Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker Pro Tempore, I rise today to recognize the contributions of Adjoa McDonald as she is honored as one of California's 8th Congressional District's Women of the Year.

Adjoa has dedicated her career to advocating for women and youth in the city of Vallejo.

Adjoa founded the Vallejo Project, an organization dedicated to developing the leadership skills of youth and young adults so they can improve the systems that impact them. Adjoa's work has created a platform that empowers and uplifts women and youth in Vallejo, providing them with a network to connect, learn, and support each other.

Beyond advocating for women individually, Adjoa also fights to improve the status of women throughout society. She fights to address issues that impact all women, such as gender inequality, domestic violence, and economic disempowerment.

Adjoa cares deeply about working collaboratively to make broad change. She knows the importance of her work because she has faced the obstacles that many women in Vallejo, and the United States, experience today. She is an example of the strength and resilience that women possess and use those qualities to make a difference for the women in her community.

On behalf of the people of California's 8th Congressional District, it is my pleasure to honor and recognize Adjoa McDonald for her positive contributions to our community.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to stand here beside my women colleagues in support of this very important motion. As they have shared, we have an essential duty to protect the rights of our servicemembers, their reproductive rights. We protect the decisions that they must be able to make about their own body.

When servicemembers volunteer, they know that they will be making sacrifices. They know that they will have to follow orders. They know that they will have to take on hard missions and do whatever is necessary to defend our country. One thing they did not sign up for is to sacrifice their fundamental medical care and their fundamental rights to their own body.

Access to medical care has a direct impact on military readiness. I am very surprised to find that the very people that are claiming to care about our military's capability and readiness are pushing policies which will actively degrade our fighting forces.

Denying access to medical care sends a loud and clear message to every woman in the military now and to every other woman that may want to join the military; that is, your reproductive rights will not be honored or will not even exist should you join the military.

That is a message that will be sent to 18 percent of the women who make up our military today, and it will send the same message to every other woman who might want to join the military in the future.

The policies that are in this bill will chase women away from what they want; that is, to patriotically serve our country in the military. It is the wrong message.

This particular instruction should pass this House if we care about the readiness of our military.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today along with my colleague, Rep. Mike Thompson, to honor the life and lasting contributions of Mrs. Sue Augustine, longtime Solano County resident. Passing away at 82, Mrs. Augustine leaves behind an indelible legacy of love, leadership, and service to her community and family.

Born in 1940, in Detroit, Michigan, Mrs. Augustine demonstrated a hardworking and tenacious spirit from a young age. After graduating from St. Mary's High School in Mount Clemens, Michigan, she worked as a receptionist and switchboard operator for the City of Mt. Clements, where she met and married Mr. Len Augustine.

Mr. Augustine's service in the Air Force brought their family all over the world, ultimately leading them to establish a permanent home in Vacaville. Mrs. Augustine was a critical member of the Solano County community, working as a library assistant at both Vacaville libraries and volunteering for numerous charities. From crocheting for Hearts and Hands to supporting St. Mary's Church to serving at the Church Food Locker, Mrs. Augustine embodied the spirit of generosity and selflessness in every aspect of her life.

Mrs. Augustine will be remembered not only for her years of service to Solano County, but also for her genuine kindness and compassion. Her willingness to lend an ear and a helping hand to anyone in need earned her the widespread respect and gratitude of her community. Mrs. Augustine impacted the lives of countless members of her community and her steadfast leadership, constant smile, and patient mentorship undeniably enhanced the lives of her fellow Solano County residents.

Mrs. Augustine's enduring spirit will live on in her loving husband, son, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Mrs. Augustine's loved ones. We know that they, along with the people of Solano County, join us in celebrating her life and legacy.

Mr. Speaker, today I introduce the ``Expedited Federal Permitting for California Act.'' This new bill would make permanent the U.S. Department of Transportation's program for eliminating duplicative environmental reviews for federally funded infrastructure projects. It would also make federally funded airport and port development projects eligible for this expedited federal environmental review and permitting. Only federally funded highway, public transit, and multimodal projects are eligible under current law.

Established by Congress in 2015 under the leadership of former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), then-Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public

Works, this federal pilot program allows states like California with more stringent environment laws than the federal National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to substitute their state environmental reviews in lieu of completing a second, unnecessary federal environmental review at additional taxpayer expense. This cuts the permitting backlog in half for major transportation infrastructure projects statewide, which can proceed immediately to construction on time and budget. As a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I helped to develop and pass the 2015 Highway Bill (Public Law 114-94), which established this pilot authority.

