Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise to support the impeachment of President Donald J. Trump for seditious acts against America.

To overturn the 2020 Presidential election, Trump incited a violent assault on Congress--a treasonous betrayal of our Nation. This criminal incitement left us with five dead, including a police officer; a desecrated Capitol; and a second constitutional crisis.

His acts show contempt for the rule of law, the Constitution, and the foundation of any democracy: a peaceful transition of power.

President Trump is a clear and present danger to American lives and democracy, and he leaves us no choice but to immediately remove him from office.

Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise to honor the life of Mrs. Evelyn Fernandez.

Mrs. Evelyn Fernandez was born on February 14, 1932, in Jamaica and migrated to the United States in the late 1970s and became a resident of Brooklyn, New York. She was a retired schoolteacher and passionate about education.

Mrs. Fernandez was a sincere woman who loved God and her church and was faithful in her service to The Faith Center Ministries. She was a woman of great faith who cared deeply for her fellow congregants and worked tirelessly to better the lives of all those in her community.

Mrs. Fernandez was the devoted mother of three sons and three daughters, among them Bishop Henry Fernandez, spiritual leader of The Faith Center Ministries in Sunrise, Florida. I join Bishop Fernandez and his family as they mourn the loss of this kind and compassionate soul.

In the days, weeks and months ahead, we will celebrate her life and honor her legacy. While this loss will be felt deeply by everyone, we are forever privileged to have shared this time with her on Earth. May her memory be a blessing.

Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise to honor the life of former City of Weston Commissioner, Mark Myers.

I was heartbroken to learn of his passing and join my community in celebrating his life. Commissioner Myers was one of the original founders of my hometown of Weston, FL, serving on the first City Commission in 1997. In November 1991, Mr. Myers was elected to serve as Treasurer on the Board of Supervisors, the panel that helped to incorporate the City of Weston in 1996. His life is part of the fabric of our South Florida history, and we are grateful for his service.

Mark always emphasized supporting our community's young people as well as improving access to the arts. He was instrumental in expanding cultural and economic opportunities for a new community and even helped design the City of Weston seal. Mr. Myers was an avid art collector and advocate supporting numerous organizations whose work helped improve our surroundings.

Commissioner Myers was a graduate of Cornell University and also served our nation with distinction as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force.

I join Mark's children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and my friends and neighbors in mourning the loss of an incredible advocate, visionary, and devoted public servant. May his memory be a blessing.

Madam Speaker, I find the protestations of our friends on the other side of the aisle rich, when 2 days from now they plan to actually vote in favor of overturning the results of an election that their party's nominee lost. So, please, spare us the protestations about the undemocratic process that you are opposing here.

Further, I rise to urge adoption of the rules package for the 117th Congress. This package includes innovative proposals to modernize the House and facilitate good policymaking.

It will establish the Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth, which will work to combat income inequality and, critically, require committees to address inequities in marginalized communities.

I recently proposed the creation of an advisory panel on equity and justice in Federal spending, so I am pleased that this package recognizes the need to dismantle the effects of systemic racism and creates a process to address intractable inequities.

As a longtime proponent of diversity in hiring, I am glad we are making the Office of Diversity and Inclusion permanent.

I am also pleased that the rules exempt climate legislation from budgetary restrictions, clearing the way for

ambitious Federal investments to combat climate change. As an appropriator, I am eager to deploy the power of the Appropriations Committee to fight climate change and work toward environmental justice.

Finally, I applaud the inclusion of gender-neutral language.

Madam Speaker, finally, I applaud the inclusion of gender-neutral language that embraces all gender identities and reflects that this Chamber is not just a man's world anymore.

Madam Speaker, I intended to vote yes on amendment number 50 by Representative Justin Amash to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (H.R. 2500).

I should have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 460.

Mr. Chair, due to a family medical emergency, I was unable to vote on Duncan Amendment No. 234 and Duncan Amendment No. 235 to Division E of H.R. 3055. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 400 and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 401.

Amendment No. 244 Offered by Mr. Grothman

Madam Chairwoman, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I rise in support of this excellent amendment.

