Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, this past month, it was my great pleasure to visit No Limits Academy in Middle Township of Cape May County, South Jersey. During my visit to NLA, I experienced the great work that the organization is doing by providing an outlet to local children and teenagers that have tough home environments through an afterschool program that lasts all afternoon. This gives students the opportunity to complete their homework with on-site tutors as well as play sports and converse with faith-based counselors. After the kids have completed their homework, there is a two-hour boxing program, showing the kids discipline while also having fun. The No Limits Academy has blessed South Jersey for three years, leaving a positive impact on our youth, and we look forward to many more years to come. God bless the No Limits Academy and God Bless the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to celebrate of the 100th anniversary of the Pennsville Fire Department located in South Jersey. This great fire department began its long history in April of 1924 when Jeer A. English decided to fill a void in the township by establishing a fire department. In 1939, it was recognized that additional emergency crew members were needed so a rescue squad was created and eventually this squad merged with the fire department creating the Fire and Rescue Department we have today. Through the years, the department has ensured that their firefights are as prepared as possible by requiring 180 plus hours of training before the young men and women can put on the uniform. The people of Pennsville always know that when someone from the Pennsville Fire and Rescue Department shows up that they are in good hands. The Fire and Rescue Department also gives back to the community through their Fire Prevention Open House to educate children on safety and by visiting the children's hospital each year to hand out gifts. The Pennsville Fire and Rescue Department has done a great deal of outstanding service to the people of Pennsville, and I have no doubt that they will continue to for the years to come. God bless the Pennsville Fire and Rescue Department and God bless the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, one month that is commonly and unfortunately overlooked in our country is Jewish American Heritage Month. As we witness anti-Semitism rise across the country, it is more important now more then ever that we recognize the great accomplishments that Jewish Americans have contributed to the United States and the world. Jewish Americans have thrived in our great nation for generations by serving honorably in the government and military, winning Nobel prizes, leading universities and corporations, and serving on the Supreme Court as symbols of Justice. In South Jersey, it is no different as we boast of many successful Jewish authors, physicists, entrepreneurs, and a former Secretary of Homeland Security. We are proudly home to over 200,000 Jewish Americans so join me as we honor this great group of individuals by celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month. God bless our Jewish Americans, God bless Israel, and God Bless the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, this past month, it was my honor to attend the Eagle Scout Court of Honor for an incredible young man, James Scalice. James has learned an incredible amount through the merit badge program earning 41 total badges in subjects such as Life Skills, Business, and Science. Within his troop, this young man has developed leadership skills through elected positions and has learned the value of serving his community by participating in countless hours of service to his church and community. He has displayed his love for God by earning two religious emblems including ``Pope Pius the twelfth'' from the Catholic Diocese of Camden. With a deep love for his country and great respect for veterans, James decided to help out the American Legion Post 28 in Absecon, South Jersey for his Eagle Scout project.

Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of attending the Cape May MAC annual Volunteer Appreciation reception last Tuesday to meet with some great people. This organization has been a champion of the arts, cultures, and history that have taken place in Cape May County, South Jersey since its founding in 1970. Since that time, it has evolved Cape May from a beach resort to the United States' top Victorian theme destination. MAC has been able to do this by bringing to life the Victorian lifestyle of the 19th century by providing several activities that visitors can participate in. These include several tours whether it be a guided walking tour, golf-cart tour, or a hybrid tour incorporating both the historic houses of the district and the three historical sites MAC has. These historic sites include the Emlen Physick Estate built in 1879, the Cape May Lighthouse which has been in use since 1859, and the Fire Control Tower No. 23, a restored 1942 coastal artillery lookout tower from World War II. It was an honor to have the opportunity to visit this extraordinary organization that does so much for its community and tells the story of 19th century South Jersey so well. God bless Cape May MAC and God Bless the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, what makes today truly historic is the legal establishment of the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center for Advanced Aerospace. It is a real big deal for south Jersey, but it is also a real big deal for the United States of America.

The permanent technical center will expand into a new field called advanced aerospace. Thousands of workers and businesses will come into our country, come into our State, and make a real difference. Critically, this law ensures that the technical center is locally controlled and protected from reorganization. Congress must ensure that the new law is faithfully executed. I will work with my colleagues to achieve that goal.

The future of aviation, even with the problems that we have had, is bright for the technical center, for south Jersey, and for the United States of America. I urge swift passage and enactment of this important new law.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024.

My district of south Jersey is an official Coast Guard community. We are deeply proud to be the home of the United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape May. The vast majority of all recruits are trained right there.

This legislation includes historic levels of funding for the training center. It unlocks over $200 million in authorities that will build Cape May into a world-class facility through new barracks, indoor training, shooting ranges, and more.

This is a strong bill for south Jersey. It is a strong bill for the Coast Guard. It is a strong bill for the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I urge swift passage of this legislation, and I thank the committee chairman and ranking member and the subcommittee chairman and ranking member, as well.

