Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 150th Statehood Day of the great State of Nebraska.

This day is a proud day for all Nebraskans. Today, we honor the long and rich history of our State and the contributions our citizens have made to our country and the world.

On March 1, 1867, Nebraska became the 37th State, and much has happened since then. In a century and half, Nebraska has grown to not only be the leader in agriculture, but also in technology and business.

From the Sandhills of western Nebraska to the many neighborhoods of Omaha, one can see each day the evidence of the extraordinary industriousness of my fellow Nebraskans. Across nearly 49,000 farms and ranches, our proud citizens are responsible for a multi-billion-dollar agriculture market producing food that fuels the world.

Nebraska is home to many great and wonderful things, but what I celebrate about Nebraska Statehood Day more than anything is the State's wonderful people.

In roughly 30 years in the Air Force, I had 16 assignments, taking my family all over the world. During these 16 assignments, I found that nowhere were the people nicer and more accommodating to military families than Nebraskans. We found out that there is no place like Nebraska, and we are happy to call Nebraska home. Nebraska truly is the good life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my fellow freshmen of the 115th Congress and commit to civility.

The 435 of us represent 320 million Americans. With a population that large and that diverse, we are going to have our differences. We are going to disagree which direction the Nation needs to go. With a free and open democracy, we all have that right. Vigorous discussion makes us stronger.

However, despite our differences, we are all still Americans, we want what is best for our country, and we must keep our debates respectful. We are all Americans first before we are Republicans, Democrats, Independents; and we can't forget this.

As Americans, we do have major issues facing us; and the world is looking to us to be leaders and find solutions. We must remain civil to each other to achieve this goal. Let's not forget that ISIS will never ask if we are Republicans or Democrats. The unemployment line doesn't ask if we are Republicans or Democrats either. The Federal deficit doesn't care if we are Republicans or Democrats. These are shared issues, and we are all in this together.

Politics is a contact sport, or so I am told. It has been that way since George Washington was President and Thomas Jefferson funded an opposition paper against him, all the while serving in his Cabinet. Still, today, character assassinations are a common occurrence in our political landscape, and it is wrong. Americans are at our finest when we work toward our common goals respectfully.

I spent nearly 30 years in the Air Force, and, during that time, I was fortunate to hold five commands. It didn't matter to me or our mission if a subordinate or a teammate was a Republican or Democrat. We fought in Iraq, stood up missile defenses in Israel, and conducted missions worldwide as Americans, not as Republicans or Democrats.

In the Air Force, we were all Americans, we are all airmen, and we all had one common goal. We need more of that on Capitol Hill. We are all Americans, we are all Members of Congress, and we all care about the future of our country.

One day, like all of us, I will meet our Creator. And when I do, I believe He will not care about what political party I associated myself with, but He will care how I treated my brothers and sisters. Let us agree to be a bright light on how to treat each other while we debate the issues we care about.

Let us, in the 115th Congress, all agree to work together, be civil to each other, be respectful with each other, and remember we are Americans before we are Republicans or Democrats.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to commemorate African American History Month by honoring one of the exceptional Americans who resides in our district in Omaha.

Dr. Carol Mitchell's career of public service and her dedication to education has made her a true hero and an inspiration to us all.

Dr. Mitchell was born and raised in, what was at the time, a segregated Port Arthur, Texas. Her identical twin sister, Bishop Sarah Davis, graduated as covaledictorians from Lincoln High School in Port Arthur. After graduation, she attended North Texas State University in Denton. North Texas State University afforded Dr. Mitchell her first educational experience with an integrated school.

During this time, Carol had the fortune of studying chemistry and geology at Morris Brown College and at Emory University through summer education programs.

Dr. Mitchell and her sister, who also attended North Texas State University, were the first African Americans initiated into the North Texas Green Jackets, a student community service organization further cultivating Dr. Mitchell's love for public service and education.

In 1970, after graduating from North Texas State University with a bachelor of science in secondary education, Dr. Mitchell married her husband, Glenn Mitchell, and moved to Omaha, Nebraska. In Omaha, she continued her work in public service, teaching science and chemistry for 15 years at Omaha Burke High School, culminating as the supervisor of all science education for the entire Omaha public school system.

