Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of National Park Week to highlight my bill, the Chiricahua National Park Act.

From the Grand Canyon to the Petrified Forest and the Saguaro National Park, Arizona is lucky to have some of the most stunning parks in the world.

In our own district, Chiricahua National Monument has drawn visitors from around the country and across the globe for almost 100 years.

The Wonderland of Rocks showcases the unique beauty of our region through 12,000 acres of towering geological structures, 25 campsites, and over 17 miles of hiking trails.

Local communities and leaders from both sides of the aisle have advocated for years to give this beloved landmark the national park designation it deserves. It is my honor to renew this long-awaited effort.

Establishing Chiricahua National Park would create a profound impact on Cochise County by enhancing tourism, boosting the local economy, and fueling opportunity at no additional cost. It is time to make this dream a reality and upgrade Chiricahua.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to give a big congrats to a very impressive individual from Arizona's Sixth Congressional District.

Last month, Karen Opoku-Appoh, an 8th grader from Marana Middle School, won the 2023 Arizona Spelling Bee.

Karen correctly spelled the word ``passage'' to beat out 26 fellow competitors and become Arizona's spelling bee champion. Now she has the honor of representing her school, our district, and our entire State at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Arizona is proud to have one of the highest spelling bee participation rates in the country, with over 480,000 students competing in private, public, and homeschool classrooms.

For decades, the Arizona Spelling Bee has motivated high-achieving students from across the State to get excited about spelling.

Mr. Speaker, I speak for our community in congratulating Karen on this remarkable achievement. Her hard work and drive have yielded an accomplishment that makes our entire State proud. Karen has been a shining example of the power of dreaming big.

Mr. Speaker, we will be rooting for Karen at nationals.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate a member of our Arizona family who represented the best of our great State. A man of deep faith and an unfailing commitment to his family and his country, Scott Celley distinguished himself in a life of public and private service.

Moving from Oregon to serve two Senators and a Governor from Arizona, Scott loved politics. A skillful campaigner and a tireless political operator who made a formidable opponent, Scott may not have won every campaign he led as a strategist or communicator, but he was never out- worked or out-hustled.

As good as Scott was at politics, he always approached power with respect and humility for what it could do to help people. He received the most joy and fulfillment from being able to support those who needed a hand up, especially in rural Arizona.

Scott had an unfailing moral compass and a sense of right and wrong that could not be questioned. He did the right thing always--full stop. As importantly, he expected the same from those around him and had that special ability to make everyone rise to his level of integrity. No corners were cut and no facts were unchecked when you worked with Scott Celley. Especially in today's political environment, that insistence on personal integrity stands out.

Driven by a deep respect for the men and women who served our country in the Armed Forces, Scott championed several organizations to support and celebrate veterans, particularly those wounded in combat.

Scott also was a committed mentor and a loyal friend, always offering to help with a call or a connection or just a word of encouragement.

But everyone who knew Scott would volunteer that his greatest passion without a doubt was saved for his beloved wife Pam, his devoted daughters Madeline and Caroline and their husbands, and their thriving families. In return, their love for him is unmatched. This is the one true test of a life well-lived.

The thoughts and prayers of our State were with Scott and his family as he confronted an unfair illness. We pray for Scott and his family, we celebrate the man so many of us knew and loved, and we pay tribute to his example.

Mr. Chair, I was unreasonably detained. Had I been present I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 78.

Amendment No. 45 Offered by Ms. Porter

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor James Thomas Kolbe, an Arizonan, a decorated Navy veteran, and a patriot who faithfully served my State and our country for most of his life.

James Thomas Kolbe always introduced himself as Jim, and that is how he will be remembered by all those who knew him and those in this Chamber who were his colleagues.

For 22 years, Jim also was well known in his hometown of Tucson and here in the Nation's Capitol by the position he held--Congressman.

Congressman Kolbe died on December 3 at the age of 80. He led a long, accomplished life, and I am honored, truly honored, to hold the House seat he held for 11 terms.

Mr. Speaker, it is my great privilege as a new Member of the United States House of Representatives to offer this tribute to a man I considered a friend, a mentor, and a role model.

Jim was an elder statesman of Arizona politics. He was a proven vote- getter who knew how to build coalitions to achieve real results for his district, his State, and our Nation. He knew how to get things done in Washington but never forgot who sent him here and why. He was a tireless advocate for Arizona, and he brought that unique Arizona perspective to public policy debates for which this body is so well known.

Jim served alongside giants and, in the process, became one himself. Barry Goldwater, Mo Udall, Ed Pastor, John McCain, Jon Kyl--Jim knew and worked with them all. In fact, Jim got his first taste of politics as a young man serving as a page for the legendary Senator Goldwater, who was in his final term when the voters of what was then Arizona's Fifth Congressional District chose Jim to be their voice in Washington.

Jim was born in Illinois, the Land of Lincoln, but became a champion of the party of Lincoln in Arizona. He came to the Grand Canyon State when he was 5 with his parents when he left the Midwest for a ranch in the desert of southern Arizona, just a few miles from the border with Mexico.

