Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, during one of my recent weekly talk radio townhalls, I spoke to a family member of a veteran who served aboard the destroyer USS Frank E. Evans during the Vietnam war.

The Vietnam veteran, Richard Grant, from Fargo, advocates for servicemembers who died during the Vietnam war but are not presently recognized on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial here in Washington.

The USS Frank E. Evans provided naval gunfire off the coast of Vietnam, including during the Tet Offensive. While conducting friendly maneuvers outside of the official combat zone, it collided with a friendly Australian aircraft carrier, killing 74 crewmembers.

I introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to engrave the names of the 74 crewmembers who died on that day on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. Their sacrifice and that of their families is worthy not only of our mention, but of the high honor of being memorialized forever on the wall.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to lead this amendment and urge my colleagues to support it. I look forward to the day when the wall is engraved with the 74 names of the heroes of the USS Frank E. Evans.

Mr. Chairman, not long ago, President Trump successfully negotiated an agreement with Mexico to stop them from dumping illegally subsidized sugar onto the U.S. market. This amendment would undo the President's good work by reopening the floodgates to other foreign countries to send us their subsidized sugar at below their costs of production, further depressing the prices that my farmers receive.

Vote ``no'' on this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, the Northern Plains Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site in Grand Forks, North Dakota, is doing extensive work with private industry stakeholders in advancing this very important emerging industry. However, the growth of the UAS industry is reliant on receiving dedicated spectrum allocation to ensure the connection for beyond visual line of sight operations.

My amendment simply directs the FAA, the NTIA, and the FCC to submit to Congress a report on whether UAS operations of all sizes, at all altitudes, should be permitted to operate on spectrum that is designated for aviation use. It may also include recommendations of other licensed spectrum frequencies, such as LTE, that may be appropriate for flying UAS.

I encourage my colleagues to vote for my amendment to advance the UAS industry, and I look forward to working with stakeholders and Members of the Senate to take it across the finish line.

Mr. Speaker, as we observe Women's History Month and continue celebrating the historic Olympic Gold Medal won by the U.S. women's hockey team, I rise to recognize two remarkable sisters from Grand Forks.

Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux grew up in one of North Dakota's premier hockey families. These sisters have played together since they were teenagers and were standouts at the University of North Dakota. The first set of twins to play women's ice hockey in the Olympics, they brought home silver medals in 2010 and 2014. In last month's championship game against Canada, they helped make this win golden: Monique's goal tied the game, and Jocelyne flawlessly executed the game-winning shootout goal.

Since returning home, they have joined Team USA in appearances across the Nation, inspiring a new generation of women athletes. A cheering crowd filled the Engelstad Hockey Arena in Grand Forks, many of them young girls and women on area hockey teams who came to congratulate their hometown champions who brought the U.S. women's hockey team their first Olympic Gold Medal.

On behalf of all North Dakotans, I salute Jocelyne and Monique. You have set a high bar for women athletes across the Nation, and North Dakota honors your excellence.

Mr. Speaker, let me, at the outset, as Chairman Shimkus did, express how special it was to watch a chairman and a staff director work, I think I daresay, as peers, as a team. That is very unusual in a place where titles seem to matter more than they ought to and more than they do other places.

I did have the opportunity to know Ray a little bit when I was on the North Dakota Public Service Commission, and he served on the Oregon Public Utility Commission. In fact, our terms mirrored exactly one with the other.

A lot has been said about Ray's commitment to service, and I think it is undeniable. I think of the things he could have done and probably could have made a lot more money doing, but he chose, instead, to serve people. He serves as a testimony, frankly, in many respects. This opportunity we have tonight to pay tribute to Ray and his memory is a furtherance of his testimony, that we here, even in Washington, D.C.-- yes, even here in the swamp; yes, for all the people who watch us wondering if there is any decency among us, we really are a family. So our tribute tonight is testimony to that because it is really testimony to his life. He served as such a great example to all of us.

