Floor Statements

When the majority leader announced a list of bills that the House may consider over the next few weeks, I was disappointed to hear that, in July, instead of focusing on significant challenges that face our Nation, House Republicans will begin the next chapter in their war on women.

We may consider, we heard, appropriations bills and another farm bill that would have drastic cuts to vital programs like SNAP and WIC that disproportionately devastate low-income women and families.

We may, yet again, vote on legislation to repeal or gut the Affordable Care Act, which has provided millions of women with access to preventive care and ensured, finally, that being a woman is not a preexisting condition.

What's equally troubling is what we didn't hear, what's missing from the list. Where is a budget to replace the sequester, which is prohibiting access to lifesaving programs for victims of domestic violence?

Where is legislation to create jobs, put Americans back to work, and strengthen economic opportunities for the middle class?

And where is the Paycheck Fairness Act to finally ensure that women get equal pay for equal work?

I say we need another list.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to speak in support of this amendment as well, which would strike language from the bill that mandates more wasteful spending on the defunct Yucca Mountain project and would redirect the funding to the Office of Science High Energy Physics program to support research in reducing nuclear waste.

The bill requires that DOE spend $25 million on activities at Yucca Mountain, located less than 100 miles from one of the Nation's most popular tourist destinations.

Now, let me remind you that the Department of Energy has already wasted $15 billion on this project with nothing to show for it but a big hole in the ground in the desert. In fact, had the Department of Energy not terminated the Yucca project in 2010, we would be throwing away at least another $67 billion with no guarantee that the project would ever be completed or functional.

All of this, let me remind you again, despite findings by the GAO that over the past 20 years the proposed site has suffered from gross mismanagement, faulty science and research, and contract violations. Even more troubling to the people of Nevada and those living along the transportation route, questions about the safety and design of the site and its impacts on the surrounding environment and populations have never, never been satisfactorily addressed.

Yet, while cutting ARPA-E, which is vital to our competitiveness in the global economy, stripping investments in energy efficiency, and renewable energy development, this legislation mandates that millions be squandered in an effort to restart a boondoggle that has been doomed from the start.

Now, why, I ask you, are we throwing good money after bad ideas? We should not be turning back the clock, we should be moving forward. So I would say to my colleagues, please support this amendment. It will eliminate economic waste and allow Congress instead to have a proper discussion about how to dispose of the Nation's nuclear waste.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise tonight to ask my colleagues to join me in protecting the fiduciary interests of the American taxpayer and in preserving the safety of my constituents in southern Nevada as well as of all of those who live along the proposed route for Yucca Mountain waste.

My amendment would remove misguided language included in this bill that injects politics into a very serious and consequential debate surrounding the issue of nuclear waste disposal. This amendment would simply strike the language included in this bill that tries to restart the failed Yucca Mountain project by prohibiting the DOE from moving forward with plans to close Yucca Mountain and develop proposals for its alternative use.

When the Department of Energy made the correct decision to put an end to the misguided Yucca Mountain project in 2010, they did so after decades of debate with nothing to show for it except for $15 billion wasted and a big hole in the ground. According to the Government Accountability Office, had the project been completed, it would have cost more than $80 billion. Those figures don't even take into account the cost of transporting 75,000 metric tons of highly radioactive nuclear waste thousands of miles across the country, through nearly every State in the Union.

Now, this waste wouldn't just magically appear in Nevada. It would travel through many of your congressional districts--through backyards all across the country, near schools, homes, parks, and businesses--nor does this enormous cost figure account for the significant security expenditures required to protect the contents of Yucca Mountain from those seeking to cause our Nation harm.

Mr. Chairman, if a nun with a pair of bolt cutters were able to break into one of the most secure nuclear facilities in the world, how can we ever expect to protect all of the Nation's waste in just one location?

Let's not forget that Yucca Mountain is less than 100 miles from one of the Nation's largest cities that hosts more than 40 million visitors a year.

In January of 2012, the Department of Energy's bipartisan Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future, led by former Congressman and 9/11 Commission Vice Chairman Lee Hamilton and former National Security Advisor Lieutenant General Brent Scowcroft stated in its final report: ``The need for a new strategy is urgent.''

The key concept here is ``new,'' but, instead, this bill tries to turn back the clock, back to an old, flawed strategy. It's Groundhog Day here in the United States House of Representatives.

On the subject of Yucca, Congressman Hamilton stated: ``Nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain is not an option.''

General Scowcroft said the Commission will ``look forward, not back.''

It appears that that message didn't make it all the way up the steps of the Capitol and that some Members of Congress have not gotten the message that Yucca is dead.

