Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia for yielding.

I want the folks in Iran to know that the United States of America stands with the people of Iran. As a closed society, I doubt they will hear our words here tonight, but they should know that, in our hearts, in our prayers, and in our thoughts, we have the people of Iran and their best wishes in mind.

I have been here for 7 years in Congress, and during that 7 years, Iran keeps coming up to the forefront; whether it is the Obama administration's failed Iranian nuclear deal, which is coming up for authorization--I think on the 19th of this month, the 15th, the 19th-- or if it is the protests, and since I have been in Congress, this is the second round of uprising protest against the Government within Iran.

Now, the dichotomy is the Obama administration ignored the people in Iran. But the Trump administration has told the people in Iran: We stand with you against an oppressive government.

Iran keeps coming up even in a Politico magazine article. They had a well-sourced account of an alleged Obama administration scandal last month. This prompted review by the Department of Justice and interest by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

The article alleges the Obama administration restrained classified efforts by the Drug Enforcement Administration to shut down an international criminal operation, Hezbollah. Now, Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, is a proxy of Iran. And when you hear Hezbollah, you might as well think Iran. They are one and the same.

So I am deeply troubled by the idea that President Obama's motivation was getting past by any means necessary his failed Iranian deal. He could not get anything in the way of that legacy.

Now, if this article is true, President Obama is more concerned about passing his agenda item opposed by Members of both parties and a majority of the American people than protecting the safety of the American people. We all know about the pallets of cash that were given to Iran. Now, they could have spent it on their economy. They could have paid down debt. They could have done anything, but I would bet that the largest state sponsor of terrorism, the country of Iran, used the bulk of that money to continue funding terrorist operations around the globe.

The number one recipient of Iranian help is Hezbollah. Now, let me bring you a little bit closer to home. In 2012, I authored a bill called Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act of 2012, signed into law by President Obama, directing the State Department to actually do an in-depth study into the Iranian activities in the Western Hemisphere, specifically, South America.

They did a halfway limp-wristed report that even the 2014 GAO reported only 2 of the 12 requirements mandated in that law were fully addressed. The Obama administration acted in complete disregard to the law. Six others of my legislation were only partially addressed; four were not addressed at all. Meanwhile, the activity of Hezbollah in the Western Hemisphere continued, and it is continuing today.

There is an area in South America known as the tri-border region. It is where the borders of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay all come together. Some would even say it is a lawless act area.

It is controlled by elements of Hezbollah. And two acts of terror happened in Argentina, in Buenos Aires. The 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires was the single-largest loss of life from an act of terrorism in the Western Hemisphere prior to 9/11, believed to be hatched in the tri-border region by elements of Iran and Hezbollah.

It was sort of swept under the rug by the Argentine Government of Cristina Kirchner. But there was a brave individual, a special prosecutor named Alberto Nisman, who took this on his own to say: We know what happened at the AMIA. We know Iran was involved.

He set out to prove it. He compiled massive amounts of data. And the morning before he was scheduled to testify in front of the Argentine Congress about his findings, implicating the Kirchner regime for hiding some of this because they wanted to coddle up to Iran--they wanted Iran's help. They wanted to sell Iran nuclear technology, I believe. They wanted Iran's help with money.

The morning before Alberto Nisman was going to implicate the Kirchner regime for the AMIA bombing and hiding the facts from the Argentine people and the world with regard to Iran's activities in that AMIA bombing in 1994, Alberto Nisman was assassinated in his apartment, even though he had multiple security personnel guarding him. Shot behind the ear.

Now, the Kirchner regime tried to say that that was suicide. There was no gunpowder on his hands. And it has now been proven that it was not suicide, that it was an assassination, possibly by elements of Iran as well.

I say all that to let the folks listening tonight here in America and around the world know that Iran isn't just in the area in the Middle East known as Persia. They have elements, like Hezbollah, that are operating globally. Iran has said that they want to wipe the Big Satan and the Little Satan, Israel and the United States, off the map. They don't have our best interest at heart.

