Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I want to read a letter from a Syrian refugee to the interfaith coalition sponsoring his family, which settled in Bloomfield, New Jersey, last month.

Muhammad is a father of four. His family was one of the last to arrive prior to the signing of President Trump's ban.

Muhammad wrote:

I feel ashamed when I repeat the words: Thank you.

I feel it's very few and very weak in front of your

interest and your generosity.

The first thing I want to learn in the English language is

how I can thank you more and more.

America is beautiful because you live in it.

These are the kind of families the Trump administration wants to turn away. They are the oppressed and the persecuted, the kind of people this country was founded for.

I understand the need to vet people coming to our country, and the importance of protecting our Nation's security. No one questions that at all.

But we cannot close our country to refugees like Muhammad and his family. We cannot sacrifice what it means to be American.

Muhammad is right, America is beautiful, and we can keep it that way by remaining a beacon of freedom and hope.

Mr. Speaker, I am glad to join my colleague, Congressman Markwayne Mullin today in introducing a resolution designating the week of February 13 as National Health and Wellness Coach Recognition Week.

Lifestyle-related chronic diseases are causing a health crisis in this country. Chronic diseases are the leading cause of preventable deaths and disabilities, and they cost the U.S. economy more than $1 trillion per year.

This crisis is so severe that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has deemed chronic disease to be ``the public health challenge of the 21st century.''

We can reduce lifestyle-related chronic disease and end this crisis, but that means improving and sustaining health-related behaviors. That is where the health coaches come in. They step in to fill the gap between healthcare provider recommendations and sustainable lifestyle changes. By helping to improve individual health and wellness, health coaches get to the root of this Nation's health crisis.

I want to give my deepest thanks to the health and wellness coaches who are making the people of this Nation healthier. We should all support them in their efforts.

Mr. Speaker, earlier today I joined members of my community to discuss the impact of President Trump's Muslim and refugee ban.

I wanted to read from a statement given by one of my constituents who participated in the discussion today. Her name is Nureed. She wrote:

I have always been grateful for being an American and for

the sacrifice my parents made to afford me my American Dream.

Yet, every day, since the Republican nominee for President

was announced, I have feared for my safety and the safety of

my little children.

I hold my breath every day praying that the day will not

come that I need to flee my home for fear of retribution or,

worse, because of my faith.

Mr. Speaker, Nureed is an American who realized the American Dream. She is not a threat to this Nation, nor are her young children a threat to this Nation.

President Trump wants to shut the door to the American Dream. He is tearing apart the fabric of this Nation before our eyes. I urge my Republican colleagues to remember Nureed's words and to oppose the President's unconstitutional ban.

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

I rise in support of H.R. 549, the Transit Security Grant Program Flexibility Act.

As the threats to our homeland continue to evolve, transit systems, domestically and abroad, have become a leading target for terrorists. Last year, the Committee on Homeland Security's Subcommittee for Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications held field hearings in New Jersey to assess how transit owners and operators and local first responders were coordinating efforts to secure domestic mass transit and to determine what the Federal Government could do to assist those efforts.

At the hearing, transit operators repeatedly praised the transit security grant program, although they raised serious concerns about funding, which has decreased dramatically since its peak in 2009. Witnesses also testified that the period of the performance for the transit safety grant program was too short to support infrastructure- hardening projects.

Under H.R. 549, the period of performance for security-hardening projects would be extended from 36 months to 55

months in order to make it possible for transit agencies to complete projects that may take longer than the time period allowed under current law.

This bipartisan bill was passed in the House last Congress, and I urge my colleagues to again support this measure.

It is very important that we give transit professionals the flexibility that they need to keep our transit systems safe and secure. H.R. 549 will allow transit security grant program grantees to use the funds designated for security-hardening projects more efficiently and within a more reasonable timeframe.

I urge my colleagues to support this important measure.

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

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

I rise in support of H.R. 687, the First Responder Access to Innovative Technologies Act.

