Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the latest plan to gut the Affordable Care Act.

Senate Republicans, as has been reported, just unveiled their draft of their healthcare bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act, which was developed entirely behind closed doors and will be rushed to a vote, from what I understand, without additional input or public debate.

Mr. Speaker, make no mistake about it, this bill will not provide Americans access to better care and it will not create more affordable coverage.

Changes to Medicaid will mean Americans in the expansion population will eventually lose access to crucial services and supports, and shrinking the program will force States to cut services to the poor, the sick, and the elderly.

Like the House Republican version to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, the Senate's bill is an attack on the preservation of essential health benefits, and it will not ensure middle-income Americans can receive sufficient financial support to obtain coverage.

The Senate Republican Better Care Reconciliation Act does not deviate from the damage of the core policies found in the Republican House version of the American Health Care Act, and I just hope my Republican colleagues have a chance to realize this before they take a vote on a bill that will only undermine health coverage for the American people.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank Representative Smucker for holding this Special Order.

Madam Speaker, as co-chair of the Career and Technical Education Caucus, I rise to highlight the importance of career and technical education for our Nation's workforce. I really appreciate all of the comments that the gentleman just mentioned, and I concur.

Madam Speaker, across Rhode Island, I continue to hear from employers struggling to find skilled workers to fill open jobs in fields such as manufacturing, IT, and other trades.

Hundreds of thousands of high-skilled, high-paying jobs are right now unfulfilled in our country, and this number is continuing to grow. Especially as we hear about bringing jobs back from overseas, manufacturing, just by way of example, has changed dramatically. These factories are no longer the old, dirty, noisy manufacturing factories of old that, say, our fathers or grandfathers were used to. They are now all high-tech. You see robots doing a lot of the manufacturing that require both programming and sophisticated knowledge how to run this advanced equipment.

So the jobs are coming back, but they are coming back in different ways, needing different skills. And right now we need to ensure that our workforce is equipped with the tools to meet the demands of the economy to close our Nation's skills gap. We can do this by better aligning education and industry.

Our students, Madam Speaker, should be learning the skills they need to succeed in growing economic sectors. This is one of the most important investments that we can make in our Nation's future.

The Governor of Rhode Island, Governor Raimondo, likes to say: We need to give our workers the skills that matter for jobs that pay.

In the Ocean State, the newly opened Westerly Education Center right now is working to promote CTE, providing a range of courses to help Rhode Islanders to meet the current and projected needs of the region's economy. The Westerly Education Center effectively brings together higher education, industry, and community partners to ensure students of all ages are prepared for workforce opportunities in Rhode Island. Classes range from industry-specific skills training to courses in critical thinking, management, and also soft skills.

CTE courses, Madam Speaker, are in demand. Approximately 12.5 million high school and college students are enrolled in CTE across the Nation. But Federal investment in this area has decreased, actually, since 2011, and the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act hasn't been authorized since 2006. I am hoping that we are going to be able to see this act reauthorized very soon.

Perkins is the primary Federal investment in CTE, and the most important thing that we can do to support CTE across the country, to support students and businesses across the country, is to reauthorize this legislation. It needs to be updated for our changing economy, and funding for CTE programs must be increased to support growing programs across the Nation.

Last Congress, I know that the House overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan Strengthening Career and Technical Education Act, and I call on my colleagues to do the same in this Congress as well. It was, in some ways, a rare moment of bipartisanship in the Congress and a great example of how we can work together. Hopefully, that will lead to other things as well.

H.R. 2353 recently passed unanimously by the Education and the Workforce Committee, and it is, again, the product of an inclusive and thoughtful process. I commend the chairman of the Education and the Workforce Committee and the ranking member and all of the members on both sides of the aisle for working so closely together--again, a very complicated piece of legislation that passed unanimously out of committee.

So, again, I thank my fellow CTE Caucus co-chair as well, Representative Thompson from Pennsylvania, for all of his great work on this bill. He is a member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, and he is the co-chair of the CTE Caucus. We work in lockstep on these matters. It has been a pleasure to work with him. I am grateful for his leadership, along with many other colleagues.

