Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the legacy of Alyce Eagans, a beloved local activist and civil rights pioneer of Washington's Sixth Congressional District.

Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1929, Eagans moved to Bremerton with her family in 1946. She married Loxie Eagans in 1949, and together they helped to found the Kitsap Chapter of the NAACP alongside other community activists James and Lillian Walker and Al and Hazel Colvin. They had two children, Phyllis and Loxie, Jr.

She passed away in 2016 from cancer but when she got her diagnosis, she didn't let that slow her down.

Alyce Eagans was a pillar of the community. After settling in Bremerton, she worked in the supply office at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for 20 years and once she retired, she moved on to a career in the Bremerton School District, where she worked in the superintendent's office for 17 years. Eagans continued to volunteer with the school district even after retirement.

During her 70 years in Kitsap County, Eagans took on many leadership roles including PTA president when her children attended school in Bremerton, president of the local NAACP chapter and of the Washington State United Christian Church Ushers. She worked with Dianne Robinson to help found the Black Historical Society of Kitsap County, and was an active member of the YWCA, the Bremerton Central ``Lady Lions'' and the Kitsap County Historical Society.

Members of our community called her the Mother of the community, go- getter, mentor, activist, stalwart, and full of endless energy.

As the Bremerton NAACP Unit 1134 hosts their annual Freedom Fund Banquet: Black Women are Supreme this weekend--it's my honor to recognize the legacy of a very impactful woman in our community whose legacy will live on for years to come.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to extend my sincere congratulations and birthday wishes to one of my constituents, Anna Marie Cole, who celebrated her 102th birthday on Friday, July 1, 2022.

Anna Marie Cole served our country as a Navy Nurse during World War II. As the representative of a region that is home to many active-duty families and veterans, I am tremendously grateful for the dedication of our service members. I thank Ms. Cole for her dedication to serving our country.

Madam Speaker, it is an honor to celebrate Anna Marie Cole on her 102th birthday, whose love for her community has never wavered and whose service to her country and community is greatly appreciated and will be long remembered.

Madam Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize and celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Pell Grant Program.

This program is aimed at ensuring that the door of educational opportunity is open to all students seeking higher education-- regardless of economic background or income. The federal investment in Pell Grants is targeted to students with demonstrated financial need, with most families at incomes of $40,000 or less. The investment pays off by increasing college completion and economic mobility. It's a legacy that I'm committed to protecting and expanding so that future generations can continue to reach their educational goals free from financial barriers or undue cost burdens.

For me, personally, this is also an important program. My folks were schoolteachers, and I could not have gone to college if it hadn't been for the help of my community and the assistance of financial aid. I look at education as the door to opportunity for a lot of families-- including mine--and it's clear that financial aid is the key to that door.

Since the creation of the Pell Grant, more than 80 million students have felt the impact of this program firsthand. Last year, Pell Grants benefited 5,419 students attending our local colleges in the district that I have the honor of representing. At the University of Washington, more than 10,000 students across the university system are Pell recipients. Furthermore, at Washington State University, 26.9 percent of enrolled undergraduate students across the university system were eligible to receive a Pell Grant this past Fall.

As we recognize today as the 50-year mark of the Pell Grant program, I encourage all of us to not only celebrate this milestone, but to recognize the current students and successful graduates who have benefited from the program by telling their stories, encouraging the same access for future students, and resolving to continue support for this vital program for the next 50 years and beyond.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the bipartisan resolution declaring June 23, 2022, National Pell Grant Day this year.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak on behalf of Jon Boughtin, an exceptional staffer and someone I'm proud to have called a partner.

Jon was the very first Director of Member Services for the New Democrat Coalition. In this role, he worked every day to build a strong coalition made up of effective members of Congress. His work demonstrated a commitment to getting good things done for the American people--and to helping every member of our coalition do that too. Beyond that, Jon fostered a community of leaders that resembled a family more than a caucus. I consider myself lucky that he held the role during my Chairmanship of the Coalition.

We talk a lot in the New Dems about delivering for Americans and getting results in Congress. But that doesn't just happen. It takes hard work and a commitment to do the tough work of finding common ground. That's what Jon's all about. He always challenged the New Dems to keep the concerns of our friends and families back home front and center. His dedicated work to provide resources to our members and staff empowered our members to make a real, tangible difference on a host of issues--from inflation to workforce development. I knew I could always turn to Jon for candid advice, smart analysis, and creative solutions. His sense of humor wasn't half bad either.

