Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank my ranking member for yielding to me. I rise in opposition to the right-to-try legislation that would bypass the Food and Drug Administration's longstanding review and oversight of drug treatments and endanger patients with life-threatening diseases.

Many States have passed this right-to-try piece of legislation, including my home State of Texas, but the States don't have the FDA. The Federal Government has the right to be able to make sure we can protect both constituents and consumers. My heart goes out to the loved ones who are terminally ill and desperate for a breakthrough treatment. I cannot support legislation that offers false hope to the terminally ill and their families.

The FDA has a pathway whereby those in need of investigational medications may seek to obtain them. This program is known as the expanded access pathway, or compassionate use, and has been in the law since 1987. Over the last decade, the FDA has a clinical hold on only two commercial drug development programs due to adverse events associated with compassionate use.

There are many patient advocacy groups that are opposing this legislation. Groups such as the Alliance for Aging Research, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Defeat MSA, the Disability Rights Legal Center, and dozens more that are committed to seeking effective treatment cures to many diseases which are terminal, are against this bill. These patients' rights groups seek to ensure that the medication that is offered to individuals is safe, has been tested, and has gone

through the proper approval process before it is given to a patient.

The most vulnerable and terminally ill individuals deserve to have access to safe therapies that have undergone the necessary approval process before being given to those who can least afford to receive unproven treatment that may do them more harm than good. In addition to the physical harm which unproven treatments may cause, there is also the risk of financial exploitation of terminally ill patients given that such treatments are not covered by insurance. Manufacturers are not required to cover the cost of investigational treatment.

The majority's decision to go around our committee's consideration and effort to pass the bill on suspension last week exemplifies what this legislation is trying to do, circumvent existing rules and processes that have been created to protect Americans from hasty decisions.

I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand up for Americans facing serious and life-threatening diseases by opposing this unnecessary and potentially dangerous legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the University of Houston men's basketball team on their remarkable performance in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

The Cougars entered the tournament as the number six seed from the American Athletic Conference, led by the 2018 AAC Coach of the Year Kelvin Sampson. This was the Cougars' first NCAA tournament appearance since 2010, and their spectacular win in the first round against San Diego State was the Cougars' first NCAA Tournament win since 1984. Their loss against Michigan in the second round was hard fought and truly a heartbreaker.

As an alumnus of the University of Houston and on behalf of the city and the fans, we are proud at what they accomplished this season. I wish the team the best of luck for next season.

I would also like to give special congratulations to seniors Devin Davis, Wes VanBeck, Nura Zanna, and Rob Gray for an exciting season.

Go Cougars.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring your attention to a memorial ceremony for the men who served aboard the USS Houston (CA-30) held this month in Sam Houston Park in my hometown of Houston. Descendants of the sailors and Marines of the ``Flagship'' of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet that was sunk by Imperial Japanese Naval forces on March 1, 1942 which honored their bravery and determination.

Seventy-six years ago, the American heavy cruiser USS Houston (CA-30) and Australian light cruiser HMAS Perth, outnumbered and outgunned by an Imperial Japanese Navy Battle Fleet, fought to the last in the Sunda Strait between Sumatra and Java. Both went down with their captains aboard and their guns still firing. Nearly 1,000 Allied servicemen perished. It marked the end of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet and the naval forces of the American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command.

As the crews abandoned the sinking ships, Japanese sailors machine- gunned the decks and the men in the oil-soaked sea. Only 368 sailors and Marines, including four Chinese stewards and mess attendants from the Houston, made it to shore where they were taken as POWs of Japan. Some were held in a POW camp on Java, eight officers were sent to Japan to corporate POW camps, and others to the infamous Changi Prison in Singapore. Most, 220 of the survivors were shipped to Burma to be slave laborers constructing the Thai-Burma Death Railway.

For the next three and one-half years, the surviving men of the Houston and Perth suffered together through humiliation, degradation, physical and mental torture, starvation and horrible tropical diseases. Only 291 men from the Houston's complement of 1008, and 214 of the Perth's complement of 681, returned home after the War. This shared history speaks to the American spirit and grit as well as to our enduring alliance with Australia.

