Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding me this time, and I rise in support of H.R. 251, as amended by the other body.

This amendment is far from ideal, but we have no other choice but to accept it. The most compelling reason not to oppose this amendment from the other body to a bill we passed last week by 414 votes is that it expires at midnight tonight, and that means the ability to check our facilities goes away. It is very problematic.

Let me repeat that. By law, the authority to conduct inspections, protect security vulnerability information from terrorists, and help facilities with technical help to make them secure, it all disappears unless this bill is amended and passes the House and goes to the President.

We must, as 414 of us did last week, keep the existing CFATS program authority going. I am glad we have a chance to do that here.

The Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism Standards program was launched to surgically and directly address gaps in Federal law regarding terrorism and other intentional acts against high-risk facilities due to their use or possession of chemicals of concern and at levels of concern--most importantly, to ensure that antiterrorism was the focus and not a contentious regulatory arrangement.

CFATS was designed to foster collaboration between the government and regulated parties. This program and its operations have not been perfect, but CFATS appears to have vastly improved in the last 4 years due to committed leadership and a vision for continued success.

What troubles me, though, about the other body's amendment is it doesn't give CFATS much room to make more improvement. One of the major lessons to come out of the hearings we had in my committee on the CFATS program was that, from 2009 to 2014, 1-year authority extensions did not offer program stability and stagnated the program's improvement.

It is no surprise to me that CFATS made its largest program improvements when it had 4 years of authority and not just 1 year. Moreover, 1-year authority extensions froze private-sector compliance investments as plant security managers couldn't convince their companies that the program would exist in the next year--this, even as many regulated entities had their own trade association programs that were supposed to supplement the CFATS program.

I would have hoped the changes that we are making to this program would not stilt the hefty investments made by U.S. taxpayers to stand up this program or potentially strand the investment the private sector absorbs when Congress makes unexpected and rash decisions.

All that said, the CFATS program and its authority have earned the right to continue. I had hoped a full 2 years would be what the law would be and would also provide the Department of Homeland Security the ability to demonstrate that its improvement is not a mirage and that additional progress in its work can be achieved. But we cannot allow this program to expire.

Mr. Speaker, 83 percent of my House colleagues and more than 70 percent of the Senate were not Members of Congress on September 11, 2001--the chairman was and I was.

Antiterrorism efforts don't get the kind of attention they once did, and the fact that we have had no chemical terrorist incidents since CFATS' inception is not proof that terrorists aren't interested in targeting these facilities.

I want to thank my colleagues for their support of the program and the collaborative way we have worked together to keep this security program going.

I look forward to efforts to extend the CFATS program in this Congress. We need to ensure that these chemicals are kept secure, terrorists are kept at bay, and that freedoms are kept protected.

I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 251.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Scott Eisenhauer, who recently retired as Mayor of Danville after 16 years of service.

Like many other cities, Danville has faced its share of challenges. Yet, through it all, Mayor Eisenhauer was a beacon of hope and resiliency as a tireless advocate for his home town and a superb manager of its affairs. Over the past few years, I have come to know Scott and I have seen firsthand the many positive results his hard work has brought.

Today, Danville is a far better place to live, work, and raise a family than it was when Scott won his first election in 2003. Numerous large-scale economic development projects have been realized and more are in the works. Public housing programs will be accomplished in early 2019. Additionally, a long list of infrastructure and quality of life projects were completed under Scott's stewardship.

His list of accomplishments are many, but perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Scott's tenure as mayor was how successfully he was able to gain a consensus with the many stakeholders he engaged. His working relationship with city aldermen, the business community, civic and community leaders, and the state and federal government officials was exemplary and a major key to his success.

Madam Speaker, ``Eisenhauer will be missed'' was the title of a recent editorial in Danville's newspaper. It is a good way to sum up how the city feels about their former mayor. Indeed, Scott's boundless energy and endless enthusiasm will be missed by all, and I wish him the very best as he begins a new chapter in his professional life.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the life of William R. Carteaux (Bill), the president and CEO of the Plastics Industry Association and a renowned leader throughout the decades he spent in the U.S. plastics industry.

Mr. Carteaux passed away on December 10, 2018, losing a hard-fought battle with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) at the age of 59. Bill was a tireless advocate for the U.S. plastics industry, which employs nearly one million Americans across the country.

In addition to being a champion for one of America's largest and most important manufacturing industries, Bill was also a true son of the Midwest--he was born in Avilla, Indiana, was the son of an electrician, and spent high school working the night shift at a local metalworking plant. Eventually, he attended Purdue University and Indiana Wesleyan before entering the business world and achieving success in the plastics industry.