It makes many necessary updates to Perkins, with an emphasis on training students for the skills that they will need in high-growth economic sectors. The bill contains several important reforms, including increasing collaboration between education and industry, expanding student access to apprenticeships, supporting career counselors, and aligning State performance indicators with local labor markets, among other things.

Unfortunately, at a time when it is more crucial than ever to invest in CTE, the President's budget has proposed, though, a budget for fiscal year

2018 that cuts Perkins State grants by 15 percent. That is more than $168 million across the country. In Rhode Island, that Perkins funding cut would mean a cut of more than $800,000. If enacted, the President's budget would not only slash a crucial investment in our students, but it would deeply hurt businesses.

If we want businesses to come back to the country from overseas, if we want to relocate those jobs here, we need to make sure that we have the workforce that can actually do the jobs that would be available and that are, in fact, available right now.

This is the time to invest in workforce development, not undermine it. Demand for CTE is growing from students and industry, and our economy desperately needs it.

Madam Speaker, in closing, let me just say that I encourage my colleagues to prioritize CTE. It matters for your constituents, and it yields big returns for our States' economies and for our Nation's economy as a whole. Put simply, providing workers with the skills necessary to thrive in the economy is essential to our economic prosperity. It is the right thing to do, giving our workers the skills they need for jobs that pay.

Madam Speaker, as co-chair of the Congressional Foster Youth Caucus, I rise in recognition of National Foster Care Month and in honor of the remarkable foster youth alumnus that I am fortunate to host this week: Kennath Forsyth-Sears.

Kennath hails from the Ocean State, where he attends my alma mater, Rhode Island College, and aspires to work with children with disabilities.

Kennath is a reminder of why we must ensure every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential. Madam Speaker, all children need the support and love of a family, yet finding ``forever families'' for foster youth is one of our biggest challenges.

Madam Speaker, it is our moral duty to care for these children as we would our own, including by supporting permanency for foster youth.

I thank my co-chair of the Congressional Foster Youth Caucus and the leader of our Caucus, Congresswoman Karen Bass of California, for bringing young people like Kennath to Capitol Hill for Foster Youth Shadow Day, and I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring National Foster Care Month.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in celebration of National Infrastructure Week.

Here in Washington, meetings have brought together planners and civil engineers, builders and innovators, labor unions and developers--all dedicated to modernizing our American infrastructure. And it does need modernizing.

In my home state of Rhode Island, for example, one in four bridges is deficient, the worst rate in the country. They are battered by storms and suffering from aging concrete and steel. Families and businesses alike suffer from this infrastructure debt.

That's why this week I introduced the ``SAFE Bridges Act,'' which will provide a renewed focus on the safety of bridges across the country. It will create a discrete new way to prioritize those bridges most in need.

Mr. Speaker, it is ``Time to Build.'' We need to invest in bread-and- butter projects, highways and transit that Americans depend on every day.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate and recognize our Department of Defense laboratories. I am pleased to introduce a bipartisan resolution to designate May 18 as Department of Defense Laboratory Day 2017.

Mr. Speaker, Defense labs have played a unique role in countless innovations that have enhanced and strengthened our national security. Defense-supported research and development has yielded many game- changing state-of-the-art weapons systems and technologies, ensuring that we never send our men and women in uniform into a fair fight.

Our Defense labs also contribute to American economic growth by spurring

the creation of new industries, companies, and jobs across the country, guaranteeing that America leads the way in cutting-edge science and technology.

Mr. Speaker, in celebration of all the work and accomplishments of our national network of Defense laboratories, and most especially the incredibly talented scientists, researchers, and support staff who support them and staff them, please join me in honoring their contributions to our security.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the MGT Act and of continued efforts to improve the federal government's cybersecurity posture. I would like to thank Mr. Hurd for his tireless efforts advocating for this bill and his partners on the Oversight Committee, Mr. Connolly and Ms. Kelly for their cybersecurity leadership. I also must acknowledge the House's Minority Whip and my good friend, Mr. Hoyer, for his work pushing for IT modernization.

