Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, first, do no harm. That is rule number one for every doctor, and it should be rule number one for this President and this Congress as well. But because of the harmful, partisan healthcare politics in Washington, D.C., next year, a quarter million people in Washington State will have to spend 19 percent more per month on their health insurance.

That adds up for a lot of folks. It will add up to the difference between being able to afford healthcare or not. Families in Washington State will have less money in their pockets because of the choices to do harm by this Congress and this administration.

It is a choice to cut, as this administration did, the Federal payments that make healthcare cheaper for families. It is a choice to obsessively try to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, as this House and this administration have done, creating uncertainty and driving up costs.

Listen, the Affordable Care Act was not perfect, but it meant cheaper healthcare and more people with insurance. Let's fix it rather than harm people.

Rather than partisan attacks that do harm to the healthcare system and harm to family budgets, let's first do no harm, and then let's work together to actually help American families have healthcare.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 75th Anniversary of NAACP Bremerton Unit 1134. I was pleased to celebrate this anniversary officially on Saturday, May 19, 2018 in Bremerton, Washington.

Mr. Speaker, according to the chief oral historian for the Washington State Legacy Project, in 1940 about 100 people of color lived in Bremerton. By 1944, more than 5,000 people of color moved to the region as part of a massive influx of patriots who came here to help the war effort. The town's population grew from 15,000 in 1940 to 75,000 in 1944.

That growth didn't come easily. And it only came because people like Lillian Walker and her husband James moved to the region from Illinois and helped form what became Unit 1134.

In 2009, Mrs. Walker, at 95 years old, told a historian: ``I've always tried to treat people like I want to be treated. I don't care what color you are as long as you're a good person. I've never understood prejudice, and I've never put up with it. I always said, `Well, you're either with me or against me. And if you're against me, that means we're going to have to fight!' ''

And she fought.

Mr. Speaker, our nation still has work to do to achieve the dream that Dr. King spoke of not far from this Capitol. The fight for equality continues, and the NAACP--as it has done in Bremerton for 75 years--is leading the way. Anywhere in our country where there is inequality, the NAACP is there. The NAACP is leading the fight against discrimination at the polls. They are bridging the divide between people of color and our nation's police officers. They are pushing for better schools that give all our kids the skills they need to reach their dreams.

They're working to end gun violence. And they're pushing for more opportunities for more people in more places.

Mr. Speaker, Members of Congress, please join me in celebrating the 75th Anniversary of NAACP Bremerton Unit 1134.

Mr. Speaker, the farm bill is supposed to be about people, but this bill is not. It doesn't help the farmer I met in Chimacum, who said he

knows there is a whole lot for big corporations in this bill but not enough for family farmers like him who want to plant something in their ground other than a for sale sign.

This bill is a step backward for the families that I met a few weeks ago who stand in line at St. Leo emergency food pantry in Tacoma and sometimes wait for hours so that they can feed their kids and make ends meet while they look for jobs.

This bill cuts the safety net that helps dairy farmers I met with in Grays Harbor when our changing climate floods their fields and turns acres of soil to dust.

The majority claims they want to rebuild our rural economies, but this bill cuts rural development grants that help business owners in Forks and Sequim keep the lights on.

You know, I haven't received one letter of support for what we are voting on today. The only people I have heard from are D.C. insiders who have misguided notions about real families struggling to make ends meet. This bill doesn't care enough about real farmers counting on this bill, and the families in St. Leo and the 1.5 million veterans and 22,000 servicemembers who feed their families with nutrition assistance.

It is wrong, Mr. Speaker, and it is another example why so many people are losing their faith in government. Let's vote this down and put together a bipartisan farm bill that does more to help people.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to commemorate the life of my former constituent, Jeb Parr, who passed away on April 19. Jeb was a fervent advocate for our nation's public shipyards. His sudden passing is a huge loss to the submarine and ship maintenance community.