For Jon, working for the New Dems wasn't just a paycheck. It was a mission. And thanks to him, our Coalition has never been stronger. Though I'm sad to see him go, I wish him luck in his new role. To Jon-- as well as to his family, from whom we borrowed Jon on many late nights and weekends--I offer my congratulations, my best wishes, and my sincere thanks for years of service.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Flight Officer Roscoe Perkins, a distinguished aviation pioneer who helped pave the way for racial integration in the United States Armed Forces and whose service has inspired generations of aviators.

Flight Officer Roscoe Perkins served our country in World War II as a military pilot and was one of the first Black-American pilots to serve in the United States Armed Forces.

Flight Officer Perkins was among the nearly 1,000 men, referred to as the Tuskegee Airmen, who trained at the United States Army Air Corps' Tuskegee Army Airfield in Alabama.

The Tuskegee Airmen were citizens who wanted to fight for their country but were originally barred from doing so due to segregationist policies at the time. This led to the creation of the Tuskegee Institute to train Black Army personnel to become pilots.

Despite facing many obstacles, the Tuskegee Airmen beat the odds. Even in the face of significant barriers, they showed skill and patriotism. They fought valiantly in World War II by flying more than 15,000 combat sorties over Europe and North Africa.

For his part, Roscoe Perkins logged nearly 400 hours of flight during his years of service between January 31, 1944, and February 10, 1946. He flew P-47s and B-25s for the U.S. Army Air

Corps in the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group.

Congress voted in 2006 to award the Tuskegee Airmen with the Congressional Gold Medal, which is the most prestigious award the Federal Government can award to servicemembers.

President George W. Bush presented the surviving airmen with the medal at a ceremony in the U.S. Capitol rotunda in March of 2007. Since then, Congress has begun posthumously awarding medals to the families of deceased airmen once they are found.

Flight Officer Perkins died in 1978. After years of effort, his surviving family members obtained the bronze replica of his medal in 2017.

Flight Officer Perkins' service to our Nation has helped break down countless barriers for those who have followed in his footsteps, and we should all be inspired by his service.

In a time when our world was threatened by fascism, Flight Officer Perkins stood among the many to ward off its force.

In a time when our world was quick to define the quality or character of a person based on their skin, Flight Officer Perkins' service demonstrated that character is about living true to your values, working toward the common good.

At a time when we were fighting in the air, Flight Officer Perkins' service illustrated the struggle at home and the need to end segregationist policies.

Following his service in the military, Flight Officer Perkins was unable to become a commercial airline pilot due to the color of his skin, so he continued his passion for flying by getting in a cockpit any chance he could get and by working as an aircraft mechanic.

During his 20-year career after the military, he worked his way up from apprentice mechanic to crew chief and then to crew supervisor.

Flight Officer Perkins' passion and skill for flying may have inspired an entire Nation, but close to home, he also inspired his family. All five of his children went to college and completed degrees.

His daughter went on to be one of the first Black flight attendants for a major airline. His great-grandson is now an Air Force pilot and flies an F-15 Strike Eagle. Before retiring, his son worked as an electrical engineer for NASA.

Today, Madam Speaker, we honor and celebrate Flight Officer Roscoe Perkins, whose service to his country and to his community is greatly appreciated and will long be remembered.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for her leadership on this issue.

I rise in support of the Recovering America's Wildlife Act, bipartisan legislation I am proud to cosponsor, that aims to make the most significant investment in wildlife and habitat conservation in a generation.

Across Washington State, across our whole country, we are facing widespread species decline that doesn't just threaten the health of our ecosystems. It threatens the recreation and tourism and fishing industries that our communities rely on.

That is why Democrats and Republicans support taking bold action to implement conservation efforts to conserve and restore habitat, to reintroduce native species, and to mitigate wildlife risk.

This bill is critical to helping our State and our Tribal wildlife managers put conservation measures in place to protect species before they become threatened or endangered.

On top of that, this bill will help us combat threats to ecosystems, including the European green crab, an invasive species that is destroying essential marine habitat for Dungeness crab and Pacific salmon and threatening our shellfish industry that so many of the families that I represent depend on.

Get this: Last year, more than 102,000 European green crabs were caught in Puget Sound and along Washington's coast. That was an astronomical 5,500 percent increase from 2019.

In response to that explosion in the green crab population, a series of disaster declarations were made by the Lummi Nation and the Makah Tribe concerning the green crabs' impact on Tribal culture and on their economies, and another a disaster was declared by the State of Washington to mobilize more resources.