Mr. Speaker, in my time serving as ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security's Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications, I have come to learn a great deal about the very important, very challenging job of first responders. These brave men and women run toward danger with our safety as their number one priority.

Since the September 11 attacks, the private sector has redoubled its efforts to develop innovative technologies for first responders to use and to carry out their vital missions.

Yet, through our subcommittee's oversight, we have seen where, in some instances, industry standards have

failed to keep the pace with breakthroughs in technology. As a result, we have found that first responders cannot always access the most up- to-date equipment because they cannot use Homeland Security grant funds to purchase equipment and technology that does not meet or exceed voluntary industry standards.

H.R. 687 would require FEMA to develop a transparent process for reviewing requests to use grant funds to purchase technologies that do not meet or exceed voluntary industry standards and/or that are not on the authorized equipment list.

The bill has the support of the Security Industry Association and unanimously passed the House last September. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the Security Industry Association.

Security Industry Association,

Silver Spring, MD, January 27, 2017.

Hon. Dan Donovan,

Chairman, House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency

Preparedness, Response and Communications, Washington,

Mr. Speaker, our first responders are on the front lines of emergency response. In recognition of their bravery and sacrifices they make every day, in and out, we must make sure that they have the access to the most up-to-date technologies to help them do their jobs better and safer. To that end, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 687.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 584, the Cyber Preparedness Act of 2017, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, since I became ranking member of the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications 4 years ago, States have repeatedly expressed concern about the ability to confront the cyber threat and have rated cybersecurity among the core capabilities in which they had the least confidence.

Last Congress, the subcommittee held a hearing on State and local efforts to counter the cyber threat where State emergency managers and chief information officers testified about activities they were undertaking to secure their networks and infrastructure.

For example, my home State of New Jersey has begun developing its own cyber information-sharing capability, similar to DHS' National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center.

Since the subcommittee held its hearing last year, the Federal Government has made significant progress in providing cybersecurity guidance to Federal, State, and local stakeholders.

In December of 2016, the Department of Homeland Security issued its national Cyber Incident Response Plan, which describes roles and responsibilities among stakeholders with respect to preventing, disrupting, and responding to a cyber event.

Additionally, the plan also provides guidance on information sharing related to cyber threats.

H.R. 584 would help facilitate implementation of the National Cyber Incident Response Plan by promoting the sharing of cyber threat indicators and information, as well as cybersecurity's best practices, with State and major urban area fusion centers.

The bill also designates ``cybersecurity'' as an allowable use of State Homeland Security grants and Urban Area Security Initiative funds, which would help other States replicate the cyber threat information-sharing capabilities developed in New Jersey.

This is commonsense legislation, passed by the House last Congress, and I urge my colleagues to support the measure once again.

Mr. Speaker, last fall, the range of cyber threats we faced came into focus when a foreign government attempted to interfere and undermine the integrity of our Presidential election by hacking into the campaign and political party databases.

H.R. 584 includes language to address this threat by directing DHS to share cyber threat information regarding election equipment and technology with fusion centers.

H.R. 584 seems to secure our critical cyber networks by improving cyber information sharing with fusion centers on the full spectrum of cyber threats.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 584, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, Donald Trump has stained the American Presidency with his unAmerican values.

His Muslim ban has caused the suffering of countless families seeking the American promise of a better life, and it has put the safety of the American people at risk by providing fodder for extremist groups who wish to do us harm.

I condemn this ban and the unfit President behind it. I ask my Republican colleagues who have stood by and said nothing: How can you remain silent?

The American people are sending a clear message that they will not remain silent. I have received a large volume of calls from constituents in opposition to the Muslim ban. It is unfortunate that these calls are necessary, but I am glad the American people are paying attention and are committed to holding this administration accountable.