Back in Houston, Texas, news of the destruction of the warship hit the city hard. The result was a mass recruiting drive for volunteers to replace the lost crew. On Memorial Day 1942, a crowd of nearly 200,000 witnessed 1,000 ``Houston Volunteers'' inducted into the Navy. An accompanying bond drive raised over $85 million, enough to pay for a new cruiser and an aircraft carrier, the USS San Jacinto.

According to a 1949 Houston Chronicle article commemorating the event, word of the ship's fate ``aroused a fever pitch of patriotism'' in the city. ``Her loss made the war something more of a personal conflict to more than half a million people,'' the article reads. ``Official news of her destruction . . . slapped the city squarely between the eyes, and set off a series of events that stands unequaled in the nation.''

So this week, we pause to remember the brave men of the USS Houston (CA-30) who inspired their country and who gave so much to fight tyranny in the Pacific. They who ``Still Stand Watch Over Sunda Strait'' represent our enduring commmitment to liberty. And I thank the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Memorial Society and the USS Houston CA-30 Survivors' Association and Next Generations for ensuring that the sacrifice and lessons of this greatest generation is remembered and honored.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my ranking member for allowing me to speak tonight.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Right to Try Act, legislation that would bypass the Food and Drug Administration's longstanding review and oversight of drug treatments and endanger patients with life-threatening diseases.

My heart goes out to the families of loved ones who are terminally ill and desperate for a breakthrough treatment. I, too, have lost loved ones and wished there was an experimental therapy available to save them.

FDA has decades of experience dealing with experimental therapies that have not received final approval. In 1987, the FDA created expanded access, better known as compassionate use, and gives terminally ill patients access to therapies still under clinical trials. FDA approves nearly all requests for investigational drugs. For the last 5 years, the FDA approval rate for this expanded access is over 99 percent. In fact, FDA physicians are available 24 hours a day to approve emergency requests.

My daughter is an infectious disease physician at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. They used the FDA's compassionate pathway to provide experimental therapy for an American doctor, a U.S. citizen, who had contracted Ebola while in Africa in 2014. FDA approved that request for that experimental treatment over the telephone in less than 24 hours. There is a solution other than this bill.

The new path created in this legislation is not necessary, and, in fact, may endanger the health and safety of terminally ill patients by bypassing FDA's oversight and expertise.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to speak on the importance of following regular order. The House Energy and Commerce Committee has been working with stakeholders and Federal agencies for years on creating incentives and pathways for the new generation of breakthrough therapies.

Two years ago, these efforts culminated with the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act, which I am proud to be a champion of. The 21st Century Cures Act went through regular order, including hearings; Member discussions; and compromises between regulators, stakeholders, and regulators.

It is not easy or quick, but regular order works because it gives the committees of jurisdiction the opportunity to debate and refine the legislation. This legislation we are currently considering did not go through regular order. In fact, it was just introduced earlier today, purposely avoiding consideration before our Energy and Commerce Committee due to its shortcomings.

I hope we can agree on the importance of following regular order and observe our Chamber's rules and traditions. The American people deserve nothing less. I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand up for Americans facing these serious and life-threatening diseases by opposing this unnecessary and potentially dangerous legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4986, the RAY BAUM'S Act.

This important, bipartisan legislation will reauthorize the Federal Communications Commission for the first time in 28 years and includes reforms that will make the FCC more efficient and transparent.

Today's bill includes provisions based on the Radio Consumer Protection Act, legislation I was proud to introduce with Congressman Bill Flores of Texas last September, that will reimburse radio broadcasters for costs related to the FCC's spectrum auction.

The creation of the Broadcast Repack Fund and the FM Broadcast Station Relocation Fund in this legislation will help ensure that television and radio broadcasters will not be hit with the full cost of moving or adjusting transmitters and antennas, installation, and other costs that are part of the spectrum repack.

The RAY BAUM'S Act, additionally, will provide $50 million to help educate consumers about the broadcaster repack and help make sure that the viewing and listening public continues to have access to important local news, weather, and emergency alerts provided by our local broadcasters.

Finally, I was happy to see the inclusion of a provision that will make the FCC's Inspector

General independent of the Chairman of the Commission. IG investigations, regardless of the party in power, must be independent of the individuals they are empowered to investigate.

