Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend the Service Veterans of Northern California Honor Guard for its dedication to honoring and celebrating the lives of our veterans in the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery and cemeteries in the neighboring regions.

Since the first national cemetery was established in the United States following the end of the Civil War, there have been nearly 150 national cemeteries designated in forty states across the country. My home state of California is home to nine of these cemeteries, including the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery. The constituents of California's Third Congressional District and those who live in the Sacramento Valley region are grateful for the service of the cemetery's volunteer Honor Guard and their work to gracefully bring respect and dignity to our veterans' funerals.

This extraordinary group of volunteers provides funeral honors for military veterans and gives a final salute to those who have bravely served our country. Thanks to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2000, the United States Armed Forces ensure that any eligible veteran can receives full military honors during their funeral service at the request of their family. The Northern California Honor Guard performs up to 10 services each day for these fallen veterans, and all services are performed at no cost to the family of the deceased.

I know that the families of our fallen veterans join me in thanking and celebrating the important contributions of the Service Veterans of Northern California Honor Guard as we remember and honor the incredible sacrifices of our veterans this Memorial Day.

Madam Speaker, today I introduce the ``Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act for Airports,'' with U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). I want to thank Representatives Brian Babin (R-TX36), Coner Lamb (D-PA 17), Julia Brownley (D-CA26), and Adam B. Schiff (D-CA28) and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) for their support as original cosponsors.

The country that invented air travel should not have to look to other countries' airports with envy. Congress must invest in modernizing our nation's airports to better meet the traveling public's needs and address public health concerns like coronavirus. Now more than ever, Americans deserve airports that are as efficient, safe, and clean as possible.

In its most recent annual report card, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave our nation's airports and related civilian aviation infrastructure a ``D+'' grade, requiring more than in $237 billion in total capital improvements over the next 10 years. The ``Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act for Airports'' is a good first step, unlocking approximately $2 billion in federal financing available as of fiscal year 2020 for airport modernization projects, including climate resilience projects.

Roadway and transit projects eligible under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) are already subject to ``Buy America'' requirements. Our bicameral, bipartisan bill for this Congress incorporates the key provision from my ``TIFIA for Airports

Act'' (H.R. 7523) last Congress applying the very same ``Buy America'' requirements for FAA Airport Improvement Grants (49 USC 50101) to any airport project financed under TIFIA.

Madam Speaker, I urge all members to cosponsor the ``Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act for Airports.'' As a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I plan to make this a major priority in my work.

Madam Speaker, recently I introduced a necessary amendment to the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014 (WIFIA). This provision was included in my ``WIFIA Improvement Act of 2020'' (H.R. 8217) from last Congress. I thank my colleague Congressman Newhouse (R-WA) for his support as the original cosponsor this year.

Our bipartisan bill would allow local communities seeking to build water infrastructure projects to secure federally guaranteed financing under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's WIFIA loan program with a 55-year repayment schedule rather than the current 35-year loan term. This change would unlock low-interest WIFIA financing for projects with longer lifecycles like the off-stream Sites Reservoir Project in my Congressional district and similar water storage projects.

For fiscal year 2021, Congress made more than $11.5 billion in federal WIFIA loans available. By making WIFIA loan terms more workable for projects with longer lifecycles, at no risk to the taxpayer, this bill will allow California and other western states to modernize water infrastructure and better meet future water supply needs.

Madam Speaker, I urge all members to cosponsor this bipartisan bill to unlock the federal financing necessary to construct the water infrastructure of the future. I plan to make this bipartisan bill a major priority in my work as a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, including in any WIFIA reauthorization. The current Congressional authorization for the WIFIA program expires at the end of fiscal year 2021.

Madam Speaker, today I introduce the Primary Regulators of Insurance Vote Act with Rep. Barry Loudermilk, Rep. Roger Williams, and Rep. Alexander X. Mooney as the original cosponsors.

