Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I represent one of the largest geographic districts in the country. Access to healthcare is a very real problem for the people I represent because many of them live hours away and hundreds of miles away from specialized healthcare.

For my constituents, one of the few positive developments that came out of COVID-19 was the expansion of the way that telehealth can be used to provide quality healthcare in districts like mine.

This bill, H.R. 4040, would take a very meaningful step in making permanent the changes to law that enable the provision of that telehealth, and I strongly urge its adoption.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas), my friend and colleague, for yielding time.

Research and development grants from the Department of Energy play a vital role in catalyzing the development of new energy technology in the United States. The awarding of those grants is governed by the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Among other things, the act requires the DOE to impose a cost-sharing requirement on non-Federal applicants for those grants. This is very appropriate because it gives the grant applicants some skin in the game, some financial participation of their own.

These cost-sharing requirements can be as low as 20 percent with respect to research and development grants and as high as 50 percent for grants like commercialization or demonstration projects.

As the gentleman from Oklahoma said, the DOE is empowered to, in appropriate circumstances, waive those cost-sharing requirements.

Several months ago, the SST Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee had a hearing in which we examined some of the circumstances under which that discretion to waive or reduce cost-sharing had been applied by the DOE.

Now, to be clear, we actually concluded that the DOE had appropriately used its authority in these circumstances. However, we were very surprised by the lack of transparency in this process and how difficult it was to obtain the information about how often the DOE was using this authority and under what circumstances.

This bill is a very simple answer to that difficulty and a solution to this problem. H.R. 6933, the Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2022, will impose a reporting requirement on the DOE in which it will be required quarterly to make reports to both the relevant committees of jurisdiction in the House and the Senate on the number of occasions and the circumstances in which it wielded this authority to reduce or eliminate cost-shares in grants that it awards.

This will allow us here in Congress to better fulfill our oversight responsibilities toward the Department of Energy.

Also, and equally importantly, it will provide transparency to the applicants for these grants under what circumstances it is appropriate for the DOE to waive these cost-sharing requirements.

This is a basic good-governance bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it. I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Foster), my friend and colleague, for being my bipartisan co-lead on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise this afternoon in celebration of the 100th birthday of a member of my district. Josephine Bizzarro, a resident of the High Desert, turns 100. She is preceded in death by her husband, Mr. Domenick Bizzarro. They are both members of the Greatest Generation.

The Nazis held Domenick Bizzarro as a prisoner of war in Germany, during World War II where he earned a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts.

His wife, Josephine, was the consummate military spouse whose unwavering commitment to her husband is what saw him through those dark days in World War II.

Mr. Speaker, everyone that knows her celebrates her life as the epitome of what a life well lived should be, and Heather and I join them in wishing Josephine Bizzarro a very happy 100th birthday.

Mr. Speaker, advanced air mobility has the potential to revolutionize personal transportation in the United States.

Imagine a future just a few years from now where instead of summoning a taxicab, Mr. Speaker, you walk several blocks to a nearby vertiport where an autonomous aerial vehicle comes down to pick you up, hovers briefly, touches down, the doors open for you, and it takes you straight to your destination at a cost similar to calling an Uber today. That is the potential of advanced air mobility. Unfortunately, it is going to require the coordination and cooperation of many different Federal, State, and local government agencies to realize its potential.

There are many thorny problems that have to be solved before that reality is available to us, for example, problems around the certification of these vehicles and problems around the regulation of the industry.

Are they regulated like a taxicab operator, or are they regulated like an air carrier?

Who pays for and conducts the planning for these vertiports?

What considerations are there for aircraft noise?

What certification standards surround the autonomous vehicle software that controls these aerial vehicles?

All of these are problems that will have to be solved before this can become a reality.

If we are not careful about laying the foundation for success with this industry, then, unfortunately, regulation will serve to crush this optimistic future instead of catalyzing it.

That is why I am so happy that we are considering two important bills with respect to advanced air mobility on the floor of the House today. The first of these bills will establish a working group of different government agencies whose coordination and cooperation will be necessary to solve some of these regulatory problems that face this burgeoning industry.

The second of these bills will establish a new grant program for the planning and development of the infrastructure necessary to support advanced air mobility.

Mr. Speaker, together these bills represent a very meaningful first investment in this incredibly exciting new industry. I urge support, and I am happy to see the House take up these bills tonight.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose the previous question so that we can immediately consider the American Energy Independence from Russia Act.

Mr. Speaker, last night I held a townhall with over 2,000 of my constituents.

Do you know what was top of mind to those people?

It was not the previous question. It was energy prices in America, and particularly, the price of fuel.

