Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the very significant resolution of the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), one of our leaders in the Congress, calling on elected officials to identify and educate others on the contributions of the Jewish community as we condemn the rise of anti-Semitism.

History's oldest hatred is on the rise. Synagogues, children, and neighborhoods are being targeted.

This is tragically and palpably present in Oakland County, Michigan.

At the end of last year, when I gathered at the menorah lighting in Detroit, lovingly known as Menorah in the D, we gathered to call for our love of neighbors, to call for our love of the Jewish community, and to call on the Jewish community to say: Be proud of who you are.

That is exactly what this resolution accomplishes: celebrating Jewish heritage just as we call out the evils of anti-Semitism.

Madam Speaker, around the world, our adversaries are watching a manufactured crisis play out.

This is the chaos dictators like Xi and Putin have been hoping for: The leader of the free world on the brink of default is facing the very real possibility that we won't even be able to pay our own troops.

My question for the majority party is simple: Haven't the American people been through enough--over 1 million Americans are dead from a pandemic that hit us 3 years ago, rising costs due to supply chain disruptions, stresses on our education system, George Floyd murdered 3 years ago today, and January 6 that saw our Capitol under siege.

Americans do not need more pain, especially manufactured pain.

The GOP needs to come back to town, deliver for the American people, and end this debt crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I rise because earlier today in Royal Oak, Michigan, our Governor, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, alongside our Attorney General, Dana Nessel, Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist, our State house judiciary chair Kelly Breen, and a former Member of Congress, Gabby Giffords, stood today as the Governor signed into law a suite of bills that would allow families, healthcare providers, law enforcement, and other stakeholders to petition courts to remove guns from those judged to be an imminent threat to themselves or others.

Michigan now joins more than a dozen other States to implement red flag laws, sometimes known as extreme risk protection orders.

Our State has been rocked by each gun death earlier this year: a mass shooting at Michigan State, as well as at the end of 2021, a mass shooting at Oxford High School.

Moms Demand Action, and so many others in our community, for gun safety, the number one killer of children in the United States of America. I am so pleased to see Michigan take this step.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 676, the Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2023, alongside my colleague from the State of Ohio.

In bipartisan fashion, we gather here today in Congress encouraging our colleagues to support this incredibly important piece of legislation introduced by my colleague from Maine (Ms. Pingree) and my colleague from Florida (Mr. Waltz), two Members who certainly understand the importance of ocean acidification and my colleague from Ohio (Mr. Miller) is spot on.

As Members from the Great Lakes region, we do applaud NOAA's efforts to understand the Great Lakes and to observe their inner workings. At long last, we are finally now requiring the collaboration of our Tribal communities into the Ocean Acidification Board of NOAA. Tribes with their incredible expertise and their knowledge of the inner workings of our oceans will be important contributors to this board, the history of this board, and the way in which we move forward to advance the science of ocean acidification and mitigating the negative impacts of acidification on the livelihoods, traditions, and well-being of coastal communities.

Acidification has resulted from the oceans absorbing about 30 percent of the world's atmospheric carbon emissions. This change in water chemistry has certainly had detrimental impacts on the health of aquatic organisms by inhibiting their ability to grow and develop. The impacts can be felt across all levels of the ocean ecosystem, and it seriously impacts coastal economic activities, such as fisheries, aquaculture, and ecotourism.

Indeed, ocean acidification--and we know this most prominently through discussion about our reefs--has already had considerable impact on the socioeconomic parts of our oceans. It is also true that the impacts are felt well beyond coastal communities and supporting their fight against ocean and coastal acidification should be a national endeavor, which is, again, why we are bringing today's legislation before you.

H.R. 676 would improve the ability of coastal communities to respond to the challenges of acidification by including two representatives from Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Tribal consortia from affected communities, thereby integrating traditional ecological knowledge into science and addressing societal inequities-- inclusion at its best.

Additionally, the bill supports the continued dissemination of research, data, and modern efforts among Federal agencies, non-Federal resource managers, and affected stakeholders by maintaining the Ocean Acidification Information Exchange--knowledge.

Madam Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support this important bipartisan legislation that rises to the challenge of ocean and coastal acidification, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Maine (Ms. Pingree).

Madam Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman from Maine an additional 30 seconds.

Madam Speaker, in closing, we are also delighted to have new members of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee join us in passing bipartisan legislation. We are so grateful for the expertise from our colleague from Maine and the phenomenal leadership of our ranking member, Ms. Lofgren, and certainly our chair, Mr. Lucas.

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

Madam Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Lofgren and my phenomenal colleague, Ms. Deborah Ross, for their leadership in putting forth this piece of legislation in a bipartisan way alongside the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Miller). Ms. Ross hails from Research Triangle Park, and there is no one better in this institution to understand and put forth the systems of our supercomputer technology, matching the Department of Energy alongside NOAA to get in front of these storms that are hitting us more ferociously and faster than ever before.