I ask my colleagues to join me in voting in support of the RAY BAUM'S Act.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote on Monday, March 5, and Tuesday, March 6, 2018, due to the Texas primary elections.

If I had been able to vote on Monday, March 5, I would have voted as follows:

On passage of H.R. 3183, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 13683 James Madison Highway in Palmyra, Virginia, as the ``U.S. Navy Seaman Dakota Kyle Rigsby Post Office,'' I would have voted ``yea.''

On passage of H.R. 4406, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 99 Macombs Place in New York, New York, as the ``Tuskegee Airman Post Office Building,'' I would have voted ``yea.''

If I had been able to vote on Tuesday, March 6, I would have voted as follows:

On the Democratic Motion to Recommit H.R. 4607, the Comprehensive Regulatory Review Act, I would have voted ``yea.''

On final passage of H.R. 4607, the Comprehensive Regulatory Review Act, I would have voted ``nay.''

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 767, the SOAR to Health and Wellness Act of 2018. This bill expands the Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond--or SOAR--training program, which provides healthcare professionals with training on how to identify and appropriately treat victims of human trafficking.

Nearly 21 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking, forced labor, or sexual exploitation. At some point, many of these unidentified victims will come into contact with healthcare professionals during their captivity. A doctor's visit or emergency department trip can offer a critical point of intervention for victims and a brief chance when a victim may be able to detach from traffickers.

This bill will provide the necessary resources for the healthcare professionals to spot victims and provide trauma-informed, culturally appropriate care once identified. Helping healthcare professionals better recognize the signs of trafficking and improve their ability to intervene can truly be the difference between life and death.

I thank the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) for sponsoring this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen).

Mr. Speaker, I know how important trafficking is for the Chair in his history, and I think the Speaker of the House has an interest in this bill, too.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 880, the Military Injury Surgical Systems Integrated Operationally Nationwide to Achieve ZERO Preventable Deaths Act, or MISSION ZERO Act.

I am proud to have worked closely with Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Chairman Burgess and my colleagues from Florida and North Carolina, Representative Castor and Representative Hudson, on this legislation.

The MISSION ZERO Act will help us move towards a trauma system that achieves the goal of zero preventable traumatic deaths.

Whether in response to a gruesome sports injury, a car accident on the highway, or, unfortunately, a tragic event like the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Americans of all ages and backgrounds depend on our trauma care system to respond with skilled experts to provide the services necessary to save lives and prevent disability.

The MISSION ZERO Act will help us ensure access to quality trauma care based on the best available evidence by establishing a grant program to assist civilian trauma centers to partner with military trauma professionals. This partnership will benefit our civilian trauma centers by increasing the availability of trauma professionals to serve in trauma centers across the United States.

This partnership will benefit our military trauma system by allowing trauma professionals to maintain their trauma care capabilities during times of peace and help ensure they are prepared to meet the needs of our heroes on the battlefield.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and help ensure that Americans in need of trauma services, whether civilian or in the Armed Forces, receive the highest quality of care possible.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor), the cosponsor of the bill, and I thank the cosponsors of this bill for serving on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1222, the Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act, led by Congressman Bilirakis and Congressman Schiff from California.

This legislation reauthorizes the Congenital Heart Futures Act, which was enacted in 2010, as part of the Affordable Care Act.

The Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act builds on the success of current efforts by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to improve and expand research, monitoring, and public outreach and educational programs relating to congenital heart disease.

This bill requires the National Institutes of Health to issue a report outlining current and future research plans with respect to congenital heart disease.

Each year, more than 40,000 babies are born in the United States with a congenital heart defect. One million children and 1.4 million adults are currently living with congenital heart disorders. Individuals living with a congenital heart disease often require specialized care and remain at risk of disability or premature death throughout their life.

More research and surveillance is needed to improve our knowledge of why congenital heart defects develop and how they can be effectively treated. This legislation will help expand our understanding of congenital heart disease across the lifespan and has the potential to improve the lives of the millions of children and adults living with congenital heart disease in America.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers.

I want to thank, also, the cosponsors of the bill, both Congressman Schiff and a member of our committee, Congressman Bilirakis, for introducing this reauthorization bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2410, the Sickle Cell Disease Research, Surveillance, Prevention, and Treatment Act, introduced by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis) and Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Chairman Burgess.

