Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor New Jersey City University Professor Yumiko Ogawa.

Professor Ogawa is a registered play therapist. Along with current and former NJCU students, she is providing play therapy for immigrant children who are in the process of applying for asylum. Their play therapy program is currently being implemented at the Newark office of a nonprofit called Kids in Need of Defense.

Since 2014, the United States has welcomed more than 240,000 unaccompanied minors who are seeking protection. Many of them have suffered from violence and child abuse. Some of them are escaping persistent trauma, including human trafficking and gang violence.

Professor Ogawa's play therapy has already helped some of these children cope with their trauma. I am proud of Professor Ogawa's thoughtful leadership and the amazing research supported at New Jersey City University.

It only takes an idea to change the world. I am proud to represent NJCU in Congress, and I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring this wonderful initiative.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Aidan Miller and Kylie Lan Tumiatti for receiving the prestigious Fulbright scholarships this year. Aidan and Kylie are both recent graduates of Seton Hall University's School of Diplomacy.

Aidan is a student of international relations, modern languages, and Eastern European studies. Over the next year, he will be teaching English at a university in Russia while learning about Russian traditions and culture. Aidan plans to enter public service when he returns home.

Kylie also majored in international relations and modern languages, with a minor in economics. The Fulbright scholarship has given her the opportunity to teach English in Malaysia. When she returns from Malaysia, Kylie will finish her graduate degree in public affairs at Columbia University and then enter the foreign service.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating these bright young people who are committed to making our world a better place.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Rashad Wright on becoming Jersey City, New Jersey's first poet laureate in more than a decade.

Rashad is a 24-year-old Poetry Slam Champion and recent graduate of New Jersey City University. Rashad has spent the past 6 years performing poetry and inspiring people throughout my district.

His poetry challenges society to improve lives. His spoken word and his written word are full of power that exceeds his 24 years of age.

In a piece of prose, titled, ``Between Lines,'' Rashad writes: ``As a poet, it feels like the souls of black folks fire through my lips.''

He speaks truth through art and helps elevate everyone who listens. I am proud to honor a man whose creativity and passion pull people into poetry.

Poet laureate Rashad Wright's story is just the beginning. I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating Rashad for his accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honor of the retirement of a longtime public servant for the Social Security Administration, Deputy Regional Commissioner Bryant Wilder. On January 3, 2019, Mr. Wilder will retire from the Social Security Administration after a career spanning thirty-eight years.

Mr. Wilder began his career in 1980 as a Clerk Typist in the New York Regional Office, Disability Programs Center. Over the years, Mr. Wilder has risen through the Social Security Administration, holding many important positions. In 2009, he was selected for the highly competitive Senior Executive Service Candidates Development Program. After completing the program, Mr. Wilder was promoted to Deputy Assistant Regional Commissioner for Management and Operations Support. In December 2015, he was promoted to his current position.

Throughout his career, Mr. Wilder has been an impeccable leader. He led the national workgroup that helped enhance office safety throughout the country. And during an active shooter incident, Mr. Wilder courageously took action to protect his staff in the East New York Field Office. Because of his quick thinking, all of the employees were safely evacuated.

I ask that my colleagues join me in honor of Deputy Regional Commissioner Bryant Wilder for his decades of service to our country. His advice and counsel will be missed. I wish him the best in his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor John Keene, a Jersey City resident and chair of the Department of African American and African Studies at Rutgers-Newark.

Last month, Professor Keene was awarded the $625,000 MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant. Professor Keene is one of only 25 people to receive the award this year. He is a groundbreaking author who has studied, taught, and written about the intersection of race, society, and the human experience.

Professor Keene's work has inspired his students, and his community, and myself. I am so proud of Professor Keene and all of Rutgers-Newark for keeping our city and my district at the top of the academic field.

I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Professor Keene, and I leave you with his words:

The most important thing is to read as much as you can,

work on your writing, to try to engage in our community with

people who you can share your work with and learn from.

Madam Speaker, flu season is upon us, and I rise today to raise awareness about the 100th anniversary of the deadliest medical catastrophe in history: the 1918 influenza pandemic.

100 years ago, the flu took the lives of more Americans in 1 month than in the entirety of World War I.

