Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Arts of Great Falls on its 15th anniversary.

The Arts of Great Falls (AGF) Foundation is a non-profit organization, founded in 2008 to encourage, support, and promote the fine arts in Great Falls and the surrounding communities. Located in the heart of Great Falls in the Village Centre, their popular art school attracts students from across the greater Washington metropolitan area.

From June through August, AGF holds a summer camp for young, aspiring artists between the ages eight and eighteen. This camp allows students to explore a variety of mediums such as oil paints, papier-mache, and charcoal. During the school year, they offer adult fine art classes from beginners to professional artists. These classes give people the chance to adventure into jewelry making, try their hand at plein air painting, or express themselves through collage abstracts.

The Arts of Great Falls also provides gallery space for local artists to exhibit their work and offers affordable studio space to 12 artists at The Artists' Atelier and The Artists' Loft. The shared studio rentals allow local artists to create and exhibit their artwork for the community.

Throughout the year, AFG hosts multiple events, including the 1st Friday ArtWalk and the annual Paint Great Falls Plein Air Competition. These events offer unique ways to enjoy and appreciate art.

Another cornerstone event, the Studio Art Tour, offers attendees the opportunity to meet local artists in their home-based studios and share creative processes. The tour features many of the region's top creative talents and showcases a variety of workspaces. People can see demonstrations, exhibits, and hands-on activities in some studios located in historic, rustic, or other extraordinary properties and outbuildings. Demonstrations include wood carving, a lithographic press, pottery, mixed media, and photography.

Mr. Speaker, organizations like the Arts of Great Falls serve a fundamental role in our community. The arts have played, and must continue to play, a fundamental role in our daily lives. The value of support for the arts in communities across America cannot be understated, and I commend the Arts of Great Falls for what they do to preserve and promote artistic expression in Northern Virginia. I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Arts of Great Falls for fifteen years of extraordinary work.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Bob Rota, who recently retired after 40 years of public service, most recently here in the House as the enrolling clerk.

Bob began his service as a United States Capitol Police officer before joining the Clerk's Office in 1987. In his job as enrolling clerk, Bob oversaw a team of highly skilled professionals responsible for preparing House-passed legislation throughout the stages of the process and all the way to its presentation to the President for signature.

Bob produced high-quality work every single day. As enrolling clerk, it was his duty to make certain that bills such as the National Defense Authorization Act, normally over 4,000 pages long, had all amendments inserted in the correct places and the graphs and charts were accurate, which is no small task.

Bob's breadth of expertise extended to his encyclopedic knowledge of House procedures. He could always be counted on to respond to all questions in a timely and accurate way. Whether he was walking someone through the minutia of the legislative process or even how to fix a problem at their home or with their car, Bob was and is an integral part of the team that supports our legislative work.

Bob looks forward to retirement and spending time with his wife, children, and grandchildren. I wish Bob and his family many years of a happy, healthy, and well-earned retirement.

Congratulations, Bob.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my dear friend, the former chair and now the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, for his leadership and friendship. I also thank my dear friend from Missouri, Congresswoman Wagner, who has served America in many roles. I thank her for her leadership on today's legislation, a bipartisan piece of legislation that is very timely and important.

This legislation provides an update to the Taiwan Assurance Act, which I was proud to support in 2020 to underscore the importance of U.S. support for Taiwan.

The key piece of legislation Congress initiated back in 1979 is, as Chairman Meeks indicated, the Taiwan Relations Act. It was passed when I was a young staffer in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and it originated out of that committee.

It was designed by Congress to help create unique architecture in the bilateral relationship between the United States and Taiwan. It followed immediately after normalization of relations with the People's Republic of China, and it was designed by Congress to make sure that no military solution would be available in the question of the status of Taiwan.

The Taiwan Relations Act was designed to put forth parameters and a roadmap to govern our bilateral relationship. Central to that roadmap is Taiwan's ability to defend itself with support from the United States. That is a promise we made then, and it is a promise we must keep today.

As an increasingly aggressive China threatens its neighbors throughout the South China Sea, as if it were its own private pond, and as it encroaches on territorial waters and airspace and asserts ludicrous claims that the South China Sea is its Chinese pond, this is the time for the United States and this Congress to reassert our support, our unequivocal support, for the right of the Taiwanese people to decide for themselves how they will manage their affairs and their relationship with Beijing.

As president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly for the last 2 years, I was proud to partner with my colleagues in this body and on both sides of the aisle to put China on the NATO agenda for the first time in its 70-year history, believe it or not.

This is a crucial moment for the U.S.-Taiwan relationship. It requires a sober and comprehensive understanding of the challenge China can pose to the United States and its security and prosperity, as well as that of the people of Taiwan.