Sickle cell disease is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders where red blood cells become hard and sticky and have a C shape. When these sickle cells travel through the blood vessels, they can get stuck and clog the blood flow. When this occurs, it often causes extreme pain and other serious health problems, including infections, lung-related complications, and stroke.

100,000 Americans are living with sickle cell disease today. These individuals need comprehensive treatment throughout their lives in order to manage their symptoms and prevent their disease from worsening, which requires a robust network of providers available to treat sickle cell patients at every stage of life.

H.R. 2410 would reauthorize the Sickle Cell Disease Treatment Demonstration Program, allowing the Department of Health and Human Services to invest critical resources in research, surveillance, and public health initiatives for sickle cell disease. These investments will help bolster the sickle cell workforce and improve treatments for sickle cell patients of all ages.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis), the sponsor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield), our colleague on the committee whom I call ``Judge,'' just like I do you, because you are both former district judges.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2422, the Action for Dental Health Act, sponsored by my colleague, Congresswoman Robin Kelly from Illinois.

For millions of Americans, affordable dental care is hard to find and desperately needed. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly half of all individuals in our country over the age of 30 suffer from some form of gum disease. One in four children under the age of 5 already have cavities.

The lack of basic oral health services in some communities today leads many Americans to delay treatment to the point the pain is so severe that they rush to the emergency room, where they receive expensive treatment for common dental issues.

Dental care is necessary for more than cosmetic reasons. Good oral health is vital to a person's overall health. Bad oral health can be a sign of larger health issues.

Increasing access to affordable dental care would lower the number of emergency department visits for preventable oral health conditions and reduce the risk of chronic disease.

The Action for Dental Health Act will make grants available through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Health Resources and Services Administration, for programs to improve oral health for underserved populations.

This legislation will make it possible for groups, such as State health departments and nonprofit dental societies, to receive funding for critical oral health services. These services may include providing dental services to nursing home residents, operating a mobile dental clinic, or implementing an emergency room program so patients can receive dental care in the dentist's chair instead of the ER.

I thank the bill's sponsors for their bipartisan work on this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the Action for Dental Health Act.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Kelly), the sponsor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 443, Recognizing the Importance and Effectiveness of Trauma-Informed Care, sponsored by Congressman Gallagher from Wisconsin and Congressman Davis from Illinois.

This resolution recognizes the important role that trauma plays in health and life situations and the importance of deploying trauma- informed protocols to respond to traumatic experiences.

Research shows that traumatic experiences are associated with behavioral health and chronic physical health conditions, such as substance use disorders, mental health conditions, and heart disease.

Traumatic experiences, such as physical or sexual abuse, neglect, bullying, community-based violence, and natural disasters give rise to these negative health consequences.

Because of the harmful consequences of trauma, it is important for our health system to deploy trauma-informed protocols.

The resolution recognizes the importance of Federal agencies deploying trauma-informed care to ensure that local care providers are appropriately engaging individuals with histories of trauma, and implementing strategies to intervene on the negative consequences of traumatic experiences.

I urge my colleagues to join me and support this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis), the cosponsor of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Bipartisan Budget Act, H.R. 1892, which will provide much needed federal funding to help Houston and Harris County rebuild from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, reauthorize several critical health programs, and keeps the federal government open through March 23.

Hurricane Harvey's destruction was beyond anything witnessed in living memory in Texas. A record 52 inches of rain fell on Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast, causing catastrophic flooding in our nation's fourth largest city.

Harvey damaged over 300,000 homes and apartments in the City of Houston alone. Statewide, nearly 600,000 homes have been inspected by FEMA for flood or wind damage. Most tragically, 88 Texans lost their lives to Harvey's wrath.

This bipartisan agreement will provide $89 billion towards disaster recovery and relief for Texas and the other states and territories impacted by hurricanes and wildfires last year.

This includes $15 billion for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to repair and construction new flood control projects in federal disaster areas. These funds are critical to protect Houston and Harris County from the next major storm event. Our region has been impacted by flooding for three straight years: the 2015 Memorial Day Floods, the 2016 Tax Day Floods, and Hurricane Harvey last August.