We cannot continue to throw good money after bad ideas and go down the same failed path that Congress put us on when politics targeted the people of Nevada in the development of the Yucca Mountain project decades ago.

Although I don't agree with everything that's included in the bill, I applaud the bipartisan group of Senators who have introduced legislation to enact the recommendations of the Commission and have an actual debate that doesn't target communities like Nevada.

I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this amendment. It's time to have a serious debate over the safe disposal of the Nation's nuclear waste and develop an alternative plan that doesn't throw away billions of taxpayer dollars, endanger citizen safety, or threaten economic development projects in southern Nevada.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Offered By: Ms. Titus

Amendment No. 35: Page 59, lines 10 through 16, strike

section 509.

For far too long, DOMA denied legally married same-sex couples access to Federal benefits, including those provided by the VA. But with yesterday's decisions, the Supreme Court sent a clear message that all Americans, gay or straight, must be afforded equal protection under the law.

There is no question that now we must implement the Court's ruling throughout every department of the Federal Government. Accordingly, I'm proud to introduce the Veteran Spouse Equal Treatment Act to amend the VA's definition of spouse as an individual of the opposite sex. This is a basic matter of aligning the VA with our Nation's laws, of living up to the principles of fairness and equality, of extending benefits to thousands of deserving military spouses, and of defending all those who have proudly worn the uniform of the U.S. armed services and their families.

Yesterday, justice and freedom prevailed over intolerance and hate. So today I ask my colleagues to work with me to see that this legislation is passed without delay, to implement the Supreme Court's decision, and leave no question about equal protection under the law for all Americans.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, first I want to thank the leadership of the Rules and Agriculture Committees for making this amendment in order.

Right here in the United States, the richest country in the world, one in four children is at risk of going hungry. Last year, 50.1 million Americans lived in food insecure households, including 16.7 million children. In my home State of Nevada, one in six households struggles with food security, and 170,000 schoolchildren in southern Nevada go to school hungry, leaving them unprepared to learn.

So you can see, hunger is not some crisis that is just happening in remote, faraway lands. It's happening right here, all across our own country, and we must address it.

That's why I've offered this important amendment that would restore funding to USDA's Hunger-Free Communities Grant program. This program has received wide bipartisan support and is included, or was included, without dissent in the Senate farm bill.

The amendment is a commonsense proposal to ensure that children and their families have access to the nutritious food they need to survive and to thrive. It continues a grant program that includes assistance with food distribution, community outreach, and initiatives that improve access to food.

The Hunger-Free Communities Grant program has helped facilitate public-private partnerships across the country, from New York City to Ajo, Arizona. The grants enable local communities to root out the causes of hunger and build strategies to eliminate food insecurity.

With the proposed cuts of $20.5 billion to the SNAP benefits, which I oppose, this amendment becomes even more important.

It's morally unacceptable to allow children to go hungry in the wealthiest country in the world, so I would encourage my colleagues to support this amendment to ensure that our communities have the resources they need to tackle hunger at the local level and create healthy, hunger-free communities.

Again, I thank Chairman Lucas and Ranking Member Peterson for their consideration of this amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I would just urge that my colleagues support this important amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1797. This bill is not only a direct challenge to the Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade, but it's a dangerous new attack on women's reproductive rights.

The proposed ban in this bill does not include an exception for the physical or emotional health of a woman; it fails to provide sufficient protections for victims of rape and incest; and it has a very narrow exception in cases when a woman's life is in danger.

H.R. 1797 would significantly reduce the safe, legal options that women have and would prevent doctors from providing the most medically appropriate care for their patients.

Republicans have repeatedly demonstrated a lack--a lack--of understanding about basic women's health care, and this bill is just one more example of their continuing attack on women's rights. It is a step backward for women's health and a distraction from the critical work we should be doing to pass legislation regarding immigration reform, strengthening our economy, and creating jobs.

I urge you to vote ``no'' on this unconstitutional legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to give voice to the thousands of men and women who have been sexually assaulted while serving their country in our Armed Forces. The Pentagon estimates that as many as 26,000 servicemembers were sexually assaulted last year. That's 70 assaults a day. But only 13 percent of the victims have reported the crime because of fear of retaliation.

We must establish a culture in our military that has zero tolerance for sexual assault; a culture that protects, not intimidates, victims; that prosecutes, not excuses, perpetrators; and that denounces, not ignores, sexual violence. We must make it a priority to end this unfathomable crime within our military and provide victims with the care that they need and deserve.

Next week, I will introduce the National Guard Military Sexual Trauma Parity Act to ensure that victims of sexual trauma in the National Guard also have access to the resources and services they need.

Over the last 50 years, women have broken barriers in business, science, education, and government. Today, they also account for half of the workers in the country, but still they earn less for equal work.