Mr. Speaker, it was heartbreaking to hear from constituent after constituent after constituent who said that they were unable to afford the energy required to get to work and back just to put food on the table for their families. Mr. Speaker, you can imagine how embarrassing and heartbreaking it was for me to have to admit to my constituents that the reason for those high energy prices was the actions of their very own government.

Mr. Speaker, since the beginning of the current administration, there has been a concerted effort to constrain the supply of energy produced here in America. What we have is a classic problem of supply and demand. We don't have enough supply, and yet this administration in its very first week issued an executive order completely halting the issuance of new gas and oil exploration permits on Federal lands in this country. It issued an executive order stopping the Keystone XL pipeline. Mr. Speaker, that pipeline alone, if it were in operation today, would allow us to import more than enough oil to completely offset our oil imports from Russia.

The tragic thing about this situation is that the administration is doing this out of the mistaken belief that it will make the planet greener. But nothing could be further from the truth. We produce energy more cleanly here in America than any other country on Earth.

So when we take actions that require us to import more oil from places like Venezuela, which has a 50 percent higher lifecycle greenhouse gas emission per barrel of oil than oil produced here in America, and when we increase oil imports from places like Russia that still utilize dirty practices like methane flaring--things we haven't done here in years--we are actually increasing global greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr. Speaker, if we increase energy production here, not only will we lower prices for our constituents who are suffering, and not only will we increase our national security, but we will also make our planet a cleaner place.

Mr. Speaker, I urge immediate consideration of the American Independence from Russia Act.

Madam Speaker, several weeks ago, we witnessed a very unfortunate milestone, the 80th anniversary of the signature of an executive order by the President of the United States to incarcerate over 100,000 Japanese Americans during World War II.

This was a direct violation of the founding principles of our country that say that no one should be deprived of their liberty without just cause.

That is why I was so proud to see this body pass my bill, H.R. 6434, this week that would create a historic network of sites linked to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.

Madam Speaker, the power of history is to gain perspective and learn from the mistakes of the past. I am in hopes that this network will call attention to this unjust imprisonment and ensure that this injustice never occurs in the United States again.

Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise today to honor the passing of Neal Hertzmann, a constituent of my district and former Mayor of my hometown of Big Bear Lake, California. Neal was an exceptional and dedicated public servant. He served Big Bear Lake as its mayor from 1994 to 1998 and served Southern California for over twenty years including as a member of the Big Bear Lake Department of Water and Power Board, a Councilman for the City of Big Bear Lake, and as Big Bear Lake's representative on the League of California Cities, just to name a few of his roles. In each position, Neal never lost sight of the unique qualities that make each of us proud to call our community home.

In addition to his extensive public service, Neal was an innovative mechanical engineer by trade, and diligently worked on several of the Falcon missiles for Hughes Aircraft, which were among the very first operational guided air-to-air missiles adopted by the United States Air Force. His creative originality and expertise also proved vital in the development and success of the Surveyor program, which consisted of seven unmanned lunar missions launched between May 1966 and January 1968, five of which successfully soft-landed on the lunar surface. The legendary success of the Apollo 11 mission would not have been possible if not for the crucial developments pioneered by great men like Neal.

Throughout his life, Neal sought opportunities to directly engage with neighbors, to meet new people, and to lend a helping hand wherever he could. I am honored to have had the chance to know him and call him my friend, and I can say from firsthand experience how impactful his continuous dedication has been for our community. My prayers are with his family and the City of Big Bear Lake as we mourn the loss of this dedicated public servant.

Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise today to honor the passing of retired Sergeant Mario Salazar of the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department. Sergeant Salazar was born in Highland and served our community loyally for 28 years before retiring in January 2019. His passing on January 22nd of this year is a solemn loss for our San Bernardino County law enforcement community and the people of California's 8th District.

Sergeant Salazar began his career in California's 8th District in 1991 as a patrol duty officer at the Central Detention Center and the Fontana and Highland stations. He served our communities with outstanding dedication for 14 years before being promoted to detective in 2005 and then again to sergeant in 2009. Mario was critical to San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department operations during his 28-year tenure, and his leadership proved to be an invaluable asset.

Throughout his life, Mario was committed to our community. As a part of our sheriffs department he relished opportunities to engage with the community, to meet new people, and to lend a helping hand. Mario is survived by

his wife Sherri, son Ryan, daughter Erin, and grandchildren. My prayers are with his family and the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department as we mourn the loss of this dedicated officer and valued member of our community.

Madam Speaker, this last year has seen an unprecedented wave of violence against law enforcement officers across our country.