But as a free people here in the United States of America, I can tell you that we have the best interest of the Iranian people at heart. When we stand on this floor and we talk about the uprising, the protests that are going on in Iran now, we have the best interest of the Iranian people at heart, because we don't stand to benefit in any way for us standing up for freedom, for folks who want self-government, for folks who want less oppression, who want some say-so in their livelihood and how their government operates. That is what the Iranian people are talking about in these protests.

So, unfortunately, the Obama administration and the State Department did not take the Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act very seriously. But Iran is here. They have opened cultural centers and embassies in Latin America. I don't know the number right off, but they continue to be more involved here closer to home. There are no cultural ties, very limited economic ties between Iran and Latin America. So you have to question yourself as to why the Persians are here.

You have to be aware that Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism with billions--hundreds of billions of dollars that we released to them, pallet-loads of cash that could find their way into terrorist organizations that don't have America's interest at heart.

So I want to thank the gentleman from Virginia for giving us an opportunity tonight to focus on Iran; to focus on its proxy, Hezbollah; to focus on primarily the Iranian people in their quest for more freedom.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and the Foreign Affairs Committee for helping move this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, being the former chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I rise to encourage the passage of H. Res. 357 to reaffirm the strategic partnership between the United States and Canada.

As my good friend and former United States Ambassador to Canada, David Wilkins taught me that Canada is one of our strongest allies and one of our largest and best trading partners, and we are dependent on cooperation between the nations to promote trade, security, and energy issues.

It is imperative that we protect the close partnership with Canada and the interdependent North American energy market. Enforcing the strength of our relationship with Canada would expand the size of our energy market, create more jobs, reduce energy cost for consumers, and enhance North American energy security and interdependence. I remind the administration that energy issues should be a top priority in any NAFTA negotiation, as Canada is the largest supplier of energy to the United States. Now, this includes oil, uranium, natural gas, and electricity.

We share the longest undefended border, the largest bilateral trading relationship, and one of the deepest security and energy partnerships in the world. Today, 32 States consider Canada their primary trading partner. The comprehensive trade and investment relationship, which the United States has with Canada, supports millions of jobs in goods and services on both sides of the border. The importance of this bilateral relationship is critical for both countries.

Let me conclude by saying it is vital that we continue to look for ways to strengthen our relationship with Canada, and I hope that my colleagues will support this resolution to reaffirm the importance of U.S.-Canada relations.

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chair, this amendment sets a dangerous precedent not only for the energy future of the Atlantic and the Florida coasts, but for the Nation as a whole.

Although this is framed as an Atlantic amendment, I would make clear that the residents from South Carolina, Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia support offshore seismic survey activities pursuant to the all- of-the-above energy approach that America needs.

Seismic surveys are routinely conducted off American coasts and around the world for oil and gas. We have been conducting seismic surveys around the globe in the oceans of the world for 50 years with not a single verifiable instance of a marine mammal being harmed or killed. In fact, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has confirmed this. President Obama's own BOEM Director, Abigail Hopper, confirmed this to me in a public hearing when I asked her last Congress.

Seismic surveys have not been conducted in the Atlantic region for over 30 years. Today's advancement in technologies allows for 3-D and 4-D seismic work to actually look into the Earth and see what may be there.

I would argue that the folks who are against seismic work really aren't against seismic for the purpose of trying to save marine mammals; they just don't like fossil fuel development. But we need to see what is out there.

If Members are genuinely concerned about Russia, then voting in favor of oil and gas exploration should be a no-brainer. Why would Members vote to cut off the most significant tool in America's arsenal, that is, our energy independence?

For these reasons, it is critical that we continue to permit safe G&G geological studies in all areas off America's coasts, that includes the mid-Atlantic, the south Atlantic, and all Florida.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment.

I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. Chair, we do have hurricanes coming. The Gulf of Mexico has prepared for hurricanes and dealt with it in the oil and gas industry. That is not the issue.