I want to add that hundreds of Syrian refugees have settled in New Jersey. Many have settled in Jersey City, which is part of my district, and I am proud to be their Member of Congress. These refugees have escaped chaos at home and went through a rigorous screening process before entering the United States. They are respectful of America's values. The same cannot be said of this President.

Mr. Speaker, first let me thank the gentleman from Fort Worth and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands for heading these Special Order hours. It is an honor that I had prior to them, and I am sure that they see the importance of being able to spearhead topics that are important for today.

Mr. Speaker, President Trump's claims of widespread voter fraud are unsubstantiated. Officials in both parties have said that there is no evidence of large-scale voter fraud. A comprehensive investigation found only 31 possible cases of impersonation fraud out of 1 billion votes cast in all elections between 2000 and 2014. President Trump lost the popular vote by 2.8 million, and it looks like he is looking for an excuse.

What is worse is that President Trump's unfounded claims will encourage Republicans to double down on their assault on voting rights. There is no significant evidence of fraud, but President Trump's claims will be used as cover to suppress the vote. He is already talking about launching a major investigation into nonexistent voter fraud. The only thing that would come from such an investigation would be further restrictions on voting rights.

If President Trump wants to investigate anything, he should investigate the real voter fraud talking place--the Republican-led attempts to suppress minority votes.

The strategy of Republican legislatures in some States has been to suppress votes by instituting voter ID laws, reducing hours for early voting, and closing polling places. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, in 2016, 14 States had new voting restrictions in place for the first time in a Presidential election. This Presidential election was the first in 50 years without the full protections of the Voting Rights Act.

As a country, we should make it as easy as possible for people to exercise the right to vote. Election officials should not erode our democratic principles. They should make sure that every American citizen has an equal voice in the democratic process.

Protecting every person's right to vote is essential to a fully functioning democracy. The countless men and women who have risked their lives to defend that right knew our system of government only works when it is inclusive and fair, when it enables all voices to have a say in the future of our country.

Mr. Speaker, I was not present for the following Roll Call votes. Had I been present, I would have voted ``YEA'' on Roll Call No. 60 (H.R. 423 Anti-Spoofing Act) and ``YEA'' on Roll Call No. 61 (H.R. 582--Karis Law Act).

Mr. Speaker, one of my constituents, Paul from Montclair, New Jersey, shared with my office his struggle with bladder cancer, HIV, and severe depression. He told us that he is scared, like most people who rely on the Affordable Care Act, because Republicans are determined to gut this legislation. He told us that he depends on the ACA for his medications and treatments, without which he fears he will die.

Paul lives on an unstable income, and it is only because of the ACA that he is able to afford his treatments. The staffer in my office who spoke with Paul told me that he could feel the fear in Paul's voice as he listened to Paul's story. Paul is rightly concerned about

whether he will be able to afford his next urologist appointment and what will happen if he can no longer pay for his depression medication.

Now, Paul told us that this was the first time that he publicly announced his medical conditions because he wants people to see the human face on the problem of the ACA repeal. He wants people to know that the ACA is keeping people alive.

Over 20 million people now depend on the ACA. They are not empty numbers. They are real people who deserve affordable, quality health coverage. ACA repeal would strip them of this coverage and make it impossible for them to get the care they rightly need.

Democrats will continue to stand our ground on the ACA, and we will continue to stand up for people who depend on the law, like Paul. We will refuse to make America sick again and create chaos in our Nation's healthcare system.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Fort Worth (Mr. Veasey). I was looking forward to a potential clash with his team next week, but I guess you have to get out of Green Bay before you can go to Dallas.

Mr. Speaker, the job of the U.S. Attorney General is to protect the rights and freedoms of every single American. Senator Sessions' record and public statements suggest that, if confirmed, he will not uphold our Constitution's values of fairness, justice, and equality for all. Since the election, President-elect Trump's victory has been marred by allegations of voter intimidation and suppression in key States.

