Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, it's my honor to recognize Elaine Wood for receiving the 2017 Distinguished Service Award from the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce. Through her exceptional leadership and steadfast devotion to her community, Elaine is an indispensable part of Northern Michigan.

Since 1929, the Distinguished Service Award has been given to leaders who have had a tremendous positive impact on the Traverse City area. With more than 40 years with Networks Northwest, Elaine has led in the creation of innovative programs for employment skills training, streamlined data research, and year-round adult education systems. Her unique work with the government even led to her appointment to Governor Snyder's Talent Investment Board in 2011.

Elaine's steadfast determination has been recognized through numerous awards throughout her career, including being named one of the area's 25 Most Powerful Women by the Traverse City Business News in 2014. She has also served on numerous boards and trustees, including Munson Healthcare, the United Way of Northwest Michigan, the Cherryland Humane Society, and for almost two decades at Northwestern Michigan College. The impact of her work on the Traverse City community and across Michigan cannot be understated.

Mr. Speaker, it's my honor to congratulate Elaine Wood for receiving the 2017 Distinguished Service Award. Michiganders can take great pride in knowing the First District is home to such a selfless and devoted leader. On behalf of my constituents, I wish Elaine all the best in her future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, It's my honor to recognize Tristen Vidlund and Torrey Cookman for their participation in the Natural Luge World Championship. Through their perseverance and determination, Tristen and Torrey have distinguished themselves as members of the U.S. Natural Track Luge Team.

Tristen, 17, and Torrey, 13, are both natives to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and have

competed in Natural Track, or Naturbahn, Luge for several years. They departed Michigan on Christmas Day for the World Championship series, which was held in Austria and Italy in early January. There they raced against world-class competition and represented Michigan and the United States with pride and dignity both on and off the track. Additionally, following this series, Tristen was requested by the International Luge Federation to stay in Europe for further competitions.

Tristen and Torrey are both members of the Upper Peninsula Luge Club. The UPLC's 800 meter, 32-turn track is the only natural luge track in the United States and one of only five lighted natural tracks in the world. The club hosts community events, luge instructions, and international competitions--including the 1995 Naturbahn World Cup. Their coach, Keith Whitman, is a native of the Upper Peninsula, a 40- year veteran of the sport, and a former National Luge Champion. The International Luge Federation is in the process of petitioning the International Olympic Committee to make Naturbahn Luge part of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.

Mr. Speaker, it's my honor to congratulate Tristen Vidlund and Torrey Cookman for their participation in the Natural Luge World Championship as members of the US, Natural Track Luge Team. Michiganders can take great pride in knowing the First District is home to such talented and dedicated individuals. On behalf of my constituents, I wish Torrey and Tristen all the best in their future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Smith for yielding. I am proud to be amongst my colleagues this evening.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the constituents of the First District of Michigan who are--I repeat--the voice for those who have no voice.

2018 marks the 45th anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade decision. Since that day, as you have heard several of my colleagues say, almost 60 million abortions have occurred in our country, our United States. Today, this timeframe is an appropriate time for us to pause, reflect, and plan a path forward for the pro-life movement.

The most important question we must ask ourselves is: Why? Why do we stand for life? Why is this cause so important to us? Why do we fight for not only all of our citizens, but for the unborn?

For me, my why is simple: every life--every life--has immense value, regardless of wealth, stature, or fame. Whether you were born in rural northern Michigan or in a large city, we all were put here on this Earth for a purpose: to fulfill God's purpose.

As the father of two wonderful daughters and eight beautiful grandchildren, I know firsthand the joy, love, and inspiration that every single life brings.

Life is precious and should never be taken for granted. As a nation, we must offer hope to those who have no hope. We must remind others of the hope offered by an adoptive family and continue together as the voice for those who have no voice. We must and will continue to fight for those who have no voice.

Mr. Speaker, as a nation, we find ourselves in seemingly uncertain times: instability in North Korea, terrorism throughout the world, and divisiveness on so many fronts. Yet across our Nation, young men and women continue to step up to serve when their country needs them most. They serve our great Nation willingly, honorably, and without bias.

