Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, we have heard from great speakers talking about the problem with chronic disease in the United States.

One of the issues that face people who have hypertension, kidney disease, and diabetes is that they can't get the medicines or the devices that they need to be able to regulate their condition.

This bill, H.R. 919, helps to solve that problem by giving individuals access to those lifesaving devices prior to them fulfilling their deductible. This is critical, as we fight chronic disease in the United States. As we have heard, over 90 percent of the expenditures in this country are due to chronic disease.

I know that in my district in eastern North Carolina, the rate of diabetes, obesity, congestive heart failure, and high blood pressure are things that are really, truly killing our population. Being able to access devices so that we can monitor these things is crucial. We have to have availability for these devices for people before they have to pay their full deductible.

I applaud Representative Buchanan, Representative Panetta, and Chairman Smith for bringing this forward. This is common sense. President Trump tried to do this in his first term. I am very grateful that they are trying to do this again. We want to make America healthy again. That starts with being able to give patients the tools that they need to be healthy. I urge support for H.R. 919 to my colleagues.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in Havelock, North Carolina, for being named the Marine Corps Air Station of the Year.

This is the second year in the row they have received such an award, displaying their persistent and continuous excellence.

Established in 1942, Cherry Point has grown to be the largest Marine Corps air station in the United States, occupying more than 29,000 acres of land in eastern North Carolina and controlling 9,000 square miles of airspace.

It is home to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and Fleet Readiness Center East. Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point is one of the best all- weather jet bases in the world.

This prestigious award is a testament to the performance and dedication of our marines. I am grateful to our brave servicemembers and their families, who sacrifice so much to protect us and our great Nation.

It is my honor to represent Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and its proud community.

Practice, persistence, and preparation is what safeguards our Nation's freedom.

I congratulate the marines for this well-deserved recognition. May God bless all of those serving at Cherry Point and all our servicemembers across the globe.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Goldman) as cosponsor of H.R. 879.

Mr. Speaker, I have sat here and listened to some of the arguments from the other side, and I feel like we are back in bizarro world again.

The election last time told us that people don't want crime, fentanyl, and the things that come with it. We are merely trying to get this off the streets.

Let me give a good example of what this means in the HALT Fentanyl Act. Let's say I am from the Pepsi company, and let's say people don't like Coke. Well, we have to get rid of Coke. We not only have to get rid of Coke, but that means we also have to get rid of vanilla Coke, lemon Coke, and all the other Cokes. In this case, we get rid of the derivatives, the basic element of fentanyl.

That is all that we are doing. We are not trying to protect our criminals. We are not going to hurt our physicians. We are not going to hurt any particular segment of society. We are trying to bring back what Americans wanted during the election, and that was law and order-- very simple.

I have known nine young men who have died from fentanyl overdoses. There is not a single person in this Chamber who doesn't know somebody who has died from this. This is the scourge of folks under age 50. It is the number one cause of death. Anything we can do to move that barrier is critical.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to stop the partisan nonsense and shenanigans and let everybody get back on board to understanding that this is a scourge upon our Nation. We just want it scheduled correctly, as in schedule I. It will save lives, no matter what you look like or where you live.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support the HALT Fentanyl Act and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Madam Speaker, I am a healthcare provider, and I have been one for 30 years.

I rise today in support of the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act to protect the lives of our country's most innocent. This is not about abortion.

As a physician, it is beyond my comprehension that anyone would not intervene to save an innocent and defenseless human life. I cannot in my deepest soul understand how anyone would not come to the aid of a helpless infant child. Neglect, in this instance, when the baby is outside the mother's body, is murder, plain and simple.

There have been so many instances of individuals who are alive today who were saved after an attempted abortion. They testify how their life was saved because some physician abided by their oath to do no harm, primum non nocere.

The child is born alive. It is not part of the mother's body. This is not about abortion. Neglect is harm. Neglect is immoral. Abortion is not the issue.

I strongly support this bill, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. I urge my colleagues across the aisle to understand the delineation between an abortion and trying to save the life of someone who survives an abortion.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 to fund our military and take care of our troops.

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to represent our Nation's greatest warfighters at Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and New River.

This legislation robustly funds and modernizes our Armed Forces to prepare us for threats abroad, improves the quality of life for our servicemembers and their families, and refocuses the Pentagon's mission on national security and away from political distractions.

The package will strengthen our military and its lethality, deliver pay raises for our troops, reduce healthcare wait times, improve access to childcare, and support employment for military spouses.