The Primary Regulators of Insurance Vote Act would add a dedicated voting seat for state insurance commissioners on the federal Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC), established under the 2010 Dodd- Frank law in response to the global financial crisis and the Great Recession. This bipartisan bill would ensure that the expertise of the nation's primary insurance regulators, state commissioners, has equal weight in the FSOC's decision-making and risk monitoring activities, which directly impact the national insurance industry and market for hundreds of millions of American consumers.

With this bill, we will better protect consumers by ensuring that the impact insurance companies have on our financial stability is sufficiently monitored at the national level. As former State Insurance Commissioner of California, I know the frontline role that state regulators can have in holding insurance companies accountable. Unlike other financial sectors, insurance markets are largely regulated at the state level. Our bill will ensure that the state officials leading that effort have a full and equal voice at the national level to ensure stability, fairness, and accountability in our financial system and the insurance industry nationwide.

I am joined in this effort by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), American Property Casualty Insurance Association, National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, Insured Retirement Institute, Reinsurance Association of America, and American Council of Life Insurers which have endorsed the legislation.

Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in cosponsoring the ``Primary Regulators of Insurance Vote Act to ensure that the state officials leading the effort to regulate insurance markets have a full and equal voice at the national level to ensure stability, fairness, and accountability in our financial system and the insurance industry nationwide.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Lieutenant Colonel Matthew D. Gorsuch of the U.S. Air Force, upon his departure from the Department of the Air Force Directorate of Legislative Liaison. Assigned as a Liaison Officer to the U.S. House of Representatives, Lieutenant Colonel Gorsuch served as a critical bridge between key senior leaders within the Department of Defense, to include the Secretary of the Air Force, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Chief of Space Operations and 147 assigned Members of Congress, to include the Speaker and the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Over these past two years, he led international travel for four Speaker congressional delegations, including bi-lateral engagements with state leaders from the United Kingdom, France, and Poland, strengthening bonds with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. His actions reinforced Federal priorities for both the fiscal years 2020 and 2021 National Defense Authorization Acts. He will be deeply missed after exceptional years of service.

Lieutenant Colonel Gorsuch is a native of Leoti, Kansas, and is a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's of Business Administration. He is a 2018 graduated Defense Legislative Fellow.

Lieutenant Colonel Gorsuch began his career in 2003 at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, as a First Assignment Instructor Pilot, and has since held numerous Special Operations assignments, flying the MC-130H Combat Talon II at Hurlburt Field, Florida, and Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the United Kingdom. Trusted for his tactical acumen, he was assigned as a Combat Air Advisor in the 711th Special Operations Squadron, the very same squadron he is departing the Legislative Liaison to Command. His extensive background in aviation has been critical to our work in strengthening, recapitalizing, and building our Nation's air and space forces.

This moment is bittersweet, as we are deeply saddened to see Matt go. However, we are excited for what awaits him, wish him luck as he commands his prior unit, and look forward to seeing what his future holds.

Madam Speaker, on behalf of the U.S. Congress and a grateful Nation, I extend our deepest appreciation to Lieutenant Colonel Gorsuch for his dedicated service to the U.S. Air Force, U.S. House of Representatives, and to our Nation.

Madam Speaker, today I reintroduce the ``Made in America Act'' with U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). Our bicameral and bipartisan bill would strengthen ``Buy America'' requirements for all major federal infrastructure programs, including federally funded highway, rail, transit, aviation, levee, and water projects.

The ``Made in America Act'' identifies federal programs that fund infrastructure not currently subject to ``Buy America'' standards and ensures that building materials used in these taxpayer-funded projects are produced domestically. When setting standards to determine which materials used in construction will be considered ``Made in America,'' the bill requires the Department of Commerce to ensure that their manufacturing processes support American jobs.

Congress is poised to make the most significant investment in our nation's infrastructure in nearly half a century. This is a once-in-a- generation opportunity to advance commonsense ``Buy America'' and ``Make it in America'' policies to rebuild and modernize our nation's crumbling infrastructure. In the process, we will create thousands of well-paying jobs that can never be outsourced and make America competitive in the 21st century.