In the 1940s, when an unprecedented attack on American soil led us into the Second World War, our brave men and women in uniform stood up to defend our Nation.

In the 1950s, when our country faced the spread of communism to Korea, it was our veterans who were there.

In the 1960s and 1970s, when the United States was brought into the war in Vietnam, knowing there would be no hero's welcome when they came home, our men and women were steadfast.

In the first Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the many missions they have faced in the past two decades, our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and coastguardsmen have defended our great Nation from those who wish to do us harm.

On this Veterans Day, I submit to our men and women: Your service is not over and your mission is not complete. Now, more than ever, your country needs you. Stand up. Tell your story. The next generation needs to hear from you. We are forever grateful for your service.

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to recognize the Keweenaw National Historical Park upon the occasion of its 25th Anniversary. Through committed preservation and community engagement, the Keweenaw National Historical Park has become an indispensable part of Northern Michigan.

For over 7,000 years, the Keweenaw area has been a source of natural resources and cultural enrichment. Native peoples first utilized its easily accessible and workable copper to create tools and items for trade. Later, copper became the center of growing industries and cosmopolitan communities in the Keweenaw. This rich history is preserved through the hard work of the rangers and volunteers at the Keweenaw National Historical Park.

The celebration of the park's anniversary is the perfect recognition of efforts to preserve our history, culture, and beautiful landscapes. Today, the park continues to raise the bar of innovation through programs and partnerships with state and local governments, private businesses, and nonprofit organizations. Its steadfast work has helped give the people of the Keweenaw Peninsula and all of the Upper Peninsula a sense of unity and common heritage.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the Keweenaw National Historical Park for its 25 years of success and community investment. Michiganders can take immense pride in knowing that the First District is home to such an important institution of historical, cultural, and environmental preservation. On behalf of my constituents, I wish the Keweenaw National Historical Park all the best in its future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, it's my honor to recognize the Northwestern Michigan College Aviation Program upon the occasion of its 50th Anniversary. Through innovation, passion, and dedication, NMC Aviation has become an indispensable part of Northern Michigan.

Founded in 1967, NMC Aviation came from small beginnings with three planes and five instructors. In just 50 years, it has grown to be one of the most respected aviation programs in the country. Today, they continue to raise the bar of innovation through ground-breaking courses and program partnerships with Michigan high schools and colleges across the world. Its instructors have real life experience, and its students have access to exceptional training and resources.

As a commercial pilot of 22 years, I know the great need for quality pilots in our global economy, as well as the dedication and skill this profession requires. NMC Aviation has proven itself to be one of the best institutions of its kind at training the next generation of pilots.

Mr. Speaker, it's my honor to congratulate the NMC Aviation Program for its 50 years of success and community investment. Michiganders can take immense pride in knowing that the First District is home to this outstanding institution. On behalf of my constituents, I wish the Northwestern Michigan College Aviation Program all the best in its future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, it's my honor to recognize Honor Bank upon the occasion of its 100th Anniversary. Through its trusted services, reliable staff, and community engagement, Honor Bank has become an indispensable part of Northern Michigan.

Founded in 1917 as Honor State Bank, just $20,000 in capital and a determined staff built the bank into the community institution it is today. Over the course of 100 years, Honor Bank forged its path to success through World Wars and financial crises, all while maintaining its commitment to the community it was built upon. Today, the bank's capital has grown, yet it still promotes its ideals of independent community banking.

The bank's Honor Code of integrity, hard work, responsibility, teamwork, and reliability is illustrated through its Giving Back to our Communities program. During each month of this year's anniversary celebrations, Honor Bank is highlighting the work of a local non-profit agency chosen by the bank's employees. Through this Agency Spotlight, customers and employees are encouraged to donate needed items, and employees volunteer on average 100 minutes per month to the selected agency. These charities have included the Betsie Valley District Library, Michigan Blood, and the Benzie Food Pantry. Honor Bank continues to set a positive example of what can be achieved when a company is built around a community.