Further, it will eliminate woke programs, gut political bureaucracy, and support the deployment of National Guard troops to assist our Border Patrol.

North Carolina's Third District will greatly benefit from the $208 million in funding secured for military construction projects on our bases and $50 million in impact aid that will help our military community.

Mr. Speaker, I support this year's National Defense Authorization Act and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a distinguished fellow physician and beloved friend, Dr. Robert Lee West, of Greenville, NC. Dr. West grew up working on his family's farm and received his medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1959. He certainly left his mark on the Tarheel medical community, serving a year as the Chief Resident.

After receiving his certification from the American Board of Pathology in 1964, Dr. West committed to serving our Nation by enlisting in the U.S. Army. He was assigned to Walter Reed Memorial Hospital, and we as a nation are forever indebted to Dr. West for his contributions to the health of our soldiers, as he helped establish the hospital's first Clinical Research Unit.

Following his military service, Dr. West relocated to Greenville with his business partner, Dr. Charles Gilbert, where he practiced for 47 years. Together, they helped establish the Department of Pathology at Pitt County Memorial Hospital, providing pathological services throughout Eastern North Carolina. Dr. West brought his decades of clinical experience to educate aspiring physicians by joining the faculty at the ECU Brody School of Medicine in 1983. While he was a professor, Dr. West was recognized by Cambridge's Who's Who for his leadership in higher education.

Upon his retirement in 2013, he was granted the title of Professor Emeritus and received the Clinical Faculty Development Award for the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. West made remarkable and enduring contributions to the field of pathology at every stage of his career.

Words do little justice when trying to fully capture the profound impact he had on our Nation, his community, and the medical field. Dr. West went to be with the Lord on September 28, 2024, leaving a void felt deeply by all who knew him. I hope that we can all learn from his legacy and strive to meaningfully contribute wherever we are, whenever we can, and to whomever we can, just as he did. I am honored and humbled to extend this chamber's recognition to this incredible, faithful servant leader. May Dr. West forever rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Brigadier General Kevin Stewart, the first President and CEO of the Carolina Museum of the Marine. BGen Stewart, an Iraq and Afghanistan War veteran, has served our Nation and his community with great honor and integrity. He retired from the Marine Corps in 2021 as the Director of the Global Operations Center at U.S. Transportation Command. He also served as the Commanding General of the 2nd Marine Logistics Group at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, as well as Chief of Staff for the Deputy Commandant for Installations and Logistics, at the United States Marine Corps headquarters.

In his two years as CEO, BGen Stewart has demonstrated remarkable fundraising and marketing prowess. He secured $4 million from the state government, over $1.9 million in private sector donations, and additional funds from the city and county governments. He also launched the first regional TV and live-streaming ad campaign for the Carolina Museum of the Marine. BGen Stewart implemented the organization's first brand guidelines and upgraded the website.

Under his leadership, the Carolina Museum of the Marine is coming to life. BGen Stewart is to be commended for assembling a team of outstanding design and construction firms and finalizing the necessary approvals for the museum. The official groundbreaking earlier this year celebrated the start of museum construction, and you can now see the walls going up as you drive by the Lejeune Memorial Gardens. To support this physical progress, he also strengthened the museum's organization, building a top-notch staff, improving fiscal management, and planning for its operations.

This transformational project is becoming so much more than just a museum and far surpassing traditional expectations. BGen Stewart led development of the Carolina Museum of the Marine's Al Gray Marine Leadership Forum that teaches the core values of the Marine Corps, strategic thinking, and leadership traits. He oversaw construction of the studio for the Leadership Forum and helped to shape the compelling programming created there.

Words do little justice when trying to fully capture the contributions BGen Stewart has made to our great Nation and to the development of this museum from the ground up. His talent and leadership skills are truly second to none. It has been an honor to witness his efforts to memorialize the history of our beloved Sailors and Marines in the Carolinas. I wish BGen Stewart swift recovery and look forward to seeing all that he accomplishes in the future.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 3724, the End Woke Higher Education Act.

As a former member of a board of trustees in a college, I am deeply concerned about the erosion of free speech on college campuses and political activism by administrators and college presidents as well as professors.

Institutions of higher education are chartered to foster academic excellence and prepare students for meaningful careers. Instead, they have become incubators of political activism and extreme progressive ideology.

One only has to look at recent FIRE reports and recent FIRE ratings to see the meteoric rise in self-censorship, which is happening on college campuses.

In one school, which I love dearly, 41 percent of students feel it is okay to shout down somebody who is coming to speak just because they disagree with them.

