Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin).

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from Rhode Island for all of his work and dedication on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the House to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on H.R. 5801, the Medicaid PARTNERSHIP Act.

This legislation requires Medicaid providers to have a program that requires providers to check a qualified prescription drug monitoring program, a PDMP, before prescribing a schedule II controlled substance and encourages integration of the PDMP into a provider's clinical work flow.

Today, Mr. Speaker, more than 30 States have some form of mandated provider PDMP check. This legislation would require all Medicaid programs to have such a policy in place.

Integrating PDMPs with Medicaid is a critical tool in this crisis for our providers to be able to prevent opioid addiction.

Research has demonstrated that these types of mandates can encourage registration and use of a State's PDMP by providers. That is why I support investing in our PDMPs so that they are good realtime systems that our providers can actually check easily.

Importantly, this legislation preserves the ability of States to work with providers to design a mandate that best meets the needs of all involved.

State flexibility and proper financing of our PDMPs is critical to achieving the intent of this legislation, which, if enacted, I will closely monitor going forward.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5590 sponsored by Representatives Kinzinger and Clarke. I commend my colleagues for their hard work on this legislation.

We know that there is more that the Department of Health and Human Services needs to do to address the opioid crisis. We know that we need to do more not only to bring down opioid prescribing, but to expand access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorders.

H.R. 5590 would direct the Secretary of HHS to examine potential obstacles to an effective response to the opioid crisis and issue recommendations for addressing them. It directs the Secretary to look at barriers to both wider use of nonopioid alternatives to manage pain, as well as therapies that treat opioid addiction.

Mr. Speaker, while this is an important bill, I want to underscore that it is incremental.

I also want to reiterate my continuing concern that while Democrats support working on a legislative package to address the opioid crisis, as we have over the course of the day-to-day and over the course of the past several weeks with our Republican colleagues, we must also assure that we first do no harm.

The Trump administration and Republican efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act would do serious harm to our healthcare system and to individuals suffering from opioid use disorders specifically.

For instance, the Trump administration continues to undermine the individual market by promoting junk insurance plans, such as short- term, limited duration health plans.

These plans would allow insurers to once again exclude individuals with preexisting conditions, such as opioid use disorder, and charge individuals more based on their health status. It would make coverage for individuals who need comprehensive health coverage, such as individuals with opioid use disorders, less affordable and accessible.

Moreover, apparently Republicans are not done with their efforts to repeal the ACA. Despite public backlash to repeal efforts last year and despite statements today expressing concern about the opioid crisis, news reports indicate that Republicans are once again planning to make another effort to try to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

The opioids package cannot be considered in a vacuum. Ongoing efforts to sabotage and repeal the ACA will not only reverse the gains that we make from these efforts today, but will inflict lasting harm to our healthcare system and our ability to fight the opioid crisis.

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

Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, June 7, 2018, during consideration of H.R. 5895, the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2019, I recorded an erroneous vote on amendment number 26, offered by Ms. Lee of California. I intended to vote yes on roll call vote number 247.

Mr. Speaker, tonight children--2, 3, 4 years old--will sleep alone in cages on American soil.

Yes, the brutality being perpetrated by the United States Government is about who we are as a country. It is about morality. It is about humanity. But first, it is about those kids:

The 5-year-old boy from Honduras who collapsed on a kitchen floor in Michigan, sobbing for his parents;

The mother who had to listen to her 7-year-old daughter frantically screaming in a detention room next door as she was hauled away;

The 3-year-old boy who was put, inconsolable, on a flight to the Midwest after his mother was left behind;

A 4-month-old baby ripped from his father's arms.

I don't care what you believe. I don't care who you vote for or what you think about the nuances of immigration reform. These children-- babies--need to be with their parents, just like every other child in this country. Anything less is cruelty in its purest form.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Joseph DiAntonio, a lifelong resident of the Fourth District of Massachusetts, who passed away in April after a life marked by courage, kindness, and an unwavering commitment to public service.

Born in Milford, Massachusetts in 1927, Mr. DiAntonio, or ``Joe D'' to those who knew him, graduated from Milford High School in 1945 before enlisting in the Navy as our nation was gripped in the Second World War. After returning from service, Mr. DiAntonio began his career with the Rosenfeld Concrete Company where he would eventually retire as plant and credit manager.

In Milford, Mr. DiAntonio will be missed at Town Council meetings where he served fifty-two years as a member, taking on leadership roles as Chairman of the Town Finance and Library Building Committees as well as Trustee of the Milford Geriatric Authority.

A proud son of Italian immigrants, Mr. DiAntonio was a member of the Italian-American War Veterans Post of Milford, where he worked to honor the service and sacrifices of past and present veterans of Italian heritage, and the impact that first generation Americans continue to have on our country.