Unfortunately, numerous Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports have confirmed that many of our nation's existing trade obligations often provide trading partners more opportunity to win American government procurement work than American businesses receive in return. The ``Made in America Act'' would take steps to correct this imbalance by ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent on American-made materials created by American workers and businesses.

Madam Speaker, Americans are right to expect that taxpayer dollars spent on infrastructure projects support domestic manufacturing. I want to thank my House colleagues for their support as the bill's original cosponsors. I urge all Members to join us is cosponsoring this critical legislation. As a senior member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I plan to make the ``Made in America Act'' a majority priority in the 2021 surface transportation reauthorization and any infrastructure package.

Madam Speaker, today I reintroduce the House resolution celebrating Vaisakhi: an annual harvest festival widely celebrated in northern India and throughout the world.

This resolution recognizes the historic, cultural, and religious significance of the festival of Vaisakhi. This annual harvest festival is celebrated globally by people of many different faiths including Sikhs, Hindus, and Buddhists. It is particularly significant for Sikhs because it coincides with the formation of Khalsa in 1699.

In the United States, Vaisakhi is celebrated with large processions, celebrations, and community service. Vaisakhi celebrates community, prosperity, and continued progress in the year ahead. As our country emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical that we celebrate the strength of our communities and the sacrifice it will take to defeat the coronavirus and look toward the future.

As the co-chairman of the American Sikh Congressional Caucus, I am honored to reintroduce this biennial resolution recognizing the importance of Vaisakhi. April 13 marks the start of the beginning of the Sikh religion and the start of the Punjabi New Year. Late 2020 and early 2021 has tested the Indian Sikh community, and I hope the coming months will be marked by peace, prosperity, and respect for all faith communities.

Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members of the House to join me in recognizing the significance of Vaisakhi and those who celebrate it.

Madam Speaker, today I introduce the Farmworker Pesticide Safety Act in commemoration of Cesar Chavez Day. This legislation is endorsed by the Association of American Pesticide Control Officials (AAPCO).

The Farmworker Pesticide Safety Act would support the correct application of pesticides in agriculture and provide farmworkers additional resources for the safe handling of pesticides and proper decontamination protocols following their workday. This new federal funding would come at no cost to taxpayers, complementing the substantial investments California's Department of Pesticide Regulation is already making to ensure that farmworkers and their young children are not exposed to dangerous pesticide levels in my State.

Specifically, my bill would effectively triple funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) worker protection, public- private partnership, and pesticide safety education grant programs. I am honored to represent the University of California, Davis Extension, which is the single largest recipient of this federal grant money in the entire country.

According to the USEPA, the agency collected between $2.3 million to $9.25 million

annually for pesticide regulatory violations over the past 5 years. Under current federal law, these fines and penalties collected from lawbreakers in the pesticide industry revert to the U.S. Treasury.

My Farmworker Pesticide Safety Act would instead direct these fines toward the USEPA's three major pesticide safety grant programs, at no additional cost to taxpayers, growers, or the pesticide industry. This means my bill would provide an average of $4.15 million per year in additional USEPA grant funding.

In 2019, Congress passed the Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act of 2018 (Public Law 116-8) reauthorizing the fee schedule for pesticide registrations with the USPEA through the end of fiscal year 2023. I look forward to working with Chairman Scott and all members of the Committee on Agriculture to include the Farmworker Pesticide Safety Act in the next PRIA reauthorization.

Madam Speaker, today I reintroduce the ``Military Retiree Survivor Comfort Act,'' with Congressman Mike Turner (R-OH) as the original cosponsor.

The late Congressman Walter B. Jones, Jr. (R-NC), my dear friend and our beloved colleague, sponsored the ``Military Retiree Survivor Comfort Act'' every Congress since 2002. I am honored to continue his work on this critical, bipartisan legislation to protect military families from completely avoidable bank overdrafts following a veteran's death.

