Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I agree with the comments of many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle expressing grave concern over the President's decision to establish a date certain for the withdrawal of all U.S. military forces from Afghanistan. I believe this decision is deeply misguided, and it is damaging to the long-term national security interests of the United States and our allies.

The strawman argument of ending forever wars might be a convenient campaign slogan, but it is strategically naive and deeply offensive to those who have volunteered to fight to ensure that the very organization which attacked us on September 11, 2001, is incapable of ever doing it again.

This is their job. It is a job that I did on four deployments. It is our sworn duty. It is their sworn duty. They are proud to do it, and we honor them for it.

The truth is our force levels in Afghanistan are a fraction of what they once were, and have been steadily decreasing for years. Maintaining a small residual force is not an unaffordable or unsustainable burden. More than any other deployment in the world, the U.S. and NATO presence in Afghanistan delivers tangible strategic benefits to the U.S. at a relatively small and ever-decreasing cost, not to mention the immense humanitarian benefit to the people of Afghanistan itself, especially the women and the girls.

The recent violence committed by the armed forces in Afghanistan only proves that the Taliban, al-Qaida, and ISIS-K clearly see this announcement as a full-fledged capitulation, and it reveals their true nature as untrustworthy and savage.

A military withdrawal must always be based on conditions, not a calendar. By establishing a specific date, we are simply surrendering the hard-fought leverage we have gained over two decades, and we are inviting the Taliban to embark on a vicious reign of terror against the Afghanistan people.

Furthermore, as a military man, I am utterly dismayed that we did not take the necessary steps to secure and prepare standoff basing in the region to project power when needed to conduct counterterrorism operations and to support the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces before announcing the withdrawal.

We put the cart before the horse. We now have a moral obligation to ensure that the Afghan security forces can continue functioning with the proper military and financial support to keep the Taliban from once again plunging Afghanistan into darkness.

Finally, and most urgently, we must honor our promises and keep faith with our partners and allies. Our values must remain the foundation of our foreign policy. If our partners and allies

lose faith in our ability to back them up, we willingly cede the field to an enemy who seeks our destruction.

It is now, unfortunately, a moral imperative to find a way to expedite the safe passage of the very people who stood by us for nearly two decades. They have been loyal to our shared vision and have sacrificed so much to the pursuit of democracy. Their safety must be an absolute priority for this administration.

So far, we have not observed sufficient urgency in developing an interagency plan to do this and in requesting the necessary resources and authorities from Congress. If we don't do this, the Afghans who helped our military will be hunted down and murdered by the Taliban.

We must ask ourselves: Did we learn anything from our clumsy withdrawal from Iraq in 2011?

The only thing more expensive than maintaining a moderate level of stability in a country like Afghanistan is the bloodshed and cost we will bear if we are forced to return.

This is not an academic, hypothetical consideration, nor is it a partisan issue. Like many others on this side of the aisle, I repeatedly and publicly expressed my deep concerns over President Trump's impulse for a hasty withdrawal.

The Taliban is still allied with al-Qaida. If the Taliban prevails after our withdrawal, it is very likely that al-Qaida will once again have a safe haven to conduct terrorism, and this is the very reason we invaded Afghanistan in the first place.

Fortunately, pushback from Congress and the previous administration slowed the withdrawal process while retaining negotiating leverage and key counterterrorism capabilities. Unfortunately, from my vantage point, this latest decision has abandoned any semblance of strategy. It is a retreat.

This hasty withdrawal is a tragic mistake, and we are going to regret it. I urge the President to change course before it is too late.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Director Don Burman for his nearly 10 years of service in the United States Air Force, and 8 years of service within the Department of Veterans Affairs, 6 of which was in Nebraska's Second District at the Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System. Don is retiring from Federal service.

Don is a Vietnam-era veteran. He served as a telecommunications center specialist, supporting the mission in Arkansas, Hawaii, also Fort Belvoir Army installation, and the Defense Nuclear Agency in Virginia. Don's healthcare career spans nearly 33 years, 25 of which were in private healthcare.

In Nebraska's Second District, Don has served since March of 2015 as the director of the Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System. During his tenure, he was instrumental in proposing a partnership between the Department of Veterans Affairs and members of the private philanthropic community. His vision began a collaboration that produced the groundbreaking public law known as the CHIP IN for Vets Act of 2016. This law authorized the VA to carry out a pilot program under which it may accept donations from non-Federal entities.

The Nebraska philanthropic community provided a gift of $30 million to be used to construct a new 157,000-square-foot ambulatory care clinic located on the grounds of the Omaha VA Medical Center. Through Don's leadership, tenacity, and innovation, a second public-private partnership recently began. CHI Health and Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System opened a new 35-bed Community Living Center for veterans in a non-VA medical facility at the CHI Health Midlands healthcare facility.