In this moment, our support for Taiwan, its people, and its democratic structure is paramount in the face of Chinese aggression. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Again, I thank my colleague from Missouri and the distinguished former chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee for their leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I condemn H. Res. 26 in the strongest terms, which seeks to nullify the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022, enacted by the council of the District of Columbia (DC). This bill is nothing more than a naked power grab on the part of House Republicans to enforce the will of Congress on the duly elected local representatives of the District of Columbia. I approach the subject of home rule as a former local government official having served on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for 14 years, including five as chairman and as a former chairman of the Council of Governments. I know what it takes to manage public safety. I cannot imagine how a local government can function efficiently or effectively, if each of its public safety decisions requires Congressional approval. I have consistently supported autonomy for the District and would argue Congress' actions have actually had a deleterious effect on the District and its residents. D.C.'s lack of autonomy affects the entire National Capital Region, especially the thousands of my constituents who are civil servants and work in the District. I hope the irony of this situation is not lost on those who support the conservative principles of limited government and states' rights. Let me remind my colleagues of what my fellow Virginian, James Madison, said in the Federalist Papers, Number 43, with respect to the intent of the Congressional authority. In referring to the residents of this federal District, Madison said ``they will have had their voice in the election of the government which is to exercise authority over them; as a municipal legislature for local purposes.'' There is no more basic exercise of municipal authority than protecting public safety.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill.

We often hear Republicans want to roll back the clock--roll back the clock on abortion rights to 1973 before Roe v. Wade, roll back the clock on teaching the history of American slavery to, I don't know when, 1860, 1619?

This bill actually rolls back the clock. It is right there in the text. The bill mandates ``each agency shall reinstate and apply the telework policies, practices, and levels of the agency as in effect on December 31, 2019.''

Which begs the question: What was the state of Federal telework in 2019? President Trump's administration had across-the-board limitations to telework at major Federal agencies that had made progress before, like the Department of Education and the Department of Agriculture.

The overall telework participation rate had recorded its first drop since the enactment of the Telework Enhancement Act authored by myself and Mr. Sarbanes of Maryland.

We had not yet experienced the onset of the global pandemic, which forced us overnight to move the Federal Government to a posture of substantially enhanced hybrid work. We deployed telework as the critical continuity of operations tool it should be. We procured the IT and IT security we needed. Supervisors figured out how to manage hybrid work.

At the height of the pandemic, 75 percent of the Federal workforce was, in fact, working remotely.

Not everybody is going to continue to telework full time, nor should they. Federal telework participation rates have already decreased substantially as more Federal employees move back in person.

The most recent telework survey showed that 47 percent of Federal employees teleworked in the last fiscal year, but the fact remains that increased availability of telework is here to stay in the private as well as the public sectors.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 80 percent of U.S. businesses expect increased telework levels to continue after the pandemic. That is in the business community.

That is the nature of the workforce of the future. We should be embracing the productivity and employee satisfaction gains realized through telework.

I offered an amendment to this bill that would have done just that, but unfortunately, we are considering this bill under a closed rule.

We should be using a measured approach to determine where hybrid or remote work might not be the best fit. I know I have done that in advocating for more in-person work at the IRS, processing paper tax returns; at the State Department, responding to passport applications; and at the National Archives, fulfilling veterans' document requests, all of which require in-person functioning. I have supported it, as have my colleagues.

I have also offered a telework legislation bill, the Telework Metrics and Cost Savings Act.

Mr. Speaker, this would help measure cost savings and focus on using telework effectively, but this bill is sort of a one size fits all, come back to work no matter what.

Let me say to my friend from Wisconsin that I had a constituent die from COVID because there were no protocols in his Federal workplace.

There ought not to be any more casualties to COVID. We ought to have systematic protocols in place. That is what I think has to precede this kind of legislation we are considering on the floor today.

I thank my friend from Kentucky for introducing this bill.

Mr. Speaker, the civil service is the lifeblood of our government and provides taxpayers, small businesses, and vulnerable populations vital resources and services throughout the country.

As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations for the past 4 years, I held a series of hearings focused on revitalizing and rejuvenating the federal workforce.

What we found is that proposals like Chance to Compete should exist in a constellation of improvements to federal workforce recruitment that includes better pay, reforming federal internships to improve the intern to employee pipeline, and remaining competitive with the private sector in areas such as hybrid work--all of which are the subjects of legislation produced by the Government Operations Subcommittee last Congress (FAIR Act, Next Gen Feds Act, and Telework and Metrics Cost Savings Act).