During his time leading the Plastics Industry Association, Bill made recycling and sustainability core priorities for his organization and his industry. He presided over the foundation of his association's Recycling Committee and Sustainability Advisory Board. He also played a role in the design and execution of several recycling projects which aimed to drive lasting market-driven solutions to the industry's and the environment's most serious waste management challenges.

Before he passed away he led the Washington-area Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and became one of its biggest supporters--raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for research to find a cure.

Madan Speaker, Bill's contributions to the U.S. plastics industry, his tenacity, and his passion made an impact on the lives of thousands of Americans. He will be sorely missed. I would like to extend my condolences to his wife, Daniele Fresca; his daughter, Whitney Taveras; her husband, Fernando; their son, Liam; and his daughter, Mallory Carteaux.

Madam Speaker, first of all, we all are thinking about those loyal, hardworking Federal employees who are caught in the middle of the challenges that we face here in Washington. As with other battles, these employees will be paid for their time away from the workplace while they are on furlough.

So what is this all about? Do we have a crisis on the southern border or not? I would caution my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to use real numbers.

Are 400,000 illegal immigrants last year across the southern border too few or too many?

Are the 500 homicides by illegal immigrants in Texas over the past decade too few or too many?

Maybe the new Homeland Security Committee could hold a hearing and vet out all of these numbers. There is a problem with that: The committee is not organized yet, so they cannot meet. I would hope that they would, so we could put the facts on the table.

I look at the clips of large groups of illegals trying to rush the border. What has kept them from illegally entering? Well, the fence, the wall, the barrier. A wall system works. Sections of the border where fencing and walls have been built have seen a decrease in illegal immigration.

San Diego first built its wall in 1992. Illegal traffic dropped 92 percent over the past 23 years.

El Paso built their fence in 1993. Illegal traffic dropped 72 percent in 1 year and 95 percent over 22 years.

Tucson's wall was built in 2000. Illegal traffic dropped 90 percent over 15 years.

The wall in Yuma was built in 2005. Illegal traffic dropped 95 percent over 9 years.

Since walls work, they have historically held bipartisan support. In the fiscal year 2007, the DHS appropriations bill provided more than $1 billion for fencing along the southwest border. It passed 412-6. Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer, Majority Whip Clyburn, and Homeland Security Chairman Thompson were among the ``yes'' votes.

Former President Barack Obama, in a Senate floor speech from the Secure Fence Act in 2006, said: ``It will authorize some badly needed funding for better fences and better security along our borders, and that should help stem some of the tide of illegal immigration in this country.''

The Secretary of Homeland Security under Obama, Janet Napolitano, reiterated: ``You've got to have a system. You've got to have a system down there that includes boots on the ground, that has to include technology and fencing and infrastructure as part of the overall system.''

It is time that we work together to compromise to reopen the government and secure our southern border. We can do this. I believe in this form of government, and I believe in this institution. Let's get to work.

America is an extraordinarily compassionate nation. We welcome immigrants seeking the opportunity to build a better life here, as well as refugees fleeing war, oppression, and poverty around the world. But even as we do this it is only appropriate that it is done legally.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding to me. I also congratulate him for his position, which his peers have appointed him to. And I congratulate Chairman Thompson for being chosen to hold such a very important chairmanship.

Mr. Speaker, let me talk about my strong support of H.R. 251. I urge all of my colleagues to support this.

Last week, every Member of Congress swore an oath to defend the United States. That, Mr. Speaker, is what we are here on the floor to do with this bill.

In 10 days, as you have heard, the CFATS--Chemical Facility Anti- Terrorism Standards--program will sunset. This means that everything about it, right down to its fundamental structure, legally disappears, including Federal outreach and networking to prevent terrorism against chemical facilities.

I know that there are those who question the value of the current Chemical Facility Anti-terrorism Standards program. But they should know that today's CFATS program is vastly improved from where it was a mere 4 years ago.

How do I know this? How can I be so sure?

Prior to this Congress, I served since 2011 as the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment with my colleague, Mr. Tonko, who I am sure, will be speaking on this bill. There, we had six hearings on the CFATS program and its operations, the most recent one 6 months ago. In fact, in the last Congress, my committee was the only one in either body to have a hearing dedicated to CFATS where DHS testified, for 3 hours on the record, about this program.

I have also worked with the Government Accountability Office throughout that time on the program, and GAO, likewise, has testified multiple times before the subcommittee I chaired. GAO's first testimony exposed and detailed the breadth of the problems in the program, and more recently described ``a number of programmatic changes'' that not only addressed their recommendations, but paved the way for remedying remaining challenges the program faces.