The idea for the kind of revolving fund included as part of the MGT Act grew out of President Obama's Cybersecurity National Action Plan, itself issued in direct response to the massive breach of the Office of Personnel Management. OPM was yet another wake up call to the government about the lax attitude toward security present at many agencies, but, to the prior administration's credit, the CNAP contained a number of needed policy shifts, including the creation of a federal Chief Information Security Officer and the use of DHS's authority to conduct a government-wide review of high value assets.

Central to the CNAP, though, was the realization that attempting to secure antiquated federal IT systems was a losing proposition. Just as the Internet--developed in the 1970s--was not created with security in mind, so, too, are many older government systems devoid of even basic security controls. When we think about the fact that the iPhone turns ten next month and the huge improvements that have been made from the first generation model to today's, it's easy to see how systems that are two or three decades old can hamper security.

Using outdated software also compromises efficiency. There's a reason businesses keep up to date with technology--it saves them money. The cleverness of the revolving fund approach is that it uses these savings to drive further upgrades in a virtuous cycle. I hope that the MGT Act is viewed as a pilot program, as there is a lot more technical debt we have incurred than will be solved by $250 million per year. But it is a very important first step, and I commend the sponsors for their work. And I hope that federal agencies view this bill as license to be innovative in their upgrade planning and to bring us a more efficient-- and secure--government.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Bishop Hendricken High School's Academic Decathlon team, the Division II winners of the United States Academic Decathlon National Competition.

The team consists of Mitchell Boyer, Ryan Brady, Darragh Harkin, Steven Huang, Jaidan Idarraga, Connor Milson, Cory Morris, Alden Pratt, and Dylan Temel. They spent countless hours studying and, on April 22, their hard work paid off. Led by Coach Sister Carol Ann Murray, they won an impressive 12 gold, 8 silver, and 11 bronze medals and became the first Rhode Island team to win their division at the national competition.

The students' dedication and scholastic abilities have made Bishop Hendricken, my alma mater, and the whole State of Rhode Island extremely proud.

Mr. Speaker, they have shown the vast academic potential of Rhode Island students, and I congratulate them on this great accomplishment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the Republicans' latest plan to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. After Republicans failed to earn the votes to pass their American Health Care Act in March, I thought that we could finally move forward to find bipartisan solutions to improving health care in America. Instead, Republicans have revived their partisan goal of ACA repeal by adding provisions that have made a bad bill even worse.

Mr. Speaker, make no mistake about it; the bill before us today will make Americans' health care worse in this country:

This legislation will cause 24 million people to lose coverage, while drastically increasing healthcare costs on everyday families;

It eliminates Federal safeguards that prevent insurers from charging older Americans higher premiums;

It guts essential health benefits, like maternity care and prescription drugs;

Further, it removes crucial patient protections that prevent discrimination against people with preexisting conditions, leaving our most vulnerable populations with a false promise of sufficient coverage through these failed high-risk pools.

Mr. Speaker, I am saddened that so many Republicans appear willing to place hollow partisan victories above the health of their constituents. I oppose the Republican AHCA in the strongest possible terms and urge all of my colleagues to put the health of Americans first.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and memory of General Amedeo ``Armie'' Merolla--a dedicated patriot, a passionate legal mind, a community leader in Rhode Island, and someone who I was proud to call a dear friend.

Armie Merolla was a man of service in every aspect of his life. He spent much of his time giving back to his community, serving his state and his country with distinction.

Armie's time in uniform began when he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps while still a student at Brown University. After graduating in 1951, he enlisted in the Rhode Island Army National Guard (RIARNG) and received a direct commission as a First Lieutenant in the Judge Advocate General Corps. His long and distinguished military career included posts in the Military Police, JAG, Field Artillery, and Military Intelligence, during which he earned numerous decorations, such as the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Rhode Island Cross for Valor. Among his commissions with RIARNG, he served as State Inspector General, State Staff Judge Advocate, Brigadier General, and Assistant Adjutant General and Deputy Commanding General--Army. In his retirement, he was appointed as Commander of the Rhode Island State Defense Force and attained the honorary rank of Major General in the Rhode Island Militia.