In particular, in my home State of California, 23 law enforcement agents were shot in the line of duty last year. In my own district, the Eighth District of California, one was unfortunately shot and killed by gunfire. That was Sergeant Dominic Vaca of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

Congress needs to work to support and improve our law enforcement agencies, not to defund or dismantle them.

I am committed to protecting our law enforcement agencies and to defending the rule of law across our country and their efforts to keep our community safe.

Madam Speaker, last year, I was proud to host a dinner in honor of 15 of California's Eighth's first responder community who went above and beyond the call of duty last year to serve and protect our community.

Amongst our honorees were San Bernardino County Deputy Sheriff Dustin Whitson, who was shot in the line of duty while responding to a call at a storage facility in Hesperia; California Highway Patrol Inland Division Officer Garret Morris, who helps run an after-school racing team to provide community support and a safe alternative to illegal street racing for kids in our community; San Bernardino County Deputy Sheriff Tiffany Kautz, who was instrumental in obtaining the arrest and conviction of a man who was sexually abusing his own stepchildren; San Bernardino County Probation Corrections Supervisor Gina Martinez, who passed away last September after 21 years of ensuring that each youth in her care obtained a diploma, employment, and a place that they could call home and feel safe.

Madam Speaker, these law enforcement officers are examples of the dedication our first responders show to our community every day, and their stories are echoed by countless law enforcement personnel across our country.

Madam Speaker, it is time that this Congress stands behind our law enforcement officers and the rule of law.

Madam Speaker, I thank each of our law enforcement officers for their dedication to our community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today deeply alarmed by the increase in fentanyl-related deaths in my district.

According to the San Bernardino County sheriff, there were over 100 fentanyl-related incidents in my district in the last year, resulting in the death of nearly 100 of my constituents. In fact, Madam Speaker, in the last 3 years, fentanyl-related deaths in my community have increased over 600 percent. According to the sheriff, this is a direct result of the trafficking of fentanyl across our southern border with Mexico.

Last year the Inland Empire regional drug task force seized over 600 pounds of fentanyl, and they estimate the majority of that originated in Mexico.

Madam Speaker, this is a direct result of our failure to secure our southern border and the changes in Federal policy as relates to the southern border that have been enacted in the last year.

Madam Speaker, we must stop this trafficking of fentanyl across the border and protect our community by securing our southern border.

Madam Speaker, several days ago the Department of Labor released statistics on job creation and inflation in the United States. This data should be deeply alarming to every American.

This country, over the last year, has dumped trillions of dollars of excess Federal spending into our economy. At the time economists warned us that doing so was dangerously inflationary. Unfortunately, those fears have come to fruition.

The statistics for the month of December show inflation at nearly 7 percent on an annualized basis. That is the highest rate of inflation in nearly 40 years. When inflation is caused through government action, as this round of inflation clearly is, it represents an unseen tax that is paid by every American because it raises the prices of everything that we buy.

Equally alarming is the fact that real wage growth has not kept up with inflation. In fact, the Department of Labor says that for all of last year real wage growth was negative nearly 2\1/2\ percent. If we don't correct this trend, it is going to result in an entire generation of Americans being driven toward poverty because their wages are not keeping up with the prices that they pay for the goods that they need to survive.

Madam Speaker, we need to get our fiscal house in order and correct this runaway Federal spending before our children suffer the consequences.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to oppose this $2.5 trillion debt limit increase which this Congress is voting on without any discussion of how this debate will ever be repaid.

Over the past year, Congress' record levels of spending has sparked record-breaking inflation. Just last week, our nation hit its highest inflation rate in 40 years with current annual inflation for the twelve months ending in November at 6.8%. As a consequence, real average hourly earnings decreased by half a percent in November. Surging costs for food, energy, housing, and other items have left the average American family reeling. In my California district, the average price of a tank of

gasoline has increased over $20 since January, while the price of natural gas is up more than 25 percent.

Congress is not only spending at a level that is well beyond our self-imposed limits, but also beyond what our economy can safely handle, and Madam Speaker, instead of reducing our spending and finding places to save as any American family would, this institution is working to push through another multi-trillion-dollar social spending package that would drive our debt and our inflation further into crisis.

Madam Speaker, this unconscionable spending is the epitome of irresponsible governance. We must take measures to end this reckless spending and put our financial house in order. To that end I have introduced two bills that the House might better spend its time considering in the coming weeks instead of continuing debate on the reckless social spending bill.

My Constitutional Amendment to balance the budget would amend the U.S. Constitution to ensure total federal spending for a fiscal year does not exceed the total amount of federal revenue. It includes off- ramps that encourage bipartisanship in times of crisis and would end the seemingly-endless cycle of budget deficits.

