Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, this Fourth of July will mark the 75th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's historic farewell address at Yankee Stadium, where he brought national attention to the disease that bears his name today. Sadly, so many decades later, we are still struggling to understand the cause of ALS, and there is still no known cure.

On June 13, I was proud to join the Rhode Island ALS chapter to reaffirm our commitment to the families affected by this disease. Hearing their stories emboldened me to fight harder than ever for additional research funding that will lead to more effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure.

Lou Gehrig famously said in his farewell speech:

I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful

lot to live for.

So, too, do the millions of people in the fight against ALS--I recognize them and the caregivers that take care of them. They are unsung heroes as well. Together, I know this is a fight that we can win.

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

Mr. Chairman, first of all, I rise to offer a very simple amendment to direct the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs to increase individual grant amounts issued through the Spinal Cord Injury Research Program.

I would like to begin, of course, by thanking Chairman Frelinghuysen as well as Ranking Member Visclosky for their work on the underlying bill and for their continued commitment to funding the Spinal Cord Injury Research Program.

As someone who has suffered a spinal cord injury at the age of 16, I am acutely aware of how important this research is to the millions of servicemembers and civilians who suffer from various forms of paralysis and other conditions related to spinal cord injury. They simply want to know whether they will ever again be able to move, be able to walk, or even be able to breathe on their own.

I am thrilled to say that we are beginning to see meaningful answers in a positive way to these questions. Research into spinal cord injuries is producing, right now, a wealth of groundbreaking discoveries that are making treatment protocols never before envisioned an actual achievable goal. However, if we want these advancements to continue, particularly in the areas of translational research, then we must make sure that we are providing higher grant award levels to the researchers funded by the Spinal Cord Injury Program.

I say this because we have heard from researchers in the field of spinal cord injury research that the current grant awards, though meaningful, the ones that are issued to the program are not yet really large enough to make an appreciable difference, given the promise that the research shows right now.

So in the fiscal year 2013 appropriations measure, I was proud to work with the Defense Appropriations Committee to double the funding for the Spinal Cord Injury Research Program from $15 to $30 million; and thanks to the hard work of Chairman Frelinghuysen as well as Ranking Member Visclosky, we have been able to maintain that funding level in this bill. I am incredibly grateful.

With twice the amount of funding allocated since 2013, it is time to increase the amount of individual grants provided to the program's recipients. Remarkable advancements are now ripe for further development, but these next steps will only be achieved if the grant awards keep pace with the growing complexities and costs of this research.

With that, I thank, again, Chairman Frelinghuysen as well as Ranking Member Visclosky. I urge my colleagues to adopt this amendment.

I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.

I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.

I thank the ranking member. I thank both the gentlemen for their comments, their support of this research.

When I was injured 34 years ago, I was told that I would never walk again, that spinal cord injury repair was just too difficult, it would never happen. We know now, because of research that is happening over the years by dedicated researchers and where we are right now, that it is no longer a question of if but when people with spinal cord injuries will walk again, be able to breathe on their own again, and be able to move again.

The support you have given to this amendment is going to help millions of people. I thank both the chairman and, again, the ranking member as well as the members of the committee.

Mr. Chair, with that, I again just want to express my deep appreciation for the hard work that went into this bill. Of course maintaining the current funding level at $30 million in this program and the support of both Jim Frelinghuysen and Ranking Member Visclosky encouraging larger grant awards, I know that this will make a difference. Just hearing from the researchers in the field explaining why and how the larger awards would make this difference, I know that we will be seeing results very soon.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, the amendment I authored with my good friends Congressman Price, Congressman Quigley and Congressman Butterfield will increase funding for FTA Technical Assistance and Training, returning them to their 2014 levels.

The technical assistance and training dollars made available by this amendment will help increase mobility for people with disabilities and older adults. By providing this assistance to our transit systems and services, we can ensure they become more accessible for those who rely on them the most.

Easter Seals, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging and others have a long history of working with the FTA to provide training, technical assistance and support services to the transit industry, the elderly and peole with disabilities. It is critical for this work to continue, especially as more people age and more of those with disabilities seek to live as independently as possible.

For FTA to do this effectively, it must have adequate resources to support these technical assitance activities.