Jeb dedicated his professional life to the U.S. Navy. He began his active service career in 1975. At that time, he enrolled in and completed the yearlong nuclear engineering training at the fast-paced and prestigious Naval Nuclear Power School, which was founded by the father of the America's Nuclear Navy, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover. It was here where the motto ``Knowledge, Integrity, Excellence'' was forever ingrained in Jeb. He would carry this standard with him for the rest of his life.

Following eight years of active military service, Jeb came to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS&IMF) to work as a nuclear engineer. Over his thirty years of dedicated service at the shipyard, Jeb nurtured a passion for teaching others and served an integral role in developing nuclear training and qualification programs at the shipyard. He possessed an innate ability to recognize and acknowledge the person behind the trainee or worker. He was often sent by managers to facilitate discussions between parties with opposing views, as he had a talent for finding common ground and identifying a solution to challenging problems. These abilities, coupled with his prior experience, brought him to work in the Industrial Operations Directorate at Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C. in 2016 to oversee training and personnel policy at all four public shipyards.

Jeb leaves behind his loving husband of two-and-a-half years, Jose Isidoro Lemus. He will be remembered for his willingness to take time for others, his kindness, and his commitment to mission. On behalf of myself and the U.S. House of Representatives, we send our thoughts and prayers to Jose and the rest of Jeb's family during this challenging time

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I rise today in support of my amendment, which would modify the Airport Improvement Program to require the FAA to explicitly consider the emergency preparedness needs of the communities served when reviewing an airport's master plan.

Currently, the FAA relies primarily on a number of enplanements when making their funding determinations under the AIP. That disadvantages rural airports like William R. Fairchild International Airport in my district, which serves as a critical component of the State's and FEMA's emergency response plan for the region, but has relatively few enplanements.

This commonsense improvement would help ensure that Fairchild and other airports like it will be able to secure the funding necessary to maintain their runway and other critical infrastructure so that the resources are available when disaster strikes.

This matters to folks in my neck of the woods who live in the shadow of the Cascadia subduction zone. When the big one hits, the Fairchild Airport will be essential to deploying emergency supplies, as well as for evacuating people to safety.

I would like to thank Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member DeFazio for their support of this amendment, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on it.

Mr. Speaker, at the end of this month, something rather extraordinary will happen: Bertel Van Eek will turn 108 years old. She has been the embodiment of the American Dream and, in some respects, of the importance of the things that happen here.

In the midst of debates here about immigration, she reminds us that we are a nation of immigrants. She came to this country as an immigrant after World War II. She was welcomed by the Statue of Liberty and by a country where she built an amazing life.

In the midst of debates about retirement security, she reminds us that it is important to have the backs of our seniors. Her husband died in 1981, and her ability to live with dignity for the last 37 years has been closely tied to two of the most successful public policies in the history of this country: Medicare and Social Security.

She was born on March 31, 1910--1910. America has had 19 Presidents over that timeframe. As someone who lived in Holland during World War II, she saw the capability and bravery of our military and its members.

Imagine all that she has seen over the years. She is going to watch this speech over the internet on a mobile phone. Imagine that. She was born 17 years before movies had sound.

But beyond that, her life has been filled with people who love her: a loving daughter who married a guy who calls her ``Mom,'' four great- grandchildren who adore her and who are adorable, and three grandkids who consider her a hero.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be one of those grandsons, and I am proud to stand here on the floor of the U.S. House and wish my Oma a happy 108th birthday.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of Steve Ekberg and his nearly four decades of service as a member of the Gig Harbor City Council in the great state of Washington. I wish to thank him for his dedication to public service. I am proud to consider Steve a friend and I offer him my sincerest congratulations on his retirement.

Councilmember Ekberg has served under five mayors and alongside nearly 100 councilmembers. His passion for improving our community's access to recreational opportunities is a testament to his lifelong commitment to public service. When Councilmember Ekberg was first elected, the City of Gig Harbor had only one park. Today, the city features more than 20 parks and public piers. As a father to two little girls who play in those parks, I am appreciative of the tireless work of Councilmember Ekberg.