A lot has been said about Ray's sense of humor. Until you get to know him, he could make you off guard a little bit every now and then. I always appreciated, though, that Ray had an ability to take a serious moment seriously, take a serious issue seriously, but never take us too seriously. He allowed us to sort of gain perspective because he had such a good perspective. Oftentimes, it was his ability to make us laugh and to find the humorous anecdote in a moment.

He was always calm. We can use a lot more calm. Maybe people don't know this, but each of us has really big, important issues that are absolutely life-changing and life-affecting and the most important thing in the world to us. Then we bring them to the greater good, to the larger group, and Ray had an ability to boil it down and, again, put it in perspective for each of us individually as well as all of us collectively. That is why he was such a great leader for all of us, the ability to balance intellect with humor, to be funny without being frivolous, being respectful while also joking with us, cajoling us, as the chairman said, with everybody from the Speaker to the Sergeant at Arms, to the freshman class. He had a tremendous ability.

So, Mr. Speaker, to Chairman Walden, Kristine, and the family, we are all part of your family tonight. We all are hurting, and we all are mourning. It is hard to sugarcoat it. This thing called death is awful, this awful disease called cancer. Ray had the opportunity to serve with us in a committee that works to try and eradicate diseases. He was very helpful as we worked on important legislation to do exactly that, things like 21st Century Cures and other healthcare legislation.

We are all better for having known Ray. Tonight we are just a little bit sad about it to say the least. God bless Kristine, the kids, and the grandbabies. I thank the chairman for his friendship, to Ray, and the way that was transferred--not just transferred, but aggregated, and in a dynamic way for all of us, he served as such a great example.

Mr. Speaker, John Andrist, a North Dakota State senator from Crosby for 22 years, died last week on Wednesday. He was a patriotic American who loved his Lord, loved his country, loved his State, and loved his community. John was a strong conservative who exercised his convictions with grace and facilitated dignified deliberations.

While John made a mark as a public servant at many levels, it was his work as a newspaperman that leaves the most impressive legacy. His columns were sometimes provocative, always profound, but never mean.

John was the president of the North Dakota Newspaper Association in 1970 and, in 1989, became the only North Dakotan ever elected president of the National Newspaper Association. John was inducted into the North Dakota Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2000 and received the national association's award for distinguished service. Distinguished service is the perfect description for John.

While he is being laid to rest this weekend because his servant's heart has stopped beating, his legacy lives on in his words and his witness to decency. May we all strive to his very high standard of statesmanship.

God rest your soul, John. I love you.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, the Children's Health Insurance Program provides health coverage to low-income children and pregnant women who have an annual income above the Medicaid eligibility levels but have no health insurance. It provides care, in other words, Mr. Speaker, for some of the most vulnerable families in our Nation. It covers nearly 5,000 children in my home State. In fact, in fiscal year 2016, North Dakota received $19 million in CHIP funding.

I encourage all of my colleagues to now support this important program that has historically had bipartisan support. I also want to urge my colleagues to quickly take up funding for community health centers, the special diabetes program, and other health programs that require extension.

Community health centers in North Dakota are already feeling the negative effects of this funding uncertainty, particularly in hiring and leasing decisions.

Mr. Speaker, we must not vote ``no'' on this CR because of what is not in the bill, but we must vote ``yes'' because what is in the bill is critical to the health of our children.

Mr. Speaker, no U.S. Air Force unit has ever won more than 19 Outstanding Unit Awards. This last Saturday, I was honored to be in Fargo

as the North Dakota Air National Guard's 119th Wing was awarded their 19th.

The 119th Wing, known as the Happy Hooligans, has received this prestigious recognition nearly constantly since 2006.

The Air Force Outstanding Unit Award is given to numbered units of the Active Duty Air Force, Air National Guard, and U.S. Air Force Reserve that have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service or outstanding achievement.

The mission of the 119th Wing is to provide trained and ready airmen, executing world class MQ-9 and reconnaissance kinetic and nonkinetic target intelligence production, and expeditionary support capabilities for the Nation and State.