No Federal program is without some area in need of improvement, but if there was a time to justify winding the program down or making serious changes to how it operated, that time was 4 years ago when the program was in disarray. It defies logic to foist major changes on CFATS now, when it appears to have figured out its weaknesses and rectified its deficits.

To those who are skeptical of the program, this extension gives time for not only more assessment to answer lingering questions, but also for CFATS to demonstrate to Congress that its progress is not fleeing and to identify those security-related, terrorism prevention reforms that truly can only be fixed by statute.

The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Act is an important, antiterrorism-focused program. It is not perfect, but it is a unique program based on collaboration, focused on and serving as a very important bulwark against the threat of terrorism here in the United States.

To this end, Congress has spent almost $900 million under CFATS for Federal education, intelligence, technical assistance, and compliance efforts. Moreover, American businesses have invested billions of dollars, expecting a strong return for themselves and their shareholders. We ought not strand these investments and send shareholders and terrorists a signal that American assets will be more vulnerable tomorrow than they are today.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to vote for passage of H.R. 251, and I urge the other body to quickly pass it as well.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1934) to prevent catastrophic failure or shutdown of remote diesel power engines due to emission control devices, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is a targeted exemption for remote villages in Alaska from EPA's most recent emissions rules on diesel generators.

EPA and State officials have found that diesel generators compliant with the most recent standards do not work reliably in harsh, cold winter conditions. To preserve the health and safety of the people relying on diesel generators, these are less strict but actually workable standards.

Our colleagues in the Senate passed this bill with unanimous consent. It is reasonable legislation that deserves our support.

I see Senators Whitehouse and Carper were supportive of this bill. It comes out of the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Mr. Speaker, I ask our colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), the only House Member from Alaska and the dean of the House.

(Mr. YOUNG of Alaska asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Speaker, just to help clarify the argument, obviously, I have a few questions.

Define an isolated village.

How long would that flight be?

How many people are in an isolated village?

If the gentleman will continue to yield for a last question, I hear that these new generators cost around $66,000 to $75,000?

So if you have 60 people, that is $1,000 each.

I thank my colleague for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden), the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I will just continue to respond to what the chairman said.

I think if we are going to err, we ought to err on the health and safety of Alaskans. I hope my colleagues will join us. I look forward to working with them in the next Congress?

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Blake James Dale Kinnett of Alvin, Illinois. Blake is the son of John and Becky and brother to Kaitlyn and Garet. He is passionate about sports, especially baseball and basketball. By the age of 12, Blake was a two-time baseball state champion, and even played in a national tournament in Cooperstown, New York with the Illiana Chiefs.

Blake also enjoyed playing basketball in Alvin, where a court has been renamed in his honor. When Blake wasn't playing sports, he enjoyed spending time with his friends and family as well as fishing and turkey hunting.

In 2017, Blake was diagnosed with Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a disease that destroys the protective myelin sheath surrounding the brain's neurons. ALD affects 1 in 18,000 people, and to date there is no known cure.

After Blake's diagnosis, his community rallied around him and his family to sponsor fundraisers and help spread awareness about ALD. Blake, his family, and his community's efforts to spread awareness of this disease helped affect change in Illinois state law and led to the designation of December 1st as ``Blake Kinnett Day''.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to commend Blake for his resilience in facing his ALD diagnosis. Blake is an inspiration to everyone who hears his story. May God bless him and his family.

Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I want to express my sincere thanks to General Vincent Brooks, my classmate from West Point, upon his retirement day after 38 years of active military service.

Mr. Speaker, I came down to the floor to read a Facebook post from another West Pointer honoring his close friend who died on November 27 of this year in Afghanistan.

Time will not permit me to go through his entire post, but I think for many of us who have served in the conflicts that we have today, it underlines the sacrifice that our men and women pay to the service of our country.

And I will end with this. It was Captain Andrew Ross who died on November 27, 2018. And the last verse of our alma mater which was sung at the second singing of alma maters at the Army-Navy game, it ends with this, and I think it is appropriate:

And when our work is done.

Our course on Earth is run.

May it be said, `Well done;

Be thou at peace.'

E'er may that line of gray.

Increase from day to day.

Live, serve, and die, we pray.

West Point for thee.

God bless the family of Captain Ross and all the men and women who serve overseas in dangerous locations.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of Captain Andrew P. Ross, who passed away in Afghanistan on Tuesday, November 27th.

Captain Ross was a Virginian native who earned his education at West Point, my alma mater. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2013. Afterward, Captain Ross joined Special Forces and led Green Berets.