Additionally, a new mental health pavilion and a new physical therapy and prosthetics building have started construction. Omaha's new 500- stall parking ramp opens in November, and all seven of the current community-based outpatient centers located around Nebraska and western Iowa have been rebuilt and/or refreshed in order to provide the most up-to-date healthcare facilities to veterans.

In August of 2020, Forbes named America's best employers by State, and the Veterans Administration was cited as the best employer. Among the 17 States mentioned, the Nebraska VA was identified. Bringing Don's private experience and innovation to the Veterans Administration has served our veterans well in Nebraska and western Iowa.

Don continues to use his personal and professional experience to aid him in understanding the needs of our veterans while solving complex issues associated with running a leading healthcare system for Nebraska and western Iowa.

Never forgetting the mission of service to our veterans, I want to offer my sincere appreciation to Don, who is my great friend, for his years of dedicated service to our great Nation and to Nebraska's Second Congressional District. Don's accomplishments in his military service, civil service, and his private career are credits to his dedication to the provision of world-class healthcare no matter the venue.

Don's retirement is well earned and deserved. I wish Don all the best in his future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge defeat of the previous question so that we can immediately consider my bill to ensure that those who risk their lives to protect all of us are afforded greater protections as well.

I introduced the Back the Blue Act of 2021 with Senator Cornyn in the Senate and my two original cosponsors in the House, Representatives Stivers and Johnson, during Police Week because this bill is needed now more than ever.

There have been more officers shot and killed in the last 4\1/2\ months of 2021 than all of 2020 and all of 2019. In 4\1/2\ months, we have had more fatalities, more murders of policemen than in the whole year of 2020 and the whole year of 2019. It is clear that we need to enforce greater protections for those who protect us, and that is why my colleagues and I introduced the Back the Blue Act.

The numbers are alarming. In 2018, 83 police officers were shot and 26 were killed. In 2019, 86 were shot and 18 were killed. And 2020, 89 were shot and 18 killed. This year, in 2021, as of April 30th, there have been 91 officers shot so far, and 19 of them killed by gunfire.

Our police are being targeted. We need to defend our law enforcement and public safety officers, and our bill does just that.

Specifically, the Back the Blue Act creates new criminal provisions to Federal law enforcement officers; U.S. judges; and federally funded public safety officers, such as firefighters, chaplains, and members of a rescue squad or ambulance crew.

The Back the Blue Act creates a new Federal crime for killing, attempting to kill, or conspiring to kill a Federal judge, Federal law enforcement officer or a federally funded public safety officer. The offender would be subject to the death penalty and a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years if death results. The offender would otherwise face a minimum sentence of 10 years.

The bill creates a new Federal crime for assaulting a federally funded law enforcement officer with escalating penalties, including mandatory minimums based on the extent of any injury and the use of a dangerous weapon. However, no prosecution can be commenced absent certification by the Attorney General that prosecution is appropriate.

Now, I want to respond to my friend, who I respect, from Colorado. I condemned the behavior and the riot that occurred on January 6. Over one hundred of our policemen were injured. This bill provides extra protections for Capitol Hill law enforcement. Those who injured our Capitol Police on January 6 would be under greater punishment or penalties, if convicted.

Our bill also creates a new Federal crime for interstate flight from justice to avoid prosecution for killing, attempting to kill or conspiring to kill a Federal judge, Federal law enforcement officer or federally funded public safety officer. The offender would be subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for this offense.

Lastly, the Back the Blue Act creates a specific aggravating factor for the Federal death penalty prosecutions. It expands self-defense and Second Amendment rights for law enforcement officers. It opens up grant funding to strengthen relationships between police and their communities.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank our law enforcement personally. I was a victim of crime twice, and both times I was deployed when I was assigned to the Air Force. My house was robbed once when I was a captain deployed to Bahrain. Another time, someone assumed a false identity when I was a lieutenant colonel during the invasion of Iraq when I was flying combat operations. Thankfully, one of the times the police captured one of the perpetrators and arrested him and he was charged for a crime.

I deployed to go to the battle. Every day our police walk out their front door, after kissing their spouse good-bye, wondering if they are going to encounter a violent criminal. We cannot thank our police officers enough.

During Police Week, I urge my colleagues to support our first responders by immediately considering and supporting the Back the Blue Act.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Small Business Month to recognize Homer's Music, a small business and top tourist attraction in Nebraska's Second District.

This year, they celebrate 50 years of service to and entrepreneurship in our community. During those 50 years, Homer's Music had expanded to nearly a dozen locations in Nebraska and Iowa, but only the original Omaha location remains today.