We are talking about seismic surveys so that we as American policymakers can see what may or may not be in the Earth for future development. I would be willing to bet that, if it was natural gas that was found off the coast of my home State of South Carolina, we would be having a completely different conversation than if oil was found.

Let's at least have the guts to go out there and look and do G&G work off the coast of the mid-Atlantic, the south Atlantic, and Florida and find out what resources may or may not be there and whether they are even recoverable or not.

Mr. Chair, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Sanford).

Mr. Chair, reclaiming my time, I appreciate the point of the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Sanford).

We need to find out what is out there. G&G activity would allow us to determine whether there is oil or natural gas. If we find oil, I am willing to have a conversation with the folks in Charleston County, Horry County of South Carolina. If we find natural gas, I belive the conversation will be completely different.

Mr. Chair, what we need to do is G&G work, which is safe to marine mammals, to find out what might be there and might be recoverable.

Mr. Speaker, first off, I want the folks in Texas and Louisiana to know that South Carolina continues to pray for the folks that live in the affected areas, and all of the States that are facing a potential hurricane.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express support for designation of the first Saturday of May as National Auctioneers Day and the preceding week as National Auctioneers Week. Auctioneering is one of history's oldest professions.

I was an auctioneer for 16-plus years before coming to Congress. As an auctioneer, I saw firsthand the purest form of buying and selling. Auctions bring buyers and sellers together where the highest price is established through competitive bidding.

Auctions continue to be the fairest, most transparent and effective means of establishing fair market value.

The National Auctioneers Association and its members strive to advance the auction method of marketing and uphold the highest standards of professionalism in serving the American public. These professionals are proud businessowners who support their communities.

For more than 40 years, National Auctioneers Day has been observed by State and local governments and private organizations across the U.S. The designation of National Auctioneers Day and National Auctioneers Week will heighten the public awareness of the contributions made by auction professionals to our Nation's history and economy.

Mr. Speaker, I call upon the House of Representatives to support this designation and America's auctioneers.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Sessions for his continued leadership here in the House of Representatives, and especially on this issue in the Rules Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this rule and the underlying bill, which we are calling Kate's Law. Mr. Speaker, we are calling this crackdown on illegal immigration and sanctuary city policies Kate's Law after Kate Steinle.

For those of you who don't know the story of Kathryn ``Kate'' Steinle, she was a beautiful 32-year-old woman from northern California who was murdered on the streets of San Francisco while walking on a pier with her father 2 years ago this weekend. Murdered.

The alleged murderer, an illegal immigrant named Juan Francisco, had seven felony convictions and had been deported from the United States five times. Deported five times. Let that sink in. It is truly unbelievable, Mr. Speaker.

Yet he was back in our country after maneuvering through the previous administration's weak southern border and negligent immigration enforcement. Then he lived in San Francisco due to that city's blatant disregard for Federal law, a sanctuary city. San Francisco was no sanctuary for Kate; no sanctuary for that beautiful 32-year-old woman.

If this story isn't a clear sign that our system is broken, I don't know what is. We need Kate's Law to increase criminal penalties for illegal felons like Juan Francisco who have been convicted for crimes, deported, and then decided once again to illegally re-enter the United States of America, a sovereign nation.

Kate's Law is straightforward, it is common sense, and it is the right beginning to make our homeland safer and get smart about immigration policy. It is time for us to make America safe again by addressing the lack of enforcement of Federal law. Kate's Law is the right answer.

I thank Chairman Goodlatte for introducing Kate's Law so we can crack down on this kind of illegal behavior that so often means life or death for American citizens. It is time to enforce the law.

The gentlewoman, a few minutes ago, was talking about the law. Well, there are laws on the books that say it is illegal to enter this country. There are laws on the books that prohibit these types of sanctuary cities or sanctuary campuses as we are now seeing. I hope Congress will cut off the funding to these cities. It is time to get their attention, to enforce Federal law.

I am pleased the White House has vocalized their support for the underlying bill should it reach President Trump's desk.

Now I call upon my colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats, to support the rule and the underlying bill. It is time again to make America safe again and honor young women like Kate.