It is clear that we need to restore the full protections of the Voting Rights Act. Yet, Senator Sessions has called the Voting Rights Act an intrusive piece of legislation. When he was the United States Attorney in west Alabama, Senator Sessions used the power of his office to intimidate and dissuade African American voters.

Americans recognize the need for Congress to find a bipartisan solution to immigration reform. Yet, Senator Sessions has been one of the loudest opponents of comprehensive immigration reform. He has even fought against legal immigration, arguing, instead, for immigration moderation.

Americans also recognize the dire need for criminal justice reform. Yet, Senator Sessions has opposed bipartisan legislation to modernize prison sentencing for low-level drug offenders.

On every measure, Senator Sessions has shown that he will be detrimental to African Americans and other minority communities as our Nation's next Attorney General.

The next Attorney General must build on the progress of the last few years under Attorney General Lynch and Attorney General Holder. He or she must safeguard civil rights, prosecute hate crimes, protect the right of due process, and uphold the Constitution and our basic values and freedoms.

Every indication is that Senator Sessions is too extreme and unwilling to protect the safety and the rights of every American. If confirmed as U.S. Attorney General, Senator Sessions will pose a grave threat to our justice system and to the communities that system is meant to protect. His ideologies are in direct contrast with the Justice Department's mission.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today for very important reasons. First, I would like to commemorate the tragedy that took place in Khojaly, Azerbaijan, where on February 25, 1992, 23 years ago, 444 mostly elderly men, 106 women and 63 children were brutally killed. Please join me in recognizing the horrific atrocities that took place during the month of February in Khojaly, Azerbaijan.

Secondly, I would like to recognize the night of January 19, 1990, as ``Black January.'' On this day, 26,000 Soviet troops invaded the capital city of Baku and surrounding areas. By the end of the following day, more than 130 people had died, 611 were injured, 841 were arrested and 5 were missing. This event is memorialized as ``Black January,'' and, for the citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan this event left an indelible mark on their minds and hearts.

Although Azerbaijan thrives today, the people of Azerbaijan recognize those who lost their lives in Black January, 1990, and honor their sacrifice through their commitment to the ideals of democracy.

Mr. Speaker, Azerbaijan is a strong ally of the United States in a strategically important and complex region of the world. I ask my colleagues to join me and our Azerbaijani friends in commemorating the tragedy that occurred in the town of Khojaly as well as Black January.

Mr. Speaker, here we go again.

It appears that my colleagues on the other side have short memories and do not remember the consequences that led to a backlash from the American people when they shut down the Federal Government in the last Congress.

Republicans continue to play politics with the Department of Homeland Security funding by insisting that any funding bill overturn the President's executive actions on immigration. If the Republicans fail to pass a DHS funding bill, the consequences will be severe. One direct consequence is that there will be no funding of new nondisaster grants to local and State governments, law enforcement, fire departments, and other emergency responders.

As ranking member on the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications, I understand how critically important these grants are to safeguarding our communities. Protecting the Homeland Security Grant Program is critical to ensuring that our cities, transportation systems, and first responders have the capabilities to prepare for and to respond in times of disaster.

Mr. Speaker, simply put, Republicans should stop putting politics ahead of the safety of the American people and join with Democrats to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 361, the Medical Preparedness Allowable Use Act, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 361 would authorize grant recipients under the Homeland Security Grant or Urban Area Security Initiative Program to use funding to enhance medical preparedness and medical surge capacity.

Currently, the Federal Emergency Management Agency already permits grantees to use these funds for such purposes. However, enactment of this measure into law will give some predictability to the grant recipients as they struggle to build and maintain medical response capabilities at the State and local levels.

Over the course of the past year, our doctors, nurses, and emergency service personnel have responded to outbreaks of Ebola, measles, D68, and other contagious diseases.

Although none of these outbreaks were the result of bioterrorism, they nevertheless served as a reminder that medical preparedness is a critical component of our national preparedness.

I commend the gentleman from Florida for working with the Homeland Security Committee to make sure that medical preparedness continues to remain a priority at the Federal, State, and local level.

