Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise in gratitude for the service and sacrifice of the brave troops, diplomats, aid workers, and others who served in Afghanistan over the last 20 years, and for those who are still there on the ground working heroically to defend and evacuate American civilians and our Afghan partners.

Madam Speaker, I remain deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, and I am calling on the administration to use every available tool to ensure that we not only protect and evacuate American personnel, but as many of our Afghan partners as possible.

I applaud the administration for picking up the pace of evacuations over the weekend and for expanding the perimeter around the airport in Kabul in order to increase access for evacuees and to avoid the developing humanitarian crisis.

But we cannot stop there. Thousands more are at risk, including journalists, women's rights activists, and NGO employees. I am calling on President Biden to establish a special humanitarian program specifically for these groups and other highly visible activists in Afghanistan; to increase processing capacity at USCIS; and to immediately ensure the safe exit from Afghanistan of all priority 1 and 2 visa holders to third countries.

Getting citizens out of harm's way must remain our top priority, but we also cannot abandon our Afghan allies.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record the Liebengood Family Statement on the January 6 Commission and Security Supplemental.

Liebengood Family Statement on the January 6 Commission and Security

Supplemental

``We believe a thorough, non-partisan investigation into

the root causes of and the response to the January 6th riot

is essential for our nation to move forward. Howie's death

was an immediate outgrowth of those events. Every officer who

worked that day, as well as their families, should have a

better understanding of what happened. Uncovering the facts

will help our nation heal and may lessen the lingering

emotional bitterness that has divided our country. We implore

Congress to work as one and establish the proposed

Commission.

Additionally, improved mental health for USCP officers has

been one of our goals for the past four months. Through the

tireless efforts of Congresswoman Wexton, we are honored a

wellness program bearing Howie's name has been proposed in

the security supplemental along with more resources for the

program. We welcome and support the new funding and staffing

initiatives that will help prevent future tragedies among the

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this legislation. The January 6 insurrection led to the deaths of U.S. Capitol police officers Brian Sicknick and Howie Liebengood and Metro Police Officer Jeffrey Smith.

We have heard many stories of the broken bones and broken spirits that officers are still suffering to this day. They have been working around the clock since the insurrection, and are facing unsustainable hours due to being understaffed. It is heartbreaking. And it is also infuriating to hear other Members on this floor attempt to rewrite history and gaslight those officers with lies about January 6.

I am proud to have helped secure millions of dollars in funding through this bill for enhancement of mental health services, which includes six new counselors who will help the Capitol Police during this crisis and into the future.

I want to especially thank the family of fallen Capitol Police Officer Howie Liebengood, his wife, Serena, his siblings, John and Anne, for their advocacy on this bill. I hope that it is some solace to them that during this tragic time, that once this bill is signed into law, the Capitol Police Wellness Center will be renamed after Howie, so his life, legacy, and service to our Capitol will forever be remembered.

Madam Speaker, the Capitol Police cannot wait until the end of the year for the funding. I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Captain George Siragusa (USN, Ret.) on his retirement as the longtime Board Chair for Virginia's 10th Congressional District, Service Academy Advisory Board.

Captain Siragusa has served on the board since 2010 and as the Virginia District 10 Board Chairman since 2014. The board has a body of over fifty military officers who annually screen high school students applying for a Congressional Nomination, a requirement for eligibility to obtain an appointment to the four Federal Service Academies. Under Captain Siragusa's leadership, the board has successfully recommended nomination and subsequent admission to over 150 future members of the United States Armed Services to the four service academies. In addition to his leadership to the board members, Captain Siragusa has served as an advisor and mentor to many of the candidates as they entered this rigorous and challenging endeavor.

Outside of his service with the Federal Service Academy Advisory Board, Captain Siragusa is a private sector consulting firm entrepreneur, investor, and adviser. He is also a seasoned leader- instructor at the university level for 10 years, having taught at the United States Naval Academy, George Washington University, Wake Forest University, and currently George Mason University where he is an adjunct professor at their Volgenau School of Engineering. He also serves as a Senior Business Adviser and Counselor to over 100 clients in his portfolio at the George Mason's Enterprise Center's Small Business Development Center.