In Nevada, the average woman still makes only 85 cents for every dollar that men earn, amounting to a yearly gap of $6,300 between full- time working men and women. Collectively, Nevada women are losing some $2.3 billion each year due to this pay gap. The pay gap not only harms individual women, but it hurts their families and our communities. It is an economic drag, a social calamity, and a moral injustice.

In a country where we strive for equal opportunity, this is simply unacceptable. That's why it's so important that we pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. This critical piece of legislation would update and strengthen the Equal Pay Act and help women fight wage discrimination.

The issue is simple: women should receive equal pay for equal work, and the Paycheck Fairness Act would provide the tools to reach that goal.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to voice my objections to the limits placed on DHS regarding the UASI Grant program. My district is slated to lose $2 million due to the limit of awards to only 25 UASI grantees. While I believe that counterterrorism funding should go to the places

that need it the most, an arbitrary cap, along with a flawed formula, is not helping our Nation's efforts to prepare for, and respond to, natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks. I have voiced these concerns on a number of occasions over the past few months with DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, and I appreciate her willingness to work with me on this issue.

I want to acknowledge other Members of our Nevada delegation for joining with me today to work on this issue through a proposed amendment, but I have a number of reservations about their approach. I am concerned about reductions in salary accounts for agencies that are charged with keeping our Nation safe and prepared for all types of emergencies. Furthermore, their amendment provides additional funding, but not additional instruction, so there is no guarantee that additional cities, like Las Vegas, will receive any of this increased funding in the amendment.

I am proud to represent Las Vegas, one of the premier vacation and business destinations in the world. Ensuring that my constituents and millions of visitors who we welcome every year stay safe is a top priority of our local government and law enforcement. Without UASI funding to sustain and enhance our regional capabilities, Las Vegas, as well as our portion of the large FEMA Region IX, will be at a significant disadvantage in preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities.

Hundreds of thousands of people gather in large venues in southern Nevada every day. Fifteen of the world's 25 largest hotels are in my district on the Las Vegas Strip with a total of over 62,000 rooms. In 2012, some 37.5 million visitors came to Las Vegas and over 21,000 conventions are held each year. On any given day, tens of thousands of tourists walk along the 4.2 mile Las Vegas Strip, just a few miles from critical Federal assets, including Nellis Air Force Base and Creech Air Force Base, as well as the National Nuclear Security Site and Boulder Dam.

Mr. Chairman, I believe that counterterrorism funding decisions should be made using forward-looking, risk-based metrics. It is critical that DHS update their decision-making matrix to reflect these principles. DHS does not accurately count expected visitors in their decision-making process. It is important to remember that visitors to our city would need the most assistance in the event of a natural disaster or terrorist attack because they are unfamiliar with the area, as well as with local evacuation and safety plans.

In Las Vegas, we welcomed over 40 million travelers to our city this year, an increase of 400,000 over last year. We are also expecting our local population to continue to grow. Yet despite these increases and increases in other components of our risk profile, Las Vegas actually slipped in DHS' risk rankings. This fall in ranking caused the city to fall out of contention for a grant, and it was announced that we will not receive the funding we need. This is not good planning and should be remedied immediately.

I pledge to work with my colleagues from districts with other tourist destinations and with the Secretary to be sure that the formulas are updated and improved and that the funding goes to where it is truly needed.

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

Amendment No. 6 Offered by Mr. Mica

Madam Speaker, I rise today to encourage my colleagues to join me as original cosponsors of the Pay As You Rate Act.

The Veterans Administration currently has more than 1 million backlog cases, and 70 percent of these have been under review for more than 125 days. For some veterans like those in southern Nevada, the average time to process a claim is close to 500 days. This is just unacceptable.

The Pay As You Rate Act will ensure that veterans receive at least some of their benefits in a more timely fashion.

Currently, the VA withholds benefit payments to veterans until their entire claim has been reviewed and processed. This is a serious problem, especially for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans whose average claim contains 8.5 separate components.

The Pay As You Rate Act will require the VA to pay veterans benefits as each element of the claim is reviewed rather than waiting until the entire package has been processed. This is a commonsense change which will put money in veterans' pockets sooner and also address the backlog.

Thank you, Ranking Member Michaud, for yielding and for your work and leadership on this critical issue that affects our Nation's heroes.

I support the American Heroes COLA Act, H.R. 570, which I introduced, along with my colleague and subcommittee chairman, John Runyan. This is important legislation that will protect our disabled veterans and their families' financial security.