The health and safety of our troops in the surrounding communities is paramount. We need to ensure basic projects, like fire stations, are funded properly, just as training ranges, barracks, hospitals, and schools are. I look forward to working with the gentleman in future budget submissions, and I urge my colleagues to support the amendment.

Madam Chair, pursuant to House Resolution 445, I offer amendments en bloc.

Madam Chairwoman, the amendments included in the en bloc were made in order by the rule and have been agreed to by the ranking member, Judge Carter and I, and I support the amendment and urge its adoption.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chairwoman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Houlahan), a sponsor of one of the amendments included in the en bloc.

Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Gottheimer).

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Gottheimer), who has been a passionate advocate standing up for members of the Armed Forces as well as the veterans of this country in his district.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I appreciate the gentleman from Michigan for bringing attention to this important issue. We can all agree that we want to let veterans choose the best prosthetics provider for his or her needs.

As you know, we included report language expressing concern on this issue, but I do agree that more needs to be done. We want the best care for our veterans, and we need to find a way forward to determine the appropriate next steps.

We should work with the authorizers and the VA to thoughtfully work on this issue to find the best solution for veterans needing artificial limbs.

I commit to working with the gentleman on this issue. We are not quite ready to make a decision on the best approach to this as we move towards conference. I thank the gentleman for his willingness to withdraw the amendment.

Madam Chair, I claim the time to speak on the amendment, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Madam Chair, I do fully support Strengthening Buy-American Preferences for Infrastructure Projects. That language is already included in this legislation, and I appreciate the gentleman underscoring the importance of our commitment to buy-American policies.

I urge all my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chair, I claim the time to speak on the amendment, although I do not oppose it.

Mr. Chair, I rise to point out that DOD has testified that it has excess facilities and needs a way to deal with that excess.

Mr. Chair, the underlying bill does not include any funds to initiate a BRAC round, and I have no objection to the amendment. I appreciate the gentleman calling attention to the economic impact of BRAC rounds, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, we have recognized that there is a lack of available overnight bed space for mental health patients at VA facilities, and this is a huge issue that the VA is facing. In fact, we did provide an additional $20 million within the medical facilities account in the base bill as an effort to begin to address this dire need.

This amendment will add an additional, vital $5 million to expand VA facilities and provide additional bed

space for veterans requiring overnight mental healthcare. We can never do too much to provide mental healthcare for our veterans.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. I congratulate the gentleman on his leadership on this issue.

Mr. Chair, as the designee of the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey), I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chair, I rise to support this amendment. I agree with my colleague from Utah, and I appreciate him drawing attention to this important issue.

Veterans' credit scores should not be negatively impacted by untimely or improper payments by VA to third-party providers. This is an unconscionable outcome to the irresponsible actions of the VA.

I understand VA is working with the gentleman on this issue, and it is still in the process of setting up a database that will allow consumer reporting agencies to verify whether or not a debt furnished to a consumer reporting agency is actually a veteran's medical debt, as required by Public Law 115-174, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act. Unfortunately, due to the complexity of setting up this database, it will take longer than the 1-year deadline required by the law.

We must hold the VA accountable for timely payments, and we cannot accept veterans suffering the financial consequences of VA's improper or untimely payments.

I do commit to working with the gentleman on this issue as we move through the process. We need to make sure that when our veterans come home, they are able to seamlessly transition back to civilian life and not have obstacles thrown in their path by the VA's own mistakes.

Mr. Chair, I appreciate the gentleman offering this amendment to protect our veterans and protect their credit. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. I know the ranking member joins me in that effort.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

The past year has been particularly devastating to military installations in multiple States, including my own. There are bases that experienced hurricanes, tornadoes, and massive coastal and river flooding.

Over time, gradual sea level changes magnify the impacts of storm surge and may eventually result in permanent inundation of facilities and installations.

In my home State of Florida, Tyndall Air Force Base was devastated by Hurricane Michael.