I congratulate Captain Siragusa on his retirement and thank him for his service to Virginia's 10th Congressional District. I wish nothing but the best in all his future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today during National Police Week to honor the life U.S. Capitol Police Officer Howie Liebengood. Howie served as a Capitol police officer for 15 years and before that as a Senate page. He continued a 50-year family legacy of service to the Senate, following in the footsteps of his father, a former Senate Sergeant at Arms.

Howie died by suicide on January 9, after working around the clock in the days following the January 6 insurrection, defending our Capitol and the Members, staff, workers, journalists, and others inside of it. There is no doubt that Howie would still be with us today but for the events on and immediately following January 6.

And yet, the leaders Howie served under at the Capitol Police still refuse to acknowledge his tragic loss as a line-of-duty death, despite his heroic sacrifice on that day and in the days that followed. Howie's widow, Serena, and his family deserve better.

Our Capitol Police deserve better, too. The PTSD and trauma of January 6 and April 2 are still prevalent for U.S. Capitol police officers. The reluctance many officers feel asking for help is real as well. Leadership is failing these officers when they refuse to validate the pain of that trauma and the tragic consequences it can lead to.

That is why we must provide U.S. Capitol police officers with the resources they need to take care of themselves and to fight the stigma not only for them, but for law enforcement officers around the country to know that it is okay to ask for help.

According to a report from the nonprofit Blue H.E.L.P., the number of officers who died by suicide in recent years has outpaced those killed in the line of duty.

It is incumbent on us as lawmakers to end the stigma around law enforcement mental health and to give these officers the support they need in times of crisis. We must thank them not just with our words, but with our actions.

I have been working with my colleagues and with the Liebengood family to honor Howie's legacy of service to our Capitol community. To Serena, his family, and all those who knew and loved Howie, I hope it brings you some solace to know that Howie's life and sacrifice will never be forgotten by those of us here who he gave his life to protect.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Ms. Lara Larson on her retirement and to thank her for over 30 years of dedicated public service with Fairfax County.

Lara dedicated her career to supporting the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB), which provides services for people of all ages who have mental illnesses, substance use disorders, or developmental disabilities. She contributed her wisdom and guidance to the staff agency-wide, and especially with the CSB Communications Team. Her career is exemplary of her commitment to the many residents of Fairfax County, and the Cities of Fairfax and Falls Church.

I thank Lara for all the years of faithful service to her community and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, we all want to get out of this pandemic and back to normal. We want to ensure that our kids can learn safely and in their classrooms. We want to get more shots into arms. We want to put money directly into the pockets of the Americans in need. We want to restore jobs in our communities.

We have to take action now, and the American Rescue Plan is the best way forward. Our colleagues across the aisle want to gaslight the American people on this, but they know that this bill has the support of over 70 percent of Americans, and there is a reason for that. The American Rescue Plan meets the needs of our families and communities right now.

With this bill, we will finally put this pandemic behind us. We will cut child poverty in half. We will deliver transformative tax cuts for our families, especially working moms. This is a great day because help is on the way.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize three young women from Virginia's 10th Congressional District who made history as the first female Eagle Scouts in the Shenandoah Area Council. Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank to earn in Scouts BSA, and Lauren Reed, Amelia ``Mia'' Lunceford, and Elaina Truban of Winchester have all exemplified the remarkable leadership, talent, and perseverance to earn this distinction.

To achieve the Eagle title, scouts are required to earn 21 merit badges, complete and lead a service project that benefits their community and sit before the Eagle Scout Board of Review. For their thoughtful community projects, Lauren planted shrubbery and landscaping around a flag pole at Locust Grove Cemetery in Stephens City, Mia worked on a wildflower rain garden at Izaak Walton Lake in Frederick County, and Elaina made a raised flower bed and planted seven trees on the grounds of her church. Until recently, girls and young women were not allowed to join the program. Now, there are 83 female scouts in five different troops in the Shenandoah Area Council. All three of the first class of female Eagle Scouts in the Shenandoah Area Council are members of Troop 2G of Winchester.

These young women were honored and recognized in Winchester, Virginia on January 26, 2021. All three are following in the footsteps of their male siblings and other family members who attained the same recognition. Lauren, Mia, and Elaina now help pave the way for future female scouts to pursue the ranks of Eagle Scout, and they are just beginning their journeys as impactful community members and strong, female leaders.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate City of Manassas Mayor Harry J. Parrish, II on his retirement and thank him for his many years of dedicated service.