On November 27th, Captain Ross was killed when an IED detonated underneath his vehicle in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. His friend, Michael Shepherd, shared the following words to honor his memory:

I am still numb and perhaps still in disbelief. I have been

dreading writing this post, but I am going to get this out

because I believe people should know.

``Apocalypse 36, this is Bushmaster 36. I am providing

overwatch from your northwest as you move north along the

route.'' I knew that voice better than anyone when it came

over the radio. That was Drew Ross, my best friend. My West

Point classmates and fellow platoon leaders know nothing is

more calming than knowing your battle buddy is looking out

for you.

I met Drew on July 2, 2007 when we started West Point

together. We were in the same cadet basic training platoon

and in the same cadet company (Go Frogs!) for three years.

Then, we found ourselves together again at Fort Stewart, GA

in the same cavalry squadron (Mustangs!). By the time we

deployed to Afghanistan in 2013, we knew more about each

other than we probably would've liked. Drew was the third

platoon leader in B Troop and I was the third platoon leader

in A Troop. After 9 months, we sat next to each other on the

flight home. When the pilot announced that we were over U.S.

airspace, Drew and looked around the plane and discussed how

lucky we were to bring all of our Soldiers home.

As I left the Army for law school, Drew not only stayed in

but decided he wanted to join Special Forces and lead Green

Berets. Of course, Drew made it through easily and married

his lovely wife in February. On Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Drew was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated

underneath his vehicle in Ghazni province, Afghanistan. We

FaceTimed last week and the last thing he sent me was his

address because I wanted to send him something for Christmas.

Drew represented the best of our country. He could have

done anything he wanted, but chose time and again to put

himself in between our country and the enemy under the most

violent and dangerous of circumstances. I would share more

about how funny and incredible of a man he was, but there are

some things I want to keep only for myself.

Please don't feel sorry for me. I am beyond lucky that I

knew him, let alone that I was able to call him a fellow

classmate, Frog, Soldier, Mustang, platoon leader, executive

officer, and most importantly (according to him at least) a

workout partner. Please keep in your thoughts and prayers his

wife, family, and Green Berets whose time with him was cut

short. Mourn for our country who lost a man who gave so much

in 29 years, but had so much more to give.

Mr. Speaker, Captain Ross served our nation honorably and courageously. He will be dearly missed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Lindsay Adams for being nominated as a finalist for the Illinois State Board of Education's 2019 Teacher of the Year Award.

Ms. Adams teaches chemistry, physics, forensic, and unified sciences at Gallatin County High School. Last year, Ms. Adams made a documentary about the total solar eclipse that she and her students tracked as it passed over North America, for which she was nominated for a Mid- America Emmy. Her willingness to engage her students exemplifies the qualities of an excellent teacher.

As a former teacher, I understand the important role that teachers play in our community. I am confident that, with educators such as Ms. Adams, our youth are in good hands.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to applaud Ms. Adams' well-deserved nomination for the Illinois State Board of Education's 2019 Teacher of the Year Award and wish her and her students the best in their future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, representing a rural district in which many small towns rely on just one pharmacy to access lifesaving drugs has made me a believer in the value of community pharmacists. I also believe in free markets and competition, but a healthy market requires transparency and a level playing field.

Unfortunately, based upon my recent visits to community pharmacists in towns like Golconda, Rosiclare, and Carmi, pharmacy benefit managers, PBMs, are threatening the solvency of these community institutions by using complicated formularies that often result in local pharmacies being reimbursed less per prescription than their higher volume, big box peers, and direct and indirect remuneration, or DIR, fees, which create uncertainty and can impose a serious cash flow squeeze that too many times forces independent pharmacists to close their doors or sell their businesses.

Drug prices are a big issue. We can help bring down costs by reducing barriers to drug development and delivery while increasing competition through transparency that allows everyone to compete on a level playing field.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Sergeant Kevin Cripps and Fireman Trevor White of Kinmundy, Illinois for their courage.

On September 8, 2018, five young adults attempted to cross over Skillet Fork Creek Bridge when rising waters swept the truck off the road. The group climbed out of the sinking truck through the windows and managed to dial 911.

Sergeant Kevin Cripps took the call and rushed to their aid. Sergeant Cripps used ropes and life jackets to pull the four closest to him away from the current. Fireman Trevor White and Sergeant Cripps combined their efforts to save the fifth person. While Sergeant Cripps braced himself as an anchor, White continued towards the fifth teenager with a rope and life jacket. Sergeant Cripps then pulled in the adolescent and Trevor White to safety. Assistant Fire Chief Brad Hawkey called Sergeant Cripps a hero, saying it was a team effort and that ``God was with us''.