In 1991, Dr. Mitchell took an instructor position at the University of Nebraska Omaha, and for the next 22 years, Dr. Mitchell educated future science teachers in the college of education. It was during this time that Dr. Mitchell earned her doctoral degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Dr. Mitchell's public service went far beyond just the Omaha and Midwestern region, to include work and study abroad. Among her many postdoctoral accomplishments, she twice had the honor of working at Oxford University in England and through her service with the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and she conducted Summer Science Institute courses in chemistry and biology for students and teachers and countries across Southern Africa.

Since 1991, she has received 21 awards, including the STEM Legacy Award from the Empowerment Network earlier this year, and the UNO Alumni Excellence in Teaching Award in 2009.

Dr. Mitchell has led a vibrant and inspiring life of public service in education and has worked to enrich the lives of all of her students and coworkers through her love of science and education.

Her many accolades and awards throughout her life as a student, educator, and public servant attest to the legacy she has left.

Though starting life with the challenges of a segregated community, she has persevered to obtain the epitome of success and enhance our communities and Nation. Undoubtedly, Dr. Mitchell has had a lifetime of influence, and her legacy will endure for many generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 84 today to do this one-time exception so that we can have General Mattis as our next Secretary of Defense.

Today our Nation is confronted with a complex array of transregional threats. We exist in one of the most dynamic and dangerous periods in our history, and this list of threats grow more vast and more dangerous. In the meantime, our military readiness is at dangerous lows and our modernization falls behind. Amidst these dangers, we are fortunate to be presented with a historic opportunity to select and elevate one of the most distinguished military leaders in our Nation's history to the position of Secretary of Defense.

General Mattis is many things. He is an infantry marine, a decorated warrior, an experienced combat leader, and a respected commander who has fought our Nation's wars and knows firsthand the human costs of war and the consequences of operating unguided by strategy.

James Mattis is also a strategic thinker who understands that true strength and security results from coordinated application of all elements of national power: our diplomatic influence, our economic wealth, our values, and, only when absolutely necessary, our military force.

Mr. Speaker, not since George Marshall have we had a nominee whose distinguished military service record and mastery of operational art is matched by his intellectual prowess and grasp of strategy. One thing else is clear: not since General George Marshall have we needed this type of leader as our Secretary of Defense.

We need a Secretary of Defense Mattis on day one of the Trump administration. A vote ``no'' means we won't have him on day one. It could be day 3 or day 30.

Our men and women in uniform deserve General Mattis as their Secretary of Defense on day one. These are extraordinary times, and General Mattis is an extraordinary leader. We need him on day one. I urge support for the one-time exception.

I thank the gentleman from Georgia for yielding, and, Mr. Speaker, what an honor to be able to introduce myself as a freshman of the 115th Congress and serve with some great colleagues and freshmen. It is great to be called a freshman again. It has been a long time since I have been called a freshman.

I am very honored to serve the Second District of Nebraska. It is one of three districts of the State that consists of a county-and-a-half around Omaha, and it is a great home, a great place to live.

I was raised on a farm in a small town in Illinois, Momence, Illinois, a town of about 1,800. We had corn, soybeans--I baled hay four times a year--beef cattle, and I did that until I was 21 years old. I know firsthand how hard our farmers work to make a living, and it is an honor to be able to serve on the Agriculture Committee to make a difference there.

I started serving in the Air Force back in 1985 as a 21-year-old, as a newlywed. My wife and I had 16 assignments; four different continents we were located in, coast to coast, and a lot of places in the middle. I was very honored to be able to serve as a commander of five different units, to include Ramstein Air Base in Germany. And there I got to see firsthand the importance of working with our allies and the importance of NATO, and I am going to take that experience with me.

I was also honored to serve as the commander of Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska. I loved the missions there. I loved the people. I had several different flying missions, a nuclear mission there as well, and I look forward to being a strong voice for Offutt and our military community there.

I was also able to deploy four times to the Middle East, and I look forward to using the experiences that I have learned to make sure that our men and women are equipped and trained to win.

I also did missile defense in Israel. It was an honor to work with our Israeli friends. I look forward to being a strong voice to improve the friendship with our great ally Israel.