I would be remiss if I did not take this time and opportunity to express my support for the reauthorization of the Metropolitan Medical Response System, which would provide dedicated funds to medical preparedness activities.

I would also note that Members may be here today to discuss the use of grant funding, but overshadowing this debate is a more immediate obstacle to the effectiveness of DHS' grant programs: the fact that Congress has not passed a full-year funding for the Department of Homeland Security that the President can sign into law.

Mr. Speaker, I will place into the Record a Washington Post editorial piece entitled, ``GOP holds security hostage to immigration.'' It underscores the urgent need for gamesmanship over immigration to be put aside for the betterment of national security.

With respect to the measure before us today, I would note that, without funding, neither the Urban Area Security Initiative nor the State Homeland Security Grant Program will be working to build medical preparedness capabilities, or any other capability, at the State and local level.

Ask any first responder, and they will tell you: These grant programs are essential to building, maintaining, and exercising important preparedness capabilities.

Representing the 10th Congressional District, I have seen firsthand how these programs have bolstered capabilities, both in Newark and Jersey City. Delays or cuts to these programs only punish first responders and medical services personnel, and the citizens whom they are charged with protecting.

GOP Holds Security Hostage to Immigration

[By Editorial Board, February 1, 2015]

How far will Republicans in Congress take their reckless

flirtation with undermining government this time?

Will they, as seems increasingly likely, fail to pass a

bill that the president can sign ensuring adequate funding

for the Department of Homeland Security and its 280,000

employees before the agency's support expires Feb. 27? Are

they ready to let funding lapse, secure in the knowledge that

Border Patrol officers, Secret Service agents, airport

security personnel and other so-called essential employees

would still have to report to work--even though they would

not be drawing paychecks?

A number of prominent Republican lawmakers clearly believe

that denying funding to the nation's premier organ of

domestic security is no big deal, as long as the move

expresses the GOP's anger about President Obama's executive

actions on immigration.

As Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) put it to Politico:

Letting the department's funding lapse would not be ``the end

of the world.''

Mr. Diaz-Balart's complacency may come as news to Americans

concerned about the risk of terrorism in the wake of attacks

in Paris, Ottawa, Sydney and elsewhere. It certainly came as

news to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh C. Johnson, as well

as his three predecessors--Democrat Janet Napolitano and

Republicans Michael Chertoff and Tom Ridge--all of whom have

warned GOP lawmakers not to conflate essential funding for

the department with the political fight over immigration.

House Republicans were deaf to such appeals. Last month,

they passed a bill furnishing the department with $40 billion

in funding through September, the end of the current budget

year. But they attached provisions to that bill, certain to

draw a presidential veto, that would kill the

administration's plan to temporarily protect several million

undocumented immigrants from deportation and repeal a

program, in force since 2012, that offers a similar shield to

people brought here illegally as children.

There is room for legitimate debate over the president's

most recent unilateral moves on immigration, which we happen

to agree represent executive overreach. If congressional

Republicans want to attack those actions responsibly, with

discrete legislation, they are free to try--though they are

unlikely to muster the votes to override a presidential veto.

However, it is another thing to wield their frustration

over immigration as a cudgel, holding hostage an entire

department of government that is critical to the nation's

security. That is as irresponsible as it is politically ill

advised.

On Friday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)

announced the body would consider the House bill this week, a

sign that the GOP is persisting with its game of chicken. The

bill is unlikely to attract the necessary 60 votes for

passage, which would require a half-dozen Democratic

defections. But there is no shortage of Republican lawmakers

who would rather try to antagonize the president than carry

out the workaday task of funding the government.

In the absence of a bill, the department's funding lapses

in less than a month. What happens in the intervening weeks

will indicate whether Republicans are more interested in

gamesmanship or governance.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time on my side. If my colleague on the other side is ready to close, I am as well.

Mr. Speaker, the Medical Preparedness Allowable Use Act is a good bill, and it has my support.