Established in 1971, Homer's Music is one of the founding tenants in Omaha's Old Market, which is comprised of century-old, four- and five- story brick warehouses that were renovated into shops, restaurants, and bars. In fact, The Old Market is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year as well.

Homer's Music has been recognized as Nebraska's best music retailer and was featured in national publications, including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. While they are known for selling vintage records, their love for music and its history remains timeless.

It is one thing to own a business, but it is another to keep it alive for decades. Despite the ongoing pandemic that has financially impacted many local shops and businesses throughout America, Homer's Music has remained intact.

Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and society, many of which are family or minority-owned. Today, and every day, we thank all small businesses in our community and across Nebraska for their passion, entrepreneurship, and advancement to our State's economy and culture.

Madam Speaker, I close with congratulations to Tom Weidner and family and to Mike Fratt and his team for accomplishing 50 years in business, and here is to 50 more.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the anniversary of the tragic loss of a 55th Wing RC-135 Cobra Ball aircraft on the remote island of Shemya, Alaska.

Forty years ago last month, Cobra Ball tail number 2664 crashed on approach to Shemya Air Force Base, a rugged outpost on the far western tip of the Aleutian Islands. Six brave American airmen perished in the fiery crash that day, an eternal reminder of the cost of the Cold War and the price of vigilance we too often take for granted.

The RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft--designated Cobra Ball--is designed to rapidly collect telemetry and special intelligence on ballistic missiles in flight. Throughout the Cold War and to the present day, reconnaissance crews from the 55th Wing are dispatched on short notice around the world to fly the RC-135 to gather technical intelligence on weapons tests that cannot be obtained by any other method. This information is used to verify treaty compliance and to support the continuous development of America's strategic and theater missile defense capabilities.

Throughout the Cold War, the Strategic Air Command kept the Cobra Ball on a continuous 24-hour alert status on Shemya Island in the northern Pacific, affectionately known as The Rock. Their job was to launch at a moment's notice to keep a watchful eye on Soviet ballistic missile tests conducted from the Kamchatka Peninsula.

On March 15, 1981, the 24 crewmembers on board the RC-135 tail number 61-2664 were en route to Shemya

from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, where they had been waiting for the weather at Shemya to clear. Blizzard conditions and extreme crosswinds were ravaging the small exposed island. This weather was not uncommon, just another day at the office for 55th Wing aircrew. However, after receiving clearance to land, weather conditions deteriorated rapidly.

Firsthand accounts from crewmembers onboard describe the violent buffeting they experienced on descent as like being on the end of a yo- yo. The belly of the aircraft struck the edge of a cliff on the approach end of the runway, shearing off the landing gear. As the damaged aircraft slammed into the runway, engines three and four exploded and the fuselage broke in half. Flames engulfed the crew compartment as the disintegrating aircraft slid 2,000 feet, eventually careening off the runway and down a hill.

The scene was chaotic as crewmembers worked to free themselves and their teammates from the burning wreckage while the blizzard raged. Miraculously, 18 crewmembers escaped from the flames that day. Their bodies burned and broken, they worked feverishly to extract their fellow airmen from the fiery wreckage.

In the end, six men died on that lonely airfield that day. Their names were:

Major William Bennett,

Captain Larry Mayfield,

First Lieutenant Loren Ginter,

Master Sergeant Stephen Kish,

Staff Sergeant Steven Balcer, and

Staff Sergeant Harry Parsons, III.

We honor their service and their sacrifice and commend their spirit to the Creator. We pray for their families and loved ones who cherish their memory. We also honor the survivors of this tragic crash who will forever bear the scars of their service and the memory of that day. May we never forget what they gave to the cause of freedom, and that it was the dedication of warriors like these that won the Cold War. And may we pledge to honor their sacrifice by recommitting ourselves to eternal vigilance in the defense of freedom.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the passing of Omaha's last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, Robert Holts, who passed away on February 12 at his retirement home in Bellevue.

He joined the still-segregated U.S. Army in November 1942, and quickly landed in an aviation training program that would lead to a slot in the 332nd Fighter Group known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Not only did he and other members make history as the first all-Black unit, but they also made history through their exemplary service, and they changed America for the better and forever.

The famed Tuskegee Airmen protected Allied bombers during the last 2 years of World War II. They were the first group of African-American military pilots and airmen in the U.S. Army Air Corps, and Holts was one of the 21 Tuskegee Airmen that had ties to Omaha.

Holts continually surmounted the challenges of racism, segregation policies, and the Great Depression faced in his life.