As an attorney, Armie experienced great success and took on many roles after receiving his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1954. At the time of his passing, he was a senior managing partner at Merolla, Accetturo & Lough, where he practiced alongside two of his children, Katherine and Steven. He served as Judge Advocate General and Assistant Providence City Solicitor, and contributed his legal expertise to the Rhode Island Secretary of State, the Rhode Island Public Buildings Authority, and the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Administration. The Rhode Island Supreme Court appointed him to the Alternate Dispute Resolution Task Force, the Rules of Evidence Committee, the Committee for Admission to the Bar, and the Committee on Clerkships. Armie also held leadership positions in several legal associations, including the Rhode Island Trial Lawyers Association.

In his community, Armie demonstrated an even deeper commitment to others. He was a Chairman of the Warwick School Committee, Chairman of the Warwick Bicentennial Committee, President of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Warwick, trustee of his church, president of the alumni association of his class at Brown, Commodore and Perpetual Member of the East Greenwich Yacht Club, and Co-Founder of Warwick Figure Skaters. He also held leadership positions in local chapters of the United Way, the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Charities Fund, and John F. Kennedy's 1960 presidential campaign.

Armie devoted himself to a large and loving family, and is survived by his wife, Norma, his brother, John, his four children, Katherine, Julie, Sandra, and Steven, nine grandchildren, four nieces, one nephew, and seven grandnieces and grandnephews.

It is an honor to remember Armie on the Floor today, just as it was to consider him a trusted friend and advisor. He made a difference, and he will truly be missed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the omnibus spending agreement that is before us today, which will finally fund the government for the remainder of fiscal year 2017. The bill before us is not a perfect bill, but it represents a good bipartisan compromise.

Mr. Speaker, we need to engage in good faith discussions about our values and priorities, not participate in posturing to social media. It is my hope that my congressional colleagues on both sides of the aisle will continue the constructive tone that this agreement represents.

This fiscal year 2017 agreement delivers on many priorities important to Rhode Island. It restores the year-round Pell Grant Program or summer Pell eligibility, allowing summer students to receive Pell grant funds to help them finish their degrees on time.

Rather than slash funding as the President had requested, this compromise also adds $2 billion in funding to the National Institutes of Health, which conducts vital research in our efforts to treat and cure catastrophic diseases and drives innovative economic development.

On the defense side, this agreement funds vital national security programs, including the continued procurement of Virginia class submarines and ongoing development of the new Columbia class, work that I am proud to say happens at Quonset Point in my district.

I want to thank all those involved in these negotiations on both sides of the aisle for their commitment to achieving a good faith compromise that will keep the government open and working for the American people. I hope we can continue on a similar bipartisan agreement as we plan for the next fiscal year.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and memory of General Amedeo ``Armie'' Merolla--a dedicated patriot, a passionate legal mind, a community leader in Rhode Island, and someone whom I was proud to call a dear friend.

Armie's distinguished military career spanned 36 years, during which time he served in the United States Marine Corps and the Rhode Island National Guard. He served as assistant adjutant general for the State and retired as the first brigadier general of Italian heritage in the history of the Rhode Island National Guard.

As an accomplished attorney for more than 60 years, he provided legal counsel and advice to several public officials--myself included--and maintained a very successful private practice.

As a tireless community leader, he served as chairman of the Warwick School Committee and held leadership positions in local branches of charities and children's organizations. Above all, he prioritized his family, whom he loved dearly and to whom he devoted his life's work.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to remember Armie on the floor today, just as it was to consider him a trusted friend and adviser. Mr. Speaker, he made a difference, and he will be greatly missed.

Mr. Speaker, today I introduced the PLUS Loan Disability Forgiveness Act, a bill to relieve the burden of student loan debt on parents whose children become permanently disabled. While most student loans are forgiven if a student becomes totally and permanently disabled, parent PLUS loans are not.

