Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, this month, I had the pleasure of presenting Braeden DiFranceisco with his Eagle Scout Court of Honor. Braeden is originally from Mullica Hill, South Jersey and is currently a senior at St. Augustine Prep School in Richland, New Jersey. He started his journey towards becoming an Eagle Scout in 2012 and has risen through the ranks from being a Bear in the third grade to Eagle his senior year of high school. For his Eagle Scout project, Braeden installed an orienteering course at Grenloch Lake Park in Washington Township. The course can be utilized by all Scout troops in South Jersey by helping them understand navigation and complete rank requirements. The orienteering course can also be used as a tool to help other scouts earn their orienteering merit badge. Braeden should be proud of his accomplishments, and it was my honor to have had the opportunity to recognize him for his service to the South Jersey community. God Bless Braeden, and God Bless America.

Madam Speaker, I recently had the pleasure of attending Pat Witt's 95th birthday celebration in Vineland, South Jersey. As a lifelong native of Millville, Pat has played an integral role in encouraging the appreciation and participation of the fine arts throughout the South Jersey community. Pat's artistic talents have been honored through private and public collections across the globe. The Barn Studio of Art, founded by Pat in 1962, is one of her largest accomplishments. Throughout the years, The Barn has been a hub for the New Jersey Art community. Through Pat's work at the Barn Studio, she has taught and inspired thousands of students with her enthusiasm for the arts. Pat should be proud of her hard work and dedication, which has truly touched the lives of many, and it was an honor to be able to attend her birthday celebration. God bless Pat, and God Bless our America.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022.

Congressman Young brought a distinct candor and a character to Congress. This body and our country are better off thanks to his service, and he will be dearly missed. I am proud to note that this legislation authorizes $120 million for the construction of new barracks at the United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape May in New Jersey.

The barracks project will expand opportunities for women to serve in the Coast Guard as well as expand the training center's recruitment capacity by 25 percent. The United States must project strength, and this legislation will ensure that the United States is ready to address the challenges presented by adversaries such as Russia and China.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored by your yielding and the work that you are doing in this area.

We are in the midst of perhaps the widest array of crises this country has ever seen.

A global pandemic, inflation, and an unstable world stage that could erupt at any moment.

Yet, COVID-19 and these uncertainties aren't the only things slowly infecting every corner of this country.

Fentanyl. Fentanyl. That word.

It takes just two milligrams of this substance, which is 100 times more potent than morphine, to kill a full-grown adult.

In fact, Border Patrol has already seized more than 2,700 pounds at the southern border this year, 2,700 pounds, enough to kill every single American twice over.

The massive inflow of this deadly substance is a direct result of our weakening southern border and policies designed to entice illegal immigrants to flow into our Nation.

Often sourced directly from China, our open-border policies have allowed the worst of humanity to sneak this drug into every community, small and large, rural, urban, or suburban across our great America.

It has become so bad, in fact, that fentanyl is now the leading cause of

death, as you have heard over and over again because it is so unbelievable, of all Americans between the ages of 18 and 45. Imagine that. It is incomprehensible.

Exacerbated by the stress of mandates and lockdowns, fentanyl-related overdoses across the board increased by more than 55 percent.

I have seen it personally in my home district and across the great State of New Jersey, where thousands of families last year lost a loved one to a fentanyl overdose. It has to end. It has to stop.

We must secure our southern border. We must provide the resources to get this drug off our streets, and we must permanently make fentanyl a schedule I drug.

It is time to finish the wall, stop the relocating of illegal migrants across the country, and we must empower our law enforcement at the border to uphold the rule of law.

If not, we will lose our America that we love.

Madam Speaker, this month, I had the pleasure of visiting Casel's Marketplace, a family-owned market in Margate, South Jersey. Since opening its doors as a small grocery store in Atlantic City in 1929, Casel's has brought the finest quality ingredients to the South Jersey community. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Sieden family owning Casel's Marketplace. Throughout the years, Casel's has continued to turn new visitors into life-long customers. They are known for their signature meats, smoked fish department, grab-and-go salads, extensive cheese selection, and fresh produce section. Casel's Marketplace is always doing everything necessary to give their customers' the best shopping experience. God Bless the Sieden Family and Ceasel's Marketplace and God Bless America.