This should be a bipartisan issue. Respect for the rule of law and protecting the American citizens is really that simple.

Mr. Speaker, before I start, I just want to ask America to continue praying for our good friend, Steve Scalise, who was injured last week in the horrific targeting of Republican members of the congressional baseball team over in Alexandria. I had been there moments before the shooting started.

I want to ask America to continue praying for those in law enforcement

that, every day, run toward the danger when we are fleeing the danger, to protect us, our families, and our property; two brave Capitol Hill police officers who helped stop an active assassin last week, Crystal Griner and David Bailey, wounded in the act of fulfilling their role; two congressional staffers, Matt Mika and Zack Barth, injured on that baseball field, just participating in America's pastime, the game of baseball, a charity game to raise money for inner city children.

It is tough. It is tough on Members of Congress. It is tough on our families and our staffs who are all questioning their security.

I just ask America to take a deep breath before you utter a word or write a Facebook post or send an email, make a phone call. Remember, Scripture says to take the log out of your own eye before you try to take the fleck out of someone else's, words that we should remember.

The Longest Day

Mr. Speaker, the reason I came down to the well today is today is June 21. It is the summer solstice, the first day of summer. It is the longest day of the year, from sunup to sundown. And the Alzheimer's Association has picked today, the longest day of the year, to recognize and raise awareness toward and for Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month, the month of June.

I am wearing a purple tie today, and many are wearing purple in support of those impacted by Alzheimer's disease; more than five million people currently living with Alzheimer's disease in America, and it is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. These numbers are remarkable.

We passed recently, in the last Congress, the 21st Century Cures Act. It is now a law, and I pray that it will serve as a jump start on moving medical research and development closer to finding a cure for such a mysterious disease.

You know, this is a deeply personal issue with me. April of 2015, I lost my father to Alzheimer's. And as my family was going through struggling with my father's Alzheimer's and dementia, we found out that, in many cases, it is the caregivers who pass before the Alzheimer's patient because of the toll that Alzheimer's takes on the caregiver, hence, the name ``the longest day.'' For many of those caregivers, dealing with an Alzheimer's loved one is a long day, a lot of repetition, a lot of forgetfulness. We see our Alzheimer's loved ones doing things, saying things that they never would have done or said in their right mind.

Alzheimer's is something that needs to be on our minds today, the longest day. The Alzheimer's Association needs to be supported. Alzheimer's research needs to be supported by Congress, by government at all levels so we can find a cure for this and end Alzheimer's.

Today, the longest day, I ask America to join me in thinking about those Alzheimer's patients, those families and caregivers, the Alzheimer's Association, and let's end Alzheimer's. We can do that. We can do that, America. The longest day.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Rice) for his work on this.

I rise today to keep the lights on for American nuclear energy.

America is being left behind in the nuclear energy race. Nuclear energy in the United States is lagging behind our competition. The four new generation reactors being built in South Carolina and Georgia are the first new reactor construction since the 1970s. The Watts Bar 2 reactor in Tennessee, which was first permitted in the 1970s, only recently came online in 2016.

Mr. Speaker, America needs to gets serious about nuclear energy. These new reactors not only keep our economy pumping with 24/7 base- load electricity, they are also the foundation for America's national security. A successful civilian nuclear energy sector is key to supporting America's military needs.

Nuclear needs to be approached holistically. From new production at plants like V.C. Summer in South Carolina, to treatment and disposal facilities at the Savannah River Site, it is in America's national security interest that policies keep all aspects of the nuclear life cycle competitive with the rest of the world.

Passing this legislation now will send a clear signal to the regulatory authorities at home and nations abroad that America is serious about national security. Without such a signal, the chances that the regulatory authorities disregard the tax credits for the purposes of evaluating the project are much higher, likely leading to the authorities not approving the continued construction of the plants.

The United States must not turn over leadership in nuclear technology to Russia and China. China's recent nuclear deals are with Sudan, South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, Argentina, and Great Britain.