Mr. Speaker, it's my honor to congratulate Honor Bank and its staff for 100 years of success, service, and community investments. Michiganders can take great pride in knowing the First District is home to such dedicated citizens. On behalf of my constituents, I wish Honor Bank all the best in its future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2123, the Veterans E-Health and Telemedicine Support Act.

For veterans in my district, the challenge of receiving timely, quality care from the VA is, at times, impossible. In fact, winter has already arrived in northern and upper Michigan. Travel is complex and sometimes hazardous.

With some of the most rural geography in the country, veterans in Michigan's First District are forced to travel long distances, often hours, into Wisconsin or hundreds of miles down into mid- and southeast Michigan just to keep simple doctors' appointments.

Innovative healthcare solutions like telemedicine are long overdue. Veterans in my district will help validate the requirements for and the quality of such innovations.

H.R. 2123 will allow VA-licensed healthcare providers to practice telemedicine at any location, in any State, regardless of where the provider or patient is located. This bill will make it easier for veterans in my district and all across the country to access healthcare services in a convenient setting that fits their schedule, ultimately, putting the veteran first. I have long said that if a program or policy can work in Michigan's First District, it can work anywhere.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of H.R. 2123.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 2936, the Resilient Federal Forests Act. My district is home to three national forests, Ottawa, Hiawatha, and Huron-Manistee. So when we use the term ``in our neck of the woods,'' we mean it.

We understand how vitally important proper management of forests is for our environment, our economy, and our special way of life in northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. I live right in the middle of the Ottawa National Forest, so this issue really does hit close to home for me.

Now as we have seen the devastation from forest fires in the West, it is more important than ever to have this debate. But it is impossible to talk about the need for wildfire suppression without talking about proper forest management. These two go hand in hand--or at least they should go hand in hand.

All too often, we hear rhetoric that managing our forests and removing dead or dying trees is a bad thing. This can't be further from the truth.

When we leave these dried, rotting trees laying on the forest floor, they become an incendiary breeding ground for fires. Those fires cost the Forest Service billions of dollars and countless hours of manpower to extinguish. Last year alone, we spent $2.9 billion on suppression efforts. This leaves barely any financial resources to allocate towards actually managing our forests.

H.R. 2936 seeks to end this cycle. Let's get at the problem now so it doesn't become a disaster later. This is not a partisan issue. This is a commonsense solution for our federally owned forest land.

Mr. Chairman, I include in the Record a letter from the Forest Products Industry National Labor Management Committee and a letter from the Intertribal Timber Council.

October 31, 2017.

Hon. Rob Bishop,

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Subject: Support for HR 2936, The Resilient Federal Forests

Act of 2017.

Dear Congressman Bishop: As chair of the Forest Products

Industry National Labor Management Committee, I am writing in

strong support of HR 2936, The Resilient Federal Forests Act

of 2017. I urge you to vote in support of HR 2936 when it

comes to the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote

on Wednesday, November 1.

The Forest Products Industry National Labor Management

Committee is a non-profit trust formed to pursue the common

public policy interests of the working men and women in the

forest products industry. Collectively, the Committee

represents more than two million workers across the nation,

including lumber and sawmill workers, woodworkers,

machinists, carpenters, and pulp and paper workers.

The balanced and sustainable management of our federally-

owned forests has been of significant interest to the

Committee since it was founded in 1990. Since that time, the

Committee has engaged on numerous pieces of federal forest

and related legislation.

HR 2936 is a bipartisan measure that will address the

growing economic and environmental threats posed by

catastrophic wildfires. HR 2936 provides a responsible

budgetary solution and targeted forest management reforms to

improve the health and resiliency of America's forests.

Adoption of these proposals will enhance federal forest

stewardship; protect forest ecosystems from catastrophic fire

and disease; and preserve rural, family wage jobs.