The 1918 flu pandemic lasted for 15 months. During that time, the average American's life expectancy dropped by 12 years.

100 years later, there are still many outstanding questions about the flu pandemic, but what is certain is that the flu virus still poses an undeniable threat to our Nation.

Last year, an estimated 80,000 Americans died from the flu.

Investing in research and development for novel antivirals and ensuring people get the flu vaccine is crucial to protecting our Nation from another flu pandemic like the one we faced 100 years ago.

First, Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by thanking my colleague, Congressman Garamendi, from the great State of California for hosting this evening's Special Order hour on the threat climate change poses for our Nation and our constituents.

Mr. Garamendi has done a great service by hosting timely and important Special Orders throughout the 115th Congress. Today's Special Order hour is especially important, as it comes on the heels of the Trump administration's attempt to bury its own climate change report and only a day after devastating fires in California were contained.

Because of global climate change, the United States is going to suffer from more frequent and more devastating disasters like Superstorm Sandy, which caused massive flooding in my State in 2012 and the Camp fire, which is the deadliest and most destructive in California's history.

Considering that Donald Trump thinks that climate change is an international conspiracy, a hoax concocted by the Chinese, it came as no surprise to me that he has released his own administration's climate change report on Black Friday when people are out with their families shopping and not paying attention to what is going on in the news.

The U.S. climate assessment is damning. It gives President Trump and his GOP allies no cover to proclaim that climate change isn't real. The report took our country's top climate scientists 4 years to research and write. It is more than 1,000 pages long and represents work done by 13 Federal agencies.

One of the authors, Katherine Hayhoe of Texas Tech University, summarized the evidence like this: Climate change is happening here and now.

If the United States does not act fast, the effects of climate change are only going to get worse for the American people. We already have to deal with increasingly frequent and deadly wildfires, hurricanes, and extreme weather events. That is going to get worse if we don't curb greenhouse gas emissions that are impacting our climate. Climate change also means that some areas will see more rains and more flooding.

Our Nation's infrastructure is already suffering from neglect, as we have had a Special Order hour on that in the past. The American Society of Civil Engineers gives our infrastructure a D-plus.

The stress of more frequent and intense rain, flooding, and heat is likely to cause a great deal of damage to our already frail infrastructure. Flooding will overwhelm and erode our roads. It will stress and possibly bring down bridges. We will have to shut down major roadways, railways, and ports. People's lives and their livelihoods will be at risk.

For my district in New Jersey, the economic impact will be devastating. My constituents work at Port Newark, the busiest in the East. They travel to and from jobs in New York City through the Nation's busiest tunnels and bridges, which are already overwhelmed. They live on or near the water.

Our national infrastructure just wasn't built for the kinds of extreme weather we can expect if climate change goes unchecked. I have no doubt that the people of New Jersey are resilient, but the longer our Federal Government takes to address climate change, the more difficult it will become to adapt.

But it is not just our infrastructure that is at risk if we don't take action on climate change. If left unchecked, climate change is going to hospitalize and kill our constituents. According to the 2017 New Jersey Climate and Health Profile Report published by Rutgers University, air quality changes, such as increased ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter changes in the air, will cause a rise in respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. Extreme heat and increasingly frequent heat waves will exacerbate people's existing medical conditions and cause more heat-related deaths. Changes to our ecosystem caused by increased humidity and higher temperatures will spread pests and infectious diseases.

The vulnerability will not be equal. The people most at risk are people least able to migrate to safety. The elderly, young children, and people with existing medical conditions, poorer residents, urban residents, people of color, and laborers are all the people who are most at risk.

The Trump administration and our GOP colleagues can keep their heads buried in the sand or they can work alongside countless people in government, academia, business, and civil society to mitigate the effects of climate change. To borrow a warning from a coauthor of the U.S. climate assessment: ``It's absolutely not too late to take action. But costs will really start skyrocketing if we don't start reining in emissions.''

Mr. Speaker, my Democratic colleagues and I are ready to pursue a greener future for our people. We are ready to transition to cleaner energy sources. We are ready to make sure auto emissions standards reflect 21st century technology. We are ready to make sure all Americans have access to clean air, clean water, and high-quality healthcare. The question is: Will our Republican friends join us?