Rosatom, which administers the former Soviet weapons complex, says it has received orders for 34 nuclear power reactors in 13 countries, including Iran. Together, Russia and China are constructing almost 30 new advanced nuclear units, whereas the four units at the V.C. Summer and Vogtle plants would be our first nuclear units in almost 40 years.

Nuclear energy is the cornerstone of American economic and national security. I urge my colleagues to not turn the lights out on nuclear energy, and to vote in favor of H.R. 1551.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina.

I want to talk to America today about the Hearing Protection Act. Consequences of firearms exposure: Noise-induced hearing loss is a major health problem for hunters and recreational shooters.

Now, I started hunting at an early age with my father; and in the field and hunting activities, I learned a lot about life, a lot about myself. Most importantly, I got time to spend with my father, who has now passed away.

But we enjoyed the outdoors generally in the shooting sports, whether that was over a brace of bird dogs, quail hunting, shooting doves, hunting ducks, or deer hunting. And I can tell you, with my own experience, that firing multiple firearms--shotguns, rifles, handguns-- risks your hearing health.

Men and women in our United States military experience hearing loss or tinnitus. That is a large expenditure for the VA. Tinnitus accounts for around 1.45 million disability-related instances for veterans. The most prevalent disability compensations are based on that.

So what can we do about it?

Well, there is an apparatus, a firearm accessory, that you can add to a firearm to muffle or suppress that sound. It is commonly called a suppressor or a silencer, but it does anything but silence a weapon.

America, you need to realize that Hollywood has glorified suppressors for firearms. You can see it in your mind--James Bond taking out his concealed weapon that he couldn't conceal with a suppressor on it because the suppressor adds another 8 inches to the length of the barrel--screwing the suppressor on to commit a crime.

Hollywood has made you believe that that suppressor silences that weapon when, in actuality, a suppressor on any sort of firearm drops the decibels about 30 decibels. Most firearms would be louder than a jackhammer, and no one would say that a jackhammer is silent.

So we have got a bill that would allow suppressors to be sold, like they are sold in Europe, but with a little more American restrictions. In Europe, as restrictive as their gun laws are, you can go to the hardware store and buy a suppressor across the counter, just like you could buy a scope, a sling, or a magazine for a deer rifle. It is gentlemanly to hunt or shoot in Europe with a suppressed weapon to keep the sound down, but it doesn't silence it, as we mentioned before.

Depending on the caliber of ammunition, a typical hunting rifle is 160 to 180 decibels--suppressed would be about 125 to 145 decibels.

The bill we have would allow you to go in and purchase a suppressor from your Federal firearm license-holder, do a background check, just like you have to go through to purchase the firearm itself--background check, and purchase a suppressor to help the hunting and the hearing health of the hunters and the shooting sports enthusiasts across the country.

I hope we can get this bill passed to help the hearing health of so many people in America and dispel all the rumors. I thank the gentleman for letting us speak to the American people tonight.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Anderson County Master Deputy Devin Hodges, who tragically passed away June 1 in the line of duty while participating in a training exercise on Lake Hartwell.

Deputy Hodges pursued his childhood dream and started his law enforcement career out of high school working as a dispatcher in Anderson County, then working for the Laurens County Sheriff's Office, the Abbeville County Sheriff's Office, and the Lander Police Department before returning to Anderson in January of this year.

As Anderson County Sheriff Chad McBride said, Devin had a big personality and a big heart, and it is a big loss. Devin was a man of character, a man of faith, who was known as a great father.

My thoughts and prayers are with Devin's wife, Krystal; his four children, Jeffrey, James, Katie, and Dianna; his brother, Christopher; his sister, Dominique; and his parents, Shari and Ronnie; all of whom are constituents in my district, the Third District of South Carolina.

I know Devin is in a better place right now, joining his predeceased daughter, Isabella Faith, but the family he leaves behind will still acutely feel his loss, as we always do with the loss of a loved one.

I want to let the men and women in Anderson County law enforcement know that they continue to be in our prayers in this tragedy, as always with first responders, in our thoughts and our prayers.