The gentleman from Florida has given us a piece of commonsense legislation, and this is the type of legislation, when it comes to keeping our Nation safe during times of attack or natural disaster, that we need.

I also urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the passage of a clean DHS funding bill so that the States and urban areas across the country can continue building and maintaining critical preparedness capabilities.

Again, I would like to thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) for working with us on this issue, and I congratulate him on a wonderful bill that ensures that our Nation continues to be prepared in times of disaster. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 361, the Medical Preparedness Allowable Use Act.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 615, the Department of Homeland Security Interoperable Communications Act. My goal today is to put the Department of Homeland Security on the path to achieving agencywide interoperable communications.

Almost 15 years ago, courageous first responders raced to Lower Manhattan, to an area that came to be known as Ground Zero. In the days that followed, first responders from neighboring jurisdictions, including Jersey City, responded to help with response and recovery efforts.

Not long after these devastating attacks, concerns were raised about the interoperability gaps that existed between responders on that deadly September day. The 9/11 Commission identified improving interoperable communications at all levels of government as a pressing recommendation. They emphasized that both technology and governance are critical components of interoperable solutions and recognized DHS as the Federal agency responsible for spearheading such an effort.

Though nationwide over $13 billion has been invested in achieving interoperable communications at the State and local level, we are still not there. At DHS, over $430 million has been invested into communication capabilities for its 123,000 radio users since 2003. However, in 2012, the Department's own top watchdog, the Office of Inspector General, found that DHS ``personnel do not have reliable interoperable communications for daily operations, planned events, and emergencies.''

In May of 2014, the inspector general testified before the Homeland Security Subcommittee that, out of 479 field radios that attempted to communicate on a specific channel, only one user could do so. That is a 99.8 percent failure rate.

Too often, communication failures are attributed to technology or a lack of resources. But here, technology is not the culprit; it is the scapegoat. Indeed, the inspector general found that DHS had not established protocols to ensure that practices are in place to achieve interoperability throughout the Department.

H.R. 615, the DHS Interoperable Communications Act, which I introduced with the gentlewoman from Indiana, Congresswoman Susan Brooks, the former chair of the Emergency Preparedness Subcommittee, would direct the Under Secretary for Management to issue policies and directives related to interoperability, develop a strategy to achieve DHS-wide interoperability, and report to Congress biannually on the Department's progress.

Interoperable communications are essential to emergency response and Homeland Security operations. The men and women in uniform that serve and protect the 10th Congressional District of New Jersey never miss an opportunity to remind me of something we already know: interoperable communications save lives during disasters.

Interoperable communications challenges must be addressed in a timely and thoughtful manner. Last Congress,

this Chamber unanimously approved legislation identical to the measure before you today. Enactment of H.R. 615 into law would put DHS on the path to achieving interoperability.

I would like to thank the former subcommittee chairwoman, Susan Brooks, for her dedicated efforts to work with me on this measure. I will miss working with her on this panel.

I would also like to thank Ranking Member Thompson, Chairman McCaul, and the new chairwoman of the subcommittee, Ms. McSally, for their continued support in addressing this important issue.

I urge my colleagues to support improving interoperable communications at DHS by voting.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson Coleman), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency.

I am glad to have her join us here in Congress for her great ability in the State legislature, and she has removed me from being the lowest member in the delegation, off the bottom.

Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers, and I am prepared to close.

Mr. Speaker, TSA must be able to talk to FEMA and the Coast Guard during an emergency, be it a terrorist incident or natural disaster. For that reason, the achievement of cross-component interoperable communications is essential to DHS' being able to carry out its mission.

H.R. 615 takes a responsible approach to addressing the oversight findings of the inspector general and the Committee on Homeland Security about a serious operational gap at the Department of Homeland Security: interoperability.

Moreover, an earlier version of this bipartisan measure passed the House unanimously last Congress. For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 615.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.