Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 4716) to amend section 7504 of title 31, United States Code, to improve the single audit requirements.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Financial Management Risk Reduction Act of 2024, which will improve the quality and completeness of financial audit data of large Federal grant recipients.

If an entity receives Federal financial assistance from the Federal Government, we should be able to closely review their financial statements and expenditures of Federal funds to ensure that every transaction is legitimate.

I thank my House Oversight Committee colleague, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, for leading the House companion of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this sensible reform, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, which will improve the quality and completeness of financial audit data of large Federal grant recipients, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9595) to improve Federal technology procurement, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 9595, the FIT Procurement Act. This bill streamlines the procurement process for small businesses and small transactions and would enable the government to take full advantage of commercial best practices.

This legislation achieves this in three ways: first, by increasing the micro purchase threshold, or the MPT, from $10,000 to $25,000; second, by increasing the simplified acquisition threshold, or the SAT, from $250,000 to $500,000; and, third, by authorizing advance payments for certain types of software and cloud computing.

On the first, I would note that purchases under the MPT, which currently account for a tiny fraction of overall government contract spending, do not require the involvement of a Federal contracting officer. For this reason, raising the MPT from $10,000 to $25,000 is estimated by George Mason's Baroni Center for Government Contracting to save more than $40 million annually in Federal administrative costs. This allows contracting officers to focus more time on larger acquisitions, where the potential for waste, fraud, and abuse is far greater.

Further, purchases above the MPT and below the SAT are subject to simplified procedures in order to reduce administrative costs and promote opportunities for small businesses.

By increasing the SAT from $250,000 to $500,000, this bill provides opportunities for small businesses and reduces administrative burdens for smaller government contracts.

Finally, by allowing for advance payments for software services, this bill saves taxpayer dollars by allowing Federal agencies to access the discounts that are currently available through upfront payments to the private sector.

I thank Chairman Comer and his staff for working with me on this effort in the Oversight Committee, and I thank Senators Peters and Cruz for leading the Senate companion to this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, which will streamline the procurement process for small businesses and small transactions, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6244) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1535 East Los Ebanos Boulevard in Brownsville, Texas, as the ``1st Lieutenant Andres Zermeno Post Office Building''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which would rename a post office in Texas after 1st Lieutenant Andres Zermeno. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill to designate a post office for 1st Lieutenant Zermeno, an American war hero who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to his country.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3946) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1106 Main Street in Bastrop, Texas, as the ``Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh Post Office''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which would rename a post office located in Texas in honor of Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh.

Sergeant Major Waugh served for five decades as an Army paratrooper, Special Forces soldier, combat veteran, USPS mail handler, and CIA paramilitary operations officer. He passed away in April 2023.

I support naming a post office in honor of Sergeant Major Waugh, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul).

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my House colleagues to support this bill honoring Sergeant Major Waugh, an American hero, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 59) to implement merit-based reforms to the civil service hiring system that replace degree-based hiring with skills- and competency-based hiring.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 59, the Chance to Compete Act.

The concept of this bill is very simple: Let's hire applicants for Federal positions based on whether they have the skills to do the job. Too frequently, the Federal hiring process is based on whether or not somebody has a degree even if that degree has nothing to do with the position.

Additionally, Federal hiring managers also rely on required self- assessments filled out by applicants to determine their own skill sets, strengths, and weaknesses. Not surprisingly, such self-assessments do not work very well. The Chance to Compete Act authorizes agencies to develop appropriate skills-based examinations so that applicants for Federal jobs can show what they know.

Federal supervisors have said that their top concern is getting a pool of quality candidates to perform necessary jobs. The Chance to Compete Act addresses this problem head-on. It will create teams of subject matter experts to help agencies create assessments that are geared for the job.

This idea is supported by Federal managers, and it builds off of work begun in the Trump administration, which the Biden administration has continued.

I thank Representative Foxx, the sponsor of the House companion bill, along with Representatives Connolly, Khanna, Mfume, and Mace for their support.

This is a good policy that will help the American people's government work better, and I urge my colleagues to support S. 59.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx).