Born in 1924, Holts attended Kellom Elementary School and Omaha Central High School. Holts had a strong high school record, and he was given the opportunity to join an aviation program that flew P-51 Mustangs. They became known as the Tuskegee Airmen, a nod to the name of the base they trained at. More than 15,000 missions were flown by the Tuskegee Airmen, and they destroyed 261 German aircraft.

After the war, Holts worked as a U.S. Postal Service employee for nearly 40 years before settling in North Omaha near family. A little more than 60 years later, Holts and his fellow Tuskegee Airmen were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their heroic actions in World War II. Not only have they been lauded for their actions as fighters for our country in a world war, but as fighters for civil rights for all.

Our country is better and stronger because of the Tuskegee Airmen and heroes like Robert Holts. We shall always remember the legacy of Robert Holts.

Honoring Gina Ponce and B.C. Clark

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor two women from our district for Women's History Month because of their commitment to advancing opportunities and experiences for women. Gina Ponce and B.C. Clark are historymakers, as they work to empower women in our community.

Born and raised in the Bronx, Gina has been in Nebraska for 25 years and is the mother of two sons and grandmother to one granddaughter. She credits her father as her inspiration in serving others, as he led by example in his service to the community.

Gina has been in her current position as director of Latino community outreach at Bellevue University since 2015, where she is responsible for managing outreach and admissions including the Latino community.

She sees her two biggest accomplishments as founding the Women on a Mission nonprofit 11 years ago and opening the El Camino Latino Center at Bellevue University. Women on a Mission engages in outreach to build up and empower women and girls spiritually, physically, and emotionally.

Recent awards she received include the 2020 Heartland United for Puerto Rico Award, the 2017 Women of Color Leadership Award, and the 2013 Latina of the Year. However, Gina says she sees her award every day in the success of those she has helped, and she credits her own success to the passion and gifts that come out of the South Omaha community.

Also passionate about assisting women in their visions and dreams is the founder and president of the Metro Omaha Women's Business Center, B.C. Clark. She continues to inspire women and accelerate their success by creating economic opportunities through programs offered by her center. Those opportunities include a monthly business forum, quarterly Success Series, and various workshops and trade shows to educate, inspire, and encourage entrepreneurs and businessowners.

In 2014, B.C. also started the Business Connection Nebraska, a local television show on public access TV, where she showcases businessowners from across the State. She is also a well-respected speaker and mentor for several community and minority business groups, where her knowledge of how to increase profitability and operational efficiency, as well as satisfy customer expectations, has helped many businessowners excel professionally.

In addition, B.C. volunteers at Carole's House of Hope, where she mentors inner-city young women. She is a former president of the Midlands Latino Community Development Center, encouraging and promoting Latino businesses.

B.C. credits her faith as a factor in her own achievement and is quick to recognize others who have helped her in her quest to help others find success. She also recognizes that a belief in yourself will make you successful. As she told her own granddaughters: ``You don't have to wait for a man to give you a diamond ring. If you want it, you can work for it.''

Both Gina Ponce and B.C. Clark are role models not only for women, but for our community, as they have demonstrated their service to help others succeed. Because of leaders such as they, the numbers of businesses owned by women in the United States has increased by 114 percent in the last 20 years, and 64 percent of new women-owned businesses were started by women of color.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize three ``Legacy Leaders'' from my district in Nebraska for Black History Month.

Every February, we celebrate the achievements of African Americans and recognize their pivotal roles in the history of our great country. This year, I recognize Ella Willis, Teela Mickles, and Bettie McDonald, who have worked diligently to leave a meaningful and lasting impact on the Omaha community.

Originally from North Carolina, our first Legacy Leader, Ella Willis, came to Omaha in 1967, right after the race riots. After seeing the damage and destruction from the riots not being repaired, she joined the Neighborhood Action and Fact Association, founded by Andy ``Handy''.

Around 2004, Mrs. Willis became the president of the association. She worked to secure grant funding for the beautification of 24th Street and the neighborhood garden and marketplace building. The association assisted with the painting of murals along the 24th Street corridor, including The Union for Contemporary Art.

In 2005, under Mrs. Willis' leadership, the association received the Environmental Improvement Award from the Urban Community Improvement Program. Her community advocacy started long before, when she joined the NAACP in the early sixties, while her husband served in Vietnam. She participated in the voting registration process, protesting for the right for Black women to vote and registering Black men.

Mrs. Willis thanks God for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and praises his belief in justice, hope, love, and nonviolence, saying, ``This is what we must learn together as brothers and sisters of God. Have love and faith in your heart.''

Another Legacy Leader is Teela A. Mickles, the founder and CEO of Compassion in Action, a faith-based, nonprofit organization that serves individuals confined in the State correctional facilities and families affected by incarceration.