Under the leadership of then-Speaker Pelosi and President Biden, Congressional Democrats made a generational investment under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-58) and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-169) to modernize our nation's infrastructure and build the clean energy economy of tomorrow. As one of five cosponsors of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and having voted with every other Democratic member of California's Congressional delegation to enact the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, I am committed to getting California our fair of this historic federal investment.

However, I am increasingly concerned that California will miss out on this federal funding only available for the next 3 years to fix our roads and public transit if we remain bogged down in a state and federal permitting morass that is unnecessarily cumbersome and litigious. My bill would simply make permanent the pilot authority established under the 2015 Highway Bill for substituting by California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for NEPA reviews for federally funded transportation projects. Under current law, this pilot authority will expire on December 4, 2027.

In January 2021, the U.S. Department of Transportation finalized the necessary regulations to finally implement this pilot authority. To date, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has never made use of this federal pilot authority and continues to insist on completing less stringent federal environmental reviews on behalf of the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration at additional taxpayer expense.

I take a backseat to no one when it comes to upholding California's high environmental standards, of which I am immensely proud. Mr. Speaker, I call on Governor Newsom and all members of California's Congressional delegation to join me in supporting my commonsense bill. We cannot watch the $1.2 trillion in available federal funding to rebuild our state's roads, public transit, airports, and ports pass us by. It's now or never.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and lasting contributions of Dr. Carol Weyland Conner. Passing away at the age of 80, Dr. Conner leaves behind an indelible legacy of service to California and the Contra Costa community.

Dr. Conner was born in 1942, on a Pawnee American Indian Reservation in Oklahoma to 2 educators. Her family later moved to Minnesota and to Visalia, California, where she graduated as the valedictorian of her high school. This was only the start of Dr. Conner's journey in education and community service. She studied English literature at the University of California, Berkeley; French Literature at Sorbonne in Paris; medieval studies at Johns Hopkins University; and earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Catholic University.

Driven by her passion for service, Dr. Conner served her community as a Volunteer Counselor with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity and as a Clinical Psychologist assisting Walnut Creek residents for over 25 years. Dr. Conner's commitment to her community and California was also expressed through her efforts to develop new models of volunteer community service.

Dr. Conner's innovation left a lasting impact on food rescue programming. In 2013, Dr. Conner founded the White Pony Express, an organization which provides fresh, high-quality food and clothing to 90 local nonprofits. This critical nonprofit has evolved into l of the largest food rescue programs in California, delivering 18 million meals since its founding.

Dr. Conner's commitment to California was not only expressed through her leadership of the White Pony Express, but also in her founding of the Following Francis program. Through Following Francis, Dr. Conner worked to provide underserved communities with quality clothes, shoes, groceries, books, educational tools, and more. As a result of Dr. Conner's diligence and dedication, Following Francis now serves Myrtle Beach, District of Columbia, Los Angeles, and Bay Area communities.

In addition to her community leadership, Dr. Conner exemplified the spirit of altruism and

innovation in all areas of her life. Her vital work serving communities across America has helped provide the resources and services necessary to give children and families the opportunity to thrive. Dr. Conner duly received the Jefferson Award from San Francisco CBS television station KPIX, the Threads of Hope Award from Diablo Magazine, and was named a Hometown Hero by the Contra Costa Times. In 2019, the California AARP awarded Dr. Conner with the prestigious Andrus Award for Community Service, for her lifelong dedication to serving the people of California.

Dr. Conner's enduring spirit will live on in her stepchildren, grandchildren, niece, grandniece, grandnephew, and the communities she dedicated her life to serving. I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to Dr. Conner's loved ones. I know that they, along with the people of Contra Costa County, join me in celebrating her life and legacy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and lasting contributions of Mrs. Aleita Huguenin. Passing away at the age of 77, Mrs. Huguenin leaves behind an indelible legacy as an educator, mentor, activist and friend.

Born in Durango, Colorado in 1946, to 2 teachers, Mrs. Huguenins love for education and learning flourished from a young age. In the late 1960s, she moved with her family to Walnut Creek, beginning what would become a lifelong residency in California. After earning her bachelor's degree from San Francisco State University, Mrs. Huguenin began teaching elementary and middle school in the Mount Diablo Unified School District of Concord, California. Throughout her tenure as a teacher, she demonstrated a steadfast dedication to her students and strived to ensure they had the resources necessary. to achieve their full potential.

