Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, this year a family owned and operated construction company in northeast Indiana is celebrating its 125th year in business. Since 1892, Michael Kinder & Sons, owned and operated by the Kinder family, has been working on planning, designing, and building projects in and around Fort Wayne, Indiana. A company that began with just three construction workers and an old mule has grown to become a leading regional construction firm. Over the years, Michael Kinder & Sons has completed thousands of projects and transformed skylines across northeast Indiana. The Michael Kinder & Sons team has constructed important industrial facilities, houses of worship, health- care facilities, senior-care residences, college campuses, and commercial buildings. The company has made it a point to support local charities and has offered leadership to local non-profit, education, and faith-based boards. Guided by its motto--``We will serve our clients' needs--no matter how large or small--by providing quality services in the commercial and industrial marketplace''--Michael Kinder & Sons has been an important part of northeast Indiana's fabric for 125 years. I congratulate the entire Michael Kinder & Sons team on their success and wish them many prosperous years ahead.

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, President Trump will embark on his first international trip as our Commander in Chief. I am very pleased to see that one of the first countries our President will visit is Israel, a nation that is a cherished American ally and a beacon of freedom in a troubled region.

This visit comes at an important time, as recent comments by an administration official created uncertainty as to whether the U.S. Government considers the Western Wall to be within Israeli territory. Located in the heart of Jerusalem's Old City, the Western Wall is one of the holiest sites in the world and a place where millions have gathered to pray and seek the presence of God.

Jewish tradition teaches that the Western Wall was an integral part of the Temple Mount and has been an important site in Judaism for more than 2,000 years.

It is vital that the United States Government recognize the Western Wall as part of Israel and that the President should affirm that position during his upcoming trip. I am hopeful that recognizing the Western Wall will be part of a process to formally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Mr. Speaker, in light of this morning's long overdue executive order on religious freedom and free speech, I rise today to thank my colleagues in Congress on their support for a thorough reform of the Johnson amendment, which has hindered the ability of faith-based nonprofits and churches from engaging in free speech and exercising freedom of religion.

Since 1954, the Johnson amendment has given the IRS the broad authority to censor the free speech of pastors, churches, and other tax-exempt organizations across America.

The IRS' vague interpretation of prohibited forms of speech under this law has led to uncertainty about what speech constitutes a formal violation.

Furthermore, when the Johnson amendment was originally adopted, it was passed without debate, committee hearings, or any other procedure we use in Congress today.

We need to allow America's churches, pastors, and other faith leaders to speak freely on all spheres of life, including relevant political candidates and elections. We need to return free speech back to our spiritual leaders and faith-based organizations without fear of government censorship.

Thank you, Mr. President, for acting to ensure that America's churches will again be a safe place to discuss all important matters in life. While today's actions are a strong start, there is more work to be done to protect religious freedom in the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership on important issues like these.

Unfortunately, my home State of Indiana is no stranger to severe weather. As we enter peak tornado season, my constituents are vulnerable to tornado outbreaks which could lead to loss of life and destruction. Protecting lives and property from severe weather needs to be a top priority at NOAA. I am glad we are addressing this issue for that reason today.

This legislation will greatly improve our ability to predict severe weather, like the tornadoes that affect my district, through a focused program to enhance forecasting. When mere seconds make the difference between life and death, my constituents deserve the most accurate and timely forecasts available, and I am confident that this legislation will help give them that information.

I am also pleased that this bill gives NOAA the ability to incorporate data and forecasting skill from private sector companies like Harris Corporation in northeast Indiana, which employs about 450 engineers and technicians in my district. These talented professionals build the world's most advanced weather satellite instruments.

Many government-operated systems are slow and costly, and the private sector can be used to fill critical weather data needs. Directing NOAA to integrate next-generation commercial solutions improves our ability to protect lives and property.

The time to think outside of the government-only-weather-data box is now. That is why I applaud the chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Mr. Smith, as well as my colleague from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) for bringing this important legislation to the forefront. I look forward to its passage into law.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Smith for sponsoring this legislation, the HONEST Act.

I believe that this bill will take a very important step toward improving the quality of science at the EPA. This is incredibly important because this agency ensures that our air and water are clean, which is something that all Americans want and deserve.

However, in recent years, the EPA has not been as transparent and forthcoming with the scientific data that the agency has used as the basis for costly regulations. That is exactly where the HONEST Act comes in.

By requiring the agency to base its regulations on publicly available science, scientists and the American people will be able to examine the data and pursue their own scientific inquiry if they wish, improving the scientific integrity of the EPA.

Transparency throughout all levels of the Federal Government is an important tenet of American democracy. I strongly support all efforts to provide the American people with more information on how our government works. This is most important when regulations that impact American jobs and the economy are involved.

Critics of the HONEST Act claim that requiring scientific data to be public would compromise personal information. This is a false narrative. This legislation specifically protects that information by way of redactions. It is not the interest of Congress or the EPA to compromise anyone's personal data.

Passage of the HONEST Act comes at a critical time for the EPA. Executive orders issued by President Trump require that the agency review and potentially revise a number of regulations from the past administration that were only partly based on science and that were never made public to the American people. We want to avoid similar situations moving forward, regardless of the administration.

I urge my colleagues to vote for this legislation to promote a more honest and open EPA.

Mr. Chairman, let me first commend the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe) for his leadership on this issue and so many others on behalf of our veteran population.

As a veteran myself of the war in Afghanistan, I have a deep commitment to ensuring that my fellow veterans receive the proper care and treatment that they have earned by serving our country. That is why I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the VA Accountability First Act.

