Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor our brave men and women in law enforcement as we celebrate their service during National Police Week.

This week, we must acknowledge the dedication and sacrifices of those who serve our communities by honoring the fallen heroes who have paid the ultimate price.

Madam Speaker, rural America has many challenges, and policing is among them because of underinvestment. That is why I am fighting to bring home nearly $3 million in support for the towns of Ayden, Elizabeth City, Plymouth, and Greenville to ensure they have the resources they need to safeguard our communities.

I am also proud to cosponsor the bipartisan Invest to Protect Act which will provide critical investments to local police departments across eastern North Carolina to keep their officers and communities safe.

Madam Speaker, I join the First Congressional District in extending my deepest gratitude to the men and women who protect our neighborhoods, respond to emergencies, and ensure public safety.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express concern with H.R. 2, legislation that would place at risk United States agriculture.

H.R. 2, with the E-Verify provision in particular, does not address the workforce crisis and could cause a $60 billion drop in production, resulting in a 5 to 6 percent increase in prices at the grocery store when many families across America are still struggling to make it from week to week.

We must develop real solutions to the labor crisis facing our farmers, ranchers, and growers. During a tour at Warren Farms, and speaking with farmers across eastern North Carolina, this is what they are telling me: Enough is enough. People are fed up with divided D.C. politics.

Our government must get out of the way of hardworking people. We should take H.R. 2, as drafted, off the table so our farmers can continue putting food on the table for households across this great country.

Congress' inaction to address the labor crisis will result in farmers losing their livelihoods.

I am here. I am right here to work with anyone who wants to make life better for eastern North Carolina, rural America, and the American people. We can secure the border. However, we cannot secure the border while creating so much insecurity for our farm families.

Mr. Speaker, I am standing with American farmers.

Mr. Speaker, recently, I held farm bill listening sessions across North Carolina's First Congressional District, making stops in Hertford, Nash, Pitt, and Wilson Counties to hear directly from our local agriculture community about their priorities in the 2023 farm bill.

Mike Belch, a local farmer, stressed the importance of protecting crop insurance.

Beth Farrell spoke about the need to ensure conservation programs meet the needs of our growers.

Joe Martin raised concerns about pricing, that pricing must keep up with inflation.

Maxine White and many others talked about wanting to see more technology used in the field to ensure the next generation of growers can effectively and efficiently create new ways to do what they do best: feed and clothe America.

I am proud to deliver surveys from eastern North Carolinians to be submitted for the official record for the 2023 farm bill.

I also heard about the need to address the labor crisis, including addressing the H-2A system. I will keep fighting for our agriculture community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise during Military Appreciation Month to highlight an eastern North Carolina native and a true American hero.

United States Air Force Technical Sergeant William H. Gonzalez of my hometown, Snow Hill, North Carolina, was on the way home after picking up his mother from the airport when he saw a woman lose control of her vehicle and veer into a pond off Interstate 587.

Mr. Speaker, as a fearless airman with 9 years of service, Gonzalez didn't hesitate and leaped into action. He dove into the pond, brought the woman back to consciousness, and helped her safely escape from her submerged vehicle.

This Military Appreciation Month, we salute all of our brave men and women in uniform. Today, I ask for people across America to join me in saluting Technical Sergeant William Gonzalez.

Mr. Speaker, food security is national security. The late House Committee on Agriculture chair, Harold Cooley, once said: ``Bread and butter rather than bullets and bayonets are the most powerful weapons in our arsenal.''

We must ensure that the next generation of agricultural leaders know how to advocate and make their voices heard for the future of eastern North Carolina and rural America.

In that spirit, I held a 2023 farm bill listening session with FFA students at Beddingfield High School in Wilson, North Carolina, to discuss agriculture's most pressing needs.

Each student sat down with me and addressed their top priorities, ranging from biomedicine research to nutrition, rural development, and everything in between. They completed surveys to be submitted to the House Committee on Agriculture to be a part of the official Record.

Mr. Speaker, bread and butter are indeed our most important arsenal, along with our students who are our future. We are only as great as the next generation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to highlight the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe. The Tribe has over 4,000 members living in the First Congressional District of North Carolina.

The Tribe, led by their fearless Chief Richardson, welcomed people near and far as they celebrated 58 years of State recognition.

Mr. Speaker, I had the honor of attending the Haliwa-Saponi Pow-Wow in Hollister, one of the largest pow-wows in the State. The Pow-Wow, the first in 3 years because of COVID, celebrates a rich history and strong cultural heritage filled with traditions passed down from generation to generation.

Mr. Speaker, I am thrilled to announce that I will soon introduce legislation calling for their Federal recognition.

Mr. Speaker, America must pay its bills and must not default. Failure to do so would trigger massive job loss, a recession, and rising costs.

Congress must raise the debt limit, as previously done on a bipartisan basis. This cannot and should not fall on the backs of eastern North Carolinians, rural Americans, and the American people.

Mr. Speaker, we must not engage in the politics of division and uncertainty. We must always protect the full faith and credit of the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I hope we can come to a bipartisan resolution to deliver for eastern North Carolina and America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Food Bank of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Since the food bank started serving its local community 40 years ago, it has been striving to ensure neighbors, friends, and families always have a meal.

Since its early days, the Food Bank of the Albemarle has distributed more than 46 million meals to hungry men, women, and children in

15 counties across northeast North Carolina. What started as a small, humble operation has become an essential food source for the region. The food bank is well on its way to becoming a ``nutrition bank,'' as it now boasts a newly expanded facility, including a Teaching Kitchen.

On Wednesday, April 5, 2023, the Food Bank hosted a 40th-anniversary celebration for the community, which included a tour of the new facility, food to enjoy, and the return of their renowned Sort-A-Rama food packing competition: ``Pack Madness.'' The competition consisted of twelve teams bagging up as many apples as possible in under 45 minutes--some healthy competition is always good when it ultimately helps feed our local communities.