I am proud to be the lead-cosponsor of the Chance to Compete Act, which leverages skill assessments to build a more competitive, equitable, and inclusive workforce.

This bill has bipartisan support and through demonstration projects at agencies proven empirical success.

In short, this legislation allows an agency that has an open position to develop a skills-based assessment to evaluate candidates in a way that goes above and beyond the traditional review of past work and education experience.

Furthermore, this bill:

Enables agencies to share their assessment findings with other agencies, streamlining the overall hiring process and ensuring competitive candidates do not fall between the cracks if they have already proven their ability to perform.

And deploys talent teams at agencies to ensure the development and implementation of the goals of this bill.

I thank Representative Virginia Foxx, for her hard work and leadership on this bill as well as the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), Partnership for Public Service (PPS), the Senior Executives Association (SEA), Professional Managers Association (PMA), and others who have endorsed this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Settlement Agreement Information Database Act, which I'm co-leading with my colleague from Alabama, Mr. Palmer.

This bipartisan legislation was considered under suspension and agreed to in the House of Representatives by a voice vote in previous Congresses.

I am glad to note that the first couple of bills from the Oversight and Accountability Committee coming to the Floor in the 118th Congress are bipartisan measures.

That continues the tradition from the 117th Congress, when the first bill on the Floor from the Oversight Committee was the FedRAMP Authorization Act (117th), a bipartisan bill I wrote, co-led, and passed with now-Chairman James Comer.

Federal settlement agreements, negotiated behind closed doors, cannot continue to be shrouded in secrecy when they directly affect States, municipalities, and local stakeholders.

The SAID Act bring these binding agreements into the light by requiring federal agencies to publicly publish their documents or provide the public with written justification to keep the records confidential.

Details of the settlement agreements would remain public until 5 years after the termination of the agreements.

Increased transparency and better intergovernmental collaboration help form the foundation of good government, and this bill is one more tool to ensure government accountability.

I am a former local government official who served on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for 14 years, including 5 years as Chairman.

I currently chair the Congressional Caucus on Former Local Elected Officials, and I have authorized legislation, the Restore the Partnership Act, which would revive the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations.

I am committed to enhancing the intergovernmental partnership, which often entails requiring the federal government to be more transparent and proactive in its relationship with local governments.

When it comes to settlement agreements that have the potential of tying the hands of local governments on everything from stormwater management to public education the default should be transparency.

I welcome this bipartisan legislation, urge my colleagues to support it, and ask the Senate to act on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that this Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and China will be a sober and comprehensive engagement of the very important challenge China poses to American security and prosperity and that of our allies, and not a cynical descent into the worst impulses of Republican oversight efforts.

This select committee offers an opportunity for this body to assess and act on how the United States can compete with the CCP on advanced manufacturing, trade, and emerging technologies; lead the world in competition between democracy versus autocracy; and to bring to light the autocratic practices and human rights violations in Hong Kong, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and Tibet.

As president of NATO's legislative arm, I was proud to partner with my colleagues in this body on both sides of the aisle and on both sides of the Atlantic to put China on the NATO agenda for the very first time in its 70-year history.

I am hopeful this select committee can also follow the lead of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, which I co-chair and have co-chaired for 10 years, to use this committee as a venue to express bipartisan support for Taiwan's democracy, independence, and territorial sovereignty instead of driving wedges that can only advance the interests of those we seek to expose.

Using this committee to drive partisan wedges would be a missed opportunity, and I am hopeful we will not do that.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to tackle the geopolitical question of our generation and to make this a bipartisan inquiry and effort.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), the distinguished chairwoman of the committee and my friend, and I thank the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer), the distinguished ranking member and my friend for bringing this bill to the floor.

With respect to Mr. Comer's comments, I just say, ``Hear, hear.'' He has succinctly explained both the process and the importance of this bill.

This is the sixth time the House will have passed this bill in some form. The Senate has yet to ever consider it on the floor. As Mr. Comer indicated, the time has now come for the Senate to accept a bill that has been worked out with the Senate in terms of the language so that we can get this important piece of Federal IT into law.

This bill would create a statutory framework for the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, known as FedRAMP, originally established administratively back in 2011. This bill will codify FedRAMP and was the very first bill, as Mr. Comer indicated, to pass the House in the 117th Congress. It passed, I believe, unanimously.

If once again passed, this will be, as I said, I believe, the sixth time we have considered it here in the House of Representatives.

FedRAMP is a standardized approach that brings our government in line with our increasingly digital world to continually certify and assess the security of cloud computing technologies used across the Federal Government.