While our Tribes and States and local partners and small businesses are working diligently to protect our region against the explosion of these invasive species, they need more resources to improve detection, increase control efforts, and pursue eradication of this invasive species.

This burden shouldn't fall entirely on the backs of our Tribes or on local taxpayers' backs. The Federal Government can and should step up and be a better partner in this effort, and this bill will do that. That is why I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Dr. William Roes for the 40 years that he has dedicated to the Key Peninsula community, where he served as the only family doctor for decades. And like many others in our community, I want to wish him well as he enters retirement.

Dr. William Roes graduated in 1973 from the University of Washington and attended medical school at the University of Nevada College of Medical Sciences and Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Roes' long career on the Key Peninsula began in 1980 when he came to work once a week at the Key Peninsula Health Center while completing his residency program at MultiCare Tacoma Family Medicine. After graduating from the residency program in August of 1981, Dr. Roes decided to call the area home and applied for the family doctor position at The Key Peninsula Medical Center. Dr. Roes began his full-time practice at The Key Peninsula Health Center as the only family doctor at the clinic until his ``soft retirement'' shortly before the pandemic started. Dr. Roes still does home visits to connect with his patients who are now in nursing homes and still helps with special projects at the clinic.

Madam Speaker, beyond his tenure as a medical provider, I would also like to express gratitude for all that Dr. Roes has done to serve our community outside his clinic doors. When the pandemic first hit, Dr. Roes created his own PPE using painter's suits and performed COVID-19 tests at elderly patients' homes. He has also served as the medical director for the Key Peninsula Fire Department and on the board for the Mustard Seed Project, a local nonprofit that provides services and programs for seniors residing on the Key Peninsula. For his compassionate commitment to improving the health and well-being of people in the community, Dr. Roes was awarded the Washington State Family Physician of the Year in 2008.

Madam Speaker, I would like to honor and celebrate Dr. William Roes-- whose love for his community has never wavered and whose commitment and service to his patients and their families is greatly appreciated. He has an extraordinary legacy. He has made a real difference. And I am pleased to honor him in the United States House.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Marcia Garrett of Tacoma, Washington for her decades of service and to celebrate her upcoming retirement.

Marcia is a lifelong Washingtonian with a dedication to public service. She began her career serving as a staff member in the Washington State legislature and served our country as a White House aide during President Carter's Administration. After returning to the Pacific Northwest, Marcia joined the team at Washington State University, where she has worked for the past 26 years.

As the Director of Regional Relations in the Office of External Affairs and Governmental Relations for Washington State University, Marcia has been a pillar in our community, tirelessly working to build bridges between higher education, the community, and local government. In addition to her work at the University, Marcia is involved in several boards, organizations, and working groups within the Puget Sound region. She is a vocal and tenacious advocate for higher education in the state of Washington and we are all better off thanks to her work advancing the research and work of public universities.

Madam Speaker, beyond her many accomplishments, I would also like to express gratitude for the friend that Marcia has been to me. Not only do I appreciate the work she has done; I appreciate the person that she is. Please join me in congratulating Marcia Garrett on her service to Washington State University and the state of Washington. I wish her all the best in her retirement.

Madam Speaker, I missed a vote on April 6, 2022. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 118.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, for

organizing this Special Order, and for his extraordinary leadership.

Madam Speaker, I join him in rising today in support of Washington State's law enforcement community.

Each and every day, law enforcement officers in every corner of the district I have the honor of representing--and the communities all around our State and all around our country--go to work with one goal in mind: to serve and to protect. That includes officers like Pierce County Sheriff Deputy Dom Calata, who tragically gave his life serving his community last month.

Deputy Calata admirably served his country and our community. I had the honor of attending his celebration of life in Tacoma. It was clear from the hundreds of emergency vehicles and the thousands of Washingtonians who showed up, first, that he was just a really good person; second, that our communities value the work of our law enforcement officers.

Hearing the stories about how he supported other people, how he encouraged others, how he brought smiles to people's faces, how he had just a zeal for service, it was a reminder of the best of us.

Our communities enjoy safety and security because of the commitment of our law enforcement officers and our first responders. That is a commitment that we should return as we continue to support and ensure the safety of those who have dedicated their lives to serve and protect.

The Federal Government has to have their backs. That certainly means what we are doing here, offering our words of support. It means our prayers. It means our gratitude. But it has to mean more than that.

Having their backs means making sure they have the tools and the training that they need to keep us safe and to strengthen the bonds of trust with the communities in which they serve.