Specifically, the ``Military Retiree Survivor Comfort Act'' would allow the spouse or other designated survivor/beneficiary of a veteran to retain the full retirement benefit paid out in the final month just before or coinciding with the veteran's death. Under current Department of Defense policy, that final month's retirement benefit may be clawed back on a prorated basis if the family fails to immediately notify the Defense Finance and Accounting Services (DFAS) of their veteran's death.

Military families with joint bank accounts, into which retirement payments are deposited electronically, are often unaware that DFAS can claw back overpayments without the accountholder's consent. This results in joint bank accounts being drained of funds, subjecting veterans' families to overdraft fees and avoidable financial hardship following a veteran's death.

The ``Military Retiree Survivor Comfort Act'' would finally end this needless and callous DFAS practice for any retirement benefit received in the month for which a veteran was alive for at least 24 hours. Military families grieving the loss of their loved one should not be penalized for an accounting oversight by the Department of Defense.

As chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, I plan to make the ``Military Retiree Survivor Comfort Act'' a major priority during this year's National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to join me and Congressman Turner (R-OH) in cosponsoring this bipartisan and commonsense bill.

Madam Speaker, today I reintroduce the bipartisan ``Student Loan Refinancing and Recalculation Act'' to address the ballooning student loan debt crisis crippling millions of Americans and their families. I thank my bipartisan co-lead Congressman Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and the other original cosponsors for their support.

This legislation would allow students to refinance their federal student loan interest rates, lower future student loan interest rates, eliminate origination fees on student loans, delay student loan interest rate accrual for low-income and middle-class borrowers while they are pursuing their education, and allow for borrowers in medical, veterinary or dental residencies to defer payments until the completion of their professional accreditation program.

With over 45 million Americans burdened by student loan debt, the education debt crisis has reached an epidemic level. The total student loan debt in America has reached nearly $1.7 trillion according to the Federal Reserve.

The need to service these debt loads often prevents graduates from making important purchases like houses or cars, and it also can make people more hesitant to take risks like starting a new business. Cumulatively, this mountain of debt slows down our economy and makes it less entrepreneurial, productive, and vibrant.

Most student loan debt is owed to the federal government, at interest rates of up to 5.30 percent or more for earlier loans. That percentage far exceeds the market rate for most government loans or U.S. Treasury bonds. Americans with student loans should be able to reasonably refinance their debt just as they would for a mortgage or any other consumer loan.

The ``Student Loan Refinancing and Recalculation Act,'' which I have sponsored since the 114th Congress, would relieve some of the debt burden faced by American students and their families, while also ensuring that the federal government is not making a profit on the backs of students.

Madam Speaker, I urge all members of the House to join us in cosponsoring the ``Student Loan Refinancing and Recalculation Act'' and to work to address this crisis facing so many Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that the Senate has passed and the House is now expected to re-pass the ``American Rescue Plan Act of 2021'' (H.R. 1319), for President Biden to sign into law.

This critical legislation provides federal relief totaling more than $218 billion to state governments and more than $140 billion to county and municipal governments. State and local governments will use this federal relief to continue providing essential services to the American public. With this soon-to-be law, Congress has answered President Biden's call to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic, rebuild our economy, and help Americans return to normal life once we have widespread vaccination.

While this soon-to-be law does not include my ``Special Districts Provide Essential Services Act'' (H.R. 535), I hope that states will use the flexibility provided under the ``American Rescue Plan Act'' to pass though some federal relief to the 2,700 special districts in California and 30,000 special districts nationwide providing essential public services cities and counties do not provide to residents. Those services include first responders, policing, firefighting, public health, and more, making special districts indeed critical to the communities they serve. Special districts must now make their case directly to each state's Governor.

I want to thank my colleagues who cosponsored H.R. 535 and U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) for sponsoring the companion legislation.