Every single Member of this body can talk about their experience with a storm in their State or in their district. This is very real, and we know that supercomputer technology puts forth the best and the fastest applications. The DOE technology along with NOAA and their capabilities to match these datasets will help us get in front of these storms.

Madam Speaker, I thank Ms. Ross, a second-term member on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, the ranking member, and the chair for their work on this bill. I urge all Members to join us in passing this bipartisan legislation, getting in front of storms, getting in front of climate change, and making people's lives better.

Madam Speaker, for everyone watching back at home, H.R.

1734 is bipartisan lawmaking at its best.

A new Member of Congress, Mr. Collins of Georgia, the chair of the Subcommittee on Research and Technology of the House Science Committee, a subcommittee I was privileged to serve as the chair of for two terms, and the brilliant Ms. Caraveo, another new Member of Congress from Colorado, came together to tackle an opioid epidemic plaguing the American people, plaguing youth, to get in front of tranq.

This is why the Science Committee, for everyone watching back at home, is so very important. We are utilizing NIST, the standards agency of the United States of America, to make sure that we can track and tackle these insidious drugs that are in our streets, that are in our neighborhoods, and that are in our homes.

Madam Speaker, I thank Ms. Caraveo, Mr. Collins, and the leadership of this committee.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of 44th District Court Judge Jamie Wittenberg, who passed away last winter after a courageous 3-year battle with brain cancer. Elected in 2008, Jamie was one of the youngest judges ever to be elected in Oakland County, Michigan.

A Huntington Woods native and longtime Berkley resident, he attended Indiana University before graduating

from Wayne State Law school where he was a two-time recipient of the Leonard Gilman Scholarship. He served the State of Michigan honorably as a prosecutor in both Wayne and Macomb Counties prior to his election.

During his many years on the bench, Judge Wittenberg doubled the size of the sobriety court and helped to establish a teen court, a diversion program to help keep juveniles out of the judicial system and build brighter futures.

His family's world was upended over 3 years ago when he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. No matter how daunting a diagnosis, Judge Wittenberg never complained. He never complained. He faced his cancer head-on by undergoing numerous surgeries, radiation, and chemotherapy. He remained in a state of ketosis. He far exceeded his original prognosis, handling a full court docket the entire time.

Judge Wittenberg was a respected and admired jurist who was a fixture of our southeast Oakland County community in Michigan. He was a mentor to countless attorneys and respected by everyone who appeared before him in court, no matter what side of the issue they were on. He will be remembered as being deeply fair and compassionate.

He is missed in our community, and this month he would have celebrated his 49th birthday. In addition to his beloved wife, Staci, Judge Wittenberg is survived by his four incredible daughters, Arielle, Talia, Brooke, and Maya, the lights of his life. He is survived by his parents, Mollie and Howard; his sister, Jodie; and, of course, his incredible brother, Robert Wittenberg who was sworn in by Judge Wittenberg as the Oakland County treasurer in just 2021.

We know his memory will be a blessing. May his memory be a blessing, and may we join together in this Chamber to continue to push for a cure, to continue to push for investments in tackling the scourge that is glioblastoma.

Reflecting on State of U.S. Industrial Base

Mr. Speaker, I would like to shift focus. I rise in this Congress reflecting on the state of the U.S. industrial base, reflecting as a Member of Congress from Michigan, as a Member of Congress who represents Oakland County, as a Member of Congress who lives in Oakland County, as a Member of Congress who represents Automation Alley, as someone who represents the largest concentration of automotive suppliers and, certainly, some of our automotive manufacturers, our original equipment manufacturers, as we like to call them.

Nearly every week since I got elected to Congress, I participate in a program. I call it ``Manufacturing Monday,'' and I visit our small businesses, our small manufacturers, our mom-and-pop shops, often passed down from parent to child; manufacturers who have been through a whole lot; manufacturers who guided the passage of the USMCA, which was done before COVID ever entered our lexicon, to give the North American Continent a fair shot at competing, a framework to compete, a framework to sell our goods internationally.

Export channels are phenomenal. They lead to revenues. They lead to productivity. People want to buy American products throughout the world. They recognize our flag. They recognize our craftsmanship.

Then, in no short order, after we passed USMCA, renegotiating NAFTA, giving our manufacturers and our workers a leg up, of course, we were disrupted. We were disrupted by a global pandemic.

In this very Chamber, as Members of Congress representing every ZIP Code throughout this Nation gathered to vote, gathered to respond to the charge of the time, people were tapping me on the shoulder. How are you doing this in Michigan so well? How are you responding to these supply chain disruptions? How do Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, otherwise sometimes known as Chrysler, know how to immediately act to these supply chain disruptions, sourcing masks, producing ventilators, finding out who has the specs and who doesn't?

We kept working. We kept making. We stood up and responded to the industrial call to action of this very Nation, similar to how we did in the World War II era. It is in our very blood.

By the way, Michiganders, we are a northern State. Spring hits later than here in the mid-Atlantic, where the Nation's Capital resides. We are full of grit. We are full of toughness. We have seen some tough times, but we know how to rise through challenges and how to stick to the knitting and stick to the good work, even when the times aren't easy.