Councilmember Ekberg's contributions to Gig Harbor have been extensive. His years as a business and non-profit leader as well as a member of City Council have revealed him to be a champion for our region's youth. As a community leader, he worked tirelessly to build the YMCA into a place where our children can learn and thrive. He spent years coaching youth sports teams and devoted countless hours to the local Historical Society.

Councilmember Ekberg was a longtime business leader in the community. His insurance firm, the family owned Pilkey-Hopping & Ekberg, Incorporated, has been operating since 1896. When Steve retired from his firm, his son Reid Ekberg, was elected by the Board of Directors to become the fourth generation of family leaders for the company.

Steve has embodied the American dream and has contributed greatly to our region's economy and to the civility of our small community. Whether we've been working to build a new hospital in Gig Harbor, grapple with Narrows Bridge tolls, transfer some federal property to the city, or other initiatives, Steve has been a terrific partner and has always focused on doing what's right for the people of Gig Harbor.

Though Steve will be retiring from the Gig Harbor City Council, his service to his community will surely continue in other capacities. I also want to recognize Steve's wife Marion and their two sons, Adam and Reid, for the support they showed Steve and their own service to our community. It's clear that Steve has passed along his commitment to service.

On behalf of all Gig Harbor residents and the people of the Sixth District of Washington, thank you Steve for your tireless work and commitment to building a better community. Mr. Speaker, please join me in recognizing Councilman Steve Ekberg's nearly 40 years as a public servant on the City Council of the City of Gig Harbor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, but before I do, I want to just briefly acknowledge the members of my community who were affected by a tragic Amtrak derailment in Pierce County, Washington, today. The families of those we lost and all the folks affected by this are in my prayers tonight.

Mr. Speaker, on May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy came before this body and gave an urgent special address. He laid out the costs of supporting the space program and of going to the Moon, and he said: ``We choose to go into space because whatever mankind must undertake, free men must fully share.''

Today, Mr. Speaker, that journey continues as we take a vote to formalize sharing a space partnership between our Nation and a close ally and friend, the nation of Israel.

This partnership began in 1985 when NASA and the Israel Space Agency began cooperating on a limited basis. A decade later, our Nation signed an agreement to allow Israeli astronauts to begin training with their American counterparts.

In 2003, Israeli Air Force Colonel Ilan Ramon became the first Israeli astronaut. He traveled to space aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. It was a 16-day mission, and the crew of six Americans and one Israeli conducted 80 experiments that helped us understand our place in the universe just a little bit better.

Tragically, the celebration of this partnership turned to shared mourning as Columbia was lost on reentry, but the tragedy did not stop our shared journey into space. To this day, we continue to cooperate, including on projects everyone benefits from, including the Global Positioning System, and research that helps us better understand the Sun, and even research related to our environment here on Earth.

In 2015, NASA and the Israel Space Agency signed a civil space framework agreement to formalize and expand cooperation in civil space activities.

Mr. Speaker, today's vote continues a deep and lasting partnership among free societies. I have been proud to work with a number of my colleagues and NASA and everyday Americans who know that all mankind benefits when we explore our universe.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the chairman for his leadership on these issues and the ranking member, who has been such a champion in support of smart policies in the arena of science, space, and technology. I also would like to thank the majority and minority staff from the committee for the work that they do.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, on February 27 of this year, about 250 men, women, and children gathered at the Stroum Jewish Community Center on Mercer Island in my home State of Washington.

It was a regular evening. The center was alive. People were swimming laps in the pool. They were lifting weights in the gym. Seniors were taking classes like the popular one on Bollywood dancing the center offers on Monday nights. They were assembling peacefully, united by their common faith. Then, they were targeted because of it.

On that night, a man, cowardly hiding behind the anonymity of a telephone, called in a bomb threat on the center. Children and their parents and seniors dropped everything and were evacuated as the police swept it with dogs.

How did we get to the point where places people come to take an aerobics class or drop off a child for Hebrew school become flash points of hate?