FedRAMP seeks to reduce the redundancies of Federal cloud migration by creating a ``certify once, reuse many times'' model for cloud products and services that provide cost-effective, risk-based approaches to cloud adoption. FedRAMP saw a 50 percent increase in agencies reusing authorized cloud products in 2020.

This bill codifies FedRAMP and addresses many of the concerns raised by government and industry stakeholders in terms of both the time and cost associated with certification. The text reduces duplication of security assessments and other obstacles to agency adoption of cloud products by establishing a presumption of adequacy for cloud technologies that have already received FedRAMP certification, so companies aren't reinventing the wheel and spending millions of dollars they don't need to.

I support a strong cybersecurity framework that ensures whatever tool we use to support the infrastructure of our Federal critical systems is safe and secure. Again, referenced by Mr. Comer. However, those who have already diligently passed scrupulous security assessments shouldn't have to start from scratch, and this bill addresses that.

For more than 5 years, I have worked with administrations, both Democratic and Republican, Members on the other side of the aisle, industry stakeholders, and my friends in the U.S. Senate to ensure the legislative text makes needed improvements to the FedRAMP program and gives the program flexibility to grow and adapt to myriad future changes.

Since the coronavirus pandemic, the demand for cloud services has risen by 85 percent. Accordingly, FedRAMP use skyrocketed and enabled the government to continue working securely during the government's large-scale movement to telework.

In the first 4 years of FedRAMP, the program had only authorized 20 cloud service offerings, but by 2021 it had authorized 240. Today, there are over 280 cloud service providers to the U.S. Government participating in FedRAMP, and about 30 percent of FedRAMP authorized CSPs are small businesses. Over 180 agencies participate in FedRAMP and have initiated more than 3,000 agency reuses of authorized products.

Today, the Agency Liaison Program, which provides FedRAMP authorization, education, and training currently has 155 liaisons with 82 different Federal Government departments participating.

Ultimately, this program strives to have at least one representative from each Federal agency tied to the security authorization who can communicate to key stakeholders about their agency's internal processes as well as FedRAMP requirements.

The bill supports a critical need to support multistakeholder communication and keep our Nation's information secure in cloud environments.

Enabling the efficient and secure procurement of cloud computing technology is an important part of Federal IT modernization. Codifying FedRAMP into law is very important because right now it exists as an orphan only by an executive action.

I thank the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer), the ranking member of the Oversight and Reform Committee, for being a steadfast partner, and I thank our chairwoman for her leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished chairwoman of our committee for yielding, and I thank Mr. Comer, the ranking member, and Mr. Hice, the ranking member of Government Operations Subcommittee, for their support and collaboration on an improved H.R. 8466, the Suthammanont Healthy Workforce Act of 2022.

On May 26, 2022, Chai Suthammanont, my constituent, a kitchen staff worker at a childcare facility at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia, died from coronavirus-related complications. Chai was a loving father and husband and a proud naturalized American. Chai was known for his kindness and his patience. He had a unique handshake he shared with many of the kids at the childcare facility where he worked. His death was a tragedy felt by so many.

Confusion and uncertainty emerged as two of the largest contributing factors to Chai's death. The Federal Government did not yet have any protocols in place--or guidance, for that matter--intended to protect him and others.

We are emerging from the pandemic, but new strains of infectious diseases and other potential health emergencies demand that the Federal Government prepare to adapt and continue operations and the mission across many challenges. Our government must embrace lessons learned from the pandemic; some of them learned through tragic losses such as Chai's.

Federal agencies must place the health and safety of Federal employees at the forefront of their plans and operations while continuing to provide vital services to the public, ensuring continuity of operations.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, our subcommittee has held three hearings focused on the future of Federal work, which include prioritizing the health and safety of our workforce.

Some simple truths emerged during these deliberations.

One, our Federal workforce is comprised of dedicated civil servants who didn't stop delivering mail, serving veterans, approving and distributing vaccines, and ensuring businesses received essential financial assistance.

Two, the Federal workforce needs agencies to invest in proper information technology, training, and protective equipment before another public health crisis occurs.

Three, agencies need clearly communicated, publicly available policies and guidance that let their employees and the public know how to ensure a safe and healthy continuity of operations.

Last year, this committee marked up a previous version of the bill that covered the COVID-19 pandemic. This new bill prepares the Federal workforce, as the distinguished ranking member indicated, for the potential nationwide public health emergencies of tomorrow.

The bill requires each Federal agency to establish a plan to describe public health protocols, including, but not limited to, testing, identification, notification of individuals who may have been exposed to the pathogen; cleaning; occupancy limits; use of personal protective equipment; protections for employees whose work requires them to travel offsite; and ensuring the continuity of operations for the agency.