Mr. Speaker, I want to once again commend Mr. Garamendi for always having these timely Special Order hours on issues that are critical to us at this time. The gentleman never misses a beat in terms of bringing issues to the floor that are relevant, important, and need to be addressed as soon as possible.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mrs. Alberta Daniels of East Orange, New Jersey, for her lifetime of service.

Mrs. Daniels is like a mother to many of us in public life from Essex County, New Jersey. I know that she has helped me learn to be a better public servant.

Mrs. Daniels spent 25 years at RCA in Harrison, New Jersey.

In her late forties, Mrs. Daniels started a new chapter as a senior correctional officer. She spent 14 years in corrections working for the State of New Jersey and helping open the first halfway house for women in our State.

Since retiring from her distinguished life in public safety and corrections, Mrs. Daniels has been an active community servant, and Mrs. Daniels keeps a busy civic schedule as well.

Last week, I had the honor of speaking at a ceremony to rename a street in East Orange Alberta Evelyn Daniels Court. It was a well- deserved honor that she has received from her community because of her lifetime of achievement and service to that area.

Mrs. Daniels, it is well deserved, and you are well loved.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the late Vincent Pantozzi of Jersey City, New Jersey, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, which was Sunday.

Just 2 months after the United States entered World War I, and only 5 years after Mr. Pantozzi immigrated to the United States, he enlisted in the Army. Sergeant Pantozzi served in many pivotal battles in France. He was shot in the knee on June 15, 1918, and then gassed 8 days later.

Sergeant Pantozzi spent 3 weeks in a field hospital, recovered, and returned to his post.

He was awarded the Purple Heart and many other commendations for his service.

In 1919, Sergeant Pantozzi was honorably discharged from the United States Army. The next day, he became a U.S. citizen.

Mr. Pantozzi passed away on October 7, 1976, at the age of 82.

I ask my colleagues to join me in honor of Sergeant Vincent Pantozzi of Jersey City, New Jersey, an exceptionally dedicated man whose service to our country deserves this recognition.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honor of a dedicated public servant, my sister Wanda Payne, who recently retired from the Newark Public School System after thirty-two years of service.

Wanda's journey as a teacher began at the age of twelve, when she volunteered at Newark's Chen School. The following year she obtained a summer position at the school, and she worked there every year until her college graduation. Wanda attended Kean University, where she earned a degree in Early Childhood Education.

She taught twenty-nine years at Camden Street School. Her first twenty-five years at Camden Street School were as a kindergarten teacher, then she taught pre-kindergarten for four years. Wanda transferred to Hawthorne Avenue School, where she taught kindergarten and first grade before retiring. Wanda has made a difference in the lives of our most precious resources, our children.

Wanda is dedicated to community service. She spent twenty-five years at the Fresh Air Fund, a program that sends hundreds of children to summer camp and assists seniors, single parents and the unemployed. She was a youth advisor for the North Jersey Youth Club, as well as the Youth in Government and Model U.N. programs for high school students. She is a consummate professional who has truly enjoyed her teaching career and her volunteer work.

I am grateful that Wanda chose to follow in my father's footsteps and become an educator. She has served the children of the Newark Public School System with her heart, and in the process has created an outstanding legacy.

Mr. Speaker, Ms. Wanda Payne deserves to be recognized for a job well done during her many years of dedicated service to the children of Newark. I am proud to have such a dedicated sister and wish her much success in her future endeavors. Wanda is the mother of one son and the grandmother of four.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Laura Wooten for her dedication and service to America's voters.

Ms. Wooten has been a poll worker in New Jersey for 79 consecutive years. She has dedicated her life to helping people vote, regardless of their party or position.

Ms. Wooten is the longest serving poll worker in New Jersey. She is likely the longest serving poll worker in our Nation. In fact, she has helped administer elections through the administration of 14 Presidents, from Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Donald J. Trump.

Ms. Wooten is 97 years old, and she will once again perform her duties as a poll worker in New Jersey in November with her characteristic pride, grace, and smile.

Ms. Wooten is a role model for all people and a reminder that every vote counts. And, as she likes to say, voting is important.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Ms. Laura Wooten by reminding all Americans, regardless of party or position, to just vote.

Mr. Speaker, this morning I met with the Prostate Health Education Network and leaders from across the country who are on the frontlines of the fight against prostate cancer.