Building resilient DOD facilities that can sustain the impacts of damaging storms and flooding is no longer an option but an essential requirement.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support the amendment. I commend the gentleman for his leadership on this issue.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

The maintenance of our roads in and around our military installations is a must for the safety of our servicemembers and their families. It is also key for the training and readiness of our troops.

I look forward to working with the gentleman in future budget submissions to make sure that we can address this important issue and protect the safety of our troops.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support the amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment to protect the coastlines of Florida from the scourge of offshore oil drilling.

I am proud to say that this amendment, as we will see this morning from my colleagues' comments, has strong bipartisan support from our colleagues in the Florida delegation.

When it comes to the idea of turning our beaches into a fossil fuel industrial zone, there is no divergence between Democrats and Republicans in Florida. We stand united to prevent drilling off of our cherished coasts. Florida's famous beaches are central to our $65 billion a year tourism industry. Our hotels, fishermen, and recreation industries depend on clean coastal waters, and the still recovering Florida Bay cannot afford an oil spill.

Every time I speak about this issue, I make sure to mention the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Apparently, the current administration has already forgotten what happened to us 9 years ago. At its worst, the spill leaked more than 60,000 barrels of oil a day. Eighty-seven days went by while crude gushed into the ocean nearly unchecked. By its end, millions of barrels of crude oil were released into the Gulf of Mexico.

This devastated the entire Gulf ecosystem. Thousands of protected species were harmed by oil slicks and dead zones. Coral reefs between Alabama and Florida were decimated and suffocated by oil, and hydrocarbons were found on hundreds of miles of beaches around the Gulf.

This environmental impact also left a human toll. The accident caused the deaths of 11 rig workers. The spill left 12,000 people unemployed and decimated local economies which rely on fishing and marine recreation.

Now is not the time to expand more areas to fossil fuel extraction. We must be doing everything possible to transition to a clean energy economy.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Crist), my friend and the former Governor of our great State.

Mr. Chairman, if I might inquire how much time I have remaining.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from southwest Florida (Mr. Rooney), who represents the great counties of Collier and Lee.

Mr. Chair, before I yield the remaining time to Mr. Rutherford from Jacksonville, I include in the Record this letter from the Florida delegation opposing offshore oil drilling that was sent to Secretary Bernhardt.

Congress of the United States,

Washington, DC, February 28, 2019.

Re Protect Florida's Coasts from Oil and Gas Drilling.

David Bernhardt,

Acting Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior,

Washington, DC.

Dear Acting Interior Secretary Bernhardt: We write to urge

you to protect the coasts of Florida from oil and gas

development. As you know, last year, former Interior

Secretary Zinke announced that Florida would be exempt from

any offshore drilling plans. However, we remain concerned

that no formal action has been taken to prohibit drilling off

Florida's coasts. Florida's natural resources and economy, as

well as the military mission as expressed by the Department

of Defense, cannot bear the risk and devastating impacts of

offshore drilling. We urge you to take formal action to

exempt drilling off Florida's coast from the five year plan

for oil and gas lease sales.

Florida's economic well-being is dependent upon our state's

fragile and treasured coasts. Clean coasts and healthy oceans

are the fundamental underpinning of jobs and revenue in our

communities. Florida's coastal communities thrive in concert

with a healthy marine environment. Views littered with

drilling platforms, industrialization of coastline and oil on

our beaches spell disaster for Florida's economy and our

neighbors who rely on tourism, fishing and related business.

We saw, firsthand, the destruction offshore drilling can

have on ocean health, coastlines, and tourism in 2010 during

the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Tourism dropped across the

state, including areas that were unaffected by the rig

explosion. Even without a blowout, offshore oil rigs dump

tons of drilling muds, fluids, and metal cuttings--including

toxic metals and carcinogens--into the ocean, and pose a

threat to human health, marine ecosystems, and wildlife.

While there are ample environmental and economic reasons to

prohibit drilling off Florida's coasts, our national security

and military readiness also require keeping the rigs away

from Florida. The eastern Gulf of Mexico is a critical

training area for our military and the Department of Defense

has

stated clearly that the area is an ``irreplaceable national

asset'' for combat force readiness. Any oil and gas

development would be an obstacle to military preparedness and

national security.