Madam Speaker, last month, I had the pleasure of presenting Jack Roscoe with his Eagle Scout Court of Honor. Jack has been a scout for eight years and is a member of Egg Harbor Township Scout Troop 94. For his Eagle Scout project, he built three garden beds for the Greater Egg Harbor Township Historical Society. The garden beds will be used for families who cannot afford to have their own gardens but wish to grow their own vegetables. In addition to this project, he has also volunteered 120 hours of community service, including the ALS walk, Salvation Army, and Dog Park and Beach Clean Up. Jack, with the help of his brother Scott, helped organize and sell flood-relief buckets to aid the victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. Jack should be proud of his accomplishments and I look forward to seeing him succeed in his future endeavors. God Bless Jack and God Bless America.

Madam Speaker, this month, I had the pleasure of presenting Jeffrey ``Scott'' Ropiecki with his Eagle Scout Court of Honor. Scott began as a Tiger Scout when he was just six years old and has been a lifelong scout ever since. He graduated from Atlantic Cape Community College with an associate degree in applied science. He also earned his Federal Aviation Remote Pilot Certificate with a Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Rating. Scott currently attends Rutgers University where he is majoring in BioChemistry and competed as the only Freshman on the Ranger Challenge Team. For his Eagle Scout project, he revived the Chestnut Neck Road Conservation Trail. Scott cleared the vegetation and trash from the trail and added markers at critical points along the route. He also made a trailhead to signify the trail's starting point using split railings. Scott should be proud of his accomplishments and it was my honor to have had the opportunity to recognize him for his service to the South Jersey community. God Bless Scott and God Bless America.

Madam Speaker, last week, I had the honor of presenting a flag to Chief of Police William Priole at his retirement event. Chief Priole's law enforcement career began with his attendance at the 52nd session of Atlantic County Police Academy. He served as a patrol officer until his promotion to Corporal in 2006. In 2007, Chief Priole earned the coveted David C. Douglass Officer of the Year award for his outstanding performance in the Patrol Division. He was then promoted to Sergeant in 2011, Lieutenant in 2015, Captain in 2019, and Chief of Police in 2021. For over 30 years, he has protected and served the citizens of Lower Township. Chief Priole should be proud of his accomplishments and it was my honor to have had the opportunity to recognize him for his service to the South Jersey community. God Bless Chief Priole and God Bless America.

Madam Speaker, this month, I had the pleasure of presenting Eric Fetrow with his Eagle Scout Court of Honor. Eric started out in Cub Scout Pack when he was just 7 years old and then joined Boy Scout Troop 7 when he was 11 years old. For his Eagle Scout project, he made updates to the Gabriel Memorial Baseball Fields in Galloway, South Jersey, where he played baseball for 10 years. Eric replaced the sign at the field, as well as refurbished the flagpole. Currently, he attends Alderson Broaddus University, where he is majoring in business and earned a scholarship to play on the lacrosse team. Eric should be proud of his accomplishments and it was an honor to have had the opportunity to recognize him and I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. God Bless Eric and God Bless America.

Madam Speaker, in November, I had the opportunity to attend a Veterans Day Event in Upper Township where Doris Barnes was the guest speaker. Doris, who recently turned 100 years old, served in the Marine Corps from 1944 to 1945. In the Marines, she was a Sergeant on aviation duty and was also a stenographer. At the time of her discharge, Doris received an Honorable Service Label Pin and an Honorable Discharge Pin. Currently, she resides in Ocean City, New Jersey and is a member of the Moray-Miley American Legion Post No. 524. In her free time, Doris enjoys the camaraderie of the American Legion and the daily flag raising ceremony on the boardwalk. I thank Doris for her many years of service to her community. God Bless Doris and God Bless America.

Madam Speaker, last month, I had the pleasure of presenting Bryanna Storck with her Eagle Scout Court of Honor. Bryanna made history in South Jersey, becoming the first female to earn the honor of Eagle Scout. When she was a 16-year-old girl scout, Bryanna went on a backpacking trip with her father. This is when she decided she wanted a more challenging program and decided to join Boy Scouts of America. In just 27 months, Bryanna earned 22 merit badges and completed the 325 requirements needed to earn the Eagle Scout honor. For her Eagle Scout project, she built a fire pit for events at Greentree Church in Egg Harbor Township, South Jersey. As the first woman in the region to earn this honor, Bryanna should be very proud of her accomplishments, and it was an honor to have had the opportunity to meet her and present her with this prestigious honor. God Bless Bryanna and God Bless America.