The Forest Products Industry National Labor Management

Committee urges you to vote in support of HR 2936, the

Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017, when the measure comes

to the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote this

week.

Sincerely,

Mike Draper,

Chairman, Forest Products Industry National Labor

Management Committee.

Mr. Chairman, I strongly urge my colleagues to support

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate 40 years of community revitalization in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

When Kincheloe Air Force Base closed in 1977, a renewal of the Saulte Ste. Marie community began as it transitioned from military to civilian use. These 40 years stand as a testament to the hard work and resilience of the folks of Chippewa County, who have overcome the job loss and revenue loss associated with Kincheloe's closing.

The transition from military to civilian is not always an easy one, but I am proud to represent a region that has remained focused on investing in the future of our communities. On this anniversary, we not only celebrate our current successes, but we also remember the contributions of our past.

Kincheloe Air Force Base played a significant role in shaping our national defense and making our community into what it is today. We are forever grateful to the Chippewa County community for preserving that history throughout these 40 years.

Mr. Chairman, it has been an honor to work with the chairman of the Budget Committee as a new Member of Congress because it is such a learning curve to understand the challenges that we have in our country in so many ways, but especially on the fiscal side of things.

I would like to spend my time talking to my grandchildren right now. I am talking to your grandchildren as well.

In the last 48 hours, I have had an opportunity--it was more of a responsibility--to chat with my grandchildren about the horrific events that occurred in Las Vegas. When you are 8 or 16, you assimilate those things in different ways. I talk to them a lot about responsibility for behavior, responsibility for money, and responsibility for their own lifestyles.

I talked to them today to say that we are not going to put you into the debt hole caused by the spending that has occurred over the last decades in this country. We are not going to pass that along to you, because the hole is only getting deeper and more extensive, and we are passing it along to those next generations. Not only is it not right, it is morally wrong and absolutely irresponsible.

We have to ask ourselves the questions: If not now, then when do we begin to bend the spending curve? If we don't do it, then who will?

We know that mandatory spending within our grandchildren's lifetime will eclipse almost, if not, 100 percent of the Federal budget. That means no money for research, for medical, for education, and for all of those discretionary dollars that are so wisely spent.

We have to begin to bend the spending curve now, and that means cuts in mandatory spending, while responsibly using the other dollars, the discretionary dollars, to advance good programs.

That takes discipline, that takes effort, that takes making tough decisions that are unpopular but necessary for the future of our country.

Our Budget Committee wrestled long and hard to present what you are going to vote on, and I am proud of the fact that with the discourse and debate that we had over tough issues, in the end, the American people are taking a next first step forward towards fiscal responsibility that reflects the reality that we owe to our grandchildren, just like our parents and grandparents felt that they needed to do for us during the Great Depression and a couple of World Wars to make sure that we have a physically viable country. This budget is a next first step.

Mr. Speaker, for years, the Department of Veterans Affairs has seen many of its medical personnel leave to pursue opportunities outside of the VA healthcare system, resulting in fewer healthcare providers and, ultimately, less access to care for our veterans. In the First District of Michigan, which I represent, we are largely a rural district, and our district and our veterans have suffered more than most on this.

The GOOD Act utilizes a two-pronged approach to address VA's continuing struggles in recruiting and retaining their physician assistant workforce. This bill creates a pilot program to provide that pathway for veterans to receive the education necessary to become a PA while, simultaneously, requiring the VA to establish a national strategic plan to recruit and retain a robust and long-term medical staff.

Our veterans have given so much for our country at exceptional costs, and they deserve access to timely and high-quality healthcare from skilled professionals. I am proud to join Ranking Member Kuster from our Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee in supporting this bipartisan legislation on behalf of our Nation's veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the bill, H.R. 3262.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, advances in technology have given us the opportunity to increase access and streamline processes for veterans not only in the First District and across Michigan, but across the country. That said, we must ensure that technology is an asset and not an added burden to veterans, as it has been within the VA.