The threat to this center is, sadly, not unique. In the first 3 months of this year alone, there were 126 bomb threats called in to 85 Jewish community centers across the country. Imagine the disruption and the fear created by that.

Let's talk about the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, an organization that advocates for peace and provides classes and community activities and funds scholarships to Seattle-area students.

In 2006, a man walked into the federation's offices with two handguns. He fired shots through the office after gaining access by holding a 14-year-old girl at gunpoint as she called her aunt who worked in the building to buzz her in. He killed one woman and wounded a group of others. He then took them hostage, and a 911 operator talked him into surrendering.

Places of worship and faith-based nonprofits must take any threat seriously. Across the country, because of threats of violence, churches, mosques, synagogues, and nonprofit religious community centers associated with them must spend money that could have gone to classes, gym equipment, or food for the poor, instead, on locks, cameras, and security guards.

Mr. Speaker, that is why we are here today. Today is a victory for everyday people who come to a Representative with a problem and who are hurt.

Earlier this year, a friend from Washington State, who is here with us today, came to me and said: These threats are hate crimes. We are being targeted because of our faith. But unless someone acts on the threat, it doesn't count as a hate crime under the law.

That is how this bill came to be. This bill is about people coming to their elected Representatives and being heard.

H.R. 1730 will amend the Church Arson Prevention Act to punish the cowards who make threats against our places of worship and religiously affiliated nonprofits. It will classify the act of making credible threats as hate crimes.

What happened in my State wasn't a fluke. The FBI has reported a rise in hate crimes. This affects every faith.

There were an average of 16 hate crimes per day last year. American Jews were targeted with bomb threats. Islamic centers have faced arson. Christians have faced threats in the pews as they pray. This doesn't count the credible threats that I mentioned earlier that create chaos and make people feel as though they are targets for no other reason than the God to whom they worship.

So, Mr. Speaker, today is about coming together as Americans and saying enough is enough. It is about communities crying out, ``Never again,'' and being heard by this body. It is about saying, as leaders, that we must never endorse hate.

Silence in the face of intolerance and violent threats isn't enough. We must condemn hate wherever and however it exists. Mr. Speaker, this is about the people of the Stroum Jewish Community Center and the faithful everywhere who should never have to fear.

Around this country, around this world, too many families have been impacted by religious intolerance and violence. Even my own family's family tree has felt that scourge.

Mr. Speaker, this bill acknowledges that, when someone tries to terrorize Americans based on their faith, we need to stand up and do something about it. We must embrace our common humanity and ensure that Americans, wherever they pray, however they come together, are respected.

I thank everyone who has worked on this: my colleague, the chairman, and his committee staff; and Rachel Appleton from my team.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to include in the Record these remarks I recently made to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights:

I'm standing with Chairman Castro from the U.S. Commission

on Civil Rights in a village called Taholah. It's the lower

reservation of the Quinault Indian Nation. The nation's

President, Fawn Sharp, takes us up a slight incline as we

look out at the Pacific Ocean. ``When I was a kid,'' she

says, ``The ocean was a football field's length away. Now

it's our front porch.''

She explains that her village has been there since time

immemorial. But in recent years, it has begun to see the

threats of rising sea levels and more severe storms--not to

mention the threat of tsunami. She points out that village is

below sea level--which wasn't a problem in past generations.

But now, on numerous occasions, the sea wall has breached and

their village has filled up like a bowl.

That story--and the stories of the four other tribes in my

district that--as we sit here today are in the process of

trying to move to higher ground--deserves to be heard. And it

is why I'm grateful to Mr. Castro and to the U.S. Commission

on Civil Rights for listening.

Billy Frank, a Native American civil rights icon, provided

vital direction to those who needed to be heard, who wanted

to advocate. He would say, ``tell your story, tell your

story.'' Storytelling is essential for change.