Madam Speaker, last month, I had the pleasure of presenting Scott Roscoe with his Eagle Scout Court of Honor. Scott is a member of Egg Harbor Township Troop 94. For his Eagle Scout Project, he installed a wall-mounted shelving system in the offices of the Great Egg Harbor Township Historical Society. For this project, Scott arranged the material donations and volunteers, communicated with the historical society, and arranged meetings with groups and individuals to ensure the completion of the project. He also volunteered around 110 service hours at the ALS Walk, Food Bank, Salvation Army, Patcong Creek, Beach Cleanup, and more. Scott, along with his brother Jack, also helped organize and sell flood-relief buckets to aid Texans affected by Hurricane Harvey. This young man should be proud of his accomplishments, and it was my honor to have the opportunity to recognize him for his service to both the Historical Society and the entire South Jersey community. God Bless Scott and God Bless America.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and thank him for his leadership.

The President's most important job is to lead, to lead and protect our country. Yet time and again, all we have seen from President Biden is a failure to lead.

Biden's handling of Afghanistan led to the death of 13 American servicemembers and left hundreds more abandoned. This was a failure to lead.

Biden's handling of the border has been a disaster with more than two million illegal immigrants being apprehended at our border. This was a failure to lead.

Biden failed to shut down COVID-19 and has allowed more Americans to die from this disease, despite widespread access to vaccines. This was a failure to lead.

Inflation is at a 40-year high; supply chains are crippled; and labor shortages have hindered an economic recovery. This has been a failure to lead.

Soft-on-crime policy has resulted in 16 of America's largest cities suffering from new highs in homicide rates and a 115 percent increase in attacks against our law enforcement officials, all while President Biden and House Democrats demand to defund our police. This has been a failure to lead.

This is not the America I know. The America I know is strong, and it deserves a strong leader, not the worst President in our history, not one that continues time and again to fail to lead.

Madam Speaker, in October, I had the opportunity to attend the Sea Isle City Beach Patrol Annual Hall of Fame Induction. The Sea Isle Beach Patrol was officially formed in 1919 to protect the beachgoers who vacationed in the popular resort town. It started as just two lifeguards and three volunteers and has now grown into a large group. At the induction I attended, Robert Herzog, Bill Feaster, Jr., Jim Guntle, Jordy Troyan, Danny Rodgers, and Pat Scannapieco were inducted into the Beach Patrol Hall of Fame. Robert has been a part of Sea Isle Beach Patrol for 8 years and was also the mascot for multiple Sea Isle City Beach Patrol

surf bash competitors. Bill has been a part of Sea Isle Beach Patrol since 1980 and was a top 3 finisher multiple years in Sea Isle City Beach Patrol singles. Jim won the Avalon Beach 6-mile run and was also voted by beach patrol members to be the first President of the Sea Isle Beach Patrol lifeguards. Jordy was a full-time lifeguard from 2003 to 2010 and represented Sea Isle Beach Patrol on the Surf Dash Team, Swim Events, and Paddle board events. Danny won the singles row for the Sea Isle Beach Patrol for the first time in its history. Lastly, Pat has been a rowing legend on the Sea Isle City Beach Patrol for many years and has won the title of ``the most winningest doubles oarsman'' in the history of the Sea Isle Beach Patrol. These individuals should all be proud of their accomplishments and service to South Jersey, and it was my honor to watch them be inducted into the Hall of Fame. God Bless the Sea Isle Beach Patrol, and God Bless America.

Madam Speaker, recently, I had the pleasure of attending Maria Procopio's 100th birthday party. Maria has been a Vineland resident for 62 years. She was born in November of 1921 in the town of Montauro, Italy. In 1938, Maria married Giovanni Procopio and they immigrated to the United States in March of 1959. Maria and Giovanni have eight children, eleven grandchildren, and ten great grandchildren. On November 22, 2021, the Mayor of Vineland, Anthony Fanucci, recognized and celebrated the 100th birthday and longevity of Maria's life. I hope that Maria had a great birthday and it was an honor to be able to attend her birthday party. God Bless Maria, and God Bless our America.