Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Tanner Douglas Reed and Dallin Walker Reed, who recently earned the impressive rank of Eagle Scout and have a steadfast commitment to the growth and prosperity of the Olympic Peninsula region of Washington State.

It takes great effort, service, and determination to earn the rank of Eagle Scout. It is an honor to congratulate Tanner and Dallin on their awards.

Mr. Speaker, Tanner is a 17-year-old cancer survivor and Army ROTC Scholarship recipient who will be attending Brigham Young University this fall. Dallin is a 15-year-old student that attends Peninsula High School and volunteers his time and energy to helping the elderly and children. They are the 2nd and 3rd Eagle Scout recipients in their family.

Tanner and Dallin built a wooden trellis system for the Kitsap Helpline Food Bank for their community service project. The system consists of separate lengths of cable strung between three support trellises, creating a structure that allows the tomato vines to grow vertically. In the winter, the structure is able to act as a greenhouse when plastic sheets are draped over the structure. This will be used to support the food bank's annual crop of tomatoes.

The Boy Scouts represent the finest qualities in America's youth; the Reeds' accomplishments have helped solidify a strong foundation for their future. I am hopeful that others in our community will follow the Reed's example of leadership.

As I close, I can say with confidence that our community is a better place thanks to the ongoing, selfless commitment of people like the Reeds. Their dedicated service to our community has earned them the appreciation and admiration of peers and neighbors in the Olympic Peninsula region. I am pleased to recognize their service today in the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Reverend Edward Arthur Sterling for his faithful and tireless service as a member of the United States Army and to his community. His work has touched many lives throughout the South Puget Sound Region of Washington State.

Fr. Sterling joined the United States Army after he graduated from college in 1942. After 12 years of continuous active duty service, he began his studies at the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest. Upon completion, Fr. Sterling was ordained June 16, 1958 and served a local Texas Congregation for a number of years.

Fr. Sterling returned to the Army and continued his service to God and fellow soldiers. He dedicated an additional 16 years of service to the Army as a chaplain--serving throughout the world, including Germany, Vietnam and Korea. Fr. Sterling provided comfort, spiritual guidance and solace to soldiers in the most trying conditions. After a 28 years of active duty military service, Lieutenant Colonel Sterling retired.

Mr. Speaker, Fr. Sterling continued his life of service by dedicating himself to civilian pursuits and civic contributions in Tacoma, Washington.

Since his retirement, Fr. Sterling has served in several congregations throughout South Puget Sound. Since 1986, he has been an Associate Priest at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Tacoma; where he is a spiritual counselor, teacher, and friend to many.

In 2008, he celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination. Surrounded by family, friends, and community members, letters of appreciation from several local and national elected officials were read aloud. The grand occasion included a service led by two Bishops from the Dioceses of Olympia.

As I close, I can say with absolute confidence that our community is a better place thank to the selfless service of people like Reverend Edward Arthur Sterling. He has dedicated his life to serve God and country. I am pleased to recognize that extraordinary service today in the United States Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Jack Dimmer, a senior at Charles Wright Academy and recipient of the Honorable Fixed NGO award from Harvard National Model United Nations.

Founded in 1955, a decade after the United Nations was created; Harvard National Model United Nations is the largest, oldest, and most respected conference of its kind. Every year, it brings over 3,000 students and faculty together from around the world to simulate the United Nations. The program offers a unique opportunity to experience and work through the challenges of international negotiation and diplomacy.

Mr. Dimmer attended the Harvard National Model United Nations as a part of Charles Wright Academy's Model United Nations Club. The club requires students to comprehensively research, debate, and diplomatically negotiate a range of foreign policy issues. Mr. Dimmer received the Honorable Fixed NGO Award for his work representing a Seattle non-profit committed to addressing clean water issues around the world. Of the thousands of students in attendance, only one student is annually selected for the award.

Mr. Speaker, this is a significant honor for Mr. Dimmer. His dedication and acumen have garnered an invitation to represent the United States this summer in the All-American Model United Nations held in Beijing. There is no doubt that Mr. Dimmer will make our region proud with his proven dedication and skill.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Dimmer's commitment to service, and to his country, extends beyond his involvement with United Nations. The Honorable Norm Dicks nominated Mr. Dimmer to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point and he will begin his studies this fall. I am sure that Mr. Dimmer will continue to excel, achieve, and serve his country with honor and distinction.