I plan to continue working to ensure that special districts can access the Federal Reserve's Municipal Liquidity Facility in the future, as called for in my ``Special Districts Provide Essential Services Act.'' Like states, counties, and cities, many special districts serve large populations and have the legal authority to issue short-term tax and revenue anticipation notes. However, special districts are not currently guaranteed access to the Municipal Liquidity Facility, even to offset revenue shortfalls caused by this ongoing pandemic or similar emergencies.

Congress must ensure that local governments including special districts have the federal support needed to deliver crucial quality- of-life services to communities during this global pandemic and future national emergencies.

Madam Speaker, today I reintroduce a noncontroversial amendment to the Clean Water Act, extending permit terms for publicly owned water infrastructure projects under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). I thank my colleague Congressman Ken Calvert (R-CA) for his support as the original cosponsor.

This bipartisan bill would simply extend the NPDES permit term for projects owned by local public agencies and water districts from the current 5 up to 10 years. This would encourage investment in modern wastewater treatment facilities by relieving unnecessary, bureaucratic paperwork and allow regulators to focus on watershed-scale planning and water quality standards. This bill is supported by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, National Association of Counties, United States Conference of Mayors, National Association of Counties, National League of Cities, National Water Resources Association, Association of California Water Agencies, California Association of Sanitation Agencies, WateReuse Association, and Water Environment Federation.

The United States has fallen behind many other developed nations in wastewater infrastructure, receiving a D+ grade in the American Society of Civil Engineers' most recent report card. One reason for this lapse in infrastructure improvements is arbitrary permitting timetables imposed by the federal government. Permit terms should match the construction timelines and on-the-ground reality for the projects to which they apply. This is currently not the case. With over 95 percent of wastewater infrastructure spending at the local level, according to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, lengthening permit terms for local governments would be one of the most expeditious ways to encouraging further investment in 21st-century wastewater treatment facilities.

Current NPDES permitting under the Clean Water Act has a maximum term of 5 years, an aggressive timeline that is impracticable given construction schedules of local public agencies. As a result, California's State Water Resources Control Board and Clean Water Act regulators in other states are overwhelmed with a backlog of NPDES permitting requests for existing projects. New public projects are, likewise, significantly delayed by this unnecessary bureaucracy.

My office has identified nearly a dozen major public projects to modernize wastewater treatment plants or build water recycling facilities in California delayed by the current 5-year NPDES term. One such public water recycling project in a drought-stricken region of southern California is well into its third NPDES permit term before even breaking ground on the underlying project. This is just one example where the arbitrary 5-year permit term impedes public water infrastructure projects that would advance the stated goals of the Clean Water Act.

My bill would alleviate this burden by extending the maximum permit to 10 years, helping local water agencies nationwide better implement the Clean Water Act and literally cutting the permitting backlog in half. Extending the NPDES permitting term is a practical solution that allows local agencies to meet the existing regulatory standards while building public water projects that measurably improve water quality, which after all is the purpose of the Clean Water Act. NPDES permit terms for private projects or industrial discharges would remain at the current 5-year term.

Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members to cosponsor this bipartisan bill to extend the maximum NPDES permit term for public water projects under the Clean Water Act. I plan to make this commonsense legislation a top priority in my work on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Madam Speaker, today I reintroduce the ``Energizing American Shipbuilding Act'', which I have sponsored since 2016 as part of my ``Make it in America'' agenda. I thank my bipartisan original cosponsors for their support, as well as U.S. Senators Roger F. Wicker (R-MS) and Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA) for sponsoring the companion bill.

Our bipartisan legislation seeks to recapitalize America's strategic domestic shipbuilding and maritime industries by requiring that increasing percentages of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and crude oil exports be transported on U.S.-built, flagged, and crewed vessels. In total, our bill would require that 15 percent of total seaborne LNG exports be exported on vessels built in the United States by 2043 and 10 percent of total seaborne crude oil exports by 2035.