The bill would also require each agency's Office of Inspector General to report on the extent each agency has, in fact, implemented the plan and the Government Accountability Office to report on the lessons learned from the pandemic.

This bill is endorsed by the American Federation of Government Employees, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, the

National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, the National Federation of Federal Employees, the National Treasury Employees Union, the Professional Managers Association, the Senior Executives Association, among many other organizations.

Federal employees are a great asset for our Nation. We must work to ensure their well-being and protection in difficult times such as these.

Mr. Speaker, I again thank the chairwoman, who is the original cosponsor of this legislation, as well as my colleagues, especially Mr. Comer and Mr. Hice, for making this a strong bipartisan effort.

Mr. Speaker, I particularly salute Chai's widow, Christina, for her continued efforts in honoring her late husband's memory.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, the chairwoman of the full committee, for yielding.

I have to say, when he cites that our Founders never envisioned a large government, that is true--there were 13 colonies that became 13 States.

I will remind my friend from Kentucky, neither did they ever envision the State of Kentucky. As a matter of fact, what is now Kentucky was claimed and owned by my home State, Virginia. So there are a lot of things that weren't envisioned back in the 1780s that we have to deal with in the 21st century. That is what we are doing here today.

Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to discuss and advocate for the Preventing Patronage System Act, H.R. 302.

Our Federal workforce--the crown jewel of our Federal Government, especially during a pandemic--is comprised of roughly 2 million Federal employees hired on the basis of their acumen, their skill, and their dedication. They work each day for the American people--serving in myriad capacities to improve the Nation and America's posture abroad.

These impartial civil servants deliver mail; provide medical care to veterans; help families in the wake of hurricanes and deadly fires; design websites that facilitate access to lifesaving payments like Social Security, unemployment insurance, and tax returns; and they build telescopes that make us rethink what is possible and what kind of universe there is to be explored.

This bill, H.R. 302, would ensure that Congress controls when and how to change the very nature of our invaluable civil service. It simply returns power to the legislative branch.

The Preventing Patronage System Act would protect merit-system principles in our civil service by limiting Federal employee reclassifications to the five excepted service schedules in use prior to fiscal year 2021. It doesn't preclude a President from requesting authorization from Congress to create a new one, but it requires it. It restores the balance.

Since the creation of the civil service in 1883, administrations have established an excepted service schedule only five times. These excepted service categories are created for positions that require unique hiring or operating rules, such as positions of a short-term political nature or positions in remote areas, or in instances in which there is a critical hiring need.

On October 21, 2020, then-President Trump signed Executive Order No. 13957 unilaterally attempting to create a new one, schedule F, in the excepted service. This executive order, according to a coalition of good government groups--I have got 34 of them endorsing this bill-- could expose Federal employees to politically partisan motivated hiring and firing.

As drafted by that former President, schedule F would require agency heads to reclassify policy-determining, policymaking, or policy- advocating positions to a newly created schedule F. This action removes the due process rights and civil service protections of employees moved into that schedule.

Despite President Biden's rescinding of the schedule F, Axios recently reported that former President Trump continues to develop a unilateral plan to seize the reins of Federal Government and reclassify up to 50,000 Federal civil servants, who are now part of the civil service, and they would lose their protection and their merit-based promotion.

Blind loyalty and ideological purity tests should never determine who we trust with securing our Nation's borders, fortifying Federal IT systems, caring for seniors and veterans, fighting public health threats, or responding to natural disasters.

As one former Federal human resource expert said: Do we really think a government of political hacks and sycophants is in the best interests of the American people? Do we think making government more partisan will make it more trusted by the people?

The non-partisan Partnership for Public Service stated: ``Endangering the skilled employees at the core of our

government . . . would harm the delivery of crucial services to the American people.''

Schedule F is a national security issue--and an issue that affects delivery of essential services and resources to every family and every business in this country.

H.R. 302 reinforces the legislative prerogative. It requires any attempt to create a new excepted service to have explicit congressional authorization.

It is bipartisan and it has 16 cosponsors, including three of my friends on the other side of the aisle.

Changing the nature and operations of the civil service is rare, important, and should require express congressional participation through legislation.

Mr. Speaker, President Trump's schedule F would send our Nation back to 1881 when President Garfield was shot by a man who believed the support of the President should have earned him a political partisan position in the Federal Government. Congress passed the Pendleton Act in 1883, 2 years later, to a move away from that patronage system, and it has been in place ever since.

As President Theodore Roosevelt said, ``The worst enemies of the Republic are the demagogue and corruptionist. The spoils-monger and spoils-seeker invariably breed the bribe-taker and the bribes-giver, the embezzler of public funds and the corrupter of voters.'' A good Republican President.