On May 4th, Joseph DiAntonio was laid to rest with military honors surrounded by his six children, twelve grandchildren, and fourteen great-grandchildren. The Fourth District was proud to have a neighbor like ``Joe D'', and from the Halls of Congress, I offer our condolences to those who knew him.

Mr. Speaker, a few years ago, Massachusetts was bracing for a brutal blizzard bringing extreme life-threatening cold. Families were bundling up; schools canceled class; first responders prepared for a long, long night of calls. And one woman, Sue Smith, was opening the doors to Faith Alliance Church in Attleboro to welcome the city's homeless population into her warm embrace.

It was an extraordinary act of compassion and community service. But for Sue, it wasn't. It was just one more day of fiercely protecting her neighbors, one more night of caring for the most vulnerable among us, one more family given a roof over their heads, one more life saved from hypothermia.

A few months after that snowy, freezing night, I was humbled to invite Sue to be my guest to the State of the Union Address.

Sue has never asked for recognition or praise, but few are more deserving than she is. She has never asked for a helping hand when facing her own personal battles.

But this week, I learned that Sue has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. And although I know she would never ask her neighbors to return her immense gratitude, we do have a message for her.

Sue, we are by your side in your fight. We know this cancer won't stop you or even slow you, but we are here with you for whatever you need.

Thank you for being our better angel.

Mr. Speaker, earlier this year, I stood in Fall River, Massachusetts, and told our country the story of that proud and resilient city.

Today, for nearly 200 working families, that resilience is being tested because, this week, after celebrating $342 million in profits, Philips Lighting announced that they would be closing their factory in Fall River and moving those jobs to Mexico. Almost 200 loyal, lifelong employees are left behind, careers upended, savings lost. Mortgages, healthcare bills, tuition payments will be missed.

For the 61-year-old worker who is near retirement and paying off his daughter's student loans, a meager investment in workforce retraining is not worth all that much.

For the countless workers who sit around dining room tables in southeastern Massachusetts tonight trying to figure out how their family budget can absorb impossible cuts, bland lip service given by this White House yesterday means nothing.

But that is not even the whole story. Philips Lighting shareholders are being showered with $187.4 million in stock buybacks because of Donald Trump's tax plan.

Make no mistake, that is the legacy of this tax bill: working families that are left sorting through the wreckage while CEOs bask in windfalls; lights turned off on empty American factory floors while shareholders grin around boardroom tables; success somehow defined in dividends and return on investment rather than in jobs, in paychecks, in families supported, retirements earned, and dreams realized.

Yes, Fall River is a unique city, but across this country, other families and communities find themselves in the same impossible place as economic afterthoughts in a Republican economy increasingly tilted towards the privileged and the powerful with a government that refuses to hear their voices.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and commend Barry Shrage, the President of Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston, who is stepping down after more than three decades of distinguished leadership.

Barry has dedicated his life to the service of others. From his time as a social worker in Mid-Westchester, New York, to his current role in Boston, he has worked to improve lives every day. He has taken action and made an impact on thousands of people, both Jewish and non-Jewish, in the Greater Boston area, in this nation, in Israel, and around the globe.

With everything he does, Barry demonstrates an unwavering commitment to the highest principles of Judaism, particularly tzedek (justice), torah (learning), and tikkun olam (the repair of the world).

He has also upheld the deepest American values of liberty and justice for all. In the 1980s, he was instrumental in bringing Jewish people from the Soviet Union, where they were not allowed to practice their religion, to the United States. Just last year, he founded the Combined Jewish Philanthropies Legal Aid Fund for Immigrants, an interfaith effort to assist those who are trying to start new lives of hope in this nation. He has stood throughout his tenure as a steadfast partner to all those who strive in common purpose to create a more just and peaceful world.

But, Mr. Speaker, it is not only his service that I celebrate today. Barry is a man of integrity and kindness whose abiding love for humanity is an example to us all. I offer him my sincere gratitude and best wishes for good health and continued success as he goes from strength to strength.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate James T. Brett, President and CEO of the New England Council, on receiving the Eire Society of Boston's 2018 Gold Medal Award.

Since 1937, the Eire Society of Boston has celebrated the rich history of the Irish experience and the many important contributions that Irish-Americans have made to our country and around the world. In keeping with tradition and the long list of distinguished recipients, the Eire Society has chosen to honor a truly inspiring individual this year.

A lifelong resident of Dorchester, Massachusetts, James ``Jim'' Brett has dedicated his life to serving others and raising awareness for critical issues such as accessible healthcare, education, economic empowerment, and disability rights. After fifteen years in the Massachusetts State Legislature taking on a number of leadership roles such as Chairman of the Joint Committee on Taxation and Joint Committee on Banking, Mr. Brett joined The New England Council where he has continued to promote a strong economic environment and quality of living in the region.