Out of those 16 assignments, I did have three assignments at Offutt, and I will tell you that my wife, Angie, and I loved eastern Nebraska. The people are friendly. They have character. They love the military. And we are so blessed to be able to call it our home now, and so honored to be able to represent the great people of the Second District.

I will be serving on three different committees. I will be on the Armed Services Committee, the Agriculture Committee, and the Small Business Committee. I look forward to using my experiences to make a difference in all three. I am going to work my hardest on all three to make a difference.

One thing I am certain of: when Americans are put on a level playing field, we win. When our businessmen and -women and when our farmers are put on a level playing field, we win.

It has been our own government that has put our citizens at a disadvantage: high corporate taxes, regulations, our broken healthcare system. I am going to dedicate myself to fixing these because we need to help our Nation get on this level playing field where we start prospering and succeeding once again.

During my time at Congress, I look forward to doing the following and focusing on the following goals:

I want to reduce the burdensome regulations. And we have had a great start in the 115th Congress. It is so exciting to see the great votes we have already taken. We have over 3,000 regulations, on average, that are put out by our agencies. And when you add up the cost

of those from the past and those present, it adds up to almost $2 trillion, Mr. Speaker. That is almost 10 percent of our GDP, and it falls unfairly on our small business community, our farmers, and we have got to do better.

We need to reduce the cost of health care, and we are starting to work on that now. I look forward to being part of the solution. We need to ensure that folks have patient-centered health care that is supported by their doctors, not Federal bureaucrats running their health care where it is a one-size-fits-all approach.

I am going to work hard to open up markets for farmers and ranchers. Nebraska has such a great agriculture, farming, and ranching community. We are going to give them that opportunity, and we are going to work hard to do it.

I am going to work hard to reform a broken Tax Code. It is not right that our Nation has the highest corporate taxes, and it puts us at a disadvantage when we compete overseas and with our neighbors. We must fix that.

I want to work hard to rebuild and restore our military's readiness. It is hard to believe, Mr. Speaker, that our readiness is at the lowest level since post-Vietnam, and it is wrong. We have got to fix it.

Finally, I want to work hard to restore our allies' faith in our Nation. Leading from behind has been a failure.

I will close with this thought, and it is something that I communicated much during the campaign. Winning elections is not the goal, but it is a means to an end.

Mr. Speaker, we are going to work hard in this Congress and I am going to be dedicated to working my hardest to deliver results for the American people and our district. It is about defending liberty. It is about ensuring that we have opportunity and prosperity for the next generations. It is about making sure that our Nation stays secure.

I thank the gentleman again for this opportunity to introduce myself.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule and the underlying bill which provides for H.R. 5, the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2017.

I promised my district in eastern Nebraska that I would work my hardest to rein in an out-of-control bureaucracy that is burdening our Nation with over 3,000 new regulations each year. The cumulative cost of all of these regulations passed each year cost approximately $2 trillion, almost 10 percent of our GDP. That is a tremendous burden, and it largely falls on our small businesses, farmers, and community banks.

I meet often with our local, small business owners. The top concern that I hear, and they are loud and clear, and I hear it over and over, is that regulations and ObamaCare are preventing them from growing, and, in some cases, making it very difficult for them to stay afloat. There is anger that the health of our businesses are not being undermined by competition or new technology, but they are being undermined by their own government, and they are angry about it.

I have promised my district that I will be aware and push back on these regulations and on a bureaucracy that is on steroids. That is what we are doing today by passing H.R. 5 and by passing these rules.

I think one of the Members of the very first Congress and the writer of our Constitution would be proud to see H.R. 5 passed. James Madison thought the separation of powers was vital to the safeguarding of our Republic. In recent years, we have seen that separation of powers undermined by an overzealous bureaucracy that creates laws, then executes those laws, and then acts as their own appeal authority. Madison said the accumulation of powers--legislative, executive, and judiciary--in the same hands is the very definition of tyranny. Today, we move toward the right balance, toward restoring the separation of powers and lifting the burden that has been put on our small businesses and farmers.

I urge support for the rule and the underlying bill.

``. . . he may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in case of disagreement between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper; . . .''