Unlike with Social Security COLA increases, which are calculated automatically, Congress must act each year to provide veterans with their COLA increases they need and deserve. Our Nation's heroes should receive their full compensation payment each year as well in a timely fashion, removed from the occasional logjam here on Capitol Hill. Their livelihood should not be held hostage by political forces.

Nevada's veterans have struggled during this tough economic climate. Their rates of unemployment and homelessness are disproportionately

high, and as the cost of living has increased, so have their problems. And I know this is true of veterans around the country.

By permanently adjusting benefits to include automatic cost-of-living increases we are providing critical peace of mind to those who have bravely served our country. They will have the knowledge of knowing that assistance will be there.

Chairman Runyan and I have worked closely to improve this legislation since we first introduced the bill in February, and I fully support the amended version we are considering today. Changes concerning the round- down practice and the chained CPI are changes that will strengthen the bill.

I appreciate also the input we received from a number of veterans service organizations and believe that this improved version of the legislation clearly addresses their concerns.

In effect, H.R. 570 will direct the VA to increase rates of disability compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities, as well as the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of veterans with specific service- connected claims.

The bill will protect veterans benefits from deteriorating over time as the costs of housing, medicine, food and clothing and utilities all increase.

I want to echo Ranking Member Michaud's sentiments regarding the importance of having these adjustments occur annually, regularly, and dependably. It's essential that Congress provide for the needs of our heroes, the brave men and women who answered the call to serve in our armed services, and for their families as well.

I thank Chairman Miller and Chairman Runyan for their work on this important issue, and I urge my colleagues to support the American Heroes COLA Act.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and to celebrate the many contributions of this vibrant community to Nevada's First District and to the country at large.

Asian Pacific Americans comprise the fastest-growing minority group in Las Vegas, having doubled in size between 2000 and 2010. Along Spring Mountain Road, we find the Chinatown Plaza, built in 1995 by Mr. and Mrs. James Chen; Korea Town, developed by Mr. Hae Un Lee and Mr. James Yu; and hundreds of Thai, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese restaurants, markets, and shops that enrich our society and enhance our economy.

Along Maryland Parkway is a flourishing Filipino district, and numerous cultural festivals are held across the valley throughout the year featuring music, dance, costumes, and food from the thriving Asian Pacific community.

As we celebrate APA Heritage Month, let us acknowledge the value immigrants bring to our lives every day and recognize how much we all stand to gain by enacting immigration reform that honors our country's legacy as the ``land of opportunity.''

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert my statement into the Record opposing the GOP's deplorable Mother's Day gift--more work and less pay for working mothers. Happy Mother's Day.

Mr. Speaker, the Working Families Flexibility Act, more aptly called the ``Paying Working Families Less Act,'' would have a negative impact on families in Nevada and across the country. H.R. 1406 offers the empty choice of comp time in lieu of overtime wages without providing sufficient employee protections or real flexibility for workers to use their comp time when they need it the most. Nevadans are already struggling to make ends meet while caring for their families. I oppose H.R. 1406 because I believe that our nation needs legislation that will protect working Americans and strengthen the middle class. This legislation does the opposite.

I rise today in recognition of National Travel and Tourism Week, and I will be introducing a resolution to that effect later today.

Travel and tourism make up the lifeblood of our economy in southern Nevada: 383,000 southern Nevada jobs are supported by the tourism industry, accounting for 47 percent of southern Nevada's labor force and generating $45 billion in economic activity.

Men and women are employed in the convention, entertainment, gaming, and related service industries. Their

hard work, ingenuity, and dedication make Las Vegas one of the world's premier travel destinations for business and pleasure. Last year, nearly 40 million visitors came to Las Vegas. In addition, we hosted over 21,000 conventions and meetings, which brought in some 5 million national and international tourists, most of whom spent considerable time in District One. Furthermore, 43 percent of these visitors traveled through McCarran Airport, which is the Nation's sixth busiest airport, also located in District One.

So for the sake of southern Nevada's economy and our national future, we must make real investments in our country's infrastructure in order to increase the efficiency and reliability of travel and to encourage greater tourism to the United States and to Las Vegas.

After far too long, there is finally real bipartisan momentum in Washington towards implementing much-needed comprehensive immigration reform.

Our immigration system today is crowded and confusing. It divides families, it stifles the American Dream for high-skilled foreign students and entrepreneurs, and it does not address the exploitation of many immigrants in the workplace.

The proposals unveiled last night are not perfect. For example, they eliminate diversity visas and certain family visas. But we are making progress. I look forward to supporting a bill that secures our borders, makes our existing laws more efficient and timely, promotes entrepreneurship and innovation, provides a fair pathway to citizenship for the millions of immigrants already in the United States, and includes the DREAM Act. It must also include humane provisions to keep families of all kinds together. We can and must get this done.