But in order for change to happen, someone needs to hear

that story, and listen to the people telling it. Too often,

there is no one listening when communities of color or

disadvantaged populations tell their story. That's why the

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is so important. For 60

years, the US. Commission on Civil Rights has listened. And

they've detailed, in sharp focus, the inequity tribal

communities across the nation face, in addition to many other

injustices.

In a 2003 report called The Quiet Crisis, they showed our

government's systemic failure to live up to its treaty

obligations with tribal communities. I am grateful for the

work they're doing to update that report.

I want to tell you another one of the stories we heard. One

of the tribal leaders shared his story. He said, ``Do you

want the good news or the bad news?'' I said, ``Let's hear

the good news!'' He said, ``Every one of our high schoolers

graduated this past year.'' I said, ``So what's the bad

news?'' He then shared that, for the first time, the state of

Washington was requiring that students take the state

mandated exam over the internet. He said, ``We don't have

high speed internet.'' He said, ``We tried a sample test. We

shut down every computer in the school except two.'' It's one

of those exams where you answer ten questions and then click

next page. He said, ``We tried it. It took a minute and 44

seconds to get to the next page.'' So that's not going to

work.

Sadly--that tribe, too, is not alone. Many of the coastal

tribes lack the basic broadband that many of us take for

granted. It doesn't just create a barrier to first

responders, and to folks who want to start a business, or to

kids who need to pass a test.

It's a civil rights problem.

According to the FCC approximately 63 percent of Tribal

land residents lack access to strong broadband. Only 17

percent of the rest of the nation faces a similar challenge.

This isn't the only challenge tribal communities face. We

know they have a higher rate of substance abuse issues than

the general population, they have lower graduation rates,

they have underfunded schools and police forces and many

areas lack the economic development opportunities necessary

to provide families with a quality income.

These are real problems, and too often these communities

are ignored. But the U.S. Commission on Civil rights is

listening. And they're amplifying quiet voices.

I am pleased with the fact that the Commission is working

on an update to the Quiet Crisis Report. When it's completed,

it can provide a roadmap for Congress and for the

Administration to address problems that are too often

unnoticed. And the Commission is listening to other

communities too.

Your work is a big part of the reason a hate crimes bill

recently passed out of the House Judiciary Committee. And

your reporting is driving the House's discussion on voting

rights.

So let me just end by saying thank you. Thank you all for

having me today. Thank you Dr. Hayden and the Library of

Congress for curating such a powerful exhibit. On behalf of

my constituents, and on behalf of everyone else who is

telling their story. Thank you.

And to the Commission--Thank you for listening. Thank you

for shining a light on injustice and disparity. And thank you

for working to ensure that our nation keeps its promise to

all of its citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Imagine you are a coder and you have a great idea for an app that predicts the weather or identifies traffic flows or helps people navigate the social service system. You know how to code the app, but you can't afford to set up your own system to collect the data--the weather data or the traffic data or what have you.

Now, imagine you build the app and you can pull data that the government is already collecting so you can build the app and use the data. It turns out that you have got something that is either good at predicting the weather or helping commuters or helping folks navigate the social services system or whatever and it grows into a business. You can actually employ people. You can put people to work. A project that may have started as a hobby could become your life's work.

The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act, and specifically title II of this bill called the OPEN Government Data Act, will actually help make stories like that become a common thing. This bill gives entrepreneurs and innovators huge amounts of publicly funded data so that they can innovate and come up with applications that we haven't even thought of yet.

It also means that government agencies can share data more easily and ultimately provide services more effectively. Most importantly, it allows citizens to participate in their government by making government more transparent and accountable.

Mr. Speaker, data is the spark that drives innovative ideas, and I drafted the OPEN Government Data Act with Representatives Farenthold and Senators Schatz and Sasse to support new startups by providing innovators with the legal elbow room to use public information and public data and to create jobs. It reduces the burden to entry by lowering the cost to access and format data. It will open new business opportunities.

Making more government data public will pump up the data analytics boom currently driving new innovation, and I expect that access to this data will lead to things that we haven't even thought up yet.