Accordingly, our amendment will increase funding by $2 million for FTA Technical Assistance and Training, restoring it to $5 million, which equals last year's levels.

Individuals with disabilities and older adults disproportionately rely on public transit to work, live, learn, and access recreation in their communities. I ask that my colleagues support this amendment, which will provide immeasurable benefits to all those it serves.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 4681, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2014 and 2015.

I am going to keep my remarks brief, but I first wanted to thank Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Ruppersberger for bringing this bill to the floor in a bipartisan way. The bill before us really is indicative of how the committee is run in a bipartisan way under Chairman Rogers' leadership.

In particular, I do want to commend Chairman Rogers for his years of service on the Intelligence Committee and wish him the best in his retirement at the end of this year. He clearly made a difference.

Mr. Chairman, this is a balanced measure and really critical to protecting our Nation's security. I have been pleased to work with the chairman and ranking member on several provisions included in the bill.

This bill makes critical investments in technical and tactical intelligence, as well as in our human capabilities.

In particular, in order to support and develop the long-term health of our most important intelligence resource--human talent--this bill requires the Director of National Intelligence to create a plan to promote cybersecurity and computer literacy among high school and university students.

As cyber threats grow in quantity and sophistication, we must do more to train and recruit into the noble calling of government service young people with the interest and aptitude for cybersecurity.

The bill authorizes provisions to reduce the risk of information leaks, as well, and unauthorized disclosures of classified information by insiders, while maintaining appropriate levels of trust in our personnel. We cannot afford a repeat of last year's breach of classified information.

Mr. Chairman, continued focus is needed to ensure that we, of course, are supporting the efforts of those patriotic Americans who proudly serve our Nation in the intelligence community, while properly safeguarding the privacy and civil liberties that our citizens hold dear.

To that end, we must fully absorb the lessons learned over the past decade after passage of the landmark Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act and the changes it brought to the IC.

I certainly look forward to working with my committee colleagues to continue this tradition of rigorous, responsible, and bipartisan oversight. The work that we do is critical to our national security.

Again, I thank Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Ruppersberger, as well as my colleagues on the committee; and in particular, I want to thank the staff for the hard work that they have done in bringing this bill to the floor on both sides of the aisle. Their work is critical as well.

I thank my colleagues.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, the amendment that I offer today addresses a topic that is of the utmost importance to our national defense, that is, cybersecurity.

Before I go into the particulars, I would like to first acknowledge the important work of my colleague, Chairman Wolf, on this vital issue. Although he is retiring at the end of the year, he has certainly left a legacy of support for cybersecurity funding which he and Ranking Member Fattah have continued in this bill. I thank them both for their important work.

Madam Chair, bad actors in cyberspace are growing in number and in sophistication, and as policymakers we have an imperative to act in the public interest. When Congress came up short in its efforts to enact comprehensive cybersecurity legislation in the 112th Congress, the administration rightly acted as best it could to advance the ball on cybersecurity. The President issued an executive order on this topic, and among the many things it did, it charged the National Institute for Standards and Technology with the creation of a framework for cybersecurity, and it ensured an open process, engaging all parties from across the spectrum of industry, government, and academia.

Madam Chair, my simple amendment endorses the use of routine Department of Commerce surveys in order to measure the extent to which businesses have adopted the NIST voluntary cybersecurity framework. In fact, my amendment will ensure that the Bureau of Industry and Security's Office of Technology Evaluation uses its Defense Production Act authority to conduct a survey about use of the NIST framework.

While I applaud the President's focus on cybersecurity, and the NIST process has been widely regarded as a laudable example of public- private partnership, much more needs to be done, and the administration cannot go it alone. It will take congressional action to address issues such as incentives, liability protections, information sharing, and breach notification.

However, while we continue to work toward passage of bipartisan cybersecurity legislation, it is important that we measure how well the NIST framework is faring. Our routine Commerce Department survey, using existing authority under the Defense Production Act, will enable an assessment of the NIST framework's adoption rate, a key component of its effectiveness.

Information sharing is also an important part of the framework, so the survey will also allow BIS to ask companies what, if any, information from the government they have used and how they have used it. This brief survey should be designed in a way to minimize the burden on companies: determining if their using the framework or information shared from the government does not require an exhaustive survey of their cybersecurity practices.