Driven by her passion for activism and sincere belief in the importance of collective bargaining, Mrs. Huguenin served as the president of her local teacher's union, leading her fellow teachers in their first strike. Her critical work as a grassroots organizer and community leader, left an everlasting mark not only on Contra Costa County, but also California. For more than 40 years, Mrs. Huguenin served her country and community with an unwavering sense of justice and fairness. She consistently advocated for women's rights and equality for all, never failing to stand up for others and uphold the democratic values our country was founded on.

While exhibiting leadership as a community leader and advocate, Mrs. Huguenin also played a pivotal role in the California Teachers Association. For over 2 decades, Mrs. Huguenin impacted thousands of California educators. teaching them how to effectively serve future generations of students. As part of her critical work transforming California's education system, Mrs. Huguenin spearheaded the founding of the California Teachers Association Summer Institute, an innovative training program helping teachers learn how best to address the ever- changing needs of today's students.

In addition to her leadership in the education and community organizing fields, Mrs. Huguenin exemplified the spirit of altruism and innovation in all areas of her life. Mrs. Huguenin will be remembered not only for her decades of service to Contra Costa students and California teachers, but also for her genuine spirit of kindness and compassion. She

left an everlasting mark on her friends, students, mentees, and the greater California education system.

Mrs. Huguenin's enduring spirit will live on in her husband, son, 2 granddaughters, stepson, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew. I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to Mrs. Huguenin's loved ones. I know that they, along with the people of Contra Costa County, join me in celebrating her life and legacy.

Mr. Chair, I rise today to highlight the extraordinary work done by the Readiness Subcommittee, with support from Chairman Waltz and bipartisan support through the Subcommittee, despite efforts to compromise the integrity of this bill.

As the Ranking Member of the Readiness Subcommittee, it is my responsibility to provide congressional oversight of and support to the sustainment, logistics, infrastructure, and readiness of our military. I'd like to take a moment and thank my staff for their tireless work-- the Readiness Subcommittee staff and my personal staff, Robert Hurd, Iain Hart, and Taylor Brunstad. I am proud of the Readiness Subcommittee's contribution and efforts to support our military.

I firmly believe in the mission of our military and support the men, women, and families that sacrifice so much. However, I cannot in good faith support a bill that undermines access to reproductive care; eliminates efforts to address systemic racism; and blocks medical care and support for transgender servicemembers and their dependents. We owe it to our servicemembers to protect their rights while they are sacrificing to protect our freedom.

I do, however want to acknowledge the critical work we were able to accomplish in the original bill that passed through the House Armed Services Committee:

Support Mare Island with a provision that authorizes the Secretary of Defense to conduct a study on dredging Mare Island Straight in front of finger piers 2 and 3 to a depth of 30 feet to restore the usability of the piers for commercial shipbuilding in the future.

Conduct a study on the efforts required to recapitalize Mare Island Naval Shipyard to support domestic shipbuilding.

Provide new federal loans and loan guarantees for repairs and retrofits of U.S.-flag civilian vessels in domestic commercial shipyards, like Mare Island Dry Dock.

Combat price gouging and close the loopholes giant defense contractors are utilizing to price gouge the Pentagon and American taxpayers.

Authorize the FireGuard program, crucial to fighting wildfires in California and nationwide.

Provide a report on the feasibility of using CH-47 helicopters for fighting wildfires.

Continue to fight nuclear proliferation by requiring the development of an integrated master schedule for nuclear warhead development.

Make improvements relating to civilian access to U.S. military installations. This helps workers, veterans, and others who need to get on base for their jobs, livelihood, or medical care in military communities like Travis Air Force Base in Solano County.

Modernize the Military's List of Medically Disqualifying Conditions for military service to ensure enlistees are not needlessly disqualified from serving or continuing to serve in the military. The current list of medically disqualifying conditions was designed when female enlistees were far less common, therefore many female enlistees are unnecessarily disqualified from enlisting due to normal conditions of their gender. This would also allow for the review of conditions like ADD/ADHD, previous mental health treatment and support, and other conditions that frequently receive a waiver.

Increase funding for environmental clean-up at former military installation sites to $50 million dollars.

Require DOD to establish policy and process to identify and report encroachment related risks near military bases and installations, and to understand ways to mitigate associated risks.

Authorize continued funding for bio-industrial manufacturing infrastructure. This would establish a network of facilities that would support defense needs and assist in scaling commercial capacity so that the U.S. can compete with China, create new jobs, and us on robust agricultural feedstock.