Little did Jim know back then that our country's relationship with Mexico would become one of his signature issues as a Representative from a border State. Jim was a celebrity in the big small town of Tucson.

No matter where he went, everyone knew him. Folks would approach him in the grocery store, at the gas station, or on the street. When they stopped him and called him Congressman Kolbe, he would always make sure to remind them, ``Just call me Jim.''

I first met Jim when I was a student at Pima Community College. He was my hometown Representative. We continued our relationship long after that first meeting over two decades ago.

Jim gave me wise advice when I first decided to run for his former seat. I will always remember our regular catch-up meetings at Millie's Pancake Haus on the east side of town.

Jim was someone who came to the House not for a big title but to do big things, and he did just that. He was an expert on trade and became one of the chief architects of the original North American Free Trade Agreement, which he was convinced was a key that opened the door to prosperity.

Fiscal responsibility was important to Jim. Our environment was important to Jim. Water was important to Jim. He was never reluctant to work across the aisle.

Jim was everything a Representative should be. He understood that the word ``Representative'' was not a job title; it was a job description, and that is why he came back to Tucson nearly every weekend to hear firsthand what was on people's minds.

Jim, my friend, on behalf of the men and women of our little corner of Arizona, thank you. Thank you for your service. Thank you for your steadfast commitment to making our district, our State, and our Nation a better place.

My prayers are with Hector and the Kolbe family.

Madam Clerk, I rise to nominate Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House.

The American Dream is a dream worth fighting for, and I know in my heart of hearts that Kevin McCarthy is the man to lead us as we work to fulfill that dream for everyone in every State and in every district.

Everyone in this Chamber understands the need to serve our constituents. It is who elected us, and it is our responsibility. Kevin understands this as well as anyone. He has dedicated his life to spreading opportunity for all through the private sector and the public sector.

This place is a special place for me. My first time on the Hill was back when I was an intern in 2003. My mom visited, and I remember walking her around the Halls of Congress as if I owned the place.

Well, just a few days ago, I got to walk my mom around this special place one more time, but now as a Member-elect of the United States House of Representatives.

The American Dream is alive. I believe it.

I have gotten to know Kevin McCarthy well. He secured a Republican majority in the United States House and laid out a plan to deliver for the American people.

There is one thing I know about Kevin McCarthy: He cares about the American people. He cares about our country, and he is here not to be somebody but to do something.

That has been laid out in his Commitment to America, to fight for: an economy that is strong; a nation that is safe; a future that is built on freedom; and a government that is accountable.

This I can strongly get behind.

This country gave me and my family an opportunity, an opportunity to achieve the American Dream.

Madam Clerk, I was born in Mexico. The best way that I can tell you who I am is through a short conversation I had with my dad when I told him I was going to run for office. This conversation, of course, was in Espanol, in Spanish.

My dad asked me, ``Juan, where else could we have our story? We come to this country, we immerse in the culture, we learn English, we go through the long journey and become U.S. citizens.'' He said, ``I drive a bus my whole life, and now my son has a shot at becoming a Member of the United States Congress. Where else in the world could we have our story?''

But where else in the world could any of us have our story? Regardless of our background, regardless of where we come from, what side of the aisle we sit on, we have the privilege and opportunity to sit here today as part of a historic moment, fighting for what we believe.

The answer of where else is nowhere else. Only here.

I trust Kevin to fight for that American Dream because he is a product of it. We are all a product of it. He gets it and understands that a government accountable to the people is the best tool to ensure that our future generations continue to have a real shot at the American Dream.

So let's be proud of our stories. Let's be grateful to God for it all, and let's get to work to ensure that everyone has the same opportunity to write their own story.

Being a Representative isn't a job title. It is a job description.

The eyes of the world are on us as we are airing our grievances. That is the cost of leadership, the leadership that comes from this body. So let's act like it. Let's step up to that calling that our country needs, and our districts expect from us.

I am confident we will resolve this issue and will stand united to fight for the values that matter to the American people, the American people who sent us here to tackle inflation, to protect our border, to hold the executive branch accountable. It is time to do the job we were entrusted to do, to get results for the American people who sent us here.

The best person to lead us in this journey and in this fight to defend the American Dream for all is Kevin McCarthy.

I am proud to stand here before you today as the first naturalized citizen in the history of Arizona to win a congressional seat, proud of the work of my parents: my dad who drove a bus for most of his life; my mom, a homemaker. We grew up in a two-bedroom apartment. They didn't own a home until I was in college. My story is not unique. I washed cars with my dad in the same neighborhood that our office sits today.

We are not here celebrating one particular story. We are here celebrating the American opportunity, only found here, being born from this body as well, as the opportunities of our country have gone. All of you in this room have that story. I strongly believe that we all have a car wash story, the story where we began, and in spite of all the challenges, in spite of all the obstacles, we are here, and each one of us are a testament to the opportunity and the greatness of this country. That is why we are here.

I strongly believe that Kevin McCarthy is the person to lead this body in this new fight, this next 118th Congress.

At the direction of the Republican Conference, I advance the name of Kevin McCarthy as the next Speaker of the House of the 118th Congress.