Having their backs means giving communities the resources they need to hire and train new officers. It means that when we had a pandemic that led to the cratering of local government revenues, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan because none of us wanted to see cities, counties, and Tribes issue a bunch of pink slips to law enforcement officers.

Having their backs means funding for the COPS Hiring Program and funding for effective, accountable community policing and programs that build trust, save lives, and reduce crime.

Having their backs means dealing with some of the underlying problems that make their lives more difficult. I can't tell you how many law enforcement officers I have spoken to in recent years who have bemoaned the fact that the largest provider of mental health services in nearly every county I represent is the county jail.

If we can address the challenges posed by mental health, posed by addiction, we can help better people's lives, but we can also help our law enforcement officers by getting at some of the root causes of crime in our communities.

Our Nation asks a lot of our first responders. In return, we have to keep working to ensure Congress and the Federal Government do all they can to help these men and women do their jobs to ensure the safety of all Americans and ensure their safety while they are doing those jobs.

Former President Obama wrote a letter to the law enforcement community following some tragic events nearly 6 years ago. In it, he spoke of the importance of being united and not divided. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for organizing this Special Order because you saw Democrats and Republicans united tonight in the importance of celebrating and thanking our law enforcement officers.

President Obama also spoke of acknowledging that any violence against law enforcement officers is an unjustified attack on all of us as a community. Perhaps, most importantly, he said thank you. He said, ``Every day, you confront danger so it does not find our families, carry burdens so they do not fall to us, and courageously meet test after test to keep us safe. . . . We recognize it; we respect it; we appreciate it; and we depend on you.''

That is why tonight's discussion matters, and it is why the work of every person in law enforcement matters. It is why I am grateful to my friend, Mr. Newhouse, for organizing tonight's discussion.

Madam Speaker, I would like to take a moment to commemorate Military Appreciation Day in Kitsap County organized by the Silverdale Chamber of Commerce on March 5, 2022.

Here in Kitsap County, we have a lot to be thankful for. Kitsap County has a vibrant history as a military community. This rich history began in September 1891, when 190 acres of the Pacific Northwest wilderness was purchased for the first Naval Station Puget Sound in Bremerton, Washington. Today, this presence has grown to include Naval Base Kitsap--Bangor and Naval Base Kitsap Bremerton and Naval Underseas Warfare Center, Keyport.

Part of what makes this area special is not just the physical presence of our Naval Base, but the tens of thousands of military members and veterans who call it home. Members of the military aren't just fighting for the freedom of our community. They are family members, friends, and neighbors who are making a difference in it, too.

In addition to those serving in uniform, our community is home to thousands of Department of Defense civilian employees who serve our country each day and ensure the readiness and safety of our service members.

Veterans and service members are also a critical part of our local economy, doing everything from creating small businesses to bringing their unique work ethic and skills to employers looking to fill jobs. That's why today is a great way to go beyond saying thanks and turning our words into deeds. And that is why events like today's Military Appreciation Day are so important.

Madam Speaker, I applaud the Silverdale Chamber of Commerce and the Military Affairs Committee for hosting Military Appreciation Day to honor those that do and those that have served our nation.

Madam Speaker, I'd like to take a moment to commemorate the public service of two individuals who have dedicated decades of their lives to enhancing the performance of congressional offices, helping Members of Congress and congressional staff improve as professionals and public servants, and working to revitalize Congress as an institution. Kathy Goldschmidt is the Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Congressional Management Foundation and reached her 25th year of service there last month. Nicole Folk Cooper is the Director of Research and Publications at CMF, and last year reached her 20th year of service. Both individually and as a team, Ms. Goldschmidt and Ms. Folk Cooper have made unparalleled contributions to enhancing the House and Senate.

Starting at CMF in 1997, Ms. Goldschmidt recognized early on the potential impact of the internet on Congress and democracy, urging the organization to proactively work to help congressional offices with this new technology. During the last quarter of a century, she has authored or co-authored nearly every major CMF study on technology and Congress. In 2006 she led the effort to help the House of Representatives create a 10-year information technology road map, a crucial step that helped institutional leaders identify areas for operational improvement. Recently, she co-authored a series of reports, The Future of Citizen Engagement, which has the potential to help every congressional office build greater trust in the Congress and democracy. And in 2018 she co-authored a report entitled the Job Description for a Member of Congress that sought to provide a common understanding of the duties and responsibilities of a Member of Congress for all Americans. She has twice testified before congressional committees, including the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, which I chair. We thank her for her advice to our Committee and staff.