Mr. Speaker, since day one in office, President Biden has chosen illegals over American citizens. We are now approaching 10 million illegal entries from individuals from all over the world, many parts of the world where they are our enemies such as China, Russia, Iran, and others. We don't know who they are, we don't know what they are about, we don't know why they are here, but a lot of it is not good.

Because of the President's efforts, we now live in one of the most dangerous points in American history. Make no doubt about it: His FBI Director says he has never seen so many elevated threats to our national security in his entire career. That was his Christopher Wray.

Innocent Americans, like Laken Riley, have been senselessly murdered by illegal immigrants. Law enforcement officers, like Christopher Gadd, have been killed by illegal immigrants. I won't go through the list of one after another after another good, law-abiding, loving Americans who are dead. They are not with us. Their families grieve. Most Americans grieve.

Students have been kicked out of their schools to house illegal immigrants and have to learn remotely. Cities and towns across America have cut public safety and education budgets as well to cover the welfare of illegal immigrants, because in many cities and towns we are paying for their housing, we are paying for their clothing, we are paying for their travel, and we are giving them debit cards. We are paying for so many things, including healthcare, that some good Americans don't even have as we speak here and debate this right now.

It is the Biden border agenda. It is what he is about. When you allow millions of unvetted people into our country, you have a reason. When you don't know where they are going, what they are doing, what they are about, you have a reason. When you actually hinder law enforcement's ability to apprehend, detain, and deport, which is the answer, you have a reason. You are making America less safe.

He can fix this crisis today. Today, as we speak, he can fix it. It took him 1 day to undo and rescind every effective Trump border policy that we had, and it could take him less than 1 day to reinstate them.

America needs to have borders. America needs to be safe. Every day that goes by without doing so will only result in more lives lost. Mr. Speaker, that is what we are debating today. Do we want more individuals to die because of this policy?

Mr. Speaker, there are more drugs and human trafficking at the hands of cartels at our border and more threats to our national security. Every day this President allows this crisis to continue, it becomes apparent to me--and this is harsh, but I believe it is true-- the chaos is intentional. He is seeking to change the very fabric, the very structure, the America that we know to forever to hold on to his own political power. That must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.

No, this isn't a waste of time. No matter how many times it takes, no how many times we have to say it, we will not succumb, we will not give up, and we will not stop, because we are fighting for the United States of America, and it is worth it.

Mr. Speaker, I support this resolution, and I urge its passage.

Mr. Chair, you just heard the words of Benjamin Franklin from my good friend Tom McClintock, that those who would give up freedom for safety deserve neither. I hope that we aren't marked in history as the generation of Congress that was willing to give up American liberty and freedom. It is what we stood for. It is what we have worked for. It is what the men and women of this country have died for. We owe it to them. It is our most important right as Americans. It is what the United States of America represents.

We were told all this before. We were told in the last renewal of section 702 that everything was going to be okay, no worries, all the security was there, nothing to be concerned about, don't look here.

Then we saw what happened. We saw that political campaigns and donors were gone after. We saw that Members of Congress were investigated. We saw that journalists were investigated. We saw that individuals who were Libertarians or liberals or conservatives were investigated. We saw FBI agents' own coworkers and even their ex-girlfriends and others were investigated. The average man and woman in America were investigated.

It was wrong. It occurred not dozens, not hundreds, not thousands, but, over that time period, millions of times, millions of illegal queries.

I cannot support, and I will not support, this legislation unless there is a major change in the form of an amendment that would require what we know needs to be done: a search warrant. It is a basic American right.

Don't let them scare you. It doesn't mean that we are not going to go after terrorists. It doesn't mean that we won't protect the United States of America.

While I finally wrap up here, if this bill is so good the way it is written, why do we exempt Members of Congress? Do you know why? It is because they are scared that they may still at the end of the day go after us.

It is wrong. Rules for thee, not for me. We should not stand for it.

Mr. Speaker, first and foremost Jonathan Diller is an American hero, a hero whose wife will now have to grow old without a husband who she loved so much, a hero whose 1-year-old son will grow up without a dad.

Yet, what makes this tragedy so gut-wrenching, so horrible, so foul is the fact that it was 100 percent avoidable. It did not have to happen.

What kind of society are we when we let individuals who have been arrested 14 times, 20 times, or more times than even that, back out to roam the streets and hurt our good American citizens?

What kind of a society are we when we prioritize identity politics over the safety of the American public and our law enforcement officers?

This is a dangerous pattern that we see in New York, but it is all across the country. The left continues to vilify our law enforcement. The left continues to undermine or outright ignore the laws meant to protect our American citizens. The left continues to push weak-on-crime laws and elect weak-on-crime district attorneys, and that is where the blame goes.

This isn't a matter of policy differences; this is a matter of good versus evil, right versus wrong, law and order versus criminality and chaos.

Of course, Jonathan Diller, an American hero serving his community, it cost him his life. How many times must we lose good Americans before people wake up and realize that we need to stand up for our law enforcement officers?

How many families must suffer the loss of a loved one before we continue to say enough is enough, that this is it, we have had it?

This is the time. This is the place. It has to be more than words. It has to be more than resolutions. It has to be in change.