Mr. Speaker, we find ourselves in a very unique and interesting moment, yet again on the springboard of the remarkable passage of the CHIPS and Science Act that I was so proud to play a leading role in passing as the vice chair last term of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee and the subcommittee chair for the Research and Technology Subcommittee.

$52 billion for chips manufacturing is not a platitude. It is a real investment in industrial policy in this Nation.

Why do we need to invest in chip manufacturing? We innovated the microchip. We innovated the company called Intel. The late Gordon Moore, who we recently said good-bye to within the last 6 weeks, I believe, innovated that microchip alongside his fellow academics out in the Western part of this Nation. At one point, we were making 40 percent of the chips, and then something happened. We got laissez- faire. We forgot about what it means to have an industrial base in this country, taking it for granted.

Of course, Mr. Speaker, I served very proudly in the administration of President Barack Obama when we were responding to the inherited crisis of the Great Recession, working on what was known as the auto rescue, the largest managed industrial bankruptcy in the history of this Nation of General Motors and then Chrysler, at the time selling 8, 9 million cars globally a year. It is known as SAR, the indicator. It was unfathomable where we would be 12 years later, a dozen years later, at 16, 17 million SAR.

We were talking about semiconductors. We were focusing on semiconductors. We were focusing on the minerals, not just the trade relationships, but the need to double down on manufacturing policy in the United States of America.

Some of you might know that President Obama created the White House Office of Manufacturing Policy. He created what was then called the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation, now known as Manufacturing USA, about a dozen institutes in various research concentrations that exist throughout this Nation.

One we boast about in Michigan is known as LIFT. We are very proud of our friends at LIFT. It used to be focused very specifically on lightweight materials. Now, they are in a variety of spaces and joined with The Composites Institute doing R&D, doing workforce training, smaller scale.

We must look bigger. I am on the select committee, very proudly, serving under Chair Mike Gallagher, also from the Midwest, from Wisconsin, the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

We are so dependent. We are so dependent on foreign markets. We want to sell to those markets, but when the pandemic hit our shores and you can't get the masks, and you can't get your manufacturing supply chains going because you outsourced it all, it is a wake-up moment. It was a major wake-up moment for microchips and semiconductors in the United States of America.

All of a sudden, very brilliantly, this very body, our Chamber, the House of Representatives, where all great ideas begin, we put forward a bill in partnership with our colleagues in the other Chamber, the Senate. It became the CHIPS and Science Act, $52 billion. We will talk about the number.

Have we talked about what taxpayers spent, what is the return on that investment? It is a $52 billion spend over half a decade. It was already signed into law in August 2022. It has already begat $200 billion of private-sector investment.

This is absolutely remarkable and brilliant. We are seeing these amazing microchip factories come into places across this country--Ohio, Arizona. We have Hemlock in Michigan.

The challenge isn't over. We can't manufacture fast enough. It is not a light switch, complex manufacturing.

Fabricators for chips can't get a hair strand caught in them. You must suit up. You must be trained. You must be disciplined.

We are focused on the workforce consideration, which is why I was delighted that my CHIPPING IN bill made it into the CHIPS and Science Act--$25 million to the National Science Foundation to invest in the workforce development and training for chips manufacturing.

This is cause for celebration. It is also cause for reflection because this bill, in many respects, was a catch-up bill. We were catching up to where we needed to be--40 percent of chips manufacturing in the 1990s, down to 10, 12 percent in the 2020s.

The tide rolls out. Cars are sitting in parking lots. Microelectronics industries are going haywire. Prices are going out of control. Then, people are wondering about China and Taiwan, why we have to get all of these chips from Taiwan, and what happens with the national security ramifications of this.

We can't move fast enough. Now, as we are doing the work on the competitiveness committee to lessen our reliance on the CCP and to recognize that the American way of doing business, the Western way of doing business through free markets in democratic nations, must continue to succeed as we inch our way, not just into the quarter-21st century, but the mid-21st century, which will be here before we know it.

What is our charge? We understand the trade relationship. We understand that, between 1985 and 2000, the U.S. trade deficit with China grew steadily from $6 billion to $83 billion, a trade deficit.

The deficit ballooned after the Chinese Communist Party joined the World Trade Organization in 2001. It is standing at a very stratospheric level at $309 billion.

When we look specifically at key industries, we see it here as well. I have already expounded on chips. We recognize there is still a weakness. We can't move fast enough. This is a call to action.

I have briefly mentioned rare minerals, critical minerals. Somewhere between 85 and 92 percent of the refining capacity is taking place in China, taking place on behalf of the CCP.

We don't want to be overly reliant. We want to focus on our trade relationships and our strategy.

I cannot tell you all the hundreds of manufacturing visits I have made as a sitting Member of this Chamber, not going in with a fancy podium, not going in with the press. I have two ears and a notepad and a member from my team, and we are establishing relationships. So, we are geeking out. It is great to see the equipment in action, but there are supply chain vulnerabilities.

