Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, just a year ago, I was sworn in in this Chamber to represent the good people of Indiana's Sixth District.

Since then, I have traveled the district from Columbus to Rushville, Connersville to Winchester, listening to Hoosiers. They are generous with their time, candid with their opinions, and not shy about telling you when you are wrong.

My office has handled some 50,000 constituent inquiries. We have helped over 450 Hoosiers with the IRS, the VA, and the Postal Service. We have recovered about $5 million for hardworking families. That was their money. We were just the middlemen.

This year, six of my bills passed the House, including the Build the Wall Act, which was signed into law by President Trump. It repurposes unspent COVID funds to complete construction of our southern border wall, and it didn't cost taxpayers an additional dime.

I have focused on legislation that cuts red tape, unleashes American energy, lowers costs, and brings costs down for Hoosiers. Washington makes this harder than it should be. I will keep working at it.

Next year, I will keep traveling our district, listening first, and doing my level best to bring some Hoosier common sense here to Washington.

Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman for yielding. I appreciate the time, and I appreciate my colleague Mike Collins' work on this commonsense package of clean water reforms.

I am grateful that my bill, H.R. 3934, the Water Quality Standards Attainability Act, is included. My bill serves to maintain State and local leadership in setting their water quality standards under the Clean Water Act.

Let me cite a compelling example of why this legislation is necessary. In 2020, the EPA approved in Indianapolis, in my district, new standards for stormwater management. These updates were an aid to ensure that Hoosiers had access to clean water and that our localities were able to deliver on this responsibility. In early '24, under the Biden EPA, this approval was revoked for the infrastructure updates that were already well underway, costing our taxpayers needless millions.

This unpredictability has been a practice of our Federal Government for too long. It is time our local governments and taxpayers have the transparency and certainty with which to cost-effectively invest in our infrastructure.

My legislation will ensure that the regulatory whiplash is in our rearview mirror. My bill will ensure that when States write their rules, they consider affordability and accessibility to water treatment technologies.

Through this legislation, we are providing certainty and predictability in the EPA approval process and a little Hoosier common sense in delivery. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, for the first time in my life, Indiana University has won the Big Ten football championship outright, beating formerly number one Ohio State 13-10.

The pundits said Ohio State brought the third-most talented roster in the country. Indiana was ranked 72 at the start of the season, but our Hoosiers refused to be defined by those numbers. They responded with discipline, toughness, and a belief in one another that reshaped Indiana football.

This championship is a testament to the student-athletes who committed to the rebuild, the staff who kept driving, and our Hoosier fans, who stayed loyal for generations, awaiting this moment.

Mr. Speaker, as a former chairman of IU's Alumni Association and on behalf of 805,000 living IU alumni, we celebrate this historic achievement for our university. Congratulations to Coach Cignetti and our Hoosiers for bringing the Big Ten title home.

Now on to the Rose Bowl.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 305, H. Con. Res. 58.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize a fellow Hoosier and Purdue University engineer, Mr. Yuri Kubo. Yuri is a native of Columbus, Indiana, back in my district. He was recently selected as one of just 10 candidates from a field of 8,000 to join NASA's next astronaut program. That is rarefied air by any measure.

Over the next 2 years, Yuri and an elite cohort will train at NASA Johnson Space Center down in Houston as they prepare for missions to the International Space Station, the Moon, and whatever comes next. Yuri reflects the kind of scientific talent that Indiana grows.

Purdue, my own alma mater, has long been a launchpad for many of America's sharpest engineers and explorers, and he is rocketing that tradition forward. We are filled with Hoosier pride back home to see Yuri representing our State on a stage that is literally out of this world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the air traffic controllers and the men and women of the FAA.

For 43 days, while the Democrats kept our government closed, the aviation system that they rely upon and the traveling public depend upon was pushed to the brink.

As a member of the Aviation Subcommittee, I have seen up close how critical a fully functioning system is to safety and commerce.

The Indianapolis International Airport is in my district. I spent time in the tower. I spent time in INDY Center, the regional air traffic control center. I met with the team running traffic in and out of the second largest FedEx air cargo hub in our district.

When the good people who keep our skies moving tell you what is at stake, you pay attention. Their work is why I pushed to secure funding to modernize our outdated air traffic control technology. We have to invest in the next generation of controllers, cut the bureaucratic lag, and build a system worthy of the people who run it. I intend to keep at it.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on ROLL CALL No. 281.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reflect on my very recent visit to Israel. It was a humbling journey through the Holy Land, where the history and resilience of the Israeli people left a deep impression.

I stood inside Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher, a profound moment for me as a Christian.

I was grateful to have met Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israel's President Herzog, and our own Ambassador Mike Huckabee. Each visit afforded a deeper understanding of the enduring bond between our nations.

Our delegation visited the site of the Nova music festival, where Hamas terrorists carried out one of the most horrific attacks on October 7.

The trip was both sobering and inspiring. It reaffirmed my conviction to stand with the people of Israel, while working toward the goal of a more peaceful Middle East.

Mr. Speaker, it sounds like my case in salesmanship is going to be modest with the support that this act enjoys from colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

I am someone who has built a business from the ground up, including several million square feet of space. It is a reality that to construct space is one thing; the carry cost of maintaining it is quite another.