The Department of Veterans Affairs IT landscape has been the primary topic of hearings within the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, due to its ever-expanding modernization timeline for outdated systems and lack of interoperability within and outside the Department.

The solution is undisputed. The VA must modernize its IT systems or continue to face uphill struggles in timely claims and appeals processing, community care, scheduling, and financial management.

Earlier this week, the House Veterans' Affairs Committee received an update from Secretary Shulkin that shows a continued lack of planning and implementation of its data center optimization program, an issue which was initially pointed out by the GAO during a hearing back in February.

With all this in mind, I was understandably troubled when I saw the underlying bill provided $52 million less for IT development and modernization than last year's appropriation.

I understand that cuts need to be made, and that this bill aims to address other issues plaguing the VA, but it is imperative I make this point to the chairman and the ranking member.

Our veterans deserve immediate access to care and timely adjudication of their disability claims from an efficient, effective Department of Veterans Affairs. This simply cannot happen until the VA addresses the woeful state of its IT systems.

I ask that the chairman, the ranking member, and the rest of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee work with me to address this issue going forward.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time, and I withdraw my amendment.

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment to the Make America Secure Appropriations Act bill. My amendment simply adds $1 million to the U.S. Corps of Engineers' investigations account to assist with projects across the country that the Army Corps is in charge of overseeing.

Projects like modernizing the Soo Locks, the lock system located in my district in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan which connects Lake Superior to the lower part of the Great Lakes through the St. Marys River.

This is a project that has been around for a long time on the books. Projects like this that have more than 4,500 vessels and 80 million tons of cargo moving through the Soo Locks each year, this lock system plays a critical role in the transport of raw materials and other goods through the Great Lakes region to ports around the entire country.

And currently, the construction of a new lock, which is integral not only to my district, but the entire United States, is caught in a mire of uncertainty, and it all comes down to one thing: funding.

I think it is appropriate that we are considering this amendment in the context of making America secure because it might be a surprise to some to learn that modernizing the Soo Locks is a matter of national security.

A recent Department of Homeland Security report has made clear that an unexpected interruption to the Poe--the largest lock in the system-- would have disastrous economic impacts across the Nation, to include a $1.1 trillion fall in national gross domestic product and a spike in national unemployment to a rate of 11.3 percent.

Again, this is the Department of Homeland Security saying this. And while Congress has authorized the construction of a new lock twice now over several years, the Soo has been tied up

in economic reevaluations and studies that have ultimately kept Congress and the Corps from spending the necessary funds to complete the project.

This amendment sends a message to the Army Corps and reminds Congress that projects like the Soo Locks modernization must be a priority.

During a time when infrastructure projects and national security are at the forefront of our policy conversations, projects like the Soo Locks should not be delayed because of funding uncertainty or limits to the Army Corps of Engineers' ability to do its due diligence in conducting the studies.

I also wanted to take a minute and thank the chairman for working with me and understanding how significant and important the Soo Locks modernization and projects like this around the country are to our economy and our national security.

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

Mr. Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Idaho.

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

Mr. Speaker, how do I even start after getting an introduction like that other than to say that I am so blessed to be part of what I will put up against any Congress as the finest freshman class that has come across this floor to be sworn in. I am just proud to be one of Mr. Arrington's colleagues.

Mr. Speaker, when you talk about rural America, how do you know it if you have never been part of it? I was born, raised, and grew up in a little Minnesota farming town. My dad came from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan because there was no work there for 18-year-olds. He went to Minneapolis looking for work. Of course, he found it, and then he found my mom. You know how that goes. So she told him that is where he was going to live for a while, and so that is where I was born.

I had to walk all of a half a mile to work on a farm to help. It was about a 200-head dairy farm that also had some corn and some soybeans, and they had hay. I learned how to bale hay, I learned how to not fall off the wagon, and I learned how to shoot the silage into the silo and not fall into the silo when you are doing it.

One of the least favorite jobs was cleaning up the dairy barn because it had those unique aromas. On a hot August day, you learn that they are all unique, but they are all important to the betterment of what we are trying to accomplish here.