I am proud to work with Speaker Ryan, Chairman Gowdy, and Senator Murray to incorporate that bill into this broader legislation. It will help us measure how government programs are actually working or not.

Establishing a data inventory will help government officials understand what data they have so that they can use it, and they don't duplicate work that is already getting done.

Making the government's data searchable and accessible will help public servants make better decisions, and it will help the public and the press hold government more accountable.

Let me give you an example. Mr. Speaker, I represent more military veterans than just about any Member of this body. Like many of us, I was horrified to learn several years ago that the Department of Veterans Affairs was struggling to provide the services and treatments that were earned by military veterans. Now imagine if the House Veterans' Affairs Committee or the Government Accountability Office or even the VA had access to some of the data around wait times earlier. The pain caused to veterans and their families could have been avoided.

Imagine if the leaders of the Veterans Administration knew that newspapers were going to have access to that data, whether it be the Kitsap Sun in my district or The New York Times or whoever. Imagine that they were looking at that data, too.

It is time for government to move into the 21st century and start using the data it is collecting to improve the services it is providing.

Let me just speak briefly about what this bill does. This gets a little wonky, but I actually think it is pretty important. This legislation sets up a way for everyone to use the government's data. We spent a long time working to make sure that the terms used in the bill didn't trap government policy in this year or this decade. We hope that this legislation will act as a building block for future technologies and applications of Federal data.

We included some important pieces to ensure that data is not only available, but that it is easily used. Data has to be machine-readable. Many of us, I think, have gone on the internet and gotten a data set in PDF form that you can't really do anything with. It is so annoying. It is pretty obvious that in 2017 you should be able to use your computer to find what you are looking for.

Data has to be open format, and data should be malleable. Professionals inside and outside of government should be able to use that data in various ways. Government data should be provided under an open license. If the government owns the data, that means the people paid for it, and they should be able to use it for free.

Let me quickly talk about what this bill doesn't do.

The bill does not take away safeguards that protect personal privacy, national security, and intellectual property. The legislation would not affect existing contracts, so the government is not going to go to a contractor and say: Oh, by the way, your data is now free and available to the public.

Importantly, the bill does not alter the government's need to pay for private data rights in the future when it identifies private data that it may want to access and have ownership of. This bill only applies to data that is owned and controlled by the Federal Government. It does not provide an advantage to one sector or technology over another.

Mr. Speaker, let me just say in closing, for the past 2 years, several of us have worked on this issue and with experts throughout the private and public sector to get this bill past the finish line. I am proud to stand here today in support of a bipartisan bill that can move our economy forward, that can improve efficiency in our government, and can help citizens get more involved in our democratic republic.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues' support of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank my colleagues across the aisle for working on this issue.

I think it is particularly powerful when what happens in this marble building isn't some distant theoretical policy conversation. This actually affects people in each of our districts.

I first learned about this issue about a year and a half ago. I was at home talking to a group of veterans at the University of Washington Tacoma. We were discussing their service to our Nation and some of the challenges that they had experienced in coming home.

Then the conversation took an unexpected turn. One of the veterans talked about a servicemember, who is a friend, who had gone overseas, and, in his words: Had seen quite a lot. He said when that veteran came home, he wasn't quite the same person that he had been. Unfortunately, those challenges led to some substance issues, and then to an other than honorable discharge.

As a consequence, as he explained, that veteran was unable to get mental healthcare treatment through the Veterans Administration. Here was a veteran, someone who sacrificed for his country, who was unable to get the services he earned, due to a condition that he most likely developed through that service.

Coming back to this Washington, I was honored to cosponsor this bill, and I appreciate the work of Representative Coffman, and other colleagues, in advancing this important bill.

This bill is simple. It allows veterans discharged in an other than honorable status to be screened for urgent mental health conditions and are found to be eligible for treatment.

While I appreciate the fact that the VA has voluntarily adopted this policy on its own, we need to make sure that this becomes law to ensure that future administrations help the thousands of veterans who have served our Nation and might otherwise be denied needed treatment.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that we have a responsibility to ensure that military veterans have access to the benefits and services that they have earned. These men and women have had our backs, and we need to have theirs.