The NIST framework is a model for cybersecurity. It doesn't demand adherence to a particular set of standards, nor does it proscribe certain activities. Instead, it describes processes that entities can adopt to help them decide which standards and risk levels are appropriate for their own situations.

I believe that this framework is a useful tool for companies to help them navigate new threats in the information age. I know that some of my colleagues believe otherwise, but without hard data, these sentiments would be just that: beliefs. Measuring adoption of the framework is a concrete step in the right direction that we can take to help develop our own best practices for what works in the realm of cyber policy.

So with that, Madam Chair, we have all heard about major cyber attacks in the news, including the Target breach and the Heartbleed security vulnerability. Just this month alone we have seen the Department of Justice indict Chinese soldiers for hacks of American companies. We have seen the breach of up to 145 million emails, birth dates, and passwords from a major Internet commerce site. We have even seen the Department of Homeland Security warned about a successful attack on a public utility that compromised the utility's control system network.

My amendment will not solve all of these problems at once, but it will help policymakers here and in the administration take effective and informed steps to protect our networks from cyber attacks.

So with that, let me again congratulate Chairman Wolf and thank him for his distinguished service to this body.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the USA FREEDOM Act.

I want to thank and congratulate all those who had a hand in crafting the legislation before us, particularly Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Ruppersberger.

Changes to our national security program should not be taken lightly, and this compromise legislation is the result of vigorous debate and careful consideration. As Chairman Rogers pointed out, with all the reviews and investigations that have taken place with respect to the bulk collection program, no violations of law were found. But

there was concern that there could be abuses in the future, and the American people wanted a better balance to be struck between national security and protecting privacy and civil liberties and more accountability. Many of my constituents have expressed concerns about the sanctity of their civil liberties, and I share their concern. I firmly believe that this legislation protects that privacy by ending bulk metadata collection while still safeguarding our national security.

I am particularly pleased that this legislation includes provisions very similar to those that I championed in the Intelligence Committee which allow the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to appoint an independent advocate with legal or technical expertise in the field, such as privacy and civil liberties, intelligence collection, telecommunication, cyber, or any other area of law necessary in order to ensure independent checks on government surveillance within the court's process.

With that, I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 4435, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015.

I would like to begin by thanking Chairman McKeon for his leadership of the committee and for all of his years of dedication to national security. It is appropriate that this act is named after him.

I want to thank and recognize the ranking member, Adam Smith, for his leadership on the committee as well. He deeply cares about national security, and I appreciate the work that he has done on this mark.

I also want to thank Congressman Mac Thornberry, the chair of the Intelligence, Emerging Threats, and Capabilities Subcommittee. It has been a privilege working with him. As the ranking member of the IETC Subcommittee, I do appreciate his bipartisan work, and I am pleased with the bill that we have produced this year.

Mr. Chairman, the IETC portion of the bill authorizes approximately $7.6 billion for the U.S. Special Operations Command. Authorities necessary for Special Operations Forces to combat terrorism are extended in the bill, which also provides an additional $20 million for the Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office, which gives our Special Operations Forces the cutting-edge capabilities and technologies that they need.

The IETC Subcommittee also made investments in emerging technologies like electrical weapons, and I want to commend especially the Navy's efforts to move technologies like directed energy and railguns, in particular, out of the labs and into the field.

Getting this game-changing technology into the hands of the Nation's sailors and into the hands of all of our warfighters will ultimately serve to realize the promise of research investment.

In addition to our focus on research and development efforts, we must also put investments into education programs, so that there is a qualified science, technology, engineering, and mathematics--or STEM-- talent pool to benefit the DOD.

I am particularly pleased that the bill provides a total of $55.5 million for the National Defense Education Program. Additionally, the IETC portion of the bill includes provisions to strengthen the oversight of the intelligence community while ensuring that combat and commander intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance requirements are met.

I thank the ranking member.

Mr. Chairman, last but certainly not least, the bill also supports cyber operations and U.S. Cyber Command, while reducing redundant programs and increasing transparency and oversight.