We need to make that change now. We cannot allow brave men like Jonathan Diller to die in the future.

Our police already have one of the hardest jobs that anyone could imagine. We cannot make their whole lives harder by defunding them. We cannot make their lives harder by demeaning them. We cannot make their lives harder by demonizing them. We cannot make their lives harder by allowing career criminals to stay out of jail over and over and over again.

We are a nation of laws, and we owe a tremendous debt to those men and women who enforce those laws. We owe it to them. We owe it to them to pass laws that ensure that they are properly funded and to enforce laws that keep the bad guys off the streets.

I thank Officer Diller. I thank him for his brave service, and I am praying--we all are; America is praying--for his family.

As I said before, that is not enough. We must make the change.

I thank my friend, Congressman Anthony D'Esposito for bringing us all together today. I thank him for his good work.

Mr. Speaker, last month, I had the pleasure of attending Oliver Tostevin's Eagle Scout Court of Honor. Oliver has been involved in the Eagle Scouts since the fifth grade when he joined as a cub scout. Over the years, he has been very involved in his troop by contributing countless hours to community service, participating in many outdoor adventures, and leading his fellow scouts on their path to Eagle Scout. To achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, Oliver decided to renovate his local baseball field. His project involved putting together new bleachers, painting the dugouts, and cleaning out any trash from the area. Thanks to him and his efforts, our South Jersey community has a beautiful baseball field for everyone to enjoy. I am honored to congratulate this young man on his remarkable achievements, and I wish him all the best. God Bless Oliver and God Bless the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, this February, we gathered to celebrate Gabriel Burns, a bright young man who worked his way up to the rank of Eagle Scout. To achieve this rank, Gabriel undertook an Eagle Scout Project involving the renovation of his local youth baseball field. This long process involved getting permission from the City of Millville, meeting with the president of the local baseball association, and analyzing the state of the fields. Since he joined years ago, Gabriel has really enjoyed his time with the Scouts, and he is grateful for all the opportunities they have given him. He will always cherish making memories at Camp Roosevelt, hanging out with his friends, and earning merit badges. This young man has a bright future ahead of him and I can't wait to see what he accomplishes. God Bless Gabriel and God Bless the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege of sharing the inspiring story of Tommy Flanagan and his family. In 1995, Tommy Flanagan bought a bar in Manhattan called Flanagan's at 119 Fulton St. Despite their efforts, the aftermath of 9/11 impacted their business beyond repair, ultimately leading to its closure in 2004. Seeking a fresh start, Tommy, along with his wife Eve and their children, Tommy Jr. and Shannon, made the decision to relocate to South Jersey in 2018. It was here that they discovered the old Buck Tavern, a place that they knew would be their next adventure. This month, I had the honor of attending the ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly renovated and refurbished Flanagan's, a bar that I know will quickly become a cornerstone of the community. Tommy and his family have embraced their new community wholeheartedly and are excited for the opportunities that lie ahead in South Jersey. As they embark on this new chapter, I want to extend my support and well wishes to the Flanagan family. I thank Tommy and Eve for choosing South Jersey as their home. May their new beginnings be filled with prosperity and happiness. God Bless Tommy and Eve and God Bless the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I want to highlight the remarkable journey of Costa Marine Canvas and Enclosures, a true American success story, founded by Joe and Donna Costa in 1971. Starting with humble beginnings in the basement of their apartment, Costa Marine has grown into a leading fabricator of custom yacht enclosures, upholstery, covers, and interiors. Over the years, Costa Marine's commitment to excellence has earned them exclusive partnerships with renowned boatbuilders like Viking Yachts and Ocean Yachts. Despite the passing of Joe in 2011, Donna continues to play a vital role in the company's operations alongside the second-generation leadership of Chris Costa, Jennifer Smith, and Kevin Jelinski. I had the privilege of touring their facility this February, and I can attest to the impressive operation of Costa Marine Canvas and Enclosures. From their dedication to quality craftsmanship to their focus on community and employees, Costa Marine exemplifies the very best. Their story serves as an inspiration to us all. I thank Costa Marine for their outstanding contributions and for representing the best of American entrepreneurship. God Bless Costa Marine and God Bless the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, this February, I had the privilege of commemorating the 30th anniversary of the tragic passing of a fallen hero, Officer David C. Douglass. On February 18, 1994, Officer Douglass valiantly answered the call of a burglar in the area and tragically lost his life in the line of duty. He was not only a dedicated member of the Lower Township Police Department for 18 years but also served as a lieutenant in the Town Bank Fire Department. His contributions to public safety extended beyond his role in law enforcement; he helped establish the Lower Township SWAT team, instructed at the Cape May County Police Academy, and served as a past president of the Policeman's Benevolent Association. Officer Douglass was a beloved member of our community, known for his integrity, friendship, and mentorship. His legacy lives on through his family, including his wife, son, daughter, and stepdaughter, as well as in the hearts of all who knew him. I thank Officer David C. Douglass for his bravery, his service, and his sacrifice. He will forever be remembered and cherished in our hearts. God Bless Officer Douglass and God Bless the United States of America.