Finally, the people of Florida are also clearly opposed to

oil and gas development off our coast. A constitutional

amendment on Florida's November 2018 ballot to ban offshore

drilling in state waters passed overwhelmingly. Here is

objective proof that Floridians recognize that the state's

economy depends on a pristine environment, and that offshore

drilling threatens Florida's future.

Florida relies on coastlines unencumbered by oil and gas

drilling to sustain its economy, preserve its natural

resources, and protect our nation's military. We urge you to

exempt Florida's coasts from any offshore drilling plans. We

must preserve and protect Florida's future.

Sincerely,

Kathy Castor, Member of Congress; Frederica S. Wilson,

Member of Congress; Donna E. Shalala, Member of

Congress; Bill Posey, Member of Congress; Francis

Rooney, Member of Congress; Debbie Wasserman Schultz,

Member of Congress; Charlie Crist, Member of Congress;

Matt Gaetz, Member of Congress; Ted S. Yoho, D.V.M.,

Member of Congress; Alcee L. Hastings, Member of

Congress; Gus M. Bilirakis, Member of Congress; Brian

J. Mast, Member of Congress; Stephanie Murphy, Member

of Congress; Theodore E. Deutch, Member of Congress;

Daniel Webster, Member of Congress; Mario Diaz-Balart,

Member of Congress; Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Member of

Congress; Al Lawson, Jr, Member of Congress; Lois

Frankel, Member of Congress; Darren Soto, Member of

Congress; Val Butler Demings, Member of Congress; John

H. Rutherford, Member of Congress; Vern Buchanan,

Member of Congress; W. Gregery Steube, Member of

Congress; Neal P. Dunn, M.D., Member of Congress;

Michael Waltz, Member of Congress; Ross Spano, Member

of Congress.

Mr. Chair, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Jacksonville, Florida (Mr. Rutherford).

Madam Chair, I thank Chairwoman Lowey for yielding and for her hard work and leadership during this entire legislative process.

The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies division of the bill highlights our continued commitment to our servicemembers and their families and to our veterans.

Constructing the barracks, bases, and facilities that our military needs and ensuring safe, adequate housing for military families is crucial to our Nation's military readiness.

Properly funding the Department of Veterans Affairs is how we deliver on the promise of medical care and other benefits that our veterans have earned through their service to our Nation.

The Related Agencies division, including the American Battle Monuments Commission and Arlington National Cemetery, demonstrate to the world how we honor the contributions and sacrifice of those who served.

That is why I am proud that this bill includes $108.4 billion in discretionary funding, $10.4 billion above the FY19 enacted level. For military construction, it provides $10.5 billion; and, for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the bill provides $94.3 billion in discretionary funding, a $7.7 billion increase above the FY19 enacted level and $1.3 billion above the FY20 budget request.

The bill we are considering today makes smart investments in critical projects and programs that make a real difference in the lives of servicemembers, veterans, and their families.

The bill includes an additional $140.8 million to address housing issues that have come up recently and have really festered for far too long, like mold, vermin, and lead, that really have devastated our military families and that must be corrected. This bill ensures there are the resources and the language in our report to ensure that the military makes sure that they are not leaving our military families to deal with the fallout over this disgusting situation on their own.

It provides $2.3 billion in emergency funding to address hurricane damage in North Carolina and my home State of Florida.

We have also put an additional $40 million toward energy resilience at our military bases and provided an additional $60 million to clean up PFOS and PFOA contamination at installations across the country.

For the VA, the bill will improve the quality of veterans' healthcare by making significant investments in women veterans' health.

I am proud to be the first woman in American history to chair this appropriations subcommittee, making sure that our women veterans actually know that they are veterans. And, in fact, I know it will come as a shock to most, as it was to me, that some women veterans don't even realize that, if they serve a couple of years, even if they didn't actually fight in a war zone or were deployed to a war zone, they are actually veterans, entitled to services at the VA.