As recent revelations of cyber incidents demonstrate, a trained and ready cyber force and robust defensive capabilities have never been more integral to our national security.

These are just but a few of the highlights in the bill. In the interest of time, I will end there. But I do want to again thank the chairman and the ranking member for their leadership, all the members of the Armed Services Committee, as well as the staff of the committee, for all the work that they have put into this mark.

I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored today to congratulate Salve Regina University, in my home state of Rhode Island, on receiving the 2014 Arthur Ross Award for Stewardship. Given by the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, the Arthur Ross Awards celebrate achievements in the classical tradition. According to the ICAA, ``In protecting the architectural legacy of its campus, the university has commissioned new buildings that harmonize with its historic structures.'' My time on the campus has only confirmed Salve's success in preserving Newport's rich architectural and cultural heritage.

Since the donation of Ochre Court, the second largest mansion in the city, to the University in 1947, Salve has had a unique relationship with its buildings. Located on seven contiguous estates from Newport's gilded age, bordering the famous Cliff Walk, the natural beauty of the grounds (some of which were designed by the Olmstead brothers) is only enhanced by the magnificence of the architecture. Beyond Ochre Court, Salve also counts McAuley Hall, the former estate of tobacco heiress Catherine Lorillard Wolfe; Conley Hall, once known as Faxon Lodge; and the National Historic Landmark, the William Watts Sherman House, among its many facilities.

In addition to acquiring and preserving these architectural gems, Salve has also commissioned buildings that promote and enhance the overall campus aesthetic. Two recent additions, the Rodgers Recreation Center and Our Lady of Mercy Chapel, both designed by internationally renowned architect Robert A.M. Stern, are stunning examples of Shingle style American architecture that mesh perfectly with their hundred year-old neighbors.

My favorite building on campus might be the Antone Academic Center, which originally served as the stables and carriage house for Chateau- sur-Mer, the oldest of the Bellevue Avenue mansions. The Antone Center is the home of Salve's Cultural and Historic Preservation Department, and it houses labs where students and professors develop new ways to protect our country's artistic legacy. By taking advantage of the natural resource that Rhode Island's rich architectural heritage represents, Salve has made important contributions to the Ocean State while training the next generation of preservationists.

In 2002, Salve became the first New England school to receive a Getty Grant to develop a campus heritage preservation plan. Barely a decade later, I am thrilled to see their hard work rewarded and highlighted on the national stage. Congratulations to University President Sister Jane Gerety and all of the Salve community for this honor!

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to, first of all, thank Chairman Kline and Ranking Member Miller for their hard work in bringing this bill to the floor. While it is not perfect, I certainly appreciate their bipartisan work on the public charter school program.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment basically adds comprehensive career counseling to the criteria that the Secretary of Education will take into account when prioritizing grants awarded under this bill. The amendment would provide school counselors with the most up-to-date information and training for current and future workforce trends and needs. As students plan their path forward, this knowledge will be invaluable.

I am proud to be joined in offering this amendment by my good friend and colleague, Congressman G.T. Thompson from Pennsylvania. As cochairs of the bipartisan Congressional Career and Technical Education Caucus, Representative Thompson and I are committed to expanding skills and training that will provide students of all ages with the capabilities necessary to meet the demands of the modern economy. It is a true partnership, and I appreciate his leadership.

Comprehensive career counseling is a vital part of skills training. It helps to better align school curricula with local workforce trends and available postsecondary opportunities.

This amendment will help school counselors connect high school students to the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century workforce.

As we all can see, it has become clear that high school diplomas are no longer sufficient training for the modern job market. While not every job will require a college degree, some sort of postsecondary education will be absolutely necessary. Whether it comes from a community college, a skills training program, or on-the-job training, we need to change what it means to be college- and career-ready. We need to provide students with the knowledge and expertise that will truly prepare them for what is next.

Comprehensive career counseling and training doesn't just belong to charter schools. It is a tool that all students should be able to access, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to expand this program to other schools in the future. Today, we have an opportunity to take a first step in that direction.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment.

With that, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller), the ranking member.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleague for his kind words in support of the amendment.

With that, I urge all my colleagues to support this amendment. Again, it will give school counselors the most up-to-date information and training that they need as they are advising their young students about their career path forward.