A life-long resident of Manassas, Mayor Parrish was appointed to the Manassas City Council in 1993 and was elected to the Council in 1996, 2000 and again in 2004. He had the honor of being elected by the Council as Vice Mayor in 1999. He continued in the Vice Mayor position until May of 2008 when he was elected Mayor. Mayor Parrish now completes his third term as Mayor of the City of Manassas.

Mayor Parrish has played an active role in his community as a member of many service organizations, including the Manassas Volunteer Fire Company, the Kiwanis Club of Bull Run, and the Prince William Hospital Foundation. He is also a member of the city's thriving business community, leading his family business as President of Manassas Ice & Fuel Company.

Mayor Parrish earned a bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering and Physics at the University of Virginia. He went on to serve our nation in the United States Air Force from 1973 to 1978. He then earned a master's degree in Business Management from Central Michigan University before returning home to Manassas.

On behalf of the U.S. House of Representatives and the citizens of Virginia's 10th Congressional District, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Mayor Parrish on his retirement and thank him for his many years of dedicated and honorable service.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Frederick County Fire Rescue's Chief Denny Linaburg on his retirement

and thank him for his many years of dedicated service.

Denny has served in the Frederick County Fire Department for 30 years, and began his career in the fire service as a volunteer at Greenwood Fire and Rescue in 1983.

He is a Nationally Registered Paramedic, a Fire Officer, Fire Investigator and certified Law Enforcement Officer and Instructor. He holds various certifications in each field.

Prior to his appointment as Chief, Denny was the Chief Fire Marshal, responsible for code enforcement, law enforcement and emergency management and planning. Denny graduated from both the Virginia Fire Marshal Academy and the Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy.

Outside of his service with the Frederick County Fire Department, Denny is also an active member of his community and is involved with several civic organizations. He is a current Board Member of the Virginia Association of Arson Investigators and served as the President from 2011 to 2012. Currently, he is a member of the Virginia Fire Prevention Association, the Virginia Association of Fire Chiefs and the Shenandoah Valley Joint Committee of Arson Investigators. He was appointed to the Virginia Fire Services Board by Governor Terry McAuliffe and is currently serving his second term.

Now that Denny is retiring, he will have more time to enjoy his family and some of his favorite pastimes, which include hunting, fishing and hiking, as well as working on collector and antique vehicles. I wish him well and thank him for his dedicated service.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0, which I introduced today. If enacted, this bipartisan bill would make great strides to fund the fight against childhood cancer, birth defects, and other rare childhood diseases.

Cancer is the number one cause of disease-related death in children age 14 and younger. This year alone, it's estimated that more than 10,000 children in the U.S. under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer. In addition, one in 33 babies born in the U.S. are affected by a birth defect and birth defects are the leading cause of death among infants. Unfortunately, these childhood diseases are still poorly understood, and additional funding is greatly needed to augment existing research to promote new discoveries for children affected by them.

Congress passed the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act in 2014 to uncover new insights into the biology of childhood disease. The law established a Ten-Year Pediatric Research Initiative Fund within the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Common Fund and authorized $12.6 million in funds annually for pediatric disease research through the Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program, commonly known as Kids First. Since the original law was enacted, Kids First has made progress towards understanding childhood cancer and disease. It has initiated the Gabriella Miller Kids First Data Resource Center--a comprehensive data resource for research and patient communities meant to advance discoveries.

The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0 builds off the important progress made by the 2014 Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act by providing a new source of funding for the Kids First Research Fund. Specifically, the bill would redirect civil monetary sanctions levied against pharmaceutical, medical device, supplement and cosmetic manufacturers by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. By diverting penalties going into the General Treasury from these companies that break the law, the bill would sustain Kids First's critical childhood disease research for generations to come.

The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0 is named to honor 10-year-old Gabriella Miller who passed away from an inoperable brain tumor. She was a fierce advocate for childhood cancer research and her efforts to boost awareness of childhood cancer helped raise funds for children's cancer charities. January 13, 2021 would've been Gabriella's eighteenth birthday. I can't think of a better way to celebrate her birthday than introducing this bill to honor her memory. I would like to thank Gabriella's mother and my constituent, Ellyn Miller, for her tireless advocacy on behalf of children with cancer through Smashing Walnuts. I am honored to have worked closely with Ellyn on the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0.