It is critical for African American men and their families that leaders like us raise awareness and funding to end the racial disparity in prostate cancer research.

African American men are more likely to get prostate cancer, are diagnosed at more advanced stages, and are twice as likely to die as our Caucasian counterparts.

Fighting cancer requires sustained efforts at all levels to raise awareness to ensure individuals and their families have quality and affordable access to screening and treatment.

It is critical that Congress continues putting resources toward ending racial disparity in prostate cancer and healthcare more generally.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6198, the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 2018. This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to reorganize itself in order to prevent, prepare for, and respond to a biological, chemical, radiological, or nuclear attack.

Yesterday, we came together to mark the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. As a proud New Jerseyan, I carry those images of that day in the work that I do in Congress and on the Committee on Homeland Security.

Today, in a small way, we are here to honor the loss and sacrifice Americans felt that day by positioning DHS to better address emerging terrorist threats. Plans to reorganize DHS' biological, chemical, radiological, and nuclear programs first surfaced in the Obama administration.

In December 2017, then-Acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke exercised her statutory authority to reorganize elements within the Department to establish a new Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office. The CWMD Office merged the functions of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, DNDO; the majority of the Office of Health Affairs, OHA; parts of Science and Technology Directorate, S&T; parts of DHS Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans, SPP; and DHS Office of Operations Coordination, OPS.

Though many of us in Congress were disappointed that DHS acted without explicit congressional authorization to make this major operational change, the reorganization appears to have been effective in harmonizing efforts within DHS.

I am pleased that the legislation before you today contains language authored to ensure that CWMD Office leverages research and development resources and capabilities by coordinating with the Science and Technology Directorate.

H.R. 6198 also contains language, already passed by the House, to authorize the Securing the Cities program. Securing the Cities is an important tool to protecting New York City and other major metropolitan areas.

Mr. Speaker, I would encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, the ultimate success of the CWMD Office rests with the dedicated men and women who have served at the Department.

The threat landscape is diverse, with conventional and nonconventional threats emerging daily. It is critical that we stay vigilant and do all we can to ensure that the Federal Department we established in response to the 9/11 attacks is positioned to meet the demands of the current threat landscape. By passing H.R. 6198, we can do our part to set the CWMD Office on a positive course.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentlewoman from Massachusetts for giving me the opportunity to speak on what we all consider a national tragedy, but are trying to do something here that will help us remember those lost on that fateful day.

Yesterday morning, like many of my colleagues, I was back in my district to reflect on the tragic events of September 11, 2001. My district borders on New York City. Across the river, I can see the World Trade Center building from my district office. Every single day thousands of my constituents travel to and from New York City for work.

The 9/11 attacks were deeply personal for New Jersey's 10th Congressional District, as we lost 57 residents from my home county in which I live in Newark, New Jersey, the County of Essex, and we have erected a beautiful memorial in Essex County at Eagle Rock Reservation, which is a mountaintop where you can see over into New York City, where many people ventured to see what had happened on that fateful day.

And so it has become a beautiful memorial there at Eagle Rock Reservation, and it is a pristine, beautiful symbol of never forgetting. The names of all of the people who perished that day are printed on a marble wall that overlooks New York.

H.R. 6287 will ensure that ``never again'' is more than a slogan. It will help protect memorials in my district and across the country for future generations.

The men and women who lost their lives on 9/11 and in the aftermath of the attacks are American heroes. I am proud to support this bill which will make sure that the memorials to those heroes are preserved for future generations.

Mr. Speaker, Hurricane Florence is possibly the most devastating hurricane to hit the Carolinas in a lifetime. Let us prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

As global climate change makes extreme weather events more likely and more dangerous, the Trump administration is burying its head in the sand. A month ago, FEMA released an internal review of its response to Hurricane Maria, admitting that, among other things, when Hurricane Maria struck, FEMA's warehouses in Puerto Rico were basically empty.

Then yesterday we find out that the Trump administration diverted $10 million from FEMA to ICE in order to boost its detention program and lock up children in cages away from their parents and babies from their mothers.

This is outrageous. It is just another example of how callous the Trump administration is and how misplaced its priorities are.

I hope that FEMA and the Trump administration do better in the Carolinas because Hurricane Florence is going to be devastating.