There is general recognition increasingly within this Congress that we have more space than our Federal Government needs. That is certainly the case at the courthouse level in our Federal courthouses and the supporting office space.

My legislation, the CASE Act, directs the GSA to construct the courthouse space that is necessary and no more. I worked with the U.S. courts on this bill. The resulting legislation is straightforward. It is clearly bipartisan, and it is commonsensical.

The CASE Act codifies the court's sharing policies for our magistrates, seniors, and bankruptcy judges. For the larger courthouses, it limits the number of courtrooms to two for every three judges.

The bill codifies this administration's approach to rightsizing our Federal Government. That is something that we share in common, both sides of the aisle, toward being good stewards of our taxpayer dollars.

The GSA, as was noted, is still forced to build to standards that account for potential judges, despite Congress not having authorized any additional judgeships over the past 30 years. This act is a move toward making taxpayer dollars go further.

I thank my colleague, Ms. Norton, for joining me on this legislation and for her good work on this issue. I urge passage.

Mr. Speaker, our Department of Defense is charged with protecting America's critical infrastructure. Our current standards are simply insufficient. The United States is vulnerable to attack on our defense infrastructure by our adversaries, as we were reminded of today like no other.

Fortifying our defense critical infrastructure is imperative, and funding it is our job. My amendment No. 269 directs a comprehensive review of current interagency coordination of DOD implementation to ensure physical and cybersecurity for our air, rail, and maritime infrastructure that underpins our military readiness.

My amendment No. 270 directs our Secretary of State with developing a comprehensive strategy to counter Iran's and Hezbollah's missionary and propaganda operations in Latin America.

Iran's goal in Latin America is to export its ideology to the region, so as to cultivate anti-Americanism in our Western Hemisphere. There must be a clear plan and strategy to counter their malign influence.

Mr. Speaker, these two amendments were unanimously passed yesterday and included in the National Defense Authorization Act, and I thank my colleagues for supporting these amendments.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 234, Perry of Pennsylvania Amendment No. 30.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer an epilogue on my just- completed Hoosier Heartland Tour across Indiana's Sixth District.

I participated in 45 events. I engaged meaningfully with 1,800 Hoosiers. I reported back on my work in Congress. I listened to their concerns and priorities.

I met with leaders in our communities, including our Governor, to discuss how our Federal policies affect their lives. Together, we explored opportunities to deliver more for all Hoosiers.

I visited hardworking families, farmers, local businessowners, and the employees who make them go. I discussed our passage of the working families tax cuts. This bill, now law, allows Hoosiers to avoid perhaps the largest tax hike in our history. It offers tax predictability that encourages investment in Indiana's economy and a pathway to quickened economic growth.

My tour fostered conversations that will guide my work throughout the fall here in Congress. I return more committed than ever to advocate for Indiana's priorities and ensuring that our voices are represented in this Chamber.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to kick off my Hoosier Heartland Tour. As this Chamber adjourns, I eagerly look forward to beginning my first summer district work period.

As I move about Indiana's Sixth District over the weeks to come, I am eager to share this time with our hardworking Hoosiers.

For 7 months, I have been working to deliver for our communities. I look forward to sharing my work and bringing details of our wins back home.

Most importantly, this time will focus on listening. I look forward to touring our local businesses, meeting with our 11 county sheriffs, visiting the many district airports I represent, and hearing from our family farmers.

This Hoosier Heartland Tour promises to encompass many meaningful conversations that will inform my work as we return in September, and I eagerly undertake it.

Mr. Chairman, as the designee of Chairman Cole, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chair, my amendment provides $55 million to build a new aviation maintenance hangar and operations building and renovate the existing hangar space at our Shelbyville, Indiana, Army Aviation Support Facility.

Mr. Chair, 900 Indiana guardsmen assigned to the 38th Combat Aviation Brigade have supported 16 deployments since 2001, including to Iraq, Kuwait, and Bosnia. Our Shelbyville facility remains a crown jewel of Indiana and Midwest Army aviation.

This proud combat aviation unit has one of the oldest Army aviation flight facilities in the National Guard. Built in 1972, it currently supports 11 aircraft and more than 50 full-time personnel.

Upgrading the facility will save over 500 man-hours and prevent more than $200,000 in annual damage to blades and equipment. A new facility supports rapid homeland response and will sustain recruitment and retention of Indiana's finest soldiers. This amendment serves to equip our next generation of guardsmen to protect our homeland both at home and abroad.

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

Amendment No. 8 Offered by Mr. Correa

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).

Madam Speaker, it is an honor to follow some of our Chamber's most distinguished colleagues, including Speaker Mike Johnson, on the anniversary of this historic day.

Three years ago today, on June 24, 2022, our Supreme Court issued its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson. Their decision overturned Roe v. Wade and restored the right of each State, including my home State of Indiana, to protect the lives of the unborn.

Today, we reaffirm the sanctity of human life, both mother and child.

I join my House colleagues in introducing legislation to designate June as Life Month. I have prioritized this issue in my time in Congress, and I will continue to advocate for every unborn child and offer compassionate care for expectant mothers.