Likewise, my Finding Federal Savings Committee Resolution would help to cut back on government waste by creating a bipartisan committee in this body to identify underperforming and nonessential federal programs and recommend their elimination or modification. Neither of these ideas are partisan, nor are they radical. They simply take steps to solve a problem that this body has continued to kick down the road for future generations to repay.

Madam Speaker, this Congress must do better. I call on my colleagues to reverse course, to stop this reckless spending, and to vote no on raising the debt ceiling without a plan to repay our debt.

Madam Speaker, 2 weeks ago, I led over 200 Members of this House in sending a letter to the Speaker, urging that we do not vote on this bill until the CBO had issued a cost score for this bill. Yet, here we are, debating what is likely the largest spending package in the history of this country, paired with the largest tax increase in the history of this country. I say ``likely'' because we really don't know what the bill will cost. Apparently, we are supposed to pass the bill before we are allowed to know what it costs.

Madam Speaker, that is crazy. Here is why that matters. Our national debt right now stands at about $29 trillion. Although we don't have a CBO score on this bill, what we do have is an analysis by the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania which says that this bill would add $300 billion to that debt, at least, and that is if all the programs in this bill sunset on time, which we know is not going to happen. Further, the analysis says if they don't sunset, this bill could add $2.5 trillion to our national debt.

Madam Speaker, here is the real tragedy: We run about a $2 trillion deficit this year, and even in a good year it will be over a trillion dollars. The tax increases alone in this bill would almost get us to balancing the Federal budget, which would allow us to avoid leaving a legacy of debt to our children and our grandchildren.

Madam Speaker, this bill is bad for our country, and it is bad for our economy. I urge a ``no'' vote.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise today deeply concerned that this body is scheduling a vote on what will likely be the most expensive spending package in the history of the United States without knowing the true cost of that package.

Our own House rules, House rule XIII, requires us to wait for a score from the Congressional Budget Office before voting on a budget bill, and the budget reconciliation and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 requires the CBO to issue that score. But unfortunately, we are rushing through this vote without even knowing the true cost of the bill.

Last week, I led a group of almost half of the House of Representatives in sending a letter to the Speaker urging her not to vote on this bill until its true costs are known. I am sure most Americans saw the President of the United States go on television two weeks ago and tell the American public that this spending bill will not add a single dollar to the national deficit. And our response to that is, if that is the case, Mr. President, prove it. Prove it by waiting for the CBO to issue a score on that bill.

The reason why we are so concerned about this issue is that any economist will tell you that deficit government spending is dangerously inflationary, and we are already seeing the highest inflation in the United States in over 40 years.

Folks in my district are paying over $20 more today to fill the gasoline tank on their cars just to go to work than they were just a year ago. This inflation is hurting everyday Americans and it will hurt them more if this bill spends more than it takes in in taxes, and every indication is that it will.

Madam Speaker, I urge this body to wait for the Congressional Budget Office to score this bill before voting on it. It is the responsible thing to do. Anything less would be an abdication of our responsibility to the people that we represent.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding service of the Veteran Airlift Command, an organization which I've volunteered with for many years that has a dedicated network of volunteers working to support our nation's wounded warriors across the country.

The Veteran Airlift Command, founded by Vietnam War veteran Walter Fricke, has impacted the lives of countless wounded veterans by providing them and their families air transportation when they desperately need it. After being wounded while serving as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, Walter, like countless other wounded veterans, had to face the challenges presented by everyday civilian life. He realized that despite commercial air travel constituting one of the most essential aspects of modern life, it was among the most inaccessible, especially for our wounded veterans.

As a military trained pilot with over 800 hours of combat flying, Walter was well equipped to remedy this issue. He had an idea for a national organization of volunteer pilots and aircraft that would fly wounded warriors and their families with dignity, respect, and gratitude, and so in 2006 he founded the Veteran Airlift Command.

Walter started the Veterans Airlift Command with his own personal finances, flying expertise, and aircraft, but today the Veterans Airlift Command has grown into substantial program that boasts a volunteer core of over 2,600 volunteer pilots and aircraft with over 18,000 passengers successfully flown.

The VAC has been and will continue to be an incredible and essential lifeline for wounded veterans and their families. Thanks to their work and that of thousands of volunteer pilots across the country, we can give back to our nation's wounded warriors and provide the dignity, respect, and comfort that our heroes deserve. I am honored to recognize the VAC today and proud to have the opportunity to volunteer with this organization and give back to those who have sacrificed part of themselves in the defense of this Nation.