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

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week the House passed the Water Resources and Development Act which includes essential protection for property owners on Table Rock Lake in my district.

Table Rock Lake is more than just a body of water. It is beloved as a landmark in southwest Missouri and a crown jewel of the Ozarks.

The provisions in this bill will ensure that property owners who have inadvertently encroached parts of their homes on corps land or rely on septic systems do not have to remove these essential structures.

I extend my gratitude to Chairman Graves, a proud fellow Missourian and a steadfast advocate for this cause. I also wish to thank Subcommittee Chairman Rouzer for his unwavering support of these critical provisions.

Together, we are standing up for the rights and the livelihoods of the residents of Table Rock Lake. This is a proud, proud moment for southwest Missouri, and I am so honored to be leading this effort.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Karen Matthews, the Christian County, Missouri, Treasurer, on her retirement. Christian County is home to nearly 90,000 citizens in the southwest part of Missouri, and Ms. Matthews has served as an elected official there for 22 years.

During her tenure, Ms. Matthews has achieved many accomplishments. She manages nearly $50 million annually in county revenue and transitioned the county's operations from a third-class county to a first-class county due to the area's population growth. She initiated online banking for the county, direct deposit payroll for county employees and implemented premier financial software. She also saved the county thousands of dollars by implementing a more efficient time and attendance software. Finally, despite the millions of annual transactions, the county has successfully passed all of its dozens of audits with 100-percent compliance.

Ms. Matthews was honored by her peers by being elected as the treasurer for the Missouri County Treasurer's Association, a position she has held since 2012. She also is the treasurer for Mt. Zion Baptist Church, serves on the Missouri County Treasurer's Association legislative board and is a member of several area chambers of commerce. In addition to her public service, she has been the co-owner of several small businesses in the construction and home design fields.

I'd like to congratulate Ms. Matthews on her well-deserved retirement. She has faithfully executed her responsilities as county treasurer and she will be missed. I wish her the very best in the next phase of her life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Bill Barnett, a remarkable public servant, as he celebrates his 80th birthday.

For over two decades as the Christian County Western District Commissioner, Bill's leadership transformed our community with paving roads, building bridges, and modernizing services that have improved countless lives.

Beyond infrastructure, Bill's faith has guided his life. A devoted member of the Nixa Church of the Nazarene, he and his wife, Glenna, embody compassion and service. Bill also supports boards and causes from senior centers to environmental initiatives, all while running a small business and cherishing his role as a family man. Bill's faith, integrity, and dedication inspire us all.

Happy 80th birthday, Bill. Your legacy is a blessing to us all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate American Legion Post 1214 located in Springfield, Missouri, on the 10-year anniversary of the organization's charter for Women Veterans of Southwest Missouri.

The post has grown from 12 initial Legionnaires to 97 Legionnaires thanks to the outreach and recruitment skills of a number of women including Adjutant Shellie Jones, Treasurer Nancy Fazzino, past Commander Louise Hansen, current Commander Jennifer Tyes and a host of other dedicated women. Ninety percent of the post's membership are women who have active duty service in one of the Nation's four military branches, while ten percent are men who also have served our country and been honorably discharged.

The post works to foster community building, and to provide outreach and support for fellow veterans by supporting programs such as Quilts of Valor, Harmony House Domestic Violence Shelter, Honor Flight of the Ozarks, and the United Way of the Ozarks' Veteran's Emergency Aid Program. The post also supports Junior ROTC programs at four area high schools: Willard, Hillcrest, Greenwood Laboratory and New Covenant Academy. The post also has sponsored some 56 candidates for Boys State and Girls State over the last 10 years. It also engages with the public and several local veterans organizations for Wreaths Across America, where they place holiday wreaths at each of the headstones in the national and state cemeteries in Springfield.

These are just a few of their many service projects.