Although we are experiencing tough times on Capitol Hill, this bipartisan bill demonstrates that we can all come together for this great cause. I'm proud to introduce this bill to help find treatments and cures so that our nation's children will have a fighting chance to survive cancer and other rare disease. The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0 will reaffirm our strong commitment to finding cures for childhood diseases.

Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

My amendment, No. 401, would examine the feasibility of piloting a workforce transition program for Active-Duty servicemen and -women who are currently in counterintelligence roles to give them the opportunity to obtain additional security clearance credentials upon their separation from service.

A problem that many servicemembers in counterintelligence face upon separation from the military is that they are unable to transition their security clearances to be eligible to start work immediately for, or in support of, a Federal intelligence agency.

The wait time to transition a security clearance can take over a year, and many of these individuals are forced to consider taking a lower paying job while they wait for the process to move forward, or we lose these individuals entirely when they take jobs in the private sector outside the intelligence community.

These are members serving in roles that are in critical needs areas for our intelligence areas, such as cyberspace operations, cyber electronic warfare, and military intelligence.

Because of these difficulties, our intelligence agencies are losing out on a highly qualified and diverse talent pool whose skills and training have already been paid for by the Federal Government.

Madam Chair, my amendment would help ensure that those veterans who have service in our military's intelligence fields, can continue to use their abilities to protect our Nation well beyond their military service.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ms. Sadie Pike Nelson from Virginia's 10th Congressional District for her 70th birthday on June 24, 2019. Ms. Nelson is an active member within the 10th Congressional District which includes her accomplishments within the Frederick County School system, United Methodist Women, and Winchester Lioness Lions Club.

I commend Ms. Nelson on her lifetime pursuit of community activism. After moving to Winchester, VA in 1980, Ms. Nelson became a teacher with the special education program at the Robert E. Aylor Middle School, where she taught for 25 years. She then became the Assistant Principal for Admiral Richard E. Byrd Middle School for seven years before retiring with 32 years in education all together. Ms. Nelson was the first African American Administrator in the history of Frederick County Public Schools.

Ms. Nelson joined the John Mann United Methodist Church in 1985. She is presently the Administrative Chairman of the church council, President of the United Methodist Women, and President of the Usher Board. She has also served as the Spiritual Growth Coordinator for the Winchester District of United Methodist Women for a total of five years. Outside of the church, Ms. Nelson was the first African American to be invited to join the Winchester Lioness Club where she served as president in 2005, 2006, 2011, 2018, and 2019. Through this organization she strives to make a difference in women's lives with philanthropies that include ownership of a two-year woman's college and five programs that provide higher educational assistance through scholarships and loans for women to continue their education.

Ms. Nelson is also the proud mother of one daughter, proud grandmother of four granddaughters, and proud great-grandmother of a set of twin great-granddaughters and four great-grandsons.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing and applauding Ms. Sadie Pike Nelson on her accomplishments and wish her the best for her 70th birthday celebration.

Madam Speaker, in 2016, Russian hackers tried to break into Virginia's election system. In response to this information, Virginia took active steps to secure the integrity of our elections. We sped up our transition to paper ballots to ensure that our elections were secure and the results could be verified and audited.

But it is not just about any one election or just about any one adversary. Passing the SAFE Act is about securing our elections from all threats, foreign or otherwise. These threats are coming for us in every State, red or blue, rural or urban.

In 2016, State election websites in Illinois and Arizona were hacked by intruders that installed malware and downloaded sensitive voter information.

In 2018, electronic voting machines in Georgia and Texas deleted votes for certain candidates or switched votes from one candidate to another.

In Johnson County, Indiana, e-poll books failed in 2018, halting voting entirely for 4 hours, with no extension of polling hours.

It is clear that Congress must take action. Passage of the SAFE Act will secure our elections by updating our election infrastructure, speeding up the transition to paper ballots, and making necessary investments in cybersecurity.

Every Member of Congress took an oath to protect this Nation from threats foreign and domestic, and I urge my colleagues to honor that oath. Let's protect our democracy while we still have one.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong opposition to the amendment offered by the gentleman from South Carolina.

June is LGBT Pride Month, a time when people across the country are taking a positive stance against discrimination and violence against LGBT individuals, but this amendment seeks to allow discrimination against the LGBT community in HUD-funded housing and shelters.

Make no mistake, this amendment will weaken protections for LGBT people, especially children, who are experiencing homelessness and fleeing natural disasters, as well as survivors of violence.

