Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted: YEA on Roll Call No. 173; YEA on Roll Call No. 174; YEA on Roll Call No. 175; NAY on Roll Call No. 176; and YEA on Roll Call No. 177.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted on YEA Roll Call No. 169, YEA on Roll Call No. 170, YEA on Roll Call No. 171, and YEA on Roll Call No. 172

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 167 and YEA on Roll Call No. 168.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 162; YEA on Roll Call No. 163; NAY on Roll Call No. 164; and YEA on Roll Call No. 165.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted: Yea on Roll Call No. 148, and Yea on Roll Call No. 149.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 139; YEA on Roll Call No. 140; YEA on Roll Call No. 141; and YEA on Roll Call No. 142

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.J. Res. 2 and to thank Chairman Goodlatte for his leadership on this really critically important issue.

Washington is broken. After years of excessive spending and wasteful stimulus projects, our national debt now tops $21 trillion. That is more than $60,000 for each and every American. This is unsustainable. But we are here to pass a resolution, the balanced budget amendment. This is a solution to this $21 trillion debt.

Simply put, this amendment means Washington can't spend more than it takes in. It means Congress has to live within a budget, just like families in West Virginia. Families every day have to make careful choices about how to best spend their money. It is time for the Federal Government to do the same.

I am a proud cosponsor of this resolution and urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' later today for a balanced budget amendment. It is time to get our fiscal house in order.

Pass this resolution. Pass the balanced budget amendment. Let's get our fiscal house in order. The American people are depending on us.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted Yea on Roll Call 130, Yea on Roll Call 131, and Yea on Roll Call 132.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mayor Serafino Nolletti and to celebrate his ten years of public service to the city of Logan, West Virginia. I am proud to present him with the key to the city of Logan to thank him for his hard work and dedication to the city and residents of Logan, West Virginia. For the last decade, Mayor Nolletti has dedicated his career to improving his community and showcasing all the city has to offer through events such as the annual Freedom Festival. He has also improved the lives of the people of Logan through his support of vital infrastructure and economic development projects that have help transform Logan's economy. Because of his work, the people of Logan have a town and a mayor they can be proud of and count on to be on their side.

I congratulate Mayor Nolletti for receiving this prestigious award and for his continued service to the people of Logan and West Virginia. He is a great Mountaineer that represents the best of West Virginia.

Mr. Speaker, West Virginia is literally ground zero in the opioid epidemic. Our overdose rate is not just a little bit higher than the national average of the No. 2 State. It is actually 33 percent higher than the No. 2 State. So when we passed the 21st Century Cures legislation, dedicating $1 billion to fight this horrific epidemic, it gave us hope; it gave me hope.

And that hope was particularly strong in rural States like West Virginia, that finally we might see real resources where it really counts, in rural

communities. But unfortunately, many of the worst-hit States like mine ended up receiving only a minimal amount of funding.

Let me give you an example. A more populous State received five times more funding than my State, but my State's overdose rate was five times higher than the more populous State.

This bill, like every bill, has parts I like and parts I don't like. One of the issues I have fought for is making sure the now $6 billion we are putting towards fighting the opioid crisis will actually get to the places where it matters most.

We must use a formula based on per capita statistics to ensure funds go to the hardest hit States and smaller States where the crisis and the need is the greatest.

As a member of the Appropriations Committee, and having a direct hand on how the $6 billion will be targeted, I have been reassured that rural States like mine will not be shortchanged and--we will work to make sure the language in our funding bill makes it abundantly clear to the Federal agencies that actually set the allocation formulas--we want resources flowing to where they count most.

I want to thank Chairman Frelinghuysen and his predecessor Chairman Rogers for their commitment and leadership to helping.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my constituent, Lessie Moses. Lessie, who just turned 98 years old this past November, served as a Rosie the Riveter during World War II, working on airplanes in Ohio. Lessie was born and raised in her beloved hometown of Milton and is the oldest of nine children.

Lessie was part of the workforce that carried the nation while the men were at war, providing the warfighter the equipment they needed to get the job done. Lessie answered the

call when their nation asked and served in 1943 and 1944 on the home front to make sure our troops were well equipped. Lessie is a local pioneer of the Rosie movement in my district, and I am honored to recognize her achievements and help keep this history alive. We owe a debt of gratitude to all of the heroes of World War II.

May God bless Lessie, and I thank her for all she has done for the people of the great state of West Virginia and her community of Milton, and for her service to our nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Carter G. Woodson and to celebrate his legacy with my friends at Marshall University. Dr. Woodson is a former resident of Huntington, West Virginia, and is known as the ``Father of African-American History.'' He believed in the importance of education, served as a principal of his alma mater Douglas High School, and later earned a doctorate in history from Harvard University. Dr. Woodson pioneered the observation of Black History Month and devoted his life to documenting the important contributions African Americans have made to our nation's history.

The Carter G. Woodson Lyceum at Marshall University has the great honor to welcome Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden who will speak directly to the community and students of Marshall University. I extended my wishes for a successful event celebrating the life of Dr. Woodson and all that he has achieved.

I want to thank Professor Morris for his continued dedication to honoring the work of Dr. Woodson every year. He continues to ensure

future generations and students at Marshall have the opportunity to learn about the legacy of this remarkable historical icon. Dr. Woodson's legacy and his work to ensure that African-American history is preserved and recognized in our community will continue to inspire the students of Marshall University for many years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I missed votes due to travel conditions leaving West Virginia. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 51.

Mr. Speaker, the American people are demanding of us to do what is right. That is why I proudly voted ``yes'' to keep the government open, to pay our troops, to provide funding for our Nation's military, and to reauthorize CHIP, healthcare for children in need, for 6 years.

Instead, Democrats in the Senate voted ``no.'' They said no to all of these critical priorities--national security, healthcare for our children, keeping the government open--all while they pushed their own political agenda. The only thing they said yes to was the Schumer shutdown.

Enough is enough, Mr. Speaker. Nothing in this bill is controversial. We did our job. We have passed reauthorization for CHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Program, not once but twice, and it has stalled in the Senate.

Democrats own the Schumer shutdown. They have said no to policies the American people want and the American people need.

Washington is broken. We need to get back on track. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to work together, to work in the interest of all West Virginians and all Americans, working for working families, military families, and retirees. They are all depending on us.

Mr. Speaker, I missed votes due to difficult traveling conditions caused by inclement weather. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on Roll Call No. 18 and yea on Roll Call No. 19.