Mrs. Mickles became a single parent to five young children after an unfortunate turn in life and later attended college, earning her associate degree in Chemical Dependency Counseling. At the same time, she developed Compassion in Action's Pre-Release Education/Reentry Preparation Program, with her motto of ``Embracing the person, rebuilding the family, and breaking the cycle.''

She has been recognized for her dedication and accomplishments through the years: The UNO Woman of Color Award, Heartland Family Services' Family Advocacy Award, and the City of Omaha Excellence Award, and many, many more.

Mrs. Mickles is also an ordained minister on staff at Mission Church and credits the success of her organization to her strong faith in God and belief that every person is viable. As she says: ``If you're not dead, God's not done.''

Our third Legacy Leader is Bettie McDonald, cofounder of Native Omaha Days, a week-long homecoming event that celebrates the community's historical and cultural legacies.

Born and raised in Omaha, Bettie belongs to the Bryant-Fisher family, hailed as one of the most prodigious Black families in Nebraska. After graduating from the Allhouse School of Beauty and Culture, she became owner of her own beauty shop of over 50 years, The Economy Beauty Salon.

The vision for a reunion of native Omahans was first arranged in 1976 and less than a year later the original founding planning members, Vera Johnson and Bettie McDonald, started a tradition of the week-long celebration. It is now known as Native Omaha Days and, every 2 years, has brought people to Omaha from across the country.

Approaching its 22nd biennial, Native Omaha Days has reached a peak, influencing cultural programming along 24th Street and adjacent North Omaha neighborhoods.

Bettie is an active member of St. Paul Baptist Church. This year she will celebrate 70 years of marriage, 70 years, to her husband, Jesse McDonald.

I personally thank these three women for making a difference and leaving a legacy of future Black leaders in Omaha. We owe them much gratitude and recognition.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this.

After serving 30 years in the Air Force and serving with multiple air operation centers, I know how hard our military works to get this right. Our military forces go through extreme measures to avoid civilian casualties.

At any given time, combatant commanders have multiple boards, centers, cells, and working groups that are focused on reducing civilian casualties, in addition to the work of the various target development working groups.

Additionally, there are significant and recurring legal reviews conducted as proposed targets are evaluated for compliance with the law of war by judge advocates, legal advisers, and target engagement authorities--and this is before any strike is even taken.

To evaluate civilian casualties and allegations, military commanders look at and consider reports from all sources, including NGOs, credible media sources and outlets, and even social media.

In addition to evaluating all these various reports, they look at the video surveillance that they have and other forms of data from their ISR assets, witness observations; they take human intelligence and other forms of intelligence.

Of course, there are going to be differences in initial reporting-- and sometimes even months afterwards--between what DOD sees and what other groups are seeing, but this is war, and war is chaos. And our adversaries frequently also inflate civilian losses to further their aims.

So my position is this. We have a great process in place. It is working. The military has given it their very best to get this right. The integrity of our military commanders is such that we can trust their effort with what they are doing now, and any discrepancies, they are acknowledged and they are investigated, and they try to get it as right as they can.

To say our military does not take these allegations of civilian casualties seriously means you don't understand the policy, the process, and the level of effort that goes into avoiding these casualties in the first place. And investigating any allegations of civilian causalities in any post operation, they do their very best to get this right.

Our military is working hard. They are trying to achieve our objectives. I stand in objection to the amendment.

Mr. Chair, I rise today opposing amendment 546 that would use the NDAA to task the Director of National Intelligence reporting rules for civilian casualties.

As Chairman Smith knows and, also, Ms. Stefanik and the ranking member, though I voted for the NDAA in markup, I opposed this amendment then, and I still do.

The long story short is that this tasking should be in the Intelligence Authorization Act and not in the Defense Authorization Act.

This tasks the Director of National Intelligence, and, thus, it should be handled by the Intelligence Committee and in the intelligence authorization bill.

We believe in transparency. We believe in doing all we can to minimize civilian casualties. We believe in proportionality. We believe in knowing if we are targeting and handling these operations correctly.

I know from my experience working three decades in the Air Force that our military goes through extensive vetting, extensive legal reviews, and extensive crosschecks before putting a weapon on a target that could threaten civilians.

But let's be clear: DOD has a full and transparent oversight framework in place for DOD and U.S. military operations.

The FY18 NDAA established a robust civilian casualty reporting mechanism for the U.S. military, and the DOD reporting is fully available to the public.

Even more, there are two additional provisions in this bill that increase the level of CIVCAS reporting and directs an independent assessment of DOD's reporting and policy.

But, what is important here: This is about DOD and military operations, not the intelligence operations. It is not the DOD's role to report on the intelligence community.

It is not the role of the NDAA to task the intelligence community.