American Legion Post 1214 is an asset to Southwest Missouri, and I am grateful for their selfless service and tireless dedication to improving the lives of veterans of every era, as well as inspiring the next generation of military service members. Please join me in congratulating them for their 10 years of service.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that I may hereafter be considered as the first sponsor of H.R. 374, a bill originally introduced by Representative Gaetz of Florida, for the purpose of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of John Errante of Springfield, Missouri, who recently passed away after a three-year battle with cancer. He was 41 years old.

John was an amazing individual. He was self-taught and a member of Mensa. As his long-time friend, Beau, said of him, ``He was routinely the smartest man in the room, in a room filled with smart people. He had a way of seeing to the core of a problem, and embracing and implementing solutions no one else would have considered, much less tried.''

John loved the arts and was a composer and a concert pianist. As a teenager, he became involved in politics and attended the Leadership Institute here in Washington, DC. While there, our homeland was attacked on September 11th, which had a profound effect on John. This led him to join the U.S. Army where he served in Army Psychological Operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

After leaving the military, John moved to Springfield where he graduated from Missouri State University on the President's List, the university's highest honor reserved for those who receive a 4.0 grade point average or higher. He again became involved in politics, serving as the communications director for his friend Bill's gubernatorial campaign. Ultimately, he became employed as a marketing specialist with MediaCom.

John's life was defined by service . . . to his country, to his neighbors, to his family and friends. He was taken from us too soon and will be greatly missed by his father, Steven Errante, his mother, Arla Collins and a host of friends who loved him. It is my great honor to recognize this remarkable individual, and I am praying for peace, comfort and good memories for his family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Ozark, Missouri, Chamber of Commerce on its 75th anniversary.

The chamber was formed on Monday, October 14, 1949, when approximately 90 visionary business leaders from Ozark gathered to establish the chamber. Joe Majors, who was owner of Major Cheese Co., was elected as the first president while Dr. Stanley Roper was named vice president and Herbert Taylor was elected treasurer.

Recognizing the need to grow, the chamber's first committee was focused on gaining membership. They started with 49 members who paid an annual fee of $15 for men and $7.50 for women. Later that month, the membership had already grown to 58 business leaders. The following month, the chamber hired a part-time secretary and joined the National Chamber of Commerce. These efforts were just the start of three- quarters of a century of growth and success. Today, nearly 400 businesses and individuals make up the organization that is dedicated to supporting local businesses, fostering economic growth, and enhancing the quality of life in the community.

While a lot has changed over the past 75 years, the chambers dedication to the Ozark community has not wavered. Members continue to work tirelessly to support local businesses, engage with citizens, and collaborate with organizations that make Ozark a vibrant place to live and to work. Events such as the annual community awards banquet, the free business and community expo, the Welcome Home Event for new teachers, the widely anticipated annual Christmas parade, and partnerships with city, school and county entities all serve to enhance local businesses, the local economy and the local community.

I would like to congratulate Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Rusell on this landmark occasion, and I wish the chamber many, many more years of growth and success.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and legacy of Mr. Sam Hamra of Springfield, Missouri. He was 92 years old when he recently passed away.

Mr. Hamra was the founder and chairman of Hamra Enterprises, which owns and operates 156 restaurants and other projects across Missouri and the United States. These include locations for Wendy's, Panera Bread, Noodles & Company, and more. He opened the first Wendy's in Springfield in 1976, and the rest is history.

Sam Hamra grew up in Steele, Missouri, as the son of Lebanese immigrants. He graduated from the University of Missouri with business and law degrees. He served as an officer in the U.S. Army, where he was appointed as U.S. Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for Western Missouri. He later served as the attorney for the city of Nixa, Missouri, where he helped build the city's electric distribution system. He also advocated for funding to expand transportation arteries connecting Branson to Springfield, as well as expanding a major thoroughfare in the city of Springfield.

Mr. Hamra was active in his community. He was a founding member of OakStar Bank, charter president of the Rotary Club of Springfield Southeast, and a member of the foundation board for Ozarks Technical Community College, which also houses the Sam and June Hamra Family Library. The Sam F. Hamra Center for Justice also was named for his work organizing and serving as the first board chairman of Legal Services of Southern Missouri, which serves 43 southern Missouri counties. He and his wife, June, also donated the funds to purchase the land for the Kitchen Homeless Family Shelter on the O'Reilly Campus.