Since leaving office in 1996, Mr. Brett remains a leading voice in advocacy for individuals with disabilities both in New England and nationally, serving as a Chairman of the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, a member of the National Council on Disability, and Chair of the Governor's Commission on Intellectual Disability and Massachusetts Disabled Persons Protection Commission.

Across Massachusetts, we are proud to call James Brett our neighbor and grateful for his continued service to the disadvantaged among us. As the Eire Society of Boston gathers on April 7th to celebrate this important achievement, I call on Congress to recognize the many accomplishments of Mr. Brett's distinguished career and the impact that his tireless efforts have had on so many in New England and nationwide.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Homes for Our Troops, a nonprofit headquartered in Taunton, Massachusetts where I am proud to represent.

Since 2004, Homes for Our Troops has built accessible homes for veterans who require adapted housing to accommodate for the difficulties of the severe injuries they have sustained in service. Overseen by a board of civilian specialists and retired military personnel, nearly 90 cents of every dollar spent has gone directly to housing projects and services, helping Homes for Our Troops become one of the top-rated military and veterans' charities in the country by watch dog groups Charity Navigator and Charity Watch.

This past Saturday, Homes for Our Troops celebrated the completion of their 250th home

in Temecula, California, built specifically for Sergeant Cristian Valle, a husband and father of four who was part of the first wave of U.S. troops to enter Iraq in 2003. In October 2005, Sergeant Valle suffered a life-altering injury when an enemy grenade left him without the use of his legs. After returning to the United States, Sergeant Valle faced challenges adjusting to his new life, but through the services of Homes for Our Troops, he and his family will receive a new home specially adapted to his needs to help him focus on recovery and restore independence and stability to his life.

While our veterans face many challenges, none should have to endure returning from service to a home that is inaccessible to them. I join Governor Baker of Massachusetts in bringing attention to this important organization, and call on the House to honor Homes for Our Troops and the valuable work they do serving those who have sacrificed so bravely so that we may enjoy a life of peace in the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember the life of Dr. Surin Pitsuwan of the Kingdom of Thailand.

Dr. Surin, a great friend to countless Americans in the diplomatic and Peace Corps communities, passed away on November 30, 2017.

Dr. Surin became a household name in U.S. diplomatic circles, first as Thailand's foreign minister and later as Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Throughout his life in government and academia, Dr. Surin wielded his skills to influence and forge peaceful partnerships with America and the world.

Dr. Surin first entered the American experience as an impoverished teenager in southern Thailand as a student of David and Phyllis Johnston--his ``Angels of Hope'' as he called them--two Peace Corps volunteers who helped him receive an American Field Service scholarship to attend his senior year of high school in Minnesota. With the help of grants from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Winston S. Churchill Association, Dr. Surin received his bachelor's degree from Claremont Men's College (now Claremont McKenna College) in California and a master's and doctorate from Harvard University, and through a Congressional Fellowship from the Asia Foundation worked in the office of Representative Geraldine Ferraro.

For a Muslim of Malay-descent who didn't own a pair of shoes until the age of 11 to later become a globetrotting envoy, Dr. Surin never lost his deep sense of humility and grace and ease with communicating. Dedicated to improving the lives of others, he always made time during his frequent trips to his family's hometown to meet with the poor and see how he could help them. He is survived by his wife, Alisa, and their three sons, to whom I extend my deepest thoughts and condolences.

I had the pleasure of meeting with Dr. Surin in 2014 while he was in America to receive the National Peace Corps Association's Harris Wofford Global Citizen Award. Dr. Surin accepted the award on behalf of what he called ``the millions of other so called `Peace Corps Products' all around the world whose lives have been enriched and influenced by [Peace Corps volunteers].'' From his ``Big Break,'' as he called it, with volunteers David and Phyllis until the day he died, Dr. Surin channeled the spirit of the Peace Corps to partner in peace, progress, and understanding. I hope that Dr. Surin's life and work can serve as a model for all of us.

Mr. Speaker, this morning, a high school senior sat attentively in a Chicago classroom while

this country held her college dreams hostage.

This morning, a fourth-year medical student started her rotation as an aspiring thoracic surgeon in Cambridge while this country took her talent for granted.

This morning, an enlisted soldier living in Queens eagerly awaited his basic training assignment while his country shrugged their shoulders at his service.

This morning, 800,000 young men and women woke up, offered a brave smile to their loved ones, and sought to better the only home they have ever known.

You can call them DREAMers. You can call them immigrants. You can call them Americans. You can call them husbands, wives, sons, daughters, neighbors, doctors, students, servicemen and -women.