These protections are important because nearly one-third of transgender and gender nonbinary people experience homelessness at some point in their life; about one-half of transgender people do.

According to a Center for American Progress study done in 2015, only 30 percent of shelter providers across four States, including my own of Virginia, were willing to properly accommodate transgender women. According to another recent survey, over half of transgender survey respondents who stayed in a shelter in the past year were verbally harassed, physically attacked, and/or sexually assaulted because of their gender identity.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Some say that this amendment will negatively impact the safety and privacy of women in shelters. Service providers around the country who operate shelters every day disagree. These providers believe that nondiscrimination protections are necessary to ensure everyone in need can access shelters.

Over 300 domestic and sexual violence organizations across the country signed a national consensus statement in support of full and equal access for the transgender community. These leaders agree that serving transgender women victims in shelters is appropriate and does not pose a safety issue.

While housing transgender people according to their gender identity does not propose a safety risk to others, failing to do so puts transgender people in danger. Transgender people experience shockingly high rates of sexual and physical violence and forcing transgender people to use facilities that don't match their gender identity leaves them at risk for harassment, assault, and a host of harms that result when people avoid using the bathroom during the day.

Allowing shelter providers to decide who is eligible for access to single-sex or sex-segregated shelters opens the door to discrimination. Make no mistake, this is incredibly dangerous. The consequences of being turned away from a shelter can be dire.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment provides $7 million for the FAA to continue its work developing the remote tower pilot program.

Remote towers are a simple but revolutionary concept: Provide air traffic control services from any location. With remote tower technology, high-definition cameras and other sensors are installed in an airport and feed video and data in real time to a remote tower center.

Remote towers offer a promising new way for the FAA and airports to address air traffic without breaking the bank, saving on construction and maintenance costs that come with building a traditional air traffic control tower.

In addition to these cost savings, remote towers provide additional capabilities beyond the out-of-the-window view, such as integration of local weather information, tracking moving objects, and the overlay of radar and surveillance information about an aircraft.

Remote tower systems can outline the edges of runways, taxiways, and airport structure, enhance visibility in fog, rain, and other adverse weather, and incorporate infrared cameras to provide night vision. The cameras can be filtered to minimize glare on a bright day or to add light when it is difficult to see at sunrise or dusk or on overcast days.

I am pleased that the first remote tower in the system is undergoing testing in my district at Leesburg Executive Airport. The project was launched in 2014 to address the justified need for an air traffic control tower. The airport has more than 100,000 operations annually and is located in a complex airspace just miles away from Dulles International Airport.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price).

Mr. Chairman, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association agrees it would be shortsighted not to continue the remote tower pilot program at this point. If funding is not appropriated, the FAA's activities related to certifying remote towers would cease, and the valuable work that has been done to understand the technology, develop operations, train controllers, and conduct safety analysis will be put on hold. In addition, the FAA won't have the resources to install remote tower technology at other airports and evaluate future system improvements and innovations.

For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and to continue advancement of remote tower technology as a cost-effective alternative for providing air traffic control services.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 27 high school seniors from Virginia's 10th Congressional District who plan to enlist in the United States Air Force after graduation. These students have excelled over the course of their high school careers and I congratulate them on their graduation and their future plans.

I commend these student leaders for their courageous decision to pursue a path to serve their country as a member of the United States Air Force. I rise to recognize the following students: Dewan Abdullah, Ishmael Bobbitt, Mia Broady, Ivanna Jenkins, Michael Jones, Alexine Koiwood, Kirsten Ladestron, Stefanie Marroquin, Jeremy Michaels, Kendal Riley, Kamaryn Sablan, Adam Sibal, Ian Allison, Shawn Bourne, Daniel Castano, Nicholaus Featherston, Douglas Flenniken, Benjamin Hayams, Guillermo Lozano, Jayden Nowicki, Tim Rickard, Elijah Robinson, Sean Stewart, Amanda Vacher, John Zuniga-Castaneda, Corbin Tucker, and Dallas Tucker.

The students were recognized at a ceremony conducted in Sterling, Virginia on May 16, 2019, by the Northern Virginia chapter of Our Community Salutes and the Blue Star Mothers of Northern Virginia.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing and applauding these students and their families on their pursuits and wish them the best as they set forth to begin the process of learning to defend our great nation and remember that we owe those who serve a debt of gratitude.