The Food Bank of the Albemarle and its volunteers have made it their mission to help anyone in need, and northeastern North Carolina is better because of it.

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the Food Bank of the Albemarle on its 40 years of service. I know volunteers will continue their phenomenal work, and I cannot wait for them to celebrate another 40 years of service to the region.

Mr. Speaker, from cropping tobacco in the fields of eastern North Carolina to now walking the Halls of Congress, I am most grateful for the opportunity to work for the people of North Carolina's First Congressional District and our future generations.

We are a little over 100 days into the 118th Congress. I have rolled up my sleeves to work hard for eastern North Carolina, rural America, and the American people.

My highest priority remains the people of North Carolina's First Congressional District. I have traveled from Elizabeth City to Henderson, Greenville to Columbia, and everywhere in between, visiting all 19 counties. While there, I pushed to expand Medicaid and stood up for our farmers.

I am proud to sponsor three critical pieces of legislation and have sponsored 40 bipartisan pieces of legislation. Our office has already resolved over 200 constituent cases.

I look forward to continuing working to guarantee future generations can live the American Dream in eastern North Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to discuss a topic important to the people of North Carolina's First Congressional District: addressing access to healthcare.

April is Medicaid Awareness Month, and I was honored to kick it off with my fellow State Medicaid Expansion Caucus co-chairs and Protect Our Care.

North Carolina has passed critical legislation that Governor Roy Cooper has signed into law, creating a pathway to expanding Medicaid in our State, showing the significance and power of bipartisanship.

Mr. Speaker, nearly 100,000 eastern North Carolinians would have access to healthcare that would come as a result. There would be a creation of roughly 3,000 jobs in one of the most economically distressed parts of the State while saving our rural hospitals.

Mr. Speaker, nearly 2 million Americans remain trapped in a coverage gap. Medicaid Awareness Month is the perfect time to make a bipartisan appeal.

Let us work together to close that gap so that the greater good of Americans will benefit.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a true trailblazer in North Carolina's First Congressional District, retired United States Army Air Corps bomber pilot, Major Joe Balogh.

Joe and I had a chance to chat in Franklin County, and this World War II hero, at the age of 102, shared countless stories of service with a vivid recollection of the detail.

During our chat, Joe shared with me when his airplane was shot down. He also shared about witnessing soldiers paying the ultimate sacrifice. Joe will continue to be a beacon of hope for eastern North Carolina and America.

Mr. Speaker, Joe's selfless service will ensure the freedom of future generations of North Carolinians and Americans.

I thank and salute Joe and others like him across America.

Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate National Nutrition Month.

Madam Speaker, there are serious challenges related to hunger and food insecurity across eastern North Carolina and other parts of the country, and we need to do all we can to feed hungry kids, seniors, and our most vulnerable populations.

Recently, I spent time at Windsor Elementary School in Bertie County, North Carolina, and spoke with Tiwana Smallwood, the school nutritionist, who stressed the need for programs to improve nutrition and reduce hunger.

Ms. Smallwood highlighted nutrition's vital role in our health and healthcare systems, noting that some families and school systems across the First Congressional District need help to make ends meet with rapidly increasing prices.

Let me be clear, everyone deserves access to nutritious food to fuel a healthy and prosperous life. I will work to ensure that is achievable for school districts across America.

Madam Speaker, the options are clear. Supporting our citizens or ignoring their health and well-being. I know where I stand, and that is with supporting the health and well-being of eastern North Carolinians.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to highlight some of our unsung heroes of eastern North Carolina, our schoolbus drivers.

Mr. Speaker, our schoolbus drivers go above and beyond when it comes to getting the job done, and Ms. Annie Daye, at Central Elementary School in Jackson, North Carolina, is without exception.

A native of Northampton County, Ms. Daye has been a schoolbus driver for nearly 50 years in the county where she grew up, making a daily impact on the lives of her 40 young passengers.

In addition to being the first person to offer students a warm smile and greeting in the morning, she creates a caring, safe environment where children can feel secure and understood.

Mr. Speaker, we need to do all we can to support schoolbus drivers to ensure every child across the First Congressional District and America has a champion like Ms. Daye.

Let's tell a schoolbus driver thank you. I thank Ms. Daye for her nearly 50 years.

Mr. Speaker, recently I traveled to six counties in my district and looked at different aspects of education, ranging from Title I funds, STEM, school nutrition, and physical education, to providing safe learning environments.

Mr. Speaker, after speaking with many students, I learned that they are seeking new opportunities to live their dreams, and they tend to respond best to caring adults such as parents, guardians, teachers, coaches, custodians, and even bus drivers.

During my visits, I also was honored to serve as a teacher assistant at Central Elementary in Northampton County.

Ms. Leanna Cahoon, also known by her students as Ms. C, stayed busy as ever, grading tests, helping students with math and spelling, and assisting classrooms when needed. We must applaud not only Ms. C, but all teacher assistants and educators.

Mr. Speaker, education is a lifeline for the future, and we must provide the resources for our students to succeed because, after all, our young minds will be the ones who will transform not only eastern North Carolina but America forever.

Madam Speaker, the agricultural community is the backbone of eastern North Carolina.

Back home, I constantly hear about the barriers to our farmers' success, which is why during this National Agriculture Week, I proudly introduced the Promoting Precision Agriculture Act with Representative Tracey Mann of Kansas.

Precision agriculture includes the use of devices like robotics, sensors, monitors, drones, and more to help our growers increase efficiency, boost crop yields, and lower costs.

Madam Speaker, we must deliver for our farmers in rural America to ensure our growers have the resources and

tools they need to do what they do best: feed America.