As I close, I can say with confidence that Mr. Dimmer exemplifies the aspects of our national character for which we should be most proud. His hard work, commitment to service, and diplomatic negotiation and mediation serve as an inspiration to us all. I am pleased to recognize Mr. Dimmer today in the United States Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a policy that allows Federal agencies to determine whether it makes sense for certain construction projects to have project labor agreements, PLAs, which are agreements between owners, including Federal agencies, and workers that establish work-site conditions.

Federal agencies are currently empowered to consider PLAs as a means of reducing on-the-job conflicts, saving money, speeding up construction, and improving efficiency and worker safety. Unfortunately, this body will soon consider removing this tool from our construction toolbox.

While they may not always be the answer on complex projects, PLAs make it more likely that a project will be done right the first time, on time, and on budget. That's why some of the most successful companies in the world, including Boeing, in my State, use a similar model for construction. It's why the Department of Energy uses a PLA at Hanford, and the Department of Energy has a PLA at the Explosives Handling Wharf in Kitsap County in my district.

PLAs are open to all companies, union and nonunion, who see the value of this tool. At a time when we're looking to rein in wasteful spending, PLAs can be a successful model in improving and promoting high-quality, cost-efficient construction.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the employees and leadership of the Pierce County Library System, recipients of the 2013 National Medal for Museum and Library Science. This is the highest honor that our nation bestows upon libraries and museums. The library system has served Pierce County with steadfast dedication for over 60 years. This award is well-deserved.

The Pierce County Library System operates 18 libraries, and serves the county's diverse readership of over 555,000 residents. The library system has seen a continuous rise in the number of residents that rely on the accessibility of the library and its ancillary services.

For five consecutive years the Pierce County Library System has faced major budget reductions. Despite this, the Pierce County Library System has found innovative solutions to continue providing excellent services to the community.

Mr. Speaker, the library system's pioneering research informed their decision to implement one of Washington State's first non-Dewey Decimal systems. It was an immediate success--in the first four hours, 780 visitors checked out 1,566 items.

The library system's flagship Early Literacy Program has produced outstanding results in the community. Library staff continue to work with many partners, including the Pierce County Health Department and Child Care Aware of Tacoma/Pierce County, in developing successful curriculum and services to provide caregivers and parents with tools and training to help children prepare for school. Early learning is vital to eliminating the preparation gap and ensuring that every child has the building blocks and resources they need to achieve in school and in life.

As I close, I can say with confidence that our community is a better place thanks to the careful thought, innovation, and dedication of the Pierce County Library System. I am pleased to recognize the service of the dedicated employees and leadership of the Pierce County Library System today in the United States Congress.

Thank you. And thank you to all of my colleagues from Washington State who spoke before me. I'm batting clean-up and have the unique position of having neither served with Booth Gardner nor having run against him.

But I actually met him when I was a kid. There's no doubt that Booth Gardner's legacy of accomplishments is impressive, and I could stand here and list them off, both from his role as Governor and for his involvement on trade issues at the Federal level.

But I think it says more about the kind of man Booth Gardner was when we don't just talk about what he accomplished, but we talk about what kind of man he was. As someone who met him as a kid, I was just very much struck by the fact that he was exceedingly civil and very, very kind and seemed to have interest in every person he represented.

Regardless of one's race or religion or orientation or gender or economic status, he seemed to care about every person he represented, including a little kid in Port Angeles, Washington, where I was born and raised.

I met Booth for the first time when I was a kid and he was a candidate and my mom was involved on his campaign.

I was struck by the fact that he seemed to be spending an inordinate amount of time talking to me, even though I wasn't old enough to vote. I met him again in his last year in office. As a high school senior, I received a scholarship to go off to college; and Booth, as Governor of our State at the time, was hosting a luncheon to honor all the scholarship recipients. And I remember he came over to talk to my mom and me and say hello. In that very brief interaction, I was just struck by the extent to which he seemed to care about my mom and about how much he cared about me. As an 18-year-old, I just thought it was really cool that a Governor expressed that level of interest.