I urge my colleagues to support the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Foster Youth Month.

Every child deserves a healthy, safe, and stable home, yet too many continue to go without these basic needs that so many of us take for granted. This May, we recognize more than 400,000 American children in foster care who are waiting for their forever family.

The theme of this year's Foster Month is ``Building Blocks Toward Permanent Families,'' an issue that is near to my heart. My parents took in several foster children when I was

growing up, and I was able to see firsthand the difference that this made. And some of them are still in touch with my family today.

To all those people across the country who are taking in a foster child today, I say thank you. I know you are making a positive difference in that child's life, and I encourage others to consider doing the same.

Foster children belong to all of us, and we have a moral obligation to treat them with the same love and care that we would our own children. And I encourage all of my colleagues to join me in recognizing May as Foster Youth Month.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Foster Youth Month.

Every child deserves a healthy, safe, and stable home. Yet too many continue to go without these basic needs that so many of us take for granted. This May, we recognize more than 400,000 American children in foster care who are waiting for their forever family.

The theme of this year's Foster Month is ``Building Blocks Toward Permanent Families''--an issue that is near to my heart. My parents took in several foster children when I was growing up. I was able to see firsthand the difference that this made, and some of them are still in touch with my family today.

Foster children belong to all of us, and we have a moral obligation to treat them with the same love and care that we would our own children.

I encourage all my colleagues to join me in recognizing May as Foster Youth Month.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to the Republican Budget for fiscal year 2015. We have two choices in front of us

today. Two choices on the programs and investments we must fund and prioritize to balance deficit reduction with economic growth.

The prosperity of our Nation is dependent on a strong middle class. Regrettably, the Republican budget would increase taxes on middle class families, provide huge tax breaks for the wealthy, and place the burden of paying for those tax breaks on working Americans, and their children.

We have seen this budget before--a couple of times, in fact. It's the same budget Chairman Ryan brought us in 2013, and in 2012. It is a budget that works for the one percent at the expense of the other 99 percent. It shifts future costs to seniors by ending the Medicare guarantee and raising prescription drug costs. It cuts investment in our Nation's infrastructure, slashes funding for program, that keep children from going hungry, and guts education through cuts to Pell grants and K-12 education. Republicans have proposed a budget that attacks the very foundation of the middle class. It is a path that will lead to economic uncertainty for millions of Americans, and it is not a budget I can support in good conscience.

Democrats have offered a fair and balanced alternative budget that preserves our social safety net, keeps the promises made to our seniors, and asks all Americans to pay their fair share in reducing the deficit. Rhode Islanders understand more than most the toll unemployment can take on families and our communities. The Democratic alternative extends emergency unemployment insurance so those who are still struggling to find work can keep paying their bills. It provides $76 billion for early childhood education and ensures college affordability by lowering student loan debt and including new repayment options. It provides funding for public transit, our highways, and supports critical investments in research and development, clean energy, manufacturing, and programs that make our industries competitive globally.

I have a responsibility to my constituents, and to every American, to make sure that policies we enact in Congress provide for the long term health and prosperity of our Nation, which include getting people back to work, giving our businesses the support they need to grow, and building a skilled workforce to meet the demands of a 21st Century economy. The Republican budget takes us in the wrong direction. I urge my colleagues to reject the Republican Budget and support the Democratic alternative that keeps our promises to our seniors, preserves our social safety net, and balances deficit reduction with job growth and economic recovery.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of Brown University's 250th birthday.

Since 1764, the crown jewel of Rhode Island's higher education has been turning out scholars, thinkers, researchers, and leaders. Few of the sixty original signatories to the Brown charter could have conceived of where the university would stand today. Brunonians today lead the world in particle physics, neurology, renewable energy, and many other disciplines that two and a half centuries ago seemed beyond human comprehension.

As a lifelong citizen of Rhode Island, I am especially proud that our values of intellectual freedom and religious tolerance are reflected in Brown University. The mission of the university remains as relevant as ever: ``To serve the community, the nation and the world by discovering, communicating and preserving knowledge in a spirit of free inquiry, and by educating and preparing students to discharge the offices of life with usefulness and reputation.''