Mr. Speaker, I personally want to thank these gentlemen for their bravery and efforts in the rescue. Their actions are an example to me and to those within their community. I commend Sergeant Kevin Cripps and fireman Trevor White as we celebrate their heroism and wish them success in their future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute the achievements of the Hamilton County Jr. High ``Lady Foxes'' softball team, who are now the Illinois Class L State Champions.

The Lady Foxes had an impressive season this year. They swept through their regional and sectional victories, and beat Wolf Branch and Triad in the first two rounds of the State Finals. The Hamilton County team beat Carterville 13-12 in their championship game.

I want to congratulate team members Carson Belangee, Breanna Blades, Ellie Deen, Emma Erwin, Kaelee Karcher, Alexandra Kolts, Mallorie Millenbine, Chayli Phelps, Elizabeth Weaver, Kaylie Brake, Cambria Currie, Whitley Miller, Hannah Moore, Brianna Sanders, Cady Zellers, and coaches Lynn Braden and Kelsey Bowman for such an amazing accomplishment. As a former baseball player, I understand the amount of hard work and commitment to be awarded such a title. I am proud there is such promising talent in our community, and to see them represent McLeansboro throughout the state.

Mr. Speaker, these student-athletes and their coaches have represented themselves, their school, and the 15th district of Illinois in an exemplary fashion. I join the rest of the community in wishing them all the best in their future academic and athletic endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Richard Gates, an exemplary resident of White County, Illinois, where Mr. Gates has diligently managed his 100-acre farming operation, Richard Gates Farm, for over fifty years.

Throughout his career, Mr. Gates was not only a hard-working farmer, but also a dedicated public servant during his tenure with the U.S. Postal Service.

Mr. Gates has dedicated his life to agriculture by working tirelessly through dozens of long harvest seasons, allowing him to support his three children and nine grandchildren. He is also active in the agriculture community, having served as director for the Illinois Farmer Elected Committee for approximately 30 years, including 5 years as the State President. Additionally, he was a Director of the White County Farm Bureau from 2003 to 2015 and was a State Director of the Illinois Corn Growers from 2006 to 2016. Through the Illinois Corn Growers, he has had the opportunity to travel to countries like Ireland to study agricultural techniques and to Cuba to work toward ending the trade embargo. He has also traveled to Washington, D.C. several times as an advocate for agriculture.

Mr. Gates, along with his wife Janice, have generously opened their fourth-generation family-owned farm to hundreds of guests--from kindergarten students to nursing home residents. Their hospitality is well known and appreciated in the community.

Mr. Speaker, I join with the entire Gates family in celebrating his lifetime of accomplishments and recognizing his service to our nation. His outstanding legacy of hard work and compassion lives on in each member of his family and in all of those who are fortunate to know him.

Mr. Speaker, in 2015, Russian authorities arrested Oleg Sentsov, Ukrainian filmmaker and human rights activist, for protesting the occupation of Crimea and sentenced him to 20 years in prison.

On May 14 of this year, he began a hunger strike that has lasted over 130 days. Russia has unjustly imprisoned over 150 individuals. They suffer psychiatric confinement, closed trials, and harsh prison conditions. Russia also threatened to strip dissidents and members of religious minorities their parental rights.

Oleg is in prison north of the Arctic Circle. He receives IV treatments of saline, amino acids, and vitamins. His sister reported in September that he thinks he will die soon.

Mr. Speaker, I call upon Russian authorities to release Oleg Sentsov, and I call upon them to protect political free speech, religious liberty, and the sovereignty of international borders.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Bill Pickett of Danville, Illinois, who is celebrating 50 years of reporting the news for Neuhoff Media.

Having recently graduated from Danville High School in 1968, Bill became one of the youngest newsmen in the business at 17 years of age. It wasn't very long after he started that Bill went live with his first story: an explosion at the grain elevator in Danville. Bill witnessed the fireball erupting and the walls of the elevator slowly crumble into a heap of debris. All that night, Bill provided live updates on the disaster. As the fire subsided, it became apparent to Bill that he had found his calling.

Over the past half century, Bill has gone from answering phones to being the news director for several news outlets. His duties require him to act as investigative reporter, news gatherer, copy editor, and broadcaster.

Mr. Speaker, many voices have been raised in recognition of Bill's remarkable career, and I am pleased to be able to add my own to the chorus. I wish Bill and Neuhoff Media all the best in the future as we celebrate Mr. Bill Pickett's 50 years in radio.