There are supply chain gaps. We have gone through this with materials. Steel has gone haywire. We have tried to tariff. We are still paying high prices. We are glad that U.S. Steel is making money, finally.

Tariffs aren't going to be a comprehensive industrial policy for the United States of America. We have to figure out how to strategically invest.

We don't need to do it at the rate of our competitors who do everything--well, the one competitor in this case, the CCP that is top down. That is autocratic. That is state sponsored. We don't need to do it like that. We need to bring the private sector along.

Sometimes, these key stakeholders are begging for the table of collaboration. I saw this at the research institute that I worked in about a decade ago that was a part of that national network for manufacturing innovation, the Industrial Internet of Things, large data stacks, bringing together competitor companies, research institutions, and States to co-invest to get access to R&D.

We have to scale. That is what we have been doing. It is actually quite amazing.

Now, we ask ourselves, what is next? How are we going to build batteries in the United States of America?

A small startup in my district, located in Troy, Michigan, called Intecells, absolutely brilliant, making the batteries to go into the electric vehicle. Of course, that is what we mean now when we say ``battery.'' We think of the electric vehicle, the sustainability charge, absolutely brilliant.

Every Democrat in this Chamber, both House and Senate, joined together toward the end of the last term to pass the Inflation Reduction Act. Can you believe it?

If you looked to last century, well, my goodness, you would never see the environmental groups and the automakers being on the same page, but they were on the same page with this one--zero emissions, making the sustainable vehicle.

We did the bipartisan infrastructure bill. See, those who sit on this side of the Chamber can actually talk about our passage of the legislation.

They do thank us a lot on the CCP committee for CHIPS and Science. It was bipartisan, I will give you that, but we could have gotten more.

We didn't get any on IRA. We got a few on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. I am always delighted when we can work together in a bipartisan way, and I don't mock when we can't.

These are the things I am talking about that bring people together, our House Manufacturing Caucus, with Mr. Joyce. We have a Democratic task force that I run with Whip Clyburn on manufacturing: doing, delivering, and setting us up for success.

Manufacturing is technology. Manufacturing is high-tech. Manufacturing is software engineering. Manufacturing is computer numerical controls machines and computer-aided design. We are doing 2D and 3D, and we are doing the printing and all that other good stuff, but we need to get access to the materials. We need to figure out why we are behind on batteries and not blame each other and not blame the manufacturers who just want to build this stuff here.

I want the jobs here. I want the union jobs here. I want the lithium to come through good sources that we have access to, so we are not just hanging around and waiting and hoping that this comes in. Hydrogen is also a great opportunity for us.

But here is the deal, folks. Fighting each other isn't going to change the reality that 80 percent of the manufacturing capacity of those batteries is done in China. It is not. But Intecells, when I first met with them several years ago, their CEO, Shawn, said to me: Stevens, we have got to make this here. We have got to do this here. We are losing this race.

Now, some of these whiz kids at Stanford University, that the chairman of the committee brought us to, are working on technology readiness. They are working on technology indicators.

Well, my automakers bring this to me: Who is doing what? Where are we in the spectrum? Here is where the U.S. is with the EU and the CCP and on.

We are also very excited and energized by our trade partnership with India and what that might mean, democracies working together. I happen to represent a very large concentration of Indian Americans who came to this Nation by Ford, primarily, to engineer and help work on the autos.

This is exciting. Let's continue to bring in high-skilled talent. Mr. Durbin has a bill. We would like to get this done. We can't be operating off of 20th century immigration policies as we try and function and compete in the 21st century.

Some are chasing the glitz and glamour that comes with the job. I get it. They want attention. They want to raise dollars. I am not out here to attack anyone specifically. But our work is not just profound and tied to the great history of this very Chamber and this institution and all the things we need to do. No, Mr. Speaker, it is tied to the very charge of this century that we exist in, which is renovating our systems, focusing on the functionality and efficiency of government to best serve its stakeholders, the voter and the constituent. Period. End of story.

Well, it is a heap. We have got healthcare entanglements and bureaucracies that we need to address. We have got infrastructure challenges ongoing that, again, a bipartisan infrastructure bill, which was catching us up to work on fixing roads. Governor Whitmer in Michigan is highly focused on this.

Lead in the pipes. I have got pipe challenges in Oakland County, Michigan. I have got Royal Oak Township that has water costs through the roof. I have got Pontiac that had power outages like the rest of the county from

trees that we decided not to trim. Pontiac to West Bloomfield. We have got power outages for weeks on end in the innovation capital of the Midwest.

So we have got to do the nitty-gritty, right? We have got to roll up our sleeves and do the stuff. I say this with all due respect, Mr. Speaker. That isn't always sexy, but it makes us work better. Then we can get in, and we will focus, and we are focusing. We are not going to wait.