Over the years, I'd run into him at political events or often at education-oriented events or events in Pierce County, where he was our first county executive. And our interactions always started in the exact same way. He'd start by saying, How's your mom? Many years later, just this last year when I decided to run for Congress, I was very touched that he came to my kickoff in Tacoma. Parkinson's, by that point, meant that he could not walk, and he struggled very deeply to express himself. I went over to thank him for coming. I kneeled down and thanked him, and I could tell he was struggling to say something. It struck me I knew he was going to ask, How's your mom? I thanked him for that, and I told him she was doing just fine.

The other thing I'll say about Booth and his legacy is the legacy he lives behind of his family. His grandson, Jack, actually interned with our campaign. He's an extraordinary young man who spoke very eloquently at the memorial service that was held in honor of Governor Gardner.

So you can look at his legacy of accomplishments when it comes to education or protecting our environment or extending health care services to folks who need it or his work to improve our economy or improve civil rights, or you can look at his extraordinary business legacy as someone who is a leader in our business community. But for me, his legacy is as a guy who truly cared about others. That's how I will remember Booth Gardner.

Today, I will tell all who are listening that my mom is doing well, but she misses Booth Gardner; I miss Booth Gardner; and the people of Washington State miss Booth Gardner.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Ed Johnstone, a community leader engaged on climate change issues in our region. Today, the President is recognizing his efforts by awarding Mr. Johnstone the Champions of Change award.

Mr. Johnstone is a member of the Quinault Indian Nation and serves as their spokesperson on ocean policy and treaty fishing rights. He has done remarkable work explaining how climate change is negatively impacting the ecosystems and fisheries that are central to the traditions, culture, and spiritual beliefs of his tribe, as well as our regional economy.

Mr. Johnstone has helped raise awareness of climate change by co- leading the First Stewards: Coastal Peoples Address Climate Change Symposium at the National Museum of the American Indian.

Climate change is an issue that involves not only preserving our environment. It's also about protecting our economic and national security interests. Climate change is already beginning to negatively impact our state's agriculture and shellfish industries, forests, and salmon habitat. Promoting growth and preserving these industries is essential in retaining and creating new jobs in our area.

Mr. Speaker, I enjoy living in our region because I value the richness of our environment. We know our generation must be responsible stewards of our lands, waters, and of our entire planet for future generations. It's leaders like Mr. Johnstone that are taking that vision and turning it into a reality day in and day out.

It takes great effort and service to earn this prestigious award. On behalf of our region, it is an honor to congratulate Mr. Johnstone on this accomplishment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor long-time businesswoman and community advocate Monique Trudnowski for her dedicated commitment and years of community service to the growth and prosperity of the Greater Tacoma area of Washington State.

Today, Ms. Trudnowski is a partner and hospitality manager of the Adriatic Grill in Tacoma, Washington. Recently, Ms. Trudnowski won the National Restaurant Association's Faces of Diversity Award, which recognizes the diversity of the restaurant industry and the role it plays in helping individuals achieve professional and personal success. Three individuals, who through hard work and determination have realized their dreams, are selected each year as the national winners. Monique Trudnowski is one of this year's prestigious recipients.

In 2010, Ms. Trudnowski was recognized as one of the top 40 Under 40 businesspersons in the South Puget Sound community. She has also gained local accolades as a passionate spokesperson for small business owners, and spoken extensively about the importance of bringing destination businesses to her community.

Prior to joining the Adriatic Grill as a partner in 2007, Ms. Trudnowski excelled as a Lancome Regional Education Executive for Macy's stores in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska. In this capacity she was responsible for the training of more than 250 Beauty Advisors in the regional area. Through hands on coaching, seminars, and presentations on both a regional and national scale, she was voted ``Executive of the Year.''

Mr. Speaker, if all this wasn't enough, it should be noted that every year on the anniversary of their opening in 2007, Ms. Trudnowski and her husband Chef Bill Trudnowski, hold a community party at their restaurant, giving the proceeds of event to the Chef Bill-Adriatic Grill Culinary Scholarship program the couple sponsors at local Clover Park Technical College. This is just one more way that Ms. Trudnowski and her husband give back to their community.

As I close, I can say with confidence that our community is a better place thanks to the ongoing, selfless service of people like Monique Trudnowski. Her leadership in the local community through a vibrant small business has set her apart, and she has earned the appreciation of her colleagues and neighbors in the Greater Tacoma Region. I am pleased to recognize that leadership today in the United States Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 933, the Department of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act.