In some cases, even the most prestigious universities in our Nation have descended into hotbeds of anti-American and anti-Semitic hatred. We saw an American flag burned at Columbia University.

Thankfully, we have now seen several university presidents resign because of the ideological push that they are having on their campuses.

I believe that this is a symptom of extreme ideological influence that universities have allowed, permitted, and promoted to permeate its classrooms. They teach what to think, not how to think.

Sadly, this indoctrination is now going into the Nation's medical schools where we see this in the admissions process, fealty oaths, curriculum, promotion of faculty, and teaching what to think, not how to think.

I am proud that my bills, H. Res. 282, as well as the Campus Free Speech Restoration Act, were included in this legislation.

Academic freedom is central to vigorous debate and the exploration of ideas. Academic freedom means listening to more than one side. We must celebrate differences in thought, not censorship with those we disagree with.

Let's restore sanity on our college campuses across the country by seizing this opportunity to protect academic freedom.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3724, the End Woke Higher Education Act.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 412.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Pitt County Girls Softball League 12u All-Stars for its historic win in the 2024 Little League Softball World Series Championship in its own home of Pitt County. It was an extraordinary achievement, especially since they won the World Series in their hometown representing their hometown. Twelve young female athletes represented Pitt County in the championship: Caroline Reynolds, Candace Lynn, Braelyn Johnson, Kenzie Carson, Emery Peebles, Anna Rose, Isabella Ford, Brooklyn Medhus, Emma Pilgreen, Aurora Edwards, Brooke Rose, and Mikalya Bateman led by three coaches: Percy Edwards, Brandon Peebles, and Brad Medhus.

Pitt County entered the tournament as underdogs but defied expectations by winning five consecutive games in the weeklong series. Coaches Edwards, Peebles and Medhus team's defense was so strong they never even allowed their opponents to score a single run. Even though Hurricane Debby's storms tried to damper and delay the series by two days, she didn't keep our Pitt County Girls 12u All-Stars down for long. These young female athletes and their coaches inspired a community that loves its softball and baseball. The girls and coaches put in so much effort practicing nearly year-round. These team members embody the best qualities of Pitt County: perseverance, dedication, and teamwork. With their mantra ``Never give up'', the 12u Allstars fought through a field of seven U.S. teams

and four international teams to take the title. I am humbled and honored to extend this chamber's recognition to the Pitt County All- Stars for completing its ``unfinished business.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and honor a distinguished member of my community, Lillian McClain, who is turning 100 years old next month. Born on September 5, 1924, in Charlotte, North Carolina, Mrs. McClain spent much of her childhood in Clifton Forge, Virginia. Following her graduation from Clifton Forge High School, she attended Longwood College (now Longwood University) in Farmville, Virginia, for one year. She left Longwood to contribute to the World War II effort, taking a position with the Army at Fort Bellwood and volunteering at USO clubs in Richmond, Virginia. During her time at Fort Bellwood, she met and later married John R. McClain, Sr., on April 11, 1945.

After the war, Mrs. McClain and John resided briefly in Washington, D.C., where their first son, John, was born. They soon moved to Lynchburg, Virginia, where their other sons, David and Mark, were welcomed into the family.

Throughout her career, Mrs. McClain primarily worked as a bank teller. Her unwavering dedication to her community extended far beyond her career. She has been an active member of the Methodist Church throughout her life and has engaged in numerous activities, including volunteering at her sons' events, participating in community theater, and singing with the Sweet Adelines.

Mrs. McClain has been a witness to significant historical events and has gained great knowledge to share with future generations.

Currently, Mrs. McClain resides in New Bern, North Carolina, with her son John and his wife, Dixie. It is with great respect and admiration that I lead my colleagues in recognizing Mrs. McClain for her extraordinary contributions and the remarkable life she has led in service to our Great Nation. I wish Mrs. McClain a very Happy Birthday.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a true pillar of my community, Grand Master Byung Lee of King Tiger Taekwondo in Greenville, North Carolina. Grand Master Lee recently received his ninth-degree black belt, the highest achievement in his field of martial arts. Only 1,000 worldwide and 100 individuals in the U.S. have received this rank, which qualifies him as an exceptional, unparalleled expert in his craft. I remember fondly when my sons and I studied Tae Kwon Do under him. I was always impressed by his dedication, talent, and professionalism.

The word Taekwondo can be translated as tae (``strike with foot''), kwon (``strike with hand''), and do (``the art or way''). In addition to its five tenets of courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit--all of which Grand Master Lee exhibits. The sport requires three physical skills: poomsae, kyorugi, and gyeokpa.