Extend the deadline for the completion of the conveyance of a parcel of property at Sharpe Army Depot, Lathrop, California to 2026.

Increase funding for research and development for energy efficient aircraft development.

Continue to push the DOD on the sustainment and readiness of ships and aircraft via yearly reports from the GAO.

Utilize the lessons learned in the response to COVID-19 through ``Operation WARP SPEED'' to develop plans and operations for response to future pandemics or emergencies.

Support the American maritime industry by requiring reports on the preference afforded by domestic ports to U.S. military, commercial vessels enrolled in the Maritime Administration's (MARAD) strategic sealift programs, and other U.S.-flagged vessels, if any.

Demand responsible spending and furthering nuclear nonproliferation through studies on Plutonium Pit Aging.

It is unconscionable that the bipartisan bill advanced out of the House Armed Services Committee is being subjected to amendments that detract from its original mission to support our service members and keep American families safe. Regardless of the final outcome of this year's NDAA, I am pleased to have worked in a bipartisan manner to advance legislation out of the House Armed Services Committee that addresses the critical issues facing our military families and furthers America's national security interests.

Mr. Chair, I am actually quite amazed that we are allowing a political ideology to get in the way of reality and facts.

The fact of the matter is that the U.S. military, more than a decade ago, noticed that the climate was changing and they needed to address it. Also, the fact is that the largest solar and wind energy systems in the Nation are in Texas, and Texas is dependent upon those for their power when a heat wave arrives.

Let's be smart here. Let's not let ideology and the fact that we want to get into a fight over climate change get in the way of good public policy. It is absolutely essential that the military build for the future, that they build for resiliency.

Mr. Speaker, today I reintroduce the ``American Food for American Schools Act.'' I thank Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) for his support as the original cosponsor and U.S. Senators, Mike Braun (R-IN), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), for sponsoring the companion.

This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would strengthen enforcement of the existing ``Buy American'' requirements under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) in-school meal programs. Current law requires school districts to purchase domestically sourced food products for all federally funded in-school meals and afterschool snacks under the National School Lunch Program. However, even in agricultural communities like California's Central Valley, school districts continue to misuse taxpayer dollars to buy imported foods, unnecessarily, without informing parents. In numerous cases, these same imported foods have been recalled due to safety concerns and outbreaks of foodborne diseases. This is especially troubling as those same foods could have been sourced locally in the first place as required by federal law.

That is why our bipartisan bill would increase public transparency by allowing parents to know from where the food served to their children in school comes. School districts would be required to obtain a waiver from USDA to use federal taxpayer dollars to purchase foreign-sourced food products, when unavailable domestically. By requiring USDA to post on line all waivers granted for purchases of foreign-sourced foods served to students, our bill would provide American farmers the opportunity to seek out school districts in need of affordable, domestically grown foods.

In the 115th Congress, we included a ``Buy American'' enforcement provision for the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Program in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-334), commonly known as the 2018 Farm Bill. We also clarified the seafood caught by Untied States-flag vessels or within our Exclusive Economic Zone at sea are domestically sourced foods for the USDA in-school meal programs. This was a first step in addressing this critical issue for American farmers and parents with school-age children. Now, Congress needs to finish the job by passing our ``American Food for American Schools Act'' into law.

Mr. Speaker, I hope all Members will join us in cosponsoring the ``American Food for American Schools Act.'' Our Nation's schoolchildren should be served nutritious, American-grown foods produced under the strictest food safety standards in the world, as required by federal law. That is exactly what our bill would accomplish. I look forward to working with the Committee on Education and Labor to ensure that our bipartisan bill is included in any future Child Nutrition Reauthorization or the upcoming Farm Bill.

Mr. Chair, we are in the midst of a major overhaul of our nuclear weapons system. It is a vast project and extraordinarily expensive, and in that process of reviewing and modifying our nuclear weapons system, this particular bomb becomes one of the items that is not necessary going forward.

It basically has two uses. That is to wipe out a very large city with one bomb--this is a super-megaton bomb--or to somehow go after deeply buried and entrenched targets, and it is not particularly useful for that. Therefore, the Nuclear Posture Review has determined that this bomb should be retired.

The amendment before us today allows for the continuation of the program to set about doing two things: one, retiring the 83-1; and two, figuring out a more suitable weapon to go after deeply entrenched targets. Therefore, this amendment is of use.