We parallel track our charge, we parallel track our effort, because artificial intelligence is here. This is maybe, in part, why I have a master's in philosophy and social policy, because it is raising unbelievable philosophical questions, artificial intelligence. It is not these gimmick podcasts that are just talking about falling in love with a robot or your kids doing homework with the AI chat. That is all interesting and disruptive.

No, this is about systems. This is about systems of artificial intelligence in our Department of Defense, in our hospitals, that are making decisions about our everyday life.

We need trust. As the vice chair of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, I chaired a hearing on artificial intelligence and bias. That is one leg of this. A regulatory framework would help. Continuing to invest would help. Continuing to lead, as we have in the United States of America, brilliantly, because we have the talent. We want the talent. We are in a global race for talent.

Our universities of all stripes are really wonderful places to learn, educate, receive higher education, climb that ladder, produce that original research, and change the world. That is the only way we are going to succeed.

We measure ourselves sometimes by how many Ph.D.s we have. How many people get to stay in America after they get that Ph.D., right?

What are we losing out on because we haven't reformed?

I have talked about the materials. I have talked about steel. I want to mention aluminum. We are very proud of both industries. We want to have more here in America. We want to be strong on the materials front. We also want to continue to work on advancing our charges in the composite space.

I am also the originator of the House Plastic Solutions Task Force. Now, people get obsessed with the bottles, and the bottles need to be recycled. But plastic is in everything. It is in your clothes. It is in your shoes. It is in the chairs. We have got to think about better technologies to reuse.

Interestingly, my manufacturers in Michigan have Reman, and I have introduced legislation called Reman Day to salute their work and to continue to encourage it. There is no incentive to remanufacture your steel or your aluminum, but many companies see a bottom line with it, which is great. Those in the plastics sector, from my chemical manufacturers to my back-end manufacturers, are saying: We have got to reuse this plastic. Plastic comes from oil, folks. We don't want to just keep sourcing that way. We can reuse it.

We have got companies, startups, innovators, who are helping us better recycle plastic. But we also could look for other composites.

I don't really think banning plastic straws and drinking out of plastic cups with plastic lids is solving the meta challenge. I would be keen to the conversation of which we have entered into in this body of thinking through a limitation of single-use plastics for better recycling. By the way, there are other composites and other materials we can use.

Forvia, which is in my district, an auto supplier, is trying to minimize the plastic in the interior of the car to breathe healthier. That is what they are calling it. They are using hemp. I am not knocking anyone. I am just simply looking at solutions for us.

I have introduced the last two terms in Congress a plastic recycling technology bill that has really been bipartisan, and Representative Troy Balderson has joined with me in that bill in the past. We have worked on that in the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. That is a great start, because in some ways we are naive to think about their durability and plastics going into all of our food and plastics going into all of our equipment and cell phones and our medical tests and things like that. But we have got to think forward in terms of how we are going to succeed.

Here are some other bills that we would like to support in this Chamber, I would like to implore the support of my colleagues on.

Passing the Manufacturing Guard Act. The Manufacturing Guard Act is a bill to shore up our supply chains and prevent future emergency disruptions.

Some, when COVID hit our shores, were saying this is like a weather event that has disrupted a part of the world. No, that wasn't a weather event. It was a global challenge, and it was a sustained disruption. Cybersecurity attacks are the same way. Tsunamis are a part of this. We have got to better prepare.

A bill I introduced last Congress, alongside Mr. Balderson, Senators Coons, Rubio, Hassan, and Cornyn, would establish an Office of Supply Chain Preparedness in the Department of Commerce. How delightful would that be, as we have gotten CHIPS and Science done.

So they are cooking up a great team at Commerce under the great leadership of Secretary Gina Raimondo, who I would like to salute for her great effort and dedication to passing CHIPS and Science. I fully believe that the Department of Commerce could house such a supply chain preparedness office, working cohesively with the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Ritchie Torres has a like bill along these lines which I endorse.

Members of the manufacturing guard would advise the supply chain office, would run simulations, would test our systems.

Where are we weak?

Where do we need to implement technologies for supply chain visibility?

We don't always know what's around the corner. We don't need to be afraid. Truman's wise words: America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, determination, and the willingness to do the job at hand.

This is our American moment, industrial policy for the 21st century.

Another bill that I would like to encourage my colleagues to support is the Promoting Digital Privacy Technologies Act. This is a great bill utilizing the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which we authorized and plussed up in CHIPS and Science and gave more energy to.

By the way, NIST is playing a huge role in the CHIPS and Science Act. My privacy-enhancing technologies bill is going to direct the NSF to support competitive fundamental research on privacy-enhancing technologies. It's going to direct NIST to facilitate the development of standards and best practices for the integration of what we call PETs, privacy enhancing technologies, in the public and private sector to ensure that Americans continue to reap the rewards of data analysis while also protecting their most sensitive information.

We don't need to jump in on hyper-regulation. But we can use Federal agencies like NIST and NSF, as we have seen them do since their origin, to serve as trustworthy and good partners with stakeholders from academia, industry, and the general public.