Nicole Folk Cooper began working at CMF in 2001. For more than two decades she has trained staff, conducted analyses of congressional offices, and overseen a broad range of CMF projects. For 16 years she has been the editor of CMF's signature publication, Setting Course: A Congressional Management Guide. Every Member of Congress and senior staff is familiar with this unique publication, which provides thoughtful guidance on setting up and running a congressional office. She was the project manager and editor of a similar CMF publication, Keeping It Local: A Guide for Managing District & State Offices. Probably Ms. Folk Cooper's greatest contribution to Congress has been her leadership in the last 10 years of CMF's ``Life in Congress'' project. This initiative, in partnership with the Society for Human Resource Management, seeks to identify human resource challenges in Congress and provide recommendations for overcoming them in order to help make Congress a better place for both Members and staffers to work. Especially as the dual stresses of the pandemic and the attacks of January 6th weighed so heavily on the congressional workforce, CMF's ``Life in Congress'' webinars and publications offered valuable guidance to Members and managers.

As a team, Ms. Goldschmidt and Ms. Folk Cooper were also leaders in CMF's ``Gold Mouse Awards'' project, which identifies best practices in congressional websites. The modern congressional website, which focuses on Members' policy positions, voting records, and constituent services, was largely inspired and created by CMF and these two dedicated public servants.

Madam Speaker, we all know that Congress wouldn't function without the invaluable work done every day by the staff who support us. Kathy Goldschmidt and Nicole Folk Cooper have been vital advisors and guides to Members and staff for decades and have worked diligently to enhance the performance of congressional offices and Congress as an institution. It's hard to quantify every contribution or influence they've had on the Congress. But it's easy to conclude that Congress, congressional staff, and democracy are better because of their work. I congratulate them both on these milestones in their long history of public service and I look forward to continuing to work with them and their colleagues at CMF for years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, bipartisan legislation to help the U.S. Postal Service remain financially viable and ensure it provides the high quality of service that Americans expect and deserve.

Even before this pandemic began, the post office and our postal workers played a critical role in our country, ensuring that folks across our Nation received essential packages and letters, including medication, food, supplies, ballots, and notes from loved ones.

And this importance only grew during the pandemic.

Now, unfortunately the Postal Service has faced serious financial challenges in recent years, even as postal workers serviced more locations. It has been burdened by, among other things, a requirement that no employer in private industry has, to prefund benefits for workers who, frankly, haven't even been born yet.

That is why this week I voted for the bipartisan Postal Service Reform Act. This bill makes some commonsense reforms to save the Postal Service billions of dollars, to have the backs of the terrific professionals who work for the Postal Service, to improve the service's performance, and to ensure that folks in my region and around our country can rely on the delivery of paychecks, prescriptions, tax returns, and more.

We have got to get this bill signed into law.

Madam Speaker, the America COMPETES Act is about creating jobs and spurring innovation all across our country. It is about recognizing that America can't compete if it leaves communities behind and that we need to get all of our best players on the field if we are going to win economically.

Today's bill includes a pilot version of my RECOMPETE Act, which would provide some flexible, long-term support to empower communities that have struggled so that they can grow jobs and strengthen their economies. For some communities, that may mean investments in workforce development; for others, broadband; for some, support for entrepreneurs.

I grew up on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, and now I am proud to represent it. We have amazing assets and outstanding people, but there is a real concern in some communities that their town's main export may be young people, as prospects for the future often seem brighter someplace else.

But with today's vote, we are saying that we don't believe in leaving communities behind. We are saying that people should have economic opportunity regardless of what ZIP Code they live in, and we are saying that we can't wait.

Mr. Speaker, the word ``legendary'' gets thrown around in this place a fair amount, but back in my hometown of Port Angeles, Washington, we have had the opportunity to see a local legend in action for seven decades.

Scooter Chapman has been the voice of Port Angeles sports for decades, working at radio KONP since the 1950s. He has been a sportscaster, a referee, an umpire, but he has been more than that. He has been someone who cared about young people and their success. He has been someone who built pride in our community, and for every PA High Roughrider, pride in his or her school.

Back in 1992 I had the honor of presenting him a letterman's jacket on behalf of our graduating class. In the decades since, he has racked up more honors, recognitions, and hall of fame entries than you could possibly count.

Now, 30 years later, I am honored to recognize Scooter Chapman from the floor of the United States House of Representatives, as he prepares to sign off from KONP and hang up his microphone after 70 years at the station.

Scooter Chapman has touched so many lives. He has made our community stronger. Mr. Speaker, he is, in a word, legendary.