Grand Master Lee came to the United States from Jeonlabukdo Province, Korea in 1988 to educate about the wonderful teachings of taekwondo. In his decades of service, he has had a lasting impact on the Greenville community and his faith community. He has instilled the great virtues of mental fortitude and discipline in many lives. I am honored to extend this chamber's recognition of this esteemed individual to celebrate not only his remarkable achievements in martial arts, but his enduring legacy of inspiration and empowerment for all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an incredible warfighter and patriot, Chief Warrant Officer Lee R. Bowden of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, who recently was recognized as the 2023 Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician of the Year. Officer Bowden has been a faithful servant to the Marine Corps and this Nation for nearly 20 years since enlisting as a recruit in 2004 at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island, South Carolina.

Officer Bowden has had a distinguished military career that is second to none. He achieved the distinction of being the honor graduate in many of his military education courses, including Maintenance Management, EOD Basic School, EOD Supervisor Course, EOD Officer Course, and Warrant Officer Basic Course. In 2011, Officer Bowden was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and helped protect our warfighters from improvised explosive devices, unexploded explosive ordnance, and other war relics. He was also deployed to Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania to provide EOD force protection to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, and partner nations during warfighting exercises.

After a few deployments, Officer Bowden used his talents and expertise to teach young soldiers about the importance of EOD. In June 2015, Officer Bowden reported to the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in 29 Palms, California, and served as the primary instructor for the EOD Supervisors Course. He was recognized as the 2016 Air Control Training Squadron Basic Instructor of the Year. Officer Bowden, in his last deployment in 2021 to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, helped protect American citizens and innocent Afghan civilians from the harmful remnants of war.

Officer Bowden has received many awards for his excellent service, including the Meritorious Service Medal, Master EOD Breast Insignia, Combat Action Ribbon, and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal. I have no doubt that his dedication to the EOD field has saved countless lives here and around the world. In an increasingly bellicose and belligerent world, we desperately need leaders like Officer Bowden, who are experts in their fields. I am confident that the next generation of EOD technicians and warfighters will be well prepared with Officer Bowden at the helm. I am honored to have the opportunity to extend this chamber's recognition of this admirable defender of our great Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a faithful public servant, Mayor John (Sammy) Phillips of Jacksonville, North Carolina. Recently, celebrating his 50th anniversary of service to the city, Mayor Phillips dedicated most of his adult life to helping the people of Jacksonville. Everyone who knows him can attest to his strong work ethic and selfless devotion to his community.

In 1974, Mayor Phillips started his career as an officer with the Jacksonville Police Department and, after serving for over thirty years, retired as Deputy Chief of Police. Thanks to his leadership and dedication, the Jacksonville Police Department became a nationally accredited law enforcement agency in 1991. While Mayor Phillips served in the Police Department, he also worked to complete academic studies. He graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Academy, a premier law enforcement training program in Quantico, Virginia. Taking night classes, he earned a Bachelor's degree in criminal justice from North Carolina Wesleyan College. Mayor Phillips also completed a Master's in Public Administration from East Carolina University. Mayor Phillips's sacrifices during his law enforcement career to further his profession and knowledge base are quite laudable.

In 2004, when Mayor Phillips retired from the Police Department, he couldn't resist his love for his community and commitment to public service. After a few months of working around his house and playing golf, he filed for a seat on the City Council in 2004. After a stint on the City Council, he decided to run for Mayor and was elected in November 2007. Now going on 17 years, Mayor Phillips is the longest- serving Mayor of Jacksonville since W. Bruce Teachey. During his tenure as Mayor, Mr. Phillips has been known for his attentiveness to the concerns of his Jacksonville constituents. In 2017, when renewed racial tensions arose, Mayor Phillips was determined to bring all residents of Jacksonville together. He helped to launch the ``One City, Our City, My City'' campaign to promote healing in his community. In 2014, Mayor Phillips received the Long Leaf Pine Award, an honor given to North Carolinians with an exemplary record of public service. Mayor Phillips has spearheaded much development in the city, including revitalizing the Jacksonville City Hall, building multiple fire stations, and constructing the Jacksonville Marina. A lifelong resident of Jacksonville, Mayor Phillips has demonstrated his love for the city and its inhabitants. I feel honored to extend this chamber's recognition of this faithful public servant, and I look forward to the future success of Jacksonville with Mayor Phillips at the helm.