So may God bless Devin's family, and may He continue to bless our country with stouthearted men and women like Devin, who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus--the largest bipartisan caucus within the Halls of Congress--to talk about the recent May 16 congressional shoot-out, a competition of sporting clays, skeet, and trap that pit Republican and Democrat Members of Congress against each other in a great afternoon of enjoying outdoor shooting sports.

We had a bipartisan shoot. The Republican team won this year. I am just the chairman and team captain.

I would like to say that I won one of the individual awards this year--I have in the past--but this year we had Members on our side that won. The top gun Member of Congress was Richard Hudson from North Carolina. The top shot Democrat was Tim Walz. The best shooter for skeet was Collin Peterson. The top sporting clays was a freshman Member from North Carolina, Ted Budd. I am saving the best for last: the top trap was none other than Don Young from Alaska.

It is a great afternoon where we can honor the outdoor economy, the largest industry of the United States, serve the outdoors in a lot of ways, and the heritage of sportsmen outdoor community activity is critical to the American story.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green), who is the Democrat co-chair.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Veasey).

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Austin Scott), who is Marc Veasey's co-chair on the caucus.

What a great event. It was a great opportunity for us to get together, get to know each other better, and spend some time in the outdoors.

I invite all Members to join the caucus. Come and be a part of this next year. Republicans retain the trophy this year, and I hope we will next year.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairwoman, former chairwoman of the full committee when I first came to Congress, and a real leader on foreign affairs issues, focused on Cuba and Venezuela. She has been a real mentor to me, and I want to thank her for her work on this, giving us the opportunity to speak tonight.

Again, Ranking Member Sires has been a champion on our subcommittee. I want to echo the words about Mr. Castro as well. We have got a great Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere focusing on freedom and democracy in the Western Hemisphere.

What we see in Venezuela is alarming, as well as it is saddening, when we hear about Venezuelans who are scrounging for food in the dumpsters, eating domesticated animals, even flamingos; people who are hungry because the socialistic policies of the Maduro and the previous Chavez regime has not worked in Venezuela. A country that has bountiful natural resources, more oil than Saudi Arabia, should be leading this hemisphere in economics.

Yet because of the policies of the Chavez and Maduro governments, the people of Venezuela are continuing to be oppressed. This weekend, more than 2,000 Venezuelans took to the streets, marking, I think, the 50th day of protests against this regime. I can't think of any other way to describe this faux democracy in Venezuela, other than a regime.

The Venezuelan people are standing up and calling for a new government. They are calling for more democracy, true democracy, representation in their own government, freedoms that we take for granted here in this country, freedoms of speech, and the right to peacefully assemble, the right to participate in their government and have accountability, the right to petition their government for grievances. And they have got some grievances against the Maduro regime.

Yet Maduro continues to oppress the Venezuelan people. It is not unlike what we have seen in Cuba. Folks, socialism doesn't work, and it is not working in Venezuela, and they are a prime example. But Maduro doesn't want to listen to his own people in Venezuela and call for new democratic elections, where the people elect their representatives to congress and to the Presidency.

But he has called for elections, and he said just recently: `` `Votes or bullets. What do the people want?' Maduro asked a crowd of red- shirted supporters waving Venezuela flags at the Miraflores presidential palace.''

Votes or bullets? Is that how we talk about the democratic process in a true democracy? I say no, and I tell the Venezuelan people, America stands with you as you approach democracy.

It is time for more people in this hemisphere and the Organization of American States, all the member countries, to stand with the Venezuelan people, and let's change the government in Venezuela through peaceful means, democratic means, that their Constitution calls for.

But yet, Maduro is ignoring the Constitution. In fact, he got the Supreme Court to go along with him to discount the National Assembly there, and, luckily, they reversed course on that because they realized the world was watching and the world was saying that is not how democracies operate.

The Venezuelan people need the support of the world, and I call on the world today to come to the backs, standing with, watching the backs of the Venezuelan people, because Maduro has told his snipers to get ready; told his snipers to get ready to attack the protesters that are protesting a supposed democrat government. Wow.