You can call them human beings who deserve to live in a place that they call home; whose lives shouldn't be horse-traded for big walls, petty tweets, and bad campaign ads; who have offered us their talent, their tirelessness, their ingenuity, their empathy, their loyalty, and their patriotism; who have earned their government's protection in return.

We gave those 800,000 human beings our word, and if those of us here in this room who have the incredible privilege of serving in these halls bestowed with the title ``Representative,'' if we aren't willing to defend the American word and make sure that it still means something, then who will?

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend and mentor in the House, the dean of our delegation from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal), for his leadership on this issue and so many others.

Madam Speaker, I am always heartened by the quotes of President Kennedy offered by any Member of this body. I would like to think that they would seek to emulate him not just on the marginal tax cuts that were put forth some 50 years ago, but also on his stance on immigration, on civil rights, and on Russia.

But those are issues for another day, Madam Speaker.

The issue today is a vote that we will take on this floor tomorrow to rewrite an American Tax Code that will touch every single American life.

True tax reform is complicated, it is cumbersome, and, above all else, it is deeply personal. But this bill is none of those things. It is a massive, permanent handout to corporations passed off on American families. It is a terrifyingly precise attack on patients with chronic illness, a heartless roadblock for low-income students, and a choice to value inherited wealth more than hard-earned income.

It is a gift to corporations paid to the richest among us, and it is paid for by long nights, by double shifts, by vacations not taken, and of hardworking American families sacrificing for their hope for a better tomorrow.

You are asking them to fortify your tax cuts and stock options with their classrooms, your corporate profits with their roads and bridges, your balance sheets with their hard-earned retirement and healthcare benefits.

For all the talk about the boost to corporate profits, 80 percent of the stocks in this country are owned by 10 percent of Americans. Ask yourself who is going to actually be the beneficiary of all that money. That is what this bill does.

You have heard from my Republican friends over the course of the past couple days about how much this will save the average American family, but not about the 36 million people and families who will experience a tax hike.

What they aren't telling you is what is going to happen the moment this bill is passed. Luckily for the American public, one of the chief economic advisers to the President has said so. He said that after this bill is done, they are turning directly toward welfare cuts, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. So when you hear questions about how much this bill is going to save you, ask how about your retirement. These cuts go right to Social Security.

Madam Speaker, ask them how much more money that $1,000 is going to save you when your healthcare benefits are taken away. By the way, that clause just got added over in the Senate.

Ask them how much more some savings might go for one family when you gut and shred a social safety net that has powered the greatest expansion of economic growth that this country has ever seen.

That is what your bill does. That is what this bill means. That is what this bill is about. It is about the values envisioned of an America, about a tax structure that should reflect the values of the American family, not the values of corporate balance sheets.

Mr. Speaker, no one likes to pay taxes, but when our Founders dreamt of a nation, they knew that our success would rest on every shoulder. So it is not to make us just citizens of this great country, but stakeholders where everyone chips in, where everyone contributes, where everyone has skin in the game.

It is the only way that a gutsy American experiment could work: if each of us is so committed to what this country stands for that we are willing to give a piece of what we earn to help it succeed. Of course, that willingness hinges on a system that would deliver for all of our people.

We pay into a common good because we also reap from a common investment. We send our kids to public schools. We sleep safe at night under the protection of American defense. We wear down roads and bridges with commutes, with after-school pickups, with delivery runs, and family trips. So we do our part, however begrudgingly, however it might strap us or sting us, and all that we ask for in return is that what we give gets put to good use.

The tax reform bill being offered by my Republican colleagues does not put that money to good use--not the money it takes from hardworking American families.

It does not ask families that are living paycheck to paycheck to fork over money that--make no mistake--they do not have so they can invest in affordable housing, so that we can help exhausted parents pay for quality childcare, and so that we can stop middle class kids from being priced out of higher education and ensure that families that are hit by catastrophic medical events don't lose their livelihood--not this bill.

Instead, this bill asks Americans to scrape their bank accounts so that the Trump administration can turn around and use that money to give to the wealthiest among us and make them even wealthier; so that they can make tax cuts for corporations permanent but abandon American workers after a few years; so that they can multiply dividends enjoyed by the 10 percent of Americans who own the vast majority of our Nation's stocks while everyone else gets left behind; so that they can blow a hole in our Federal deficit that again--make no mistake--working and middle class families will be forced to fill with their bare hands for generations to come, for we all know that the moment that this bill passes, you are going to hear those calls for cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security come roaring back from my Republican colleagues.

So for these families, the money that they send to the American Government every year isn't just some meaningless check. It represents the late nights; the double shifts; the school plays and the teacher conferences missed; the bedtimes when you didn't make it home; the vacations you could not take; those endless, countless, thankless sacrifices that you make every single day so that you can take care of the people whom you love.

You deserve a country that will make your contribution count and that will make that investment in your family, too. This bill doesn't even come close.