Talking to folks in our region, I know they will be hurt by the reckless across-the-board cuts included in this budget plan. From day one, I've said sequestration is a bad idea for our country. The bill we voted on today doesn't stop the furloughs that will hurt our communities, doesn't give non-defense agencies the flexibility to deal with the across-the-board cuts in a more strategic way, and doesn't limit the impact of deep cuts to programs like Impact Aid that ensures the schools that our military kids attend have the resources they need. I didn't come here to vote on partisan gimmicks. I'm here to solve problems. The bill we voted on today doesn't do that. It continues in the wrong direction for our military and for our other priorities.

Congress has 21 days until the current funding for the government expires. That's 21 days that Congress should be working nonstop until there is a bipartisan, long-term budget plan that addresses our financial sustainability and avoids making these mindless across-the- board cuts. For our national security, our businesses, and our middle class families, we need a responsible, long-term balanced budget plan to replace the across-the-board cuts and get our economy back on track.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with sincere appreciation for the opportunity I have to represent my region in our Nation's Capital. Throughout the past year, whether it was in Gray's Harbor or Port Angeles, Bremerton, or Tacoma, what I heard from folks around my region is they want solutions to our problems. People want to get back to work. They want to start new businesses. They want to explore new frontiers of science and technology. They want to help build our Nation's bridges and roads. They want to refurbish our schools and buildings. I'm passionate about these issues, and I'm committed to working with my colleagues from both sides of the aisles to find new ways to move this economy forward.

Over the past 6 weeks, I've had the opportunity to meet with constituents to talk about their top concerns. And whether it's back in Washington State, or visits with folks who've traveled 3,000 miles to our Nation's capital, the number one thing that I hear about is the reckless and devastating impact that impending across-the-board cuts would have on our families and on our communities.

I've heard from educators and administrators that they face dramatic cuts that would lead to ballooning class sizes and significant cuts to financial aid.

I've heard from parents who are afraid for their kids who have autism, fearful that their kids won't be able to get the services that they rely on.

I've heard from tribal leaders who say that these cuts will scale back community policing on our reservations and jeopardize patient access to the Indian Health Service.

And as someone who has spent the last decade working in economic development, I've heard from small business owners who say that all of this uncertainty is making them hesitant to hire new workers and expand their production lines. Virtually every meeting that I have had has detailed how reckless and wrong-headed these across-the-board cuts would be.

Yesterday, testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter pointed out that these cuts aren't happening because we've

thought about them strategically. They're not happening because we've identified wasteful spending. They're not happening because we've discovered some new technology that makes it cheaper to keep our Nation safe. They're only happening because they are, as he put it, ``the collateral damage of political gridlock.''

We've already seen the effects of these looming cuts in Washington State. The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, the largest employer in my district, had to postpone its career fair because of all of this budget uncertainty. This is a no brainer--we have the work and we have the workers, but they can't hire because Congress hasn't done its job. Puget Sound Naval Shipyard needs to be able to actively recruit and hire workers. Our local economy needs it, and our national security depends on it. And yet, here we are.

Later today, we will be focusing on legislation that doesn't solve this problem, isn't going to pass the Senate, and isn't going to become law. And after we finish legislative business tomorrow, we're all being sent home for a week. This leaves us with just 4 legislative days for us to act before these across-the-board cuts go into effect.

We were elected to this body to help people. Stopping these damaging, nonstrategic, across-the-board cuts to avoid undermining our economy should be our top priority. We should be working day and night until we have a solution. By doing nothing, we risk putting our fragile economy back into a recession. By doing nothing, we refuse the commitments we've made. We're cutting education, kicking kids off Head Start, hurting small businesses, and gutting research and innovation--the foundations of our long-term economic growth.

By doing nothing, we hurt the men and women who spend their days protecting our Nation and providing essential services to the American people. And by doing nothing, Congress is spending the wrong message to the American people.

Mr. Speaker, we need to get America back to work. And, Mr. Speaker, we need to get Congress working again, too. Doing nothing is not an option. Let's put an end to these gimmicks, and let's stop kicking the can down the road. Let's stop these series of self-imposed crises that fissure the trust and predictability that the private sector needs.

Let's work together to reach a balanced compromise to replace the across-the-board cuts with a smart, balanced approach to addressing our fiscal challenges and getting our economy growing again. Let's maintain our commitment to our Nation's most vulnerable and preserve retirement security for our seniors. And let's get America back to work.