This bipartisan legislation will give Secretary Shulkin the tools that he needs to change the dysfunctional culture of the VA. It has been 3 years since the wait list at VA facilities became public, yet too many of our veterans deal with VA employees who engage in misconduct that could endanger their lives.

Too often, it takes months or even years to remove those employees. Worse still, sometimes these employees are not removed at all. Most VA employees, though, are hardworking and dedicated people, which makes it that much more unfair when the VA can't or won't hold bad employees accountable.

We can and must do better, and this bill is a first step in that process.

The bill would shorten the time it takes to fire a VA employee for misconduct, give the Secretary the discretion to both revoke bonuses previously paid to employees engaging in misconduct and reduce pensions of employees found guilty of felonies while on the job, and provide improved protections for whistleblowers.

These are commonsense proposals supported by many veterans' groups. This bill is also supported by Secretary Shulkin. It is a no-brainer, and that is why I support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a historic accomplishment that took place this past Saturday night in northeast Indiana. As you may know, in Indiana, we love basketball. We affectionately refer to our passion for the game as Hoosier Hysteria.

This is a special time of the year for Hoosiers. Every year, high school teams across our State compete in the annual Indiana high school basketball tournament. For one team, this year turned into a special season. Churubusco High School, located in Whitley County, first competed in the Indiana boys high school tournament in 1981. Over the years, many great players wore the Eagles uniform, but Churubusco High School never won a sectional title until this year.

This past Saturday night the Eagles claimed the Class 2A Woodlan Sectional, winning Churubusco's first sectional championship trophy in the 99-year history of its boys basketball program. Eagle senior Luke Foote, who scored 26 points in the sectional championship game, said after the win: ``It is huge for the community knowing that history was made. It means a lot to the guys that put on the jersey before us. . . . `'

I congratulate the Churubusco Eagles, head coach Chris Paul, and the entire Churubusco community on this historic accomplishment. The celebration of this sectional title is truly a century in the making.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to voice my strong support for H.J. Res 43, which would overturn the previous administration's title X family planning funding rule.

In December, the Obama administration finalized a misguided rule which dictates that States must send title X family planning grant money to abortion providers. Even more, this rule also threatens to deprive noncompliant States, such as Representative Black's home State of Tennessee, of all title X family planning funds.

This politically motivated requirement was made neither in the interest of protecting life, nor in the interest of the States.

Under the rule, States that decline to send title X funds to abortion clinics

would lose their title X funding completely. If States make the decision they want to use their funding to affirm life, then they should be allowed to do so. This rule blatantly steps all over states' rights and goes out of its way to favor abortion providers at the same time.

Let's ensure States continue to have the freedom and flexibility to make the right decisions for themselves. That is exactly what I have advocated for my entire career, both in the Statehouse in Indiana and again here on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

I express my strong support for the passage of H.J. Res. 43, introduced by Representative Black.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support a permanent repeal of the medical device tax.

The more than 7,000 medical device companies in the United States contribute hundreds of billions of dollars to our economy every year, employing over 400,000 Americans, and creating lifesaving technologies that benefit patients around the world.

Many of these device manufacturers are based in my district in and around Warsaw, Indiana, and we are proud that Warsaw is often called the orthopedic capital of the world.

The vast majority of medical device manufacturers employ fewer than 50

people, with many generating little to no sales revenue. This is what makes the potential reinstatement of the 2.3 percent excise tax on medical device sales so harmful. This misguided tax would subject the medical device industry to one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world and eliminate thousands of jobs.

Repealing this tax has broad, bipartisan support in both Chambers of Congress, and I urge my colleagues to make eliminating this tax a top legislative priority in 2017.

Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the innocent lives lost as a result of Roe v. Wade.

It has now been 44 years since the Supreme Court made this unconstitutional ruling, and over that period of time, more than 58 million--I repeat, over 58 million--children have had their God-given right to life denied. Every single one of these lives was important and unique, and we grieve this loss.

At the same time, we celebrate the fact that, increasingly, our culture recognizes the value of human life. A poll released last year found that a majority of young Americans support increasing restrictions that protect the unborn. Another recent poll found that 61 percent of Americans oppose using tax dollars to fund abortions in the United States.

I agree with them, and that is why I support the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act that we voted on earlier today. I am pleased that it passed the House, and I urge my colleagues in the Senate to quickly consider this important bill.

But we must not stop there. We must work to ensure that taxpayer dollars do not continue to support the abortion industry, including Planned Parenthood, our Nation's largest abortion provider.

Additionally, we must encourage the new administration to nominate a Justice to the Supreme Court who follows the Constitution and respects the most basic and fundamental right of every human being born and unborn: the right to life.

As a father of three young daughters, these issues are personal for me. During my time in Congress, I will stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. I will protect and defend human life and advance these deep- and long-held values upon which our Nation was founded.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support for granting a waiver for James Mattis continuing his distinguished service to our Nation as our next Secretary of Defense.

We live in deeply troubling times as America's standing in the world and our military readiness have both deteriorated significantly over the past 8 years. Whether it is only one-third of the active Army's brigade combat teams being ready for combat, or Marines being forced to pull spare parts from museum aircraft to repair their F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets. These are not the marks of a ready force.

This moment requires trusted leadership and someone with a genuine understanding of what is required of our brave men and women to stand ready when our Nation calls. There is no one better equipped to understand the dangers that we face, how to repair our world image, and set us on a path to rebuilding our military than President-elect Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense, General James Mattis. General Mattis embodies all of the traits we should look for when selecting a Secretary of Defense.

As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I look forward to working with him to put our military back on sure footing and help advance our Nation toward peace and stability.

I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the measure.