Mr. Speaker, Aristotle said: ``We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.''

Freedom-loving people around the world are grateful to the Happy Hooligans from Fargo for making excellence in defending liberty a habit.

Congratulations, Colonel Brit Hatley and Hooligans, and thank you for your outstanding service to the cause of freedom around the world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the North Dakota State University Bisons, who, on Saturday, won their sixth NCAA Division 1 football championship in the last 7 years.

When Chris Kliemen was named head coach at NDSU 3 years ago, he inherited a tradition of excellence and made it a dynasty. Merriam- Webster defines ``dynasty'' as ``a powerful group or family that maintains its position for a considerable time.''

Well, Mr. Speaker, winning six national championships in 7 years certainly meets the second half of that definition. And anyone who knows Bison football knows that they are a family. It is what makes them special.

Quarterback Easton Stick was named the Game's Most Outstanding Player, but it was the Bison defense that shined the brightest on Saturday, holding James Madison University's explosive offense to a season low 241 yards and just 13 points.

Perhaps it was linebacker Nick DeLuca who put it best when asked how the Bison defense was able to respond so spectacularly in so many difficult situations. He simply said: ``Just remain focused and calm.''

Good advice, Nick, in football and politics.

Congratulations, Bisons. You make us proud.

Mr. Speaker, we know that the economic and job creation benefits are key components of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, making the U.S. globally competitive again, giving much-needed tax cuts to American business, and much-needed wage increases to American workers. But, Mr. Speaker, it is really the long overdue direct tax benefits to the vast middle class, who don't have a lobbyist living in the rich suburbs of Washington, D.C., that take center stage for me and my fellow North Dakotans.

You see, 80 percent of the citizens of North Dakota file claiming this standard deduction. That means, Mr. Speaker, that the vast majority of my constituents will see their deductions nearly doubled if they do nothing else. And obviously, with the doubling of the standard deduction, it will likely inspire even more North Dakotans to claim this simple deduction.

Mr. Speaker, this huge benefit, combined with greater job opportunities and simpler, less expensive filing costs, and, of course, a generous family tax credit, will put more money in the pockets and less anxiety in the hearts of middle class North Dakotans. Supporting this reform package is easy for me because it is right for North Dakota, and I thank Chairman Brady for this outstanding work.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

It is no secret that a reliable supply of electricity is important to us on many levels, from human health, and, of course, to commercial productivity.

As a former public service commissioner, I can tell you that one of the main reasons for large outages is trees growing in power lines. And one of the reasons for forest fires, oftentimes, is power lines falling in the forest. Fires get to the power lines; power lines create fires. This bill, I think, helps alleviate some of that.

With consumers and regulators demanding, of course, reliable service, and a utility company's natural incentive to keep the sale of electrons flowing, vegetation management has improved tremendously over the years. However, deep within the lands that are managed by our Federal agencies, the potential for problems persists.

My bill creates a pilot program, as the chairman described, for utility companies to partner with the Forest Service to voluntarily perform vegetation management proactively. Under Forest Service approval, utilities can propose a plan to selectively manage vegetation within 75 feet of the right-of-way with the least amount of disturbances as reasonably possible, and outside of designated wilderness areas is a very important point.

All of that work would be paid for by the utility company, not by the Federal Government. Currently, this offer of right-of-way work is the responsibility of the government, and with a strict liability standard, Mr. Speaker, to any utility company to step in and help. There is not an incentive--in fact, there is a disincentive for them to do so. So under the pilot program, these activities will be subject to a more appropriate standard of liability, a gross negligence standard, along with any specific safety requirements imposed under the programs in agreement with the Forest Service.

It removes the barrier for utility companies to carry out this important work not currently being done by them, to reduce direct impacts to damage utility infrastructure, and the amount of fuel for possible forest fires.

There is a lot of bipartisan support for this. I appreciate my friends in the more mountainous and more forested regions than the prairies of North Dakota on both side of the aisle. I know there is good support in the Senate as well.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this important bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Miss North Dakota Cara Mund, who was crowned Miss America last Sunday.