We also have a great bill called the Shifting Forward Vehicle Technologies Research and Development Act. It is a total mouthful, but it is a great bill. I introduced it last Congress alongside my colleague from Michigan, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. That bill reauthorizes the Advanced Vehicle Technology Program for R&D at the Department of Energy.

I don't like to skip over the fact that the CHIPS and Science bill that was passed and signed into law did a lot of great things for DOE. We are seeing a lot of nice manufacturing partnerships and engagements with the Department of Energy throughout this country.

We are also seeing the Department of Energy being exercised as a critical part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, some of these early-stage grants that are going out for cell batteries and hydrogen in the hydrogen hubs.

But my Shifting Forward Vehicle Technologies Research and Development Act supports research for improving vehicle batteries for extremely fast-charging and wireless charging capabilities and efficiencies to lower costs, exploring efficient use, substitution, and recycling of critical materials.

Here we go again: Technology for recycling, thinking about how we can use

that approach for access to rare earth minerals or precious metals that are at risk of supply chain disruption, testing advanced battery safety protection systems for high-voltage power and heat and on.

we must pass quantum bills

Mr. Speaker, we know we have got to make a move on quantum. Quantum bills, there is kind of a nice package cooking out in the Science Committee.

I am proud to share that in the last month I have served as the co- lead, coauthor for two quantum bills. The Quantum Sandbox for Near-Term Applications Act, which I have done with my colleague Mr. Obernolte to establish a quantum sandbox through public-private partnerships focused on quantum applications and development for the acceleration of this technology.

Supercomputers, quantum. We are always in a race with the CCP on who has the fastest supercomputer. Well, quantum has arrived. Quantum, like AI and like the supercomputers before it, are very expensive to run, very cumbersome, and very costly. How far does this go and how fast does it go?

We want to have these technologies here. This is why in CHIPS and Science we encourage the National Science Foundation, and we said to them, you are now going to create a new directorate: technology, innovation, and partnerships. It is all in this vain.

Mr. Speaker, I actually heard this from the Senate majority leader, Mr. Schumer, he said that we want to be leading in quantum.

The Quantum in Practice Act, which includes quantum molecular simulations and modeling in the National Quantum Initiative Act. That is my other bill.

The Science Committee is absolutely on the brink of taking up a reauthorization of the National Quantum Initiative Act to support and expand quantum information science and technology research. It is a critical technology for the U.S. to remain a global leader on.

Mr. Speaker, I have got a few closing points. One is a note of braggadocios. I boast in the great State of Michigan, the 10th largest State in the Union, and geographically the largest State east of the Mississippi, the most number of first robotic teams in the Union.

We are engaging our students with the industry of the future. We are building. We are making. We are doing exciting workforce development. Those students are going on to skilled trades. Those students are going on to engineering. Those students are going on to communications to help us compete in these industries of the future.

We must invest and lead in the development of the next generation of vehicles. That is what we are working on. We must have a robust investment in manufacturing and technology. I say investment as strategy. We have to do these things to win the future, and, most assuredly, we will do from the place that I call home, Michigan.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 6 o'clock and 18 minutes p.m.), the House adjourned until tomorrow, Friday, April 28, 2023, at 9 a.m.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the incredible and heroic advocacy of Elizabeth Whelan, the sister of my wrongfully detained constituent, U.S. citizen, and Michigander, Paul Whelan.

Paul Whelan is the longest detained American in Russia. Since his detention in December 2018, Elizabeth has been his fiercest advocate and tireless champion, alongside her brother, David; and parents, Rosemary and Ed.

Elizabeth has spent nearly $100,000 of her own money in the last 5 years to travel to D.C. to meet with political leaders and State Department officials to receive updates on Paul's case, and fight for his release.

Yesterday, speaking at the United Nations, alongside U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Elizabeth directly confronted Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, and implored him to release Paul and to end their cruel practice of hostage diplomacy.

Elizabeth's speech has reverberated around the world. It has made its way to Paul's prison camp in Mordovia.

I have been honored to work with Elizabeth for many years and she will always serve as an inspiration to me and my staff.

Her words yesterday speak for themselves: ``Paul has not committed a crime, but a crime has been committed against him.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Caal Skonos upon his achievement of Army Second Lieutenant ranking in the United States Army. The awarding of this rank signifies years of hard work and dedication to serving our country, and it is a pleasure to celebrate Mr. Caal Skonos as he accepts this distinction.

Mr. Caal Skonos has been honorably serving the United States as an active service member for almost a decade. While dedicating himself to our Nation's defense, Mr. Caal Skonos continued sharpening the skills the military developed within him as a leader and professional by also attending Eastern Michigan University to pursue a degree in Political Science with a focus in International Relations. A few short years later, it is a pleasure to now celebrate Mr. Caal Skonos as he graduates from Eastern Michigan University at the end of April and assumes his commission as 2LT Caal Skonos, Military Intelligence Officer.