When you work with your hands--I have seen firsthand how rural America works, the dedication, the hard work, and the life that on a daily basis begins before the sun rises and, in many cases, ends long after the sun sets--that is commitment. It is not only commitment to your family, it is commitment to yourself, and it is commitment to your God that you know that you are blessed with what we have in our land.

It is such important work. Daniel Webster said:

``Let us not forget that the cultivation of the earth is the most important labor of man.''

``The farmers, therefore, are the founders of civilization.''

It is so easy to believe that when the lights go off at the grocery store at night that the food just magically appears on the shelves. It is amazing how that just happens. Well, we know it doesn't just happen. It is the last in a series of long steps. Rural America knows better than anyone what it takes to get the food on those shelves. Rural America feeds the world, produces resources that are used in other industries, acts as job creators and the foundation of the economy, provides food security, and contributes to the moral fabric of our society.

Farmers face so many challenges already. They are at the mercy of the weather, crop volatility, and ever-changing prices. Why is the government so insistent on adding more rocks to the pack of the farmer who is already overburdened in so many ways? They don't need any more headaches.

I have often said that if something works in Michigan's First District, it will work anywhere. We are largely rural. We have got a lot of big water shoreline, and part of that big water shoreline provides the water to cultivate our fields. We grow a lot of potatoes up there. Anybody who really loves potato chips, chances are they came from a potato that started in Michigan. We grow sugar beets, cherries, and apples, just to name a few. In fact, just this past weekend, back in the district, I had a chance to really taste the cherries that we picked off

the tree because it is that time of the year.

We should be looking forward and looking to rural America as the example for success, not trying to hold it back with bureaucratic regulations and out-of-control government spending. It is time to cut through the red tape. Rural and urban survival depend on it. Power belongs in the hands of the individual--the farmers, the loggers, the fishermen, the miners, the ranchers, and every other hardworking man and woman in so many districts around the country and especially in our First District of Michigan.

Mr. Speaker, speaking of hands, people who work with the land know when you are working with your hands that you don't just go right to the harvest. You first must till the land. You have to plant. You have to manage the growing season. Only then, after that long process that you cannot shortcut in any way, then comes a successful harvest. It has to happen in order. There is no other way. So anyone who expects good things happen easily has never been a farmer and has never been working with their hands.

It is our job not just to honor but to raise rural Americans up as an example that hard work and traditional American values are still something to be admired so deeply.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor just to be talking about this subject tonight. It actually makes me want to somehow figure out a way to get back to the district right away to finish up the cherry harvest. It looks like we are going to have a really good one this year because God has blessed us with good weather.

Rural America is who we are, and it is who we fight for. I am proud to be a Member of the 115th Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington) for the opportunity to speak on something that is so passionate and dear to my heart.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak today on behalf of H.R. 2749, the Protecting Business Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2017. I thank the chairman and the ranking member for their support for Ranking Member Kuster and myself.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2749 aims to provide the VA with the tools it needs to correct the persistent problem in contracting. The problem is improper pass-throughs. An improper pass-through is when a small business obtains a contract under a set-aside, but gives all or substantially all of the work to a large company and, nonetheless, collects profit.

Sometimes multiple companies pass through the work while adding price markups. This has long been prohibited by law and wastes taxpayer dollars; but, in practice, agencies have little ability to stop it.

In the VA, veteran-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses have special preference to receive contracts, but bad actors are taking contracts away from law-abiding veteran businessowners who truly want to perform their work. The committee gets complaints about this situation nearly every week.

This bill will make every bidder for a VA contract certify that it will perform the percentage of work the law already requires. The bill also directs the VA to work with the Office of Inspector General in a more effective way to find, stop, and, where appropriate, punish the improper pass-throughs.

H.R. 2749 relies on existing law and fills in gaps in implementation, but does not create any new bureaucracy.

The solution is long overdue. I strongly urge my colleagues to support the bill.