In total, the ``Energizing American Shipbuilding Act'' is projected to result in the construction of more than 40 American ships: approximately 28 LNG carriers by 2043 and 12 oil tankers by 2035. This work will support thousands of new well-paying jobs in American shipyards, as well as the domestic vessel component manufacturing and maritime industries.

Unless Congress acts, all U.S. seaborne LNG and crude oil exports will be on foreign-flagged vessels, operated by foreign crews. American shipyards and mariners are ready for the job, and our bill ensures they are no longer expected to compete against heavily subsidized foreign shipyards in Korea, China, and elsewhere.

There is strong precedent for this policy. In 1995, Congress enacted the Alaska Power Administration Asset Sale and Termination Act (Public Law 104-58). This federal law allowed the export of crude oil from Alaska's North Slope but required that those exports be transported on U.S.-flagged vessels to preserve the tanker fleet essential to our national defense. It was good policy then, and it is good policy now.

The ``Energizing American Shipbuilding Act'' would implement a similar requirement that fixed percentages of seaborne U.S. LNG and crude oil exports be on U.S.-built, flagged, and crewed vessels. These same vessels, once built under our bill, would be available to meet the U.S. military's sealift and supply needs around the globe.

Like many members of Congress, I am deeply troubled that our military, namely the Defense Logistics Agency, relies on foreign-owned oil tankers, including state-owned enterprises closely linked to the Chinese government. Our bipartisan bill also counters other export countries' similar requirements, including the Russian-flagged vessel requirement for arctic oil and natural gas exports announced by the Kremlin in December 2018.

The United States projected to become a net crude oil exporter and the top LNG exporting nation in the coming years. Exports of these two strategic national assets--LNG and crude oil--should be on American vessels, which is exactly what our bill would require.

Madam Speaker, I urge all members of the House to join us in cosponsoring the ``Energizing American Shipbuilding Act.'' Lastly, I want to thank my former Chief of Staff, Ms. Emily Burns, for her instrumental role in developing this legislation during the 114th and 115th Congresses while on my staff.

Madam Speaker, I rise to echo the words of our President: Americans, help is on the way.

The House of Representatives and Senate have passed the rescue bill, and there is money for vaccinations, money to open the schools, and money for small businesses. The opportunity to revise and rebuild our economy is at hand. The President will soon sign this legislation, and help is on the way.

Madam Speaker, today I reintroduce the ``Support Our Military Working Dogs Act'' in commemoration of National K9 Veterans Day later this week. The United States K9 Corps was established on March 13, 1942.

Military working dogs serve with our troops on the front lines and provide recuperating services for our veterans and their former handlers. Caring for these dogs in the field and once they return home is our responsibility. The ``Support Our Military Working Dogs Act'' would ensure that our nation's military working dogs receive the best possible care and direct the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to work with veterans' service organizations and other nonprofits to support their long-term veterinary care, once adopted by their former handler's into loving homes.

Specifically, the ``Support Our Military Working Dogs Act'' would authorize DOD to provide charitable support for retired or injured military working dogs after their adoption, by coordinating third-party donations to cover the cost of long-term veterinary care. The bill would also ensure that the U.S. government covers all transportation costs associated with transferring retired military animals, including horses, to their new adopted homes, building upon the success of the Military Working Dog Retirement Act of 2015.

Lastly, the bill for this Congress includes a new provision clarifying that DOD's Joint Trauma Education and Training Directorate may also conduct research on the treatment and avoidance of injuries for military working dogs. Former Congressman Ralph Abraham (R-LA) sponsored this provision as an amendment to the House-passed ``National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021,'' but it was ultimately removed during conference negotiations with the Senate. I am pleased to include this much-needed clarification in my bill.

As chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, which has jurisdiction over military working dogs, I urge all members of the House to join me in cosponsoring this important legislation. Congress must support our K9 veterans during and after their service.