Last November, the State of Texas released a report requesting $36 billion in flood control projects for the Gulf Coast region. This request included critical projects that are necessary to protection our district and Greater Houston from future flooding, including a new reservoir along Cypress Creek and a coastal barrier to protect Galveston Bay from a catastrophic storm surge.

It is my hope that Congress will provide additional federal funding for flood control projects for Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast when Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) needs to be reauthorized later this year.

One of the greatest accomplishments in the Bipartisan Budget Act is the additional years of funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). In January, CHIP received funding for six years. With the enactment of this legislation, an additional 4 years of funding will be added, extending the program on which nearly 400,000 children from my home state of Texas rely on for access to stable and affordable care.

In addition to extending CHIP for a total of 10 years, this legislation also provides 2 years' worth of funding for federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). The Bipartisan Budget Act provided FQHCs with $3.8 billion for the current year and $4 billion in FY2019.

Both FQHCs and CHIP have enjoyed bipartisan support for many years. FQHCs have had bipartisan support since the 1960s and CHIP since it was created by Congress in 1997 with my vocal support. Both programs work because they provide individuals with access to needed healthcare services at affordable rates. Funding for both programs ended in September and we came perilously close to losing both programs when the Republicans failed to include funding for either program in previous Continuing Resolution (CRs).

It was not until January that CHIP received funding, but only for a period of 6 years whereas this bipartisan budget agreement extends to a total of 10 years, through FY2027. CHIP is a vital program that many children rely for access to healthcare providers, preventive services and ongoing care which helps to ultimately keep health care costs low as well as keep a greater number of children healthy because they are able to access care before their conditions worsen.

Many of my constituents have written to me expressing concern about the annual Medicare payment limits for outpatient services, also known as therapy caps. I am happy to say that the spending limits were permanently repealed making it easier for individuals receiving therapy services in our community to continue getting the services they need in order to heal, and in many instances remain independent and in the community. Medicare recipients will continue to enjoy the benefits of therapy services whether physical, speech or occupational without fear that such services will end prematurely because they have met or exceeded a certain financial threshold.

Last year, the Senate passed the Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic (CHRONIC) Care Act. This bill made it possible to extend the Independence at Home Demonstration that allows the chronically ill to receive care while in the home without having to move to a long-term care facility. This legislation also expands telehealth beyond current geographical limitations as well as permanently authorizing Special Needs Plans for chronically ill individuals.

The Bipartisan Budget Act will increase Medicare payment for home health providers by 1.5 percent for 2020 and for skilled nursing facilities by 2.4 percent for FY2019.

Today's legislation, unfortunately, does not include provisions to protect beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program and young persons brought into our country without authorization, commonly known as ``Dreamers.'' Our district is home to one of the largest populations of Dreamers in the United States and Texas has the second largest number of DACA beneficiaries in the country. It is critical that Congress act immediately and pass legislation that will protect our young people from losing their work authorization and from possible deportation. I am a proud cosponsor of the DREAM Act, which would codify the protections provided under the DACA Program and deserving Dreamers a pathway to legalization and earned citizenship.

I ask that my colleague join me in support of the thousands of disaster victims across the United States and the millions of children and low income Americans who benefit from affordable health coverage and services provided through CHIP and FQHCs, and vote in support of this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote on the morning of Thursday, February 8, 2018, due to personal circumstances. If I had been able to vote, I would have voted as folows:

On passage of H.R. 1153, the Mortgage Choice Act, I would have voted ``nay.''

On the approval of the Journal, I would have voted ``nay.''

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker, we are five months in the 2018 fiscal year, yet here we are again getting ready to vote on another short-term government funding bill.

Has this become the norm in the new Republican-led government?

I'd like to point out that this will be the fourth continuing resolution since September.

Our country isn't winning when our military, government agencies, and important federal programs are operating under short-term spending bills.

The American people are tired of the partisanship that has kept Washington from doing its job. They expect results and it's our job to deliver.

It's our job to fund the military and domestic programs, deliver protections for DREAMers, keep our quality community health centers open, reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program, and for those whose districts were impacted by natural disasters, it's our job to pass disaster aid for the families and small businesses that were impacted.

There's broad bipartisan support for all the priorities that I mentioned.

It's my hope that the Republican majority will roll up their sleeves and get to work for the American people.