I recommend voting against this amendment. We should send it to the Intelligence Committee and let them do it the right way, if the Intelligence Committee wants to take it on.

Mr. Chair, I come here to support the en bloc. There are three great amendments in here that I want to briefly mention.

First, we are funding the replacement of three simulators at Offutt Air Force Base, as well as programming equipment that will help us exploit data that is collected during the missions. This is critical for the backbone of the Air Force's medium-altitude manned ISR program.

Having those three simulators will have a huge impact. Instead of taking aircraft home that should be flying to Russia, China, Korea, Iran, or wherever it may be--without those simulators, they have to come back to Offutt Air Force Base to do training--this will allow us to do training at home and continue our real-world operational missions.

I also want to thank the Chamber for supporting a bill that will help enable our civilian professors to be retained in our military academies, the National War College, and all the different military schools that we have by allowing them to own the copyrighted material that they have. Prior to this bill, the civilian instructors would not be able to have ownership of these copyrighted materials, and many of them get out because they want to progress with their careers. This fixes that and allows them to stay in and maintain that ownership.

Finally, I want to praise another amendment that is in this en bloc. We are allowing the academies now to endorse, as well as participate with, foundations that are there to help support the cadets. Prior to this, the academies were not allowed to partner or to endorse these foundations, and it really limited the ability for these foundations to help our cadets.

Now that they can work together, they can help provide more money for new facilities and gym equipment, providing a better quality of life for our cadets, while at the same time lowering the burden on taxpayers.

Mr. Chair, I want to praise this effort, and I support the en bloc.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate Mr. Larsen's team spirit, good sportsmanship here, and good cheer.

Again, I just want to thank Mr. Larsen, Ms. Castor, and also Mr. LaHood. We are the co-chairs of the Soccer Caucus here in the Congress. I really loved working with the other three here.

I also appreciate the good sportsmanship here. We stuck out a good victory despite the heroics on your side, Madam Speaker. But we gave it all. Some of these great new players on our side really did the heavy lifting.

I want to thank the U.S. Soccer Foundation for putting this together and for their great fundraising. The important thing is the U.S. Soccer Foundation raised tremendous amounts of money for youth soccer.

That is what we want to do. We want to make youth soccer more prevalent

and more readily accessible for all our youth. It teaches teamwork, and it is good for physical conditioning. You learn about following the rules and taking orders from the coach. It is great for growing up and learning how to be a more responsible adult.

So it is a great team that put this together.

I appreciate all the Members who played. We also appreciate the staff members as well as some of the professionals who came out to help bring in more people.

We worked together as a team to bring the World Cup to North America here in the future. We are proud of that.

Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Larsen for being a great teammate.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the National Sojourners for their 100th year of service to our nation and for National Sojourners week which is June 3rd through June 8th.

The National Sojourners was born of wartime requirements and nurtured by the desire of displaced military Masons to seek each other's company, counsel and aid. Their purpose is to organize current and former members of the uniformed forces of the United States and Honorary Members, who are Master Masons, into Chapters to promote good fellowship, cultivate Masonic ideals, support all patriotic aims and activities in Masonry, and develop patriotism and Americanism throughout the nation.

For a century, the National Sojourners have counted among their ranks leaders from every facet in American society. From three U.S. Presidents, to Generals and Admirals, to our junior enlisted personnel, National Sojourners have served patriotically for the cause of freedom. Among their ranks have been several Medal of Honor recipients, some of whom made the supreme sacrifice to ensure our liberty.

National Sojourners accomplishes its mission of education through 160 National Sojourner Chapters located throughout the United States and Europe, as well as its Headquarters located in Virginia, which provides support to all Chapters.

Love of country is promoted by local Chapters through educational information and programs in Americanism and Patriotism specifically directed to the youth of our nation in the form of Youth Leadership Conference scholarships, high school- and college-level ROTC Awards, and patriotic essay contests.

I would also like to welcome our military veterans and National Sojourners to Nebraska, the Heartland of America, where they will host their Centennial Annual National Convention. Thank you for your service and continued patriotism for our country.

Madam Speaker, in honor of National Foster Care Month, I would like to address a vital issue in today's foster care system: the need for more foster care parents. I would also like to recognize a few foster care organizations in Nebraska's Second Congressional District. These organizations embrace children in the foster care system and are committed to helping youth find permanent homes through foster parents, so that they, too, can experience love, stability, and the freedom to reach their full potential, regardless of their circumstances.

Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska has been an advocate in the child foster care system for more than 125 years. This year, their mission is to secure 100 foster families who can offer a mature and stable environment.

Boys Town Nebraska, where I was fortunate to speak this last weekend at their high school graduation, directly serves about 30,000 children every year and believes that foster parents are the heart of high- quality foster care by offering children protection, permanency, and comfort.