Carving out, for the first time, gender-specific funding to make sure that we can provide healthcare services to our women veterans, do the proper outreach, and make sure that we bring our women veterans into the VA system and take care of them as they took care of representing our country, is essential.

The fastest rising group of veterans who are committing suicide are our women veterans, and we have to make sure that we are doing right by them.

We have a ``whole health'' model that we have funded, mental healthcare and suicide prevention, homelessness assistance, rural health, and, of course, opioid abuse prevention.

The bill also provides $1 billion for infrastructure improvements to ensure that the VA has modern, safe facilities to treat our veterans, as well as supporting continued implementation of the electronic health record and efforts to reduce the disability claims backlog.

Madam Chair, I am very proud of what this bill does, but I am also proud of what it does not do.

It does not fund a border wall, nor does it allow the President to go against clearly stated congressional intent and divert vital military construction funding from previously approved national security projects.

There is a lot of talk, Madam Chair, about commitment to our military in this body. There should be no question that funds should not be taken from vital, previously requested and approved military projects that are absolutely a higher priority than any border wall. In fact, Congress agreed to that very point on a bipartisan basis earlier this year after the longest shutdown in our Nation's history.

I will close by thanking all of my colleagues for their input on this bill. We are very proud, Judge Carter and I, that we were able to fund in our bill nearly all the bipartisan requests that we received. It made the bill better.

Before I yield back, I do want to thank my ranking member, Judge Carter, and Ranking Member Granger and Chairwoman Lowey. We worked very well together on the issues facing our military and our veterans.

While we may not always agree, I am proud to have Judge Carter as my partner. We have a lot of work left to do, and I appreciate the gentleman's insight into these issues.

I would also like to thank the staff of both the subcommittee and our personal offices whose expertise and commitment to our servicemembers and our veterans is evident every day. I won't name them because I am out of time, but they know who they are. We appreciate them so much.

Madam Chair, this is a good bill. I urge the Members' adoption of it.

Madam Chair, I rise to support the en bloc amendment, which includes my amendment to protect Water Conservation Areas in the Everglades from oil wells.

It is important to point out that as of last year, the Federal Government and the State of Florida had spent more than $3.7 billion to restore the Florida Everglades, the river grass. I am here to say, by offering this amendment, I want to ensure that we not roll back that progress.

My amendment would ensure that avaricious oil companies who care for

nothing but profit, cannot turn our famed river of grass into an industrial oil field.

An investment company has applied to drill an oil well just west of the city of Miramar in Broward County, my home county, much of which I represent.

Drilling an oil well in the middle of a Water Conservation Area that is 20,000 acres wide, between two canals, when you have 8 million people who rely, for their drinking water, on the aquifer beneath the Florida Everglades, is the definition of insanity.

My amendment would ensure that the Army Corps of Engineers could not issue this heinous permit when it is applied for.

We have, under the Federal and State Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, water managers who want to connect two conservation areas that are part of southern Florida's hydrological system. A lawsuit that is pending in Federal court argues that drilling violates the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, and I agree, and this amendment would ensure that the Army Corps must deny the permit.

Madam Speaker, in the beginning of the 116th Congress, we elected more than 80 new Members; and so, in order to welcome you to the 116th Congress, the women of the Congressional Women's Softball team want to make sure that everyone knows that the game is finally here.

The 11th Annual Congressional Women's Softball Game is tomorrow night at 7 p.m. It is at Watkins Recreation Center, 420 12th Street, Southeast.

The reason I refer to the 80-plus new Members is that many of you may not know that we began playing this game 11 years ago, after I made an announcement, a public announcement that I had been through breast cancer at 41 years old. I was diagnosed, at 41 after doing a self-exam in the shower.

One day I was the picture of health; the next day I was a cancer patient. And, subsequently found that I was also BRCA2 positive, meaning that I had a genetic mutation that made it infinitely more likely that I would have a recurrence, and that I would very likely get ovarian cancer at some point.

So, after a year, 15 months really, of hell, and seven surgeries, not sharing it until I was all the way through the other side, I shared my story.