Sam Hamra was a community builder who made an impact on so many aspects of Springfield. He will be greatly missed, but his legacy will live on.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and legacy of a great American patriot, World War II hero Jack Hamlin of Springfield, Missouri, who passed away on July 20, 2024. He was 102 years old.

Mr. Hamlin's resume reads like it should belong to several individuals college football player, minor league baseball player, Coast Guard veteran, law school graduate, member of the Missouri House of Representatives from Greene County, Deputy Collector of Revenue for the state of Missouri, owner of an insurance company, husband, and father of three.

In 1941, Jack was pursuing his dream to become a professional baseball player, but when the Japanese Empire attacked the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7th that year, Jack knew he had to serve. On February 2, 1942, he raised his right hand and enlisted in the Coast Guard.

Little did Jack know that in the spring of 1944, he would be assigned to ``Operation Neptune,'' the designation for the naval operation supporting the largest invasion in military history code named Operation Overlord. His 83-foot cutter was assigned to a special unit of 60 cutters named ``Rescue Flotilla One.'' Their mission was to rescue soldiers lost in the water during the invasion at Normandy.

We hear much about the men who fought and died that day, ultimately turning the tide of World War II. But little is known about Jack's efforts and the efforts of more than 800 of his fellow guardsmen who saved the lives of 1,500 men and one woman, pulling them from the chilly waters off the Normandy coast and ferrying them to the hospital ships some 10 miles away. It was right and fitting that he was presented with the French Legion of Honor medal for his efforts. He also was one of only 75 American military members to be invited to

have dinner with the Queen of England in commemoration of D-Day's 50th anniversary.

Jack Hamlin continued to live his life fully, even jumping out of an airplane at age 95, and serving his state and fellow man. He was loved by all who knew him, and this true American hero will be greatly missed.

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of this amendment to prohibit funding for the World Economic Forum.

Every year, the World Economic Forum hosts its annual luxury conference in Davos where CEOs, world leaders, and other globalists take their private jets to some ski town in Switzerland to discuss carbon emissions, which is ironic, erasing borders of our nations, and other high-minded ideas like encouraging a transition to eating insects because the Earth is ``running out of protein.''

The founder of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab, says it provides a platform for high-powered leaders to ``shape global, regional, and industry agendas.''

All that really means is bigger governments, more taxes and spending, more surveillance of citizens, and more open borders.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Schwab was the guy pushing for ``the great reset'' to ``reshape the world.'' When Klaus Schwab says things like ``You will own nothing, and you will be happy,'' we should take him at his word.

When globalist elites get together to talk about their plans for world domination, we should not ignore them. We definitely should not be sending them our U.S. taxpayer dollars to legitimize their efforts.

If these Marxist hypocrites want to get together on their own dime, so be it. Since 2023, the State Department has funneled nearly 60 million taxpayer dollars to the World Economic Forum.

This amendment would simply prohibit the State Department from funneling any money from U.S. taxpayers to the World Economic Forum.

No matter how much they talk about ``protecting liberal democracy,'' these people, the globalists, are the problem.

If we are truly going to represent Americans, and if we are truly going to stand for our national sovereignty and the freedom to govern ourselves, then we need to stop legitimizing these globalists with our money.

I urge the adoption of this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, the gentlewoman says that there is nothing in this that sends money, yet since 2013, the State Department has funneled nearly $60 million to the World Economic Forum's efforts. It can't be both. Even if it is the case, then this amendment shouldn't worry anyone. It is belt and suspenders.

At the end of the day, when the American people are $34 trillion in debt--that is over $250,000 per taxpayer that they owe as their share of the national debt--we should not be taking out more debt to send to these globalists and fund their agenda.

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

Mr. Chairman, it is a fact that, since 2013, we have funneled nearly $60 million to the efforts of this globalist elite organization. I don't think that the taxpayers of the United States should foot the bill for their agenda, which I think is an un-American agenda.

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