Mr. Chair, I urge the passage of the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, that was a most interesting argument presented by our colleague.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers), the chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith), the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee.

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

Mr. Chair, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

Mr. Chair, I yield myself 2 minutes.

Mr. Chair, I am curious here about the history of the United States Government putting its finger on the scale. Let's think for a moment about the way in which the railroad industry was created in the United States. We are talking not only a finger, a thumb, but the extraordinary weight of the Federal Government creating it.

Let's talk about nuclear energy. Let's talk about aircraft. Let's talk about the airline industry.

When we talk about anything in modern America today, in one way or another, the Federal Government led and caused in part, together with the private sector, for the industry to develop.

What we are doing here in the NDAA is to set out a mechanism using the military to bring into the economy new technologies that are sustainable and that reduce greenhouse gases.

If you want to buy steel from several American steel companies, this amendment would make it impossible for the military to buy that steel because they are using sustainable methods of creating the steel.

Throughout the entire system, we find the military moving toward sustainability, reducing costs, and, I might add here, maintaining the standard that is necessary for that particular steel structure. It could be sustainable, using hydrogen rather than coal to create the steel. It could be wood, cross-laminated wood products, which previously were not used by the military because they weren't considered. What we have done is to say consider using these sustainable materials.

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

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

Mr. Chair, it is always interesting to listen to my colleague, and I often find that he is incorrect, Mr. Chairman. However, let's consider for a moment what we really have here.

We have an entirely new system being developed within the United States and really around the world, and that is new materials that are being developed every day.

This amendment would make it difficult, if not impossible, for the military to engage in the purchase of these new materials. It is, in fact, the military that has throughout the history of the United States brought into the American economy new systems and new materials. We can go through a long list of those, but I won't spend all my time to do that.

What I will simply say is that what we are doing with the NDAA is to make sure that we have resiliency and that we are reducing the impact of carbon in our society and in the climate of this world. We are also requiring that those new materials meet the highest standards used in all of the United States.

I am afraid that I am out of time. We will continue this in the back room.

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

Mr. Chair, I thank Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith for their leadership on the committee and the work that has been done. Also, a special shout-out to Chairman Waltz, with whom I have the pleasure of working on the Readiness Subcommittee.

Throughout the creation of this bill and the previous four bills, the subcommittee has focused on our core mission: ensuring America's military servicemembers have the resources and training to execute their missions and return home safely to their families.

The bill that advanced from the subcommittee made great strides to improve the housing, childcare, and barracks for the servicemembers and their families; develop resilient installations capable of withstanding the challenges of natural events; reduce the consumption of petroleum fuel and address the impacts of climate change while ensuring our forces are prepared to face the challenges and threats wherever and whenever they may arise.

There are, of course, still areas for improvement. We must do more to fully factor sustainment and maintenance into everything we do. We cannot be distracted by the purchase of shiny, new equipment if that equipment cannot be sustained for the mission when it is needed.

We must also continue to fight price gouging by defense contractors, which takes taxpayer dollars intended to equip our forces and redirects them to corporate profits. We will continue to tackle these issues, but I remain proud of what this committee has done.

I am, however, concerned that the majority has forced into this bill controversial social and political issues that do not advance our national security. Unreasonable demands which roll back efforts to ensure our military reflects the country that it serves or to prepare the military for the future are the absolute wrong direction. I hope that we eliminate these divisive issues and that they will not be included in the final bill.

We will work together, therefore, to prioritize the authorizations that our armed services need and our servicemembers and military families deserve.

Mr. Speaker, today I reintroduce the ``Stop Pentagon Price Gouging Act'' with Representative DeLuzio (D-PA-17) as the original cosponsor. I thank U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Mike Braun (R-IN) for sponsoring the companion bill. These important reforms will protect taxpayers from being overcharged for goods procured by the Department of Defense.

Our bicameral, bipartisan bill would close loopholes in current acquisition laws, tie financial incentives for contractors to performance, and provide the Department of Defense (DoD) with the information necessary to prevent future rip-offs. Our bill would make several key reforms to achieve those goals.

First, our bill would ensure competitive and transparent pricing by closing a loophole and ensuring that defense contractors provide the federal government cost or pricing information in all cases where there isn't adequate price competition that results in at least 2 competitive bids. Second, the bill would restore market dynamics and ensure that commercial goods are those actually sold to customers other than just the federal government, revising the definition of commercial item for federal procurement by the Department of Defense. Third, the bill would ensure payment is tied to performance by creating a new pilot program for progress payments, which will help to tie payments to performance by providing contractors the opportunity to receive advance payments only when they meet certain conditions such as providing timely responses, disclosing important data, and meeting small business subcontractor goals. Lastly, the bill would ensure that our defense dollars are being spent to provide our armed forces with the resources they need and not to line the pockets of defense contractor executives, requiring disclosures from defense contractors mirroring those already required by publicly traded companies.