We introduced the EARLY Act, the Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act, which has been law since 2010, which is a law that now raises awareness in young women, an education and awareness campaign that has been funded every year with $5 million, to make sure that we can help young women be aware of their breast health.

So many young women work for us on our staffs. We have a team that we play against, the common adversary of all of us, the press corps, the female press corps, and they generally are much younger.

So, Madam Speaker, we raise money for the Young Survival Coalition at this game. It is an organization that helps young women who deal with the challenges that they face when they have breast cancer.

We encourage you all to come out and cheer on Team Congress so we can beat the press and beat cancer.

I am a founding cocaptain of the Congressional Women's Softball team. Jo Ann Emerson, our former Republican colleague, was my cocaptain.

Martha Roby is one of our cocaptains this year and, unfortunately, ladies, the only Republican currently playing on the House side. So there is always next year.

But I would like to turn over the podium, briefly, to my cocaptain, Martha Roby. I encourage everyone to wear pink, and come out and cheer on Team Congress tomorrow.

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the chair of the committee for her leadership throughout our appropriations process. We now have a funding bill on the floor

this week that makes critical investments and advances American values.

I want to touch on the part of the State and Foreign Operations bill that deals with support for the Venezuelan people. I am thrilled with the support in the bill for Venezuela, for her people, because the Venezuelan people are enduring an unimaginable onslaught of hunger, danger, and escalating economic pain, and America cannot stand idly by.

As a member of the Appropriations Committee and the Representative with the largest Venezuelan population in the United States, I am thrilled that the bill has language that allocates aid to Colombia to assist communities that are impacted by refugee and migrant populations fleeing the despotic Maduro regime.

Congresswoman Shalala and I visited Colombia and met with starving and impoverished Venezuelans and saw, firsthand, the need for this funding. We saw the blocked bridges and met with Venezuelans shot by their own military to prevent them from delivering humanitarian aid to their own people.

The bill also includes funding for democracy promotion, human rights, and civil society programs in Venezuela, and I was proud to work with the chairwoman to include this vital funding.

Perhaps most important is what this bill does not do, what it does not contain, which is the traditional prohibition on funds being provided to the central Government of Venezuela, with the clear hope that we might have a cooperating regime to work with in the near future.

The U.S. rightfully recognizes Juan Guaido as the legitimate interim President of Venezuela.

Viva Venezuela. We must continue to work to make sure that she can transition to a democracy and the vibrant nation that she once was.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that my name be removed from the list of cosponsors of H.R. 2517.

Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I congratulate Cartaya and Associates Architects on their 40th anniversary in South Florida.

Mario Cartaya and his firm Cartaya and Associates Architects have helped shape the look and architectural landscape of South Florida for our many visitors to enjoy.

Mr. Cartaya is a visionary whose work can be seen throughout Broward County, from the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport and several municipal centers, to public libraries and performing arts centers, and even in our police headquarters and fire stations.

Cartaya and Associates has also designed several additions and renovations for many hospitals and health care facilities in the area.

Mario Cartaya has also dedicated himself to giving back to our community. He served as chairman of Broward College's Board of Trustees, as a member of former Senator Bob Graham's Air Force and Naval Academy Selection Committees, and as a member of the Broward County Cultural Arts Council. He also served as an adjunct professor at Florida Atlantic University's School of Architecture.

His life has been dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in his professional career and the improvement of the community in which he lives.

Mario Cartaya is a selfless, compassionate, and thoughtful citizen, one whom I am proud to call my friend. I applaud his work and wish him continued success.

Madam Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

I rise in support the underlying legislation.

Madam Chair, H.R. 2157 totals $17.3 billion in emergency disaster appropriations to provide relief and recovery assistance for Americans affected by recent hurricanes.

The MilCon/VA portion of the bill provides $860.4 million for Department of Defense military construction needs and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Specifically, the bill includes $115 million for the Marine Corps to begin planning for construction projects related to the devastation from Hurricanes Florence and Michael on Marine Corps facilities in North Carolina (New River, Cherry Point, and Lejeune).