Perhaps inspired by these heady words, many graduates have chosen a life of public service. This includes Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen; Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez; Governors Maggie Hassan, Jack Markell, Bobby Jindal, and Rhode Island's own Lincoln Chafee; as well my colleague, Congressman Cicilline.

In addition to the many individual contributions Brunonians have made to the civic community, Brown has been, itself, a leader among institutions of higher education. The New Curriculum is a model for academic exploration that encourages students to take intellectual risks and reflect deeply about their scholarly choices. These values can be seen in the exemplary Program in Liberal Medical Education, an innovative synthesis of traditional and professional courses of study, and in the University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice, which examined the connections between the school's namesake family and the slave trade.

For the past 250 years, Brown has stood as a shining example of the success of free inquiry and the powers of creative discovery. Under President Christina Paxson's leadership, Brown is continuing to build on her past successes and remains a global leader in education. Just as her founders could not have envisioned the breadth of research being done today, I am excited to see what new fields Brown will lead in the future.

I join all of my Rhode Island colleagues in wishing Brown well on her 250th Birthday, as we all look forward to even greater things to come.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in recognition of Career and Technical Education Month; and let me say how proud I am to work alongside my colleague, Congressman G.T. Thompson of Pennsylvania, my good friend and fellow cochair of the bipartisan Congressional Career and Technical Education Caucus.

CTE is an investment in the future of our economy, our workforce, and our country. From skills training in high schools to community colleges and professional programs, CTE plays a key role for workers at every age.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the Consolidated Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2014, which passed in January, increased authorization amounts for Perkins by $53 million for FY 2014.

Now, that is a sharp contrast in terms of the cuts that had taken place in CTE and Perkins since 2010; so with that, I urge my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to fully fund Perkins in the upcoming fiscal year and to make important investments in career training.

Now, all too often, Mr. Speaker, I hear from Rhode Island employers that they have job openings right now, but are unable to find local skilled workers with the expertise necessary to fill the position. Closing the skills gap is an important step to making sure that workers fit the needs of expanding industries.

With that, I look forward to continuing my partnership with Congressman G.T. Thompson; and I urge all of my congressional colleagues to join the CTE Caucus; and I ask them to fully support funding Perkins in FY15.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Team USA, the United States Olympic Committee, and all of our Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Today, the 22nd Olympic Winter Games will begin in Sochi, Russia. They will be followed shortly afterwards by the 11th Paralympic Winter Games. Over 200 American athletes will be representing our nation at the Olympics, participating in 15 events.

Many of these athletes have worked all their lives for the honor of representing their nation at the highest level. All of them will captivate and inspire us all through friendly competition, sportsmanship, solidarity, and fair play. From the thrill of downhill skiing to the quiet Zen of curling, Olympians from across the globe will kindle the Olympic Spirit as they compete alongside other world- class athletes.

I am especially pleased that my home state of Rhode Island is represented in Pairs Figure Skating by Marissa Castelli of Cranston. It has been over a quarter century since Team USA was on the medal platform for Pairs Skating, but we have a great chance of returning this year. We are all immensely proud of her accomplishments and we look forward to cheering on Marissa, her partner Simon Shnapir, and all the other members of Team USA.

In addition to our Olympic athletes, I would like to take a moment to commend America's Paralympians. Although they might not get the same television coverage as the Olympics, the Paralympics showcases some of the finest talent this country has to offer. Some of these world-class athletes are also wounded warriors who served in our military and fought for our country with honor and distinction. I have been pleased to work with the U.S. Olympic Committee and my Congressional colleagues to provide adaptive sports programs to injured service members, helping to speed their recovery time, bolster their self-confidence, and vastly improve their quality of life.

I would also like to recognize the courage of all the LGBT athletes participating in these Olympics. While I strongly oppose Russia's anti- gay legislation, I have every confidence that our athletes will display the same grace and dignity under pressure that has served them well in their quest for Olympic glory.

The Olympic movement is a testament to the power of international competition to unite us in common spirit and a reminder to all that we can achieve our dreams with courage and determination. I wish our Athletes well in the upcoming games, and thank the U.S. Olympic Committee for their continued dedication to achieving a better world through athletics.