It is simply wrong that a parent struggling with a child's disability is not afforded the same loan forgiveness as other borrowers. My bill would extend disability discharge to parent PLUS loans. It would allow families to focus on healing, not servicing debt. It would help lighten the $1.4 trillion owed by student borrowers and their families.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting these parents, who are just trying to help their children succeed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Autism Awareness Month.

It is shocking to know that at least 1 in 68 children have been identified with autism spectrum disorder in the United States. My own family has been affected by this situation with my nephew Joshua, who is now 20 years old, a bright and energetic young man who is autistic.

Mr. Speaker, early detection and treatment plans are crucial to the development of a child's social, behavioral, and communications skills. As such, we must invest in the research of new interventions, provide support to families and caregivers, and fund programs that assist those living with autism well into adulthood. Right now,

especially when they age into adulthood, those resources are not there.

Mr. Speaker, Sesame Street recently introduced a character with autism named Julia to teach audiences about inclusion. This month is part of a larger conversation about autism derived from a place of positivity.

I am hopeful that Julia can help convey such a message to our youth, and I will continue supporting programs that help people with autism and their families by providing the tools they need to succeed.

Mr. Speaker, today I recognize Lieutenant Colonel Christopher L'Heureux of the United States Army for his extraordinary dedication to duty and service to our Nation. Colonel L'Heureux will soon transition from his current assignment as an Army Congressional Liaison in the House of Representatives to serve as the Commander of 2d Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment. The unit is currently leading a multinational battle group in Poland deterring adversaries and reassuring allies of

America's continued commitment to the region.

A native of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, Colonel L'Heureux began his military career as an enlisted infantryman in the Rhode Island Army National Guard. He was commissioned in 1999 through the Providence College Army ROTC Program and subsequently assigned to a tank battalion in Germany. While in Germany, he deployed twice to Kosovo and again to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Since then, Colonel L'Heureux has served in multiple leadership and staff positions in combat units, including two additional deployments to Iraq and one to Afghanistan.

In 2015, Colonel L'Heureux was selected to serve as a Congressional Liaison in the United States Army House Liaison Division. As the primary liaison between Members of the House of Representatives and the Army, Colonel L'Heureux has provided insight and a deep understanding of Army policies, actions, operations, and requirements. His first-hand knowledge of the military, its culture, and traditions has been of tremendous benefit to Congressional offices. Chris was especially effective in his service to Members and staff as he escorted them on fact-finding and oversight delegations within the United States and to multiple countries in South America, Europe, and the Middle East. I have had the privilege to travel with Colonel L'Heureux on several occasions, including to Israel and to various military exercises in the United States, and I found him to be a thoughtful, intelligent, and dedicated Soldier in the best traditions of America's Armed Forces and the men and women called to serve from the great state of Rhode Island.

Mr. Speaker, it has been a pleasure to work with Colonel L'Heureux during his time as an Army Congressional Liaison Officer in the House of Representatives. On behalf of a grateful Nation, it is my honor to recognize the selfless service and sacrifice of Lieutenant Colonel Christopher L'Heureux, his wife, Danielle, and their children, Ella and Jonathan. I wish them the very best as they continue their journey in the United States Army and thank them for dedicating their lives to the service of our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, it is my solemn privilege to recognize the late World War II veteran Private First Class (PFC) Robert Liebrich of Rhode Island. Tomorrow, it will be my honor to present Carol Liebrich, his widow, a Purple Heart with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for PFC Liebrich's meritorious service with the Army after being shot in the arm during an engagement with opposing forces. This is the second Purple Heart for PFC Liebrich, who was first injured after being shot in the abdomen in events leading up to the Battle of the Bulge, which began in December 1944. He was only 18 years old when he sustained both injuries.

We owe our Soldiers who fought in World War II an enormous debt of gratitude, and PFC Liebrich is no exception. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank PFC Liebrich and his widow, Carol, for dedicating their lives to the service of our Nation and for defending humanity and human dignity during one of our world's most pressing crises. It will be a great and humbling honor to present this award to Mrs. Liebrich for her husband's heroism.