A native of Bismarck, Cara made history in our State when she became the first North Dakotan to be crowned Miss America. Throughout the competition, Cara shared her desire to make her home State proud, and boy did she do that, encouraging others to follow their dreams, saying: `` . . . it doesn't matter where you come from geographically.''

When asked what she hoped to gain from her year as Miss America, Cara said she is focused on what she can do for others. Cara has been giving back for years, having raised more than $78,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation through her Passion for Fashion Show that she founded when she was just 14 years old.

As she travels the United States, I know she will inspire and impress everyone she comes in contact with. This former Capitol Hill intern plans to attend law school, become the first woman Governor of North Dakota, and perhaps even represent her State in Congress one day. I hope she waits a while. But anyway, Kris and I join all North Dakotans in congratulating our new Miss America.

We are proud of you, Cara, and we look forward to hearing the positive message you are going to be sharing throughout this Nation throughout the next year.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Davis and my colleague, Mr. Peterson, from across the Red River in Minnesota for their support for this renaming of the Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center. For all of the reasons that Representative Peterson talked about, it is a world-class facility in a world-class town, and I think it should be named after a world-class guy, and I think Ed Schafer is that.

I had the opportunity to serve under Ed when he was Governor for 8 years. I served in his cabinet. His intellect and his common sense are matched only by his boundless energy and his eternal optimism, qualities he brings to every job he does, including his work at the Department of Agriculture.

When he was recognized by his former Governor colleague, President George W. Bush, and asked to join the administration in that department, it was a remarkable thing not just for agriculture, not just for Ed, but for our State. North Dakota is number one in the production of many crops. Agriculture is the number one industry in our State. It is what makes North Dakota what North Dakota is: the ability to feed hungry people in a growing world. Ed brought that common sense to USDA and that work ethic that works the land so effectively.

I feel like this is a fitting tribute to him. It is a celebration not only of his accomplishments, but a celebration of agriculture in North Dakota and the entire Red River Valley, including Congressman Peterson's district, and really for our world.

I would note that our two Senators, while it is easy for me to get unanimity in the House for the North Dakota House caucus since I am the only one, North Dakota's two Senators have a companion bill in the Senate introduced by Senator Hoeven and cosponsored by Senator Heitkamp, and they support this effort as well.

I appreciate the work of the committee and the work of Ed Schafer, and I look forward, hopefully, to a celebration of the renaming.

Mr. Speaker, BLM's Methane and Waste Prevention rule really is an overreach of authority that is already held by the EPA and the States. In fact, in North Dakota, the Department of Mineral Resources has waste prevention or conservation rules in place and is the first in the Nation to set gas capture requirements and goals.

Requiring operators to meet yet another set of rules, in addition to States' permits, results in substantial increases in both time and cost without any additional benefit to the public or to the environment, and that would also subject operators to conflicting rules, which actually could have the adverse effect that this rule aims at.

Just in North Dakota alone, it is estimated this rule would cost $24 million in lost tax revenue, and $240 million per year would be lost in production, but $39 million, most importantly, would be lost in royalty revenues, not to big, rich oil companies who make large contributions, as our friends on the other side like to talk about, but to regular people, farmers and ranchers and landowners who own the royalty, who get the royalty. These are the very people the Democrats love to talk about but don't seem to know how to talk to.

Methane leaks are wasteful, but there is a natural incentive to capture it. Methane is not a waste product, it is a commodity.

The overall, best-case scenario impact of this rule would be a reduction of 0.06 percent. Now, if the BLM really wants to do something, they could streamline the permitting of the infrastructure that would capture it.

I know of two pipeline projects in North Dakota alone that, had they been allowed to move forward, at no expense to the government, had they been allowed to move forward by the BLM, without its heavy hand of regulation, would have reduced emissions 6 percent; 6 percent with the natural incentive, stopped by the BLM, rather than this rule, which would, perhaps in the best case scenario, reduce it 0.06 percent.

In wrapping up