Acumen, not political fealty, must define our civil service.

Mr. Speaker, I have so many groups that have endorsed this bill and many, many Members that have, as well.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a list of organizations that endorse H.R. 302.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Oversight and Reform,

Washington, DC, September 14, 2022.

Ms. Cheryl L. Johnson,

Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Ms. Johnson: Below is a list of organizations that

have endorsed H.R. 302:

1. American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).

2. National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).

3. The Partnership for Public Service.

4. National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE).

5. International Federal of Professional and Technical

Engineers (IFPTE).

6. National Weather Service Employees Organization (NWSEO).

7. Patent Office Professional Association (POPA).

8. United Power Trades Organization (UPTO).

9. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

(CREW).

10. International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island

Institute.

11. Civil Leadership Education and Research Initiative.

12. Project Blueprint.

13. American Society for Public Administration (ASPA).

14. National Association of Retired and Federal Employees

(NARFE).

15. Professional Managers Association.

16. Public Citizen.

17. Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA).

18. International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF).

19. International Association of Machinists and Aerospace

Workers (IAMAW).

20. National Association of Government Employees (NAGE).

21. Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

22. Professional Aviation Safety Specialists.

23. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal

Employees.

24. American Foreign Service Association.

25. FAA Managers Association.

26. Laborers' International Union of North America.

27. National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

28. National Association of U.S. Attorneys.

29. National Association of Federal Veterinarians.

30. National Council of Social Security Management

Associations.

31. National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU).

32. National Weather Service Employees Organization.

33. Patent Office Professional Association.

34. Federal Managers Association (FMA).

Sincerely,

Gerald E. Connolly,

Chairman, Subcommittee on Government Operations, House

Committee on Oversight and Reform.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record two articles: an editorial in the Washington Post endorsing this bill and delineating the issue, and an article in Newsweek doing the same.

[From the Washington Post, Aug. 29, 2022]

Opinion: Congress Must Prevent Another Trumpian Attempt To Purge the

Government

(By the Editorial Board)

It might sound like an innocuous change to the structure of

the federal workforce: creating a category of employee, known

as ``Schedule F,'' for positions related to ``policy-

determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating.'' Yet, this

change threatens to politicize the underappreciated ranks of

those who keep the country's government running--the nation's

professional civil service.

President Donald Trump created the Schedule F designation

by executive order near the end of his term, just ahead of

the 2020 election. The order would have removed long-held

protections from tens of thousands of career bureaucrats,

making them easier to dismiss. That would give the president

vast powers to reshape the federal government at will--and

could politicize positions long treated as nonpartisan and

merit-based.

The Trump administration attempted unsuccessfully to rush

through the change before the end of its term, and, upon

taking office, President Biden immediately rescinded the

order. But, according to a troubling recent report from

Axios's Jonathan Swan, Mr. Trump and his associates plan to

quickly reinstate Schedule F if he is elected in 2024, using

it to fire career employees and replace them with loyalists.

Other potential GOP presidential hopefuls have also indicated

they would consider targeting the federal workforce.

The federal bureaucracy is a behemoth that includes

approximately 2 million employees in myriad roles, working to

keep the government operating. In 2020, the Trump

administration justified its Schedule F executive order by

suggesting that it would make it easier for supervisors to

remove poor performers. No doubt there are ways to reform

evaluation and dismissal processes so they are more nimble

and responsive.

But much of our government's expertise rests with civil

servants. A system that sees more people enter and leave

federal agencies with the political churn would be less

knowledgeable and efficient. It would also eliminate one of

the major appeals of federal jobs: the understanding that

there will be some measure of stability even when there are

changes in administrations. If potential employees feel like

they could be fired with little cause or recourse, fewer

capable people will seek out these positions. That would only

harm the wide range of government services on which Americans

rely.

Democrats have introduced legislation that would forestall

such a possibility. The Preventing a Patronage System Act,

sponsored by Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), would block

positions from being classified outside the existing system

unless Congress consents to it. Mr. Connolly subsequently

sponsored this as an amendment to the National Defense

Authorization Act, and it passed the House last month. Six

Democratic senators, led by Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.), have

introduced companion legislation that would do the same

thing. These measures would uphold protections for federal

workers and reduce opportunities for patronage-based hiring

in the future.

Populist politicians point to the ``deep state'' as the

root of America's ills. In fact, what they cast as a threat--

a professional, merit-based, experienced civil service--is

one of the country's greatest assets.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, the chairwoman of the committee, for yielding.