Earning this rank is a remarkable accomplishment, and it is a pleasure to join with Mr. Skonos' friends, family, and community to congratulate him upon the occasion of this significant career milestone. His passion and commitment to serving our country is a testament to his character, and there is no doubt that he will continue to succeed in his life of service.

Mr. Caal Skonos' dedication and service to our country is an inspiration to many, and the entire country is grateful for the selfless sacrifice and commitment to our Nation that is demonstrated daily by brave military service members like Mr. Caal Skonos. I ask my colleagues to share their congratulations and thanks with Mr. Caal Skonos as he embarks upon this next, exciting chapter of life.

Mr. Chairman, last month on the Education Committee, we toiled until the early hours of the morning, marking up our very first two

bills of the new Congress, one of which is the subject of our debate today, H.R. 734.

Regrettably, neither of the bills address the issues most pressing to students and teachers: murder by gun violence. There were 42 incidents of gun violence on school grounds this year alone, 17 deaths, and 32 injuries. Every day 22 children are shot and 5 die.

With all due respect, I missed the part in the Bible that said that people have a right to own a gun at the expense of our children's ability to live and go to school safely.

So let's be clear. This is not an effort to address the longstanding barriers all girls and women have faced in their pursuit of athletics. Leading women's sports organizations and gender justice organizations support transgender inclusion in sports without equivocation.

Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this hateful bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise because it is Women's History Month.

I rise because I returned from Michigan on the heels of a Women's History Month event that I held yesterday in Farmington Hills, where I looked the women of my district in the face and promised them that I would return to the House of Representatives to seek to enshrine their rights into law.

Mr. Speaker, I rise because in the second year of this pandemic, maternal mortality increased by 40 percent, and in the following year, the Supreme Court repealed Roe v. Wade.

I rise because four women in Texas are suing for their right to bodily autonomy. Women are standing up and saying that they do not want to be subject to sepsis while trying to give birth to a child.

I rise because, in South Carolina, women will be prosecuted to a deeper extent than a rapist.

Mr. Speaker, I rise because I will not stop until we have enshrined women's rights into the law of this land.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating Bangladesh upon its Independence Day. On March 26, 1971, the people of Bangladesh declared their independence from Pakistan, after a long and hard-fought struggle for freedom.

At this time, I would like to join our friends from the community in honoring the brave men and women who fought and sacrificed their lives for the cause of a free and democratic Bangladesh. Additionally, it is a great pleasure to recognize the many contributions of Michigan's 150,000 member Bangladeshi-American community to the state and the many more across the Nation, and to celebrate their rich culture and heritage this March.

Many Bangladeshi-Americans are doctors, engineers, and small business owners, bolstering economic development and job creation in America. Dr. MD Rabbi Alam, a resident of Michigan's 11th District, is the Founder and Chairman of Bangabandhu Commission and is the President of Bangabandhu Parishad USA. The Bangabandhu Commission and Parishad work together closely to strengthen local communities through civic engagement, training and development opportunities. It is my pleasure to acknowledge the wonderful work Dr. Alam and others in the community do to elevate issues affecting Bangladesh and Bangladeshi-Americans.

Over the past five decades, Bangladesh has made significant progress in areas such as education, gender equality, health care, and economic development, and has emerged as a vibrant South Asian Democracy. Bangladesh's economy has grown an average rate of 6 percent over the past year, making it one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The country's GDP has tripled since 2006 and is projected to continue to grow even more in the coming years.

Bangladesh is also one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, yet their government has implemented various adaptation measures, including cyclone shelters, strengthening river embankments, and promoting climate-resilient agriculture practices. Despite facing numerous challenges, the people of Bangladesh have demonstrated remarkable resilience and determination in building a better future for themselves and their families.

With the significant strides made by Bangladesh in promoting women's rights and empowerment, the country has successfully increased women's participation in politics and implemented policies to address gender- based violence. According to World Health Organization (WHO), the life expectancy of women was just 26 years, at the country's birth in 1971. By the end of year 2020 life expectancy for women is now 72 years. Bangladesh has shown incredible progress for gender equality, and by the beginning of 2023, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the House, the Deputy Leader of the Parliament, the Education Minister, the Agriculture Secretary of the Bangladesh Awami League, the Foreign Affairs Secretary of the Bangladesh Awami League, and the Health and Population Secretary of the Bangladesh Awami League are all women. In addition to the women ranking in leadership, there are also seats in parliament that are reserved for women and many more represent seats that are directly elected without quotas. It is clear that Bangladesh has set itself as an example of women empowerment by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the Bangladesh Awami League, and we are proud to recognize these accomplishments today.

This Independence Day, my colleagues and I are excited to join the Bangabandhu Commission and Bangabandhu Parishad USA in elevating the theme of women empowerment. Dr. Alam and Bangladeshi Americans from around the country will be travelling to Bangladesh to participate in an International Seminar on Women Empowerment, on March 23rd, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joining to celebrate this occasion and the dream of the founding father of the nation, the late Honorable Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. I thank Dr. Alam and his team for hosting this incredible event and for welcoming participation from members of Congress.