We can't stand by as they endure challenges seeing doctors or getting treatment because of management failures and unnecessary bureaucratic barriers. Taxpayers have spent millions of dollars, tens of millions of dollars, to identify how the VA is broken and to identify opportunities to fix it.

The Government Accountability Office has raised specific suggestions related to management issues, but, unfortunately, the VA has implemented few, if any, of these solutions, and that cannot stand.

How can our Nation's veterans expect to get what they have earned if the leaders and components of the VA are not expected to cooperate with one another? How can they expect to see medical providers if the VA cannot bring in or maintain talented medical professionals?

The VA Management Alignment Act is a bipartisan effort to address these and other management problems that have real consequences on the delivery of care to our friends, our neighbors, and to our loved ones.

Representative Newhouse and I drafted this bill with input from the Government Accountability Office to bring an end to this disjointed and inefficient system. The bill would require the Secretary to outline the roles, responsibilities, and accountability measures of senior leaders and branches of the VA and to provide Congress with a series of legislative options to assist the Secretary in realizing positive change.

The goal of this bill is to help Congress and the administration work together to fix these problems. The goal of this bill is to make sure veterans get the care and the benefits that they have earned.

I would like to thank Chairman Roe and Ranking Member Walz for their leadership and support in moving this bill forward. I would like to thank my colleague from California (Mr. Takano) for his help as well.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation to help us align the VA into a system that can deliver on our Nation's responsibilities to our military veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I am so honored to welcome Pastor Molly Fraser from Gig Harbor United Methodist Church, my home church.

Our church isn't the biggest church, it isn't the oldest church, but it has left a large impact throughout Gig Harbor because it makes clear that all are welcome. Whether you are in pain and need somewhere to go or you are looking for fellowship, there is a welcome mat for you.

It makes clear to regular attendees and to newcomers that it is a place of open hearts, open minds, and open doors. It is a place that is committed to supporting the needs of those most in need throughout our community and around the world. It is a place to ask tough questions and to celebrate our faith.

Finally, it is a place that benefits from the tremendous leadership of Pastor Molly, who, during her brief tenure with the church, has brought incredible energy and heart and musical talent.

She is here in our Nation's capital today with her family. It is my honor to welcome them and, in spirit, the entire congregation of Gig Harbor United Methodist Church.

Mr. Chair, when I am at home, I don't hear anyone say, Let's make it easier for folks to use big money to influence elections, and yet there are provisions in this spending bill that would do just that.

My colleagues across the aisle are putting these provisions into this spending bill because they know that shocking our political system with even more money is incredibly unpopular, and these provisions would never pass if they were given an up-or-down vote in their own right; therefore, I am standing up today for restoring accountability for campaign spending and highlighting the two provisions that should not be in this bill.

First, we need some sunlight in this murky world of campaign spending. 501(c)(4) groups can play fast and loose in our elections, and I want to be sure that they are actually working on issues that impact the people I represent, not trying to get their preferred candidates elected. And yet this legislation that we are voting on ensures that the IRS will not have the authority to look into groups that might be flouting the rules, and that is wrong.

Unfortunately, secondly, we have also seen the Federal Election Commission struggle to enforce our campaign finance laws. This was a body that was created after Watergate to make sure politicians don't cheat. The Commission was designed to be the people's advocate in our elections, and yet, unfortunately, it has seen more gridlock than Congress.

The Federal Election Commission is once again undermined in this bill because the bill says that the Commission cannot enforce any rules regarding how certain special interests are able to raise money. We should not be making it easier for political action committees to raise additional money from a few wealthy individuals without Federal Election Commission oversight.

We should be voting on campaign finance laws that strengthen the integrity of our elections, not bills like this that weaken it. So my hope is that we can chart a new course, a better course, and one that brings people power back to these hallowed Halls rather than, again, giving more power to the deepest pockets and to special interests.