I must say, the innuendos, the negative characterization, the smears, if not slanders, launched against Federal employees in general on the floor today would come as news, unwelcome news, to the almost quarter of a million Federal employees in Kentucky, Georgia, and Texas. Almost 10 percent of the entire Federal workforce live in those three States.

The amendment just offered is a direct assault on our Federal workforce and would completely gut the bill in front of us. It grew from the Trump administration's efforts to turn our expert civil service into a collection of cronies. This amendment invites the crony clown car into the Federal Government.

My concern is not hypothetical. In September of 2019, then-President Trump circled areas of Alabama with a Sharpie that he claimed were dangerously in the path of a hurricane, Hurricane Dorian. That prognostication was contrary to what expert civil servants, not swamp creatures, at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found. Luckily, the civil servants in NOAA's Birmingham, Alabama, office tweeted out Mr. Trump's error.

While ``#Sharpiegate'' made a funny hashtag on Twitter, the aftermath could have been catastrophic and cost lives.

What if FEMA deployed in the wrong region? What if millions of taxpayer dollars had been wasted, sending Federal help where it was not needed? What if families in the storm's path were left stranded because our Federal workforce kowtowed to the permanent marker whims of the then-President.

I am not the only one sounding this alarm. Thirty-four professional associations, good government organizations, think tanks, and nonprofits, have endorsed this bill.

From the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, hardly a politicized group:

The impact of schedule F and any similar effort to inject

political patronage, cronyism, and corruption into the

Federal Government would not only be felt by Federal

employees; it would harm working people, our economy, the

public interest, and the legitimacy of our democracy.

From the National Association of United States Attorneys:

If a President can unilaterally reclassify employees and

strip them of their protections, there is no longer a

safeguard against political interference. This is not the

system of justice our Nation should support.

From the National Federation of Federal Employees:

Political operatives or ordinary criminals will be able to

threaten the careers of Federal workers with impunity,

jeopardizing the collective mission of the United States.

This includes employees in Federal law enforcement, national

security, and national defense, among others.

Hardly swamp creatures.

From the Nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service:

Endangering the skilled employees at the core of our

government would not only further erode the critically low

levels of trust

in government but would harm the delivery of crucial services

to the American people, especially in a pandemic.

Mr. Chair, I thank the distinguished chairwoman of our committee for yielding time.

I hardly think President Donald Trump drained the swamp. He filled it with alligators.

I rise today in support of H.R. 2988, the Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act. I am committed to protecting, supporting, and empowering our 2.1 million civil servants to use their acumen and expertise to do what is right for the country.

As chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, I am intimately familiar with how whistleblowers and the inspector general community protect our government's most valuable asset, the Federal workforce.

The Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act would bolster whistleblower protections, ensure due process and equitable relief, and expand protections for more Federal employees. The bill clarifies that no one may interfere with a Federal employee's right to provide information to Congress, including the President of the United States.

During the Trump Presidency, we saw repeated and consistent efforts to silence and retaliate against brave whistleblowers. In May, the Department of Defense IG found that Trump loyalists retaliated against Colonel Yevgeny Vindman, who bravely reported that President Trump had an unlawful phone call with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.

Even in the wake of a damning impeachment trial, and in full view of the public, Mr. Trump felt emboldened to attack Active Duty servicemembers who had the courage and common sense to expose that extortion.

Federal employees must feel safe and supported when rooting out waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption. We must celebrate expertise and adherence to principles of law, transparency, and deliberation that serve as the foundation of our democratic system. We must protect public servants and defend the Federal merit system against partisan interference.

I thank the chair of the Oversight Committee, Mrs. Maloney, for sponsoring this bill and for always lifting up the subcommittee's work on whistleblowers and inspectors general.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 8326, the Ensuring a Fair and Accurate Census Act.

When Democrats took majority in the House in 2018, I was asked what our top oversight projects were going to be. When I said, among them, the Census, it elicited surprise and even some laughs.

The Census is a huge dataset that underpins whether we fairly represent Americans and how we spend the entire Federal budget.

The Trump administration and its partisan Census Bureau undermined this critical task in March of 2018 when it planned to add a citizenship question

to the Census that would have violated the Constitution and reduced response rates, and they knew it.

I joined my colleague and friend, the late Chairman Elijah Cummings, in leading the fight against this question. I then partnered with Chairwoman Maloney to block the Trump administration from cutting off the Census deadline early and excluding undocumented immigrants from the Census count.

Our committee's dogged oversight work prevented these illegal and immoral attempts to subvert our very democracy as enshrined in the Constitution. However, we need permanent reforms to ensure that no matter the President or political environment, the Census remains apolitical. That is why we must support this act.

