.

As with all who earn success, MacKenzie is blessed to have a big decision to make: go pro and play for the Padres or head to East Carolina University to play for the Pirates. Whatever MacKenzie decides, we are all proud of him and wish him the very best.