The Child Saving Institute values the overall well-being of children by offering free, trauma-informed training to individuals and couples who want to serve as foster parents.

And the Nebraska Children's Home Society not only strives to find permanent homes for children, but they also address the need to foster teenagers.

All four of these organizations provide care and assistance to the abused and neglected and encourages the need for foster parents for children of all ages.

Each year, hundreds of Nebraska youth are removed from their homes due to unfortunate circumstances. Many of them fear where they will end up or if they will ever find their forever home.

My wife, Angie, and I adopted two children, Austin and Jessica, from the foster care system when they were just 8 and 9 years old. Even though we already had two sons, we knew that there were not enough homes for older children and siblings. Austin and Jessica are blessings to our family. Even though foster parenting was challenging, choosing to adopt them was one of the best and most rewarding decisions Angie, my wife, and I have ever made.

Even though foster children are hurting, they are just looking for someone to be committed to them and help them succeed. It is time to realize that everyone can play a part in enhancing the lives of children and youth in foster care and that these children just want someone to care for them. It is the hope that one day, through opportunity and lessons, these children will grow up and provide safety for their own children, benefiting future generations.

The idea of children being placed with stable and devoted families is not a partisan issue. I am very appreciative to my colleagues from both sides of the aisle, and I am thankful to serve as a co-chair for the Foster Care Caucus. I will continue to be an advocate for foster children and encourage the need for foster parents. We must remember that every child, no matter the age, is worthy of love and deserves a family.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor May 15, 2019 as Peace Officer Memorial Day and May 13 through the 19, 2019 as Police Week. I stand in support of those who put their lives on the line, day in and day out, for the protection of those within the State of Nebraska and all over the United States. My district is home to two sheriff offices, a large urban police force, numerous community police departments, the Nebraska State Patrol, and a hand full of federal agencies. They have unique differences in their responsibilities yet they are strikingly similar in how they function. The different shapes of the badges they wear on their chests proudly proclaims their distinct alliance to their home agency, but it is also a symbol that binds them all together into one brotherhood.

These gallant law enforcement professionals are driven to serve the public of their jurisdictions. To protect the life, limb, and property in their assigned patrol areas during their long hours for which they have this solemn duty. To those on the front line of our safety; it is not about the pay, the hours, or the conditions they work in. What is of importance to them is the satisfaction of making the world a better and safer place. They are the thin blue line that stands between us and some of the darkest parts of our society.

When one of these brave individuals put on their uniform and departs their home for the streets, they are not worried for their own safety. They know their fellow officer have their back when needed. At great personal sacrifice, they are pained by missing the baseball games or recitals of beloved children; the birthdays and holidays they worked instead of being home with their families.

I, like so many other members of the military, have a very personal connection and appreciation for those who choose this profession. I spent nearly thirty years in the military and much of that time was deployed with combat forces protecting our freedoms overseas: The men and women in military uniform depend on those back home in the blue uniform.

Like so many others in the military, when I was overseas, I left my wife and children here in the U.S. As a former commander, I can tell you that the fastest way to negatively affect a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine within a combat situation was to have them worry about their family back home. Our great police officers, allow the military to be a success. I am in awe with the dedication that each officer displays daily. When our military is reunited with their family after a deployment, they can relax knowing their fellow public servants provide a shield of protection. This is a profession that takes a different type of individual, someone who is consistently putting their lives on the line, someone that I have always looked up to, a group of individuals that I cannot thank enough for the blanket of security that they provide.

There are members of the law enforcement community who serve, retire, and move on in their lives. Eventually they go home and lay down their badge in retirement, but they will no longer miss these family events. These professionals have the gratitude of the constituents of my district and I want to thank them for their dedication to protect and serve. I would like to honor some of these courageous people who have long distinguished careers or who recently retired. They are:

Deputy Sheriff David J. Wintle, of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, for over 29 years of service (deceased). This included 13 years as a K-9 handler.

Deputy Sheriff Clarence Cooper, of the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office, for 22 years of service (deceased). He also served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force.

Officer Paul Briese Sr., of the Eppley Airfield Police Department, for 11 years of service (deceased). He also served 28 years with the Omaha Police Department and 4 years as the Sheriff of Boone County, NE.

Officer Robert Wondra, of the Omaha Police Department, for over 25 years of service (retired). This included 22 years as a member of their SWAT team. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Chief Les Johnson, of the Bennington Police Department, for 26 years of service (deceased).

Detective Matthew Elsasser, of the Papillion Police Department, for 13 years. He is the Papillion Police Department's 2018 Officer of the Year.