The Marine Corps is planning facility consolidation efforts resulting from the hurricanes' damage, and this funding represents the first step in that rebuilding process.

Madam Chair, the bill also includes $700 million to begin rebuilding Tyndall Air Force Base in my home State of Florida. This funding will support the relocation of the F-22 mission, the beddown of F-35s, and the planning for construction of new facilities. This funding is a vital first step to begin the rebuild of Tyndall.

Madam Chair, I also want to point out that this funding for Tyndall in North Carolina is a downpayment because Congress is going to need to provide much more than this to get these locations back up on their feet.

Madam Chair, these events happened 6 months ago, and yet the first supplemental request to be submitted by the administration is not to address natural disasters; it was for border needs.

I am astounded that the administration continues to ignore these real emergencies which clearly should have been addressed months ago, and I am proud that the Democratic majority is doing just that today.

I urge all Members of this body to cast a ``yes'' vote.

Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed to it.

Madam Chair, I toured Tyndall Air Force Base a couple of months ago with Congressman Dunn. I commend the gentleman for offering this amendment, and I have enjoyed working with him on making sure that we can prioritize this vital funding. I appreciate the ranking member and Chairwoman Lowey's support.

Congressman Lawson also joined us in February to survey the devastating damage Tyndall sustained because of Hurricane Michael. It was very clear to me, back in February, that Tyndall urgently needs supplemental funds to rebuild.

Tyndall Air Force Base, which is in my home State as well, encompasses 29,000 acres in southeastern Dade County. Within the base, facilities amount to a total replacement value of $3.48 billion.

Tyndall accounts for 37 percent of Dade County's economy. The base serves a population of 3,393 Active military personnel, as well as 9,383 retirees from all service branches.

The supplemental before us contains $700 million for ``Military Construction, Air Force'' for planning and design and construction as requested by the Air Force to support relocation of F-22s, F-35 beddown, and facilities necessary to begin the rebuilding of the installation. That number is now outdated and must be increased to meet the Air Force's needs.

The Dunn amendment, plus what is currently included in the supplemental, is a good first step to helping Tyndall rebuild and get back on its feet.

I am also pleased the gentleman from Florida included funds for the Marine Corps. As all of us know, North Carolina was hit by Hurricane Florence, which devastated all of the Marine Corps facilities in North Carolina.

The Marine Corps community continues to face daily challenges following Hurricane Florence. Although the storm made landfall on December 14, 2018, marines at Camp Lejeune, Marine Corps Air Station New River, and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point are still recovering.

Camp Lejeune, New River, and Cherry Point heavily contribute to Marine Corps readiness, and Camp Lejeune is home to the Second Marine Expeditionary Force, which oversees and maintains a third of the Marine Corps' combat operating power. Several headquarters buildings, training facilities, and aircraft hangars were affected by Hurricane Florence.

While II MEF is now able to meet operational commitments, its training environments remain degraded. Currently, marines are working in compromised facilities and temporary trailers. Furthermore, marines headed to Camp Lejeune are being told to look for housing off base due to a lack of availability of on-base housing and substantial damage caused by the storm.

Like the Air Force number, the Marine Corps number is also now outdated. I support the $385 million increase to this account, as well.

The Trump administration, unfortunately, still has not submitted an emergency supplemental for these and other disasters. Frankly, these facilities need relief, and they need it now.

It has been over 200 days since Hurricane Michael and Florence devastated North Carolina and Florida. It should not be taking this long to provide the necessary and vital funding to these locations.

Stunningly, I want to repeat, the President has not even proposed emergency supplemental funding for these disasters, and this morning, actually had the gall to urge Republicans to vote against this vital legislation.

Madam Chair, I urge all Members to support the Dunn amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I am a strong supporter of our armed forces. I fully support the rebuilding of Tyndall Air Force Base and the North Carolina Marine Corps Bases and urge Members to support the Dunn amendment. I commend the gentleman for his advocacy for his community and for our home State, as well as the underlying legislation so we can make sure that we can finally help these military communities rebuild.

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.