This bill requires the Secretary of Commerce to certify that any new questions on the decennial Census must meet best practices standards, and it caps the Census Bureau at three political appointees, eliminating a President's ability to flood the Bureau with his acolytes and loyalists.

Congress must bolster the Census Bureau now, so we are prepared for a fair and accurate 2030 Census.

Mr. Chair, I thank Chairwoman Maloney for her leadership and for sponsoring this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Colonel Peter J. Weina, Ph.D., MD, FACP, FIDSA upon his retirement from the Office of Research Protections at the Defense Health Agency. Colonel Weina has served for 45 years in various federal capacities, and his dedicated service will be sorely missed.

Colonel Weina joined the United States Army right out of high school and completed both a bachelor's and a master's degree in zoology at the University of Wisconsin Madison. As a second lieutenant, he completed a Ph.D. in pathology and parasitology, also at UW Madison. After 4 years at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), he entered medical school at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. Mr. Weina then completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Tripler Army Medical Center and a fellowship in infectious diseases at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Colonel Weina, a board-certified doctor in both internal medicine and infectious diseases, also holds a Certificate of Knowledge in clinical tropical medicine and travelers' health. From his time as Chief of Pharmacology at WRAIR and subsequently as Director of Viral Diseases, to his fellowships with the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, Colonel Weina has proven himself a competent leader and a measured presence in the medical field.

Over his illustrious career, Colonel Weina has published over 70 articles in peer-reviewed journals, five chapters in books, and two books of his own. He has worked to expand the availability and licensure of intravenous Artesunate, the first new anti-malarial drug since the advent of quinine over 300 years ago. In 2020, this life- saving treatment was licensed by the Food and Drug Administration.

Colonel Weina formerly headed the only College of American Pathologists-accredited leishmania diagnostics laboratory in the world. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Federal CDC Silo Buster's Collaborative Award of Excellence in 2008, the Colonel George W. Hunter Ill Certificate in 2011, and the Bronze Star for Service. Colonel Weina's accolades extend far beyond these, as many have recognized his courage, passion, and dedication to bettering his community. He has combined the opportunity to serve his country with the chance to advance our medical knowledge and capabilities, and our Nation is better off for his efforts.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Colonal Peter J. Weina for his 45 years of service to the United States. His contributions to our Nation are innumerable and his impact has been felt by countless Americans. He has been an inspiration and a mentor to the next generation of health professionals, and I wish him the best in his retirement and may happiness and success find him in all future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the work of Dr. Robert Eichorn who is retiring after two decades of work as an educator. While a Prince William County Principal, Dr. Eichorn's dedicated service has led Independence Nontraditional School to be named the first ever model school by the National Alternative Education Association. His work to meet the needs of an often underserved community has made education and achievement more accessible to Virginia's youth.

Dr. Eichorn has pushed to reimagine education for students, instructors, and the broader Prince William community. He is a fierce advocate for the socioeconomically disadvantaged children of Virginia and has implemented a learner-centric curriculum to meet the needs of the individual. Dr. Eichorn has been an advocate and practitioner for over thirty years, and his efforts have been crucial in the fight for educational equity.

For years, Dr. Eichorn has served as the principal at Independence Nontraditional School, which serves students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The school provides a full curriculum, including music, foreign language, Advanced Placement, and engineering courses. The school also offers internships within their career and technical education trades programs. The primary focus at Independence is to meet the individual needs of every student with tailored instruction. For those who may need a little extra assistance or a second chance, Independence Nontraditional School offers the resources that disadvantaged young people need to achieve their fullest potential.

Dr. Eichorn has been the recipient of multiple awards for his tireless efforts. He was named Prince William County Schools' 2017-18 Principal of the Year. In 2020, the National Association of Secondary School Principals named him a Digital Principal of the Year for his leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic. He shepherded navigated his school as they implemented new technologies to expand access to students and to maintain a semblance of normalcy throughout unprecedented hardship.

As the first model school highlighted by the National Alternative Education Association, Independence has illuminated the successes made possible when our educators strive to develop integrity, ingenuity, and intellect in every student. With the right resources, we must hope to recruit more educators who exemplify the dedication and talent that Dr. Eichorn has demonstrated.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Dr. Robert Eichorn for his unwavering dedication to the young people of Prince William County. He has made every effort to ensure that all children have access to the resources they need for a rich and promising education. His students and colleagues alike have expressed their sincere appreciation for his tremendous service. Dr. Eichorn has truly lived up to the Prince William County Public Schools motto, ``Providing a World-Class Education.'' I wish him the best in his retirement and thank him for the service he provided our community.