I want to thank these officers and all others for their service and sacrifice.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today during National Police Week to ask my colleagues to support H.R. 2378, the Kerrie Orozco First Responders Family Act.

As we approach the 4-year anniversary of Omaha Police Officer Kerrie Orozco being killed in the line of duty, this legislation will show our first responders that we care about them and have their back.

The Kerrie Orozco First Responders Family Act will amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to allow for the surviving family members of a fallen U.S. citizen first responder to be naturalized upon compliance with all requirements, waiving any residency waiting period. This bill is simply extending the privileges to first responders that current law affords to spouses of U.S. military killed while serving our country.

In 2015, Officer Orozco was killed. Her husband, Hector, was going through the immigration process. His immigration status was put in jeopardy because his wife made the ultimate sacrifice protecting our community.

Every day, thousands of first responders leave loved ones to risk their lives for our safety. They need to have the peace of mind that if something should happen to them, their loved ones will be taken care of.

I look forward to working with Democrats and Republicans alike to protect our first responders and their families by passing the Kerrie Orozco First Responders Family Act.

It did pass unanimously last Congress. We need to pass it again, get it to the Senate, and get it done.

Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Rutherford, a great friend and colleague, for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize a bipartisan issue that threatens the safety of our law enforcement officers and our communities in which they serve, and we have a solution for it.

Enacted in 2004, the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, known as LEOSA, established clear guidelines allowing experienced retired or off-duty officers who maintain proper training to obtain certification allowing him or her to carry concealed firearms. The desired purpose was to create a shared national policy between States allowing off-duty and retired officers to carry their firearms wherever they are, granted they are qualified and received appropriate credentials.

As many of my colleagues know, LEOSA has enjoyed a long history of support from both sides of the aisle. When it was first proposed by a Republican, LEOSA was cosponsored by more than half of the House.

Subsequent amendments signed into law in 2010 and 2013 under Democratic President Barack Obama expanded LEOSA's coverage to include law enforcement officers in most Federal agencies as well as military police. In both instances, reforms were sponsored by Democratic Senators.

LEOSA has always been a bipartisan priority because it is a law enforcement and public safety issue. It is not a Second Amendment or gun rights issue. The same is true about improvements in H.R. 1156, the LEOSA Reform Act, which I am sponsoring.

The LEOSA Reform Act seeks to correct a number of unintended gaps and weaknesses in the original LEOSA bill. These gaps and weaknesses are not due to intentional restrictions in the original statute. Rather, they are areas in which the original statute is silent, resulting in conflicting interpretations and unintended restrictions which effectively limit the ability of off-duty and retired officers to carry their firearms, and we want them to do it in a manner that is safest for them and the public.

This lack of specific language defeats the original intent of the law, which is to allow off-duty and retired officers to carry their firearms wherever they go. Granted, they have to be qualified and have to have received appropriate credentials. That is a given.

It also created an inconsistent implementation across States, leaving many officers to either assume intended risk when carrying in accord with LEOSA or decide not to carry at all.

The LEOSA Reform Act adds specific language to address these unintended weaknesses, and in doing so will make existing law stronger and more workable for those who seek its benefit while maintaining the rigorous standards that currently apply.

The bill does not put more guns into our communities. Individuals affected by this legislation already have the authority to carry concealed weapons in most locations. Rather, H.R. 1156 will help ensure guns that are already in the hands of trained and certified law enforcement officers and retired officers can safely and legally be carried wherever they may be.

In fact, the LEOSA Reform Act will help ensure firearms do not end up in the hands of criminals by allowing law enforcement officers and retired officers to keep their firearms safely on their person, rather than being forced to leave them unattended in vehicles in parking lots of locations that are currently restricted from carrying.

The public's need for rapid intervention by off-duty and retired officers is made clear by the recent incident in California, where the heroic actions of an off-duty Federal officer who ran and shot at the synagogue gunman saved countless lives. It is an example that we see repeatedly. With the rise of tragic shootings in our Nation, empowering trained professionals to carry will allow them to respond more quickly to emergencies and provide years of expertise to these situations.

I have heard from law enforcement officials throughout Nebraska's Second District and the Nation on the importance these changes will have on the lives of our community's heroes and their ability to protect themselves and others. In fact, the LEOSA Reform Act has been endorsed by 20 professional law enforcement organizations whose membership, when combined, is representative of well over half of all law enforcement in our country.

On National Police Week, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in providing greater public safety for law enforcement and our communities at home by cosponsoring the LEOSA Reform Act. Officer safety and public safety is a bipartisan issue, and together we must and can do better.

Madam Speaker, I will close with this: If I am in a situation where I am being victimized, who do I want near me?

I would love to have a retired or off-duty policeman who is armed, and this bill makes that more likely.