Taken together, this bill will be an important step in tackling price gouging, overbilling, or outright fraud by defense contractors. As a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, I know how much we pay for parts to keep military equipment ready. We know

that taxpayers are routinely overcharged due to loopholes in current law and federal procurement regulations. We cannot allow taxpayer money to be wasted to inflate the bottom lines of multinational defense contractors. Our service members need the tools to properly negotiate prices. This is just common sense, and that's why we are reintroducing this bill today.

Mr. Speaker, Representative DeLuzio and I look forward to working across the aisle to advance these key reforms in the ``Stop Pentagon Price Gouging Act.'' I encourage all members to join us in cosponsoring this commonsense bill.

Mr. Speaker, today I reintroduce the ``Bridge Corrosion Prevention and Repair Act'' with Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). I thank U.S. Senators Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) for sponsoring the companion legislation.

Our bipartisan, bicameral legislation would require all federally funded bridge projects to use certified contractors for any corrosion control work and employ industry-recognized standards for corrosion mitigation and prevention. Specifically, our legislation would prompt State, county, and municipal transportation departments to employ qualified, trained corrosion control professionals who have completed federally registered apprenticeship programs.

In July 2021, the House passed my ``Bridge Corrosion Prevention and Repair Act'' as Section 1116 of former Chairman Peter A. DeFazio's (D- OR) ``Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation (INVEST) in America Act,'' of which I was a cosponsor. While it was ultimately not included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117-58), I continue working to build upon Chairman DeFazio's work on corrosion prevention policy and promoting apprenticeships.

In the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 117-81), I secured Section 813 (Office of Corrosion Policy and Oversight employee training requirements) directing the U.S. Department of Defense to make use of federally registered apprenticeship programs for training military personnel, civilian employees, and military construction contractors on anti-corrosion activities. Under my amendment to the FY2022 NDAA, the DOD's Office of Corrosion Policy and Oversight Employee Training Requirements is charged with coordinating this work.

Under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Congress and the Biden Administration are making the largest federal investment to modernize our nation's infrastructure since the Interstate Highway System was established in 1956. America's corrosion professionals and union painters are ready, willing, and able to do the job.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members of the House to cosponsor the Bridge Corrosion Prevention and Repair Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and commend Fairfield's Travis Air Force Base upon celebrating 80 years of diligent service to the United States military and the American public. This outstanding achievement is a testament to the vital role that Travis Air Force Base plays in the critical duties of the United States Air Force and the immense presence it has in the Solano community.

Originally founded on May 11, 1943, as Fairfield-Suisum Army Air Base, the Base began as only a single airstrip and a few temporary buildings. Despite its small footprint, the Base spearheaded the essential mission of servicing and ferrying tactical aircraft from California to active war zones across the Pacific.

Travis Air Force Base quickly became integral to the crucial missions of the United States military and became the West Coast's largest aerial port by 1945. During World War II, Travis Airforce Base met a challenge of colossal scale, directly facilitating the mission of airlifting troops to Asia and then supporting the return of war-weary servicemembers.

Today, Travis Air Force Base is widely known as the ``Gateway to the Pacific,'' as it handles more cargo and passengers through its aerial port than any other military air terminal in the United States. The Base continues to support humanitarian airlift efforts around the world and played a critical role in the largest noncombatant evacuation operation in history, Operation Allies Refuge, which ultimately saved over 124,000 lives. I have listened to countless stories from the valiant servicemembers of Travis Air Force Base that exemplify the character, leadership, and bravery that is cultivated in the United States Air Force.

The critical role that Travis Air Force Base has in the greater Solano County community does not go unnoticed. Currently, the Travis team includes over 15,000 active-duty servicemembers, civilians, and reservists, every one of whom is a vital and valued member of the Solano community. Travis Air Force Base's dedication to the United States military and Americans around the world is not only impressive, but essential to the safety of families across the country.

On behalf of a grateful country and all the constituents of California's Eighth Congressional District, I would like to congratulate Travis Air Force Base upon its 80th anniversary and extend my sincere gratitude for the Base's sacrifices and contributions in the defense of this great country.