Mr. Speaker, as a nation founded on the principles of freedom and democracy, the United States celebrates the expression of these values by the people of Bangladesh as they continue to work towards a more peaceful, prosperous, and inclusive society. It is our hope that our two nations continue to grow our friendship and support each other in our mutual aspiration for a brighter future. It is an honor to recognize Bangladesh and the Bangladeshi Americans of our Nation. I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating this Bangladeshi independence and in honoring the rich history and culture of this great nation. Happy Independence Day.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate The Community House in Birmingham, Michigan, upon its 100th year serving the region. Over the last century, Birmingham has distinguished itself as a destination for families who are seeking a welcoming, tight-knit community. The Community House has been instrumental in cultivating the City's reputation of excellence, and it is an honor to join with friends and neighbors in celebrating 100 years in Birmingham.

Since 1923, The Community House has evolved to fit the needs of the growing region. This nonprofit organization has brought together tens of thousands of residents, been home to dozens of charities, and hosted hundreds of classes since its formation. The Community House has welcomed folks of all ages, backgrounds, and interests, holding a special place in the hearts of many individuals who have found it to be a second home.

Despite the rapid changes that have shaped our society over the past century, The Community House's role in the community has remained unchanged as ``the official center of charitable endeavors . . . to promulgate the social, educational, civic and philanthropic life of the village.'' Its mission as ``home to those seeking continuity between personal, professional, philanthropic, and recreational pursuits'' showcases the admirable values that guide the organization and reveals an important vision for its future. Our community is better because of The Community House's work over the past century, and it is an exciting opportunity to extend best wishes as the organization embarks upon its next exciting chapter.

Mr. Speaker, the work done by this local nonprofit has shaped the lives of countless individuals, and its efforts certainly extend beyond the bounds of Southeast Michigan and into the larger region and Nation. It is an honor to recognize The Community House of Birmingham upon its 100 years of contributions to the community, and I ask my colleagues to join me and the people of Michigan's 11th Congressional District in celebrating this remarkable organization.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the illustrious career of Mr. Norman ``Norm'' D. Peterson upon his retirement from Argonne National Laboratory. Norm has been a leader in the science, technology, and innovation realm for over 35 years, and it has been an honor to learn from and, at times, work alongside his expertise. Norm's commitment to the scientific enterprise of this nation and the policymakers who shape its work will have a lasting impact into the future. Please help me celebrate this remarkable servant of the public interest and wish him well as he embarks upon this next chapter.

Early in his career, Norm Peterson was identified as a skilled leader in the science, technology, and economic development issues. Upon the creation of the Illinois Governor's Commission on Science and Technology, Norm was selected to become its first Executive Director. In this role, he oversaw the commission's creation and administration of a technology-oriented economic development program. This comprehensive plan incorporated technology transfer projects at universities and national laboratories and investment fund allocations to support the development of start-up, technology-driven businesses, showcasing Norm's extensive knowledge of science, technology, and economic development.

Norm's career at Argonne National Laboratory began in 1987. Though the laboratory had been operational for many years prior, its scope vastly expanded over the past 35 years, with Norm playing a crucial role in cultivating Argonne's reputation of excellence during this time. Argonne National Laboratory is now one of the U.S. Department of Energy's largest national laboratories for science and engineering research, housing over 1,250 scientists and engineers working to solve our nation's most pressing challenges in energy, the environment, and national security.

The expertise that Norm brought to his work led him to become the Director of Government Affairs for Argonne, a role that he crafted himself to maximize the efforts of the lab moving into the 21st century. His skill was heavily leaned upon as Argonne directed the construction of 3 major national user facilities--the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne Leadership Computing Facility, and Center for Nanoscale Materials. In addition, he was instrumental in launching the Guest House as the first state-funded building in the national lab complex and in his work helping plan the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research and the Q-NEXT quantum center.

Stakeholders from across the country recognize Norm as a valuable resource to science and technology research efforts, earning him membership on several boards and advisory groups. He earned a place on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Urban Technology, the University of Puerto Rico Center for Advanced Nanoscale Materials External Advisory Board, and the Northern Illinois University Research Foundation Board, among others. In addition to his professional contributions, he is also a dedicated servant to youth in his community, by previously serving on the Board of Directors for the Youth Campus, providing residential and community based social services to abused and neglected children.

In his retirement, Norm and his beloved partner, Lori Clark, are eager to enjoy international travel and spend more time with his daughter, Erika Peterson, and granddaughter, Emma. The couple intends on remaining in the Chicago area as they enter the next chapter of Norm's prolific life, and despite his retirement, I am certain that we will hear more from him in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to celebrate my friend and mentor, Mr. Norman D. Peterson, for his incredible contributions toward scientific and technological advancement in our nation. Colleagues, please join me in celebrating Norm Peterson and wishing him well as he transitions into his well-earned retirement.