So I want to thank the chairwoman. I want to thank Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Governor of South Carolina, who has stood strong in the U.N. as Ambassador to the U.N. for the Trump administration. I want to thank her for standing with the Venezuelan people for democratic principles.

I want to thank all those in this Chamber, including my ranking member, for having stern and direct conversations with the OAS about Venezuela.

I want to thank Argentina for what they have done, stepping up to the plate. These are countries that understand the democratic process.

I want to thank Brazil for actually allowing the democratic process to work in the country of Brazil through an impeachment of their President, and allowing the democratic forces to work to return that to a representative government.

It is time for America to stand with our friends about democratic principles here. Snipers? That is not how we operate.

Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to congratulate Clinton High School in my home county of Laurens, South Carolina, for being named one of the Best High Schools by U.S. News & World Report's school rankings.

Congratulations to my friend Maureen Tiller, the teachers, the students, and the parents. This really is an honor that goes to all of you for all of your hard work that you put forth in educating the next generation of leaders in South Carolina.

U.S. News compiled and analyzed data from over 22,000 public high schools, and Clinton High was recognized as a leader in South Carolina.

I want you to know how proud I am of you for all that you have accomplished and wish you the best as you continue to work to educate our children.

So congratulations, Principal Tiller, on getting this great recognition.

Now, as a side note, both of my sons, Graham and John Philip, have graduated from Clinton High. My third son is currently a sophomore at Clinton High. He is also all-region and all-State for the Red Devils boys soccer team.

Congratulations to Parker and Clinton High.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of National Police Week and to thank these brave men and women for their service and sacrifice to their communities.

Our law enforcement and first responders run toward the danger when, ofttimes, we are running away from it. There is no way we can ever truly say ``thank you'' for their willingness to serve.

Last week, I held my fifth annual first responders tour to thank them for their dedication to the communities of South Carolina and beyond. The tour consisted of five of the counties I represent: Newberry, Saluda, Edgefield, McCormick, and Greenwood. I can tell you that their expertise, focus, and commitment are unmatched.

I visited the facilities and met with the men and women that are on the first line of defense, the ones who are so critical to the safety of our citizens. These folks encounter dangerous and life-threatening situations that require critical, on-the-spot decisionmaking, but they never second-guess answering that call and going towards the unknown to help those in need.

I hope that events like National Police Week and first responders tours encourage more people to learn about the unique challenges that face these heroes every day. It is important for our law enforcement and first responders to know that their hard work and sacrifice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you to all those that serve and have served. They are truly heroes, and we are grateful for their service to make us safe.

May God bless these heroes, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor of H.J. Res. 50.

Mr. Speaker, I briefly want to mention the country of Colombia. Tremendous flooding and mudslides there have taken more than 200 lives. Colombia is in my prayers, the prayers of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, and the prayers of all of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 54, which reaffirms America's partnership with Argentina, and applaud the economic reforms undertaken in recent years.

I applaud Ranking Member Sires for his leadership on this issue. Last year, he and I led a congressional delegation to Argentina to see the differences in the country under the new leadership of President Macri and to reextend a hand of friendship of the United States.

Though the previous government followed the path of ruinous economic and foreign policies, I saw new optimism that the new Macri administration would right these wrongs. For example, at the Organization of American States, Argentina has been supportive of the actions of OAS Secretary General Almagro, urging the Venezuelan Government to respect democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

In addition, President Macri is working to find justice for the 1994 AMIA bombing terrorist attack--the largest loss of life from an act of terror in this hemisphere prior to 9/11--and the murder of the AMIA special prosecutor, Alberto Nisman. It is my sincerest hope that he will find the perpetrators and hold them accountable for these heinous acts of terror.

In conclusion, the United States should be very clear that we are thankful for President Macri's courage and willingness to take unpopular but principled positions. I urge the new Trump administration to do all in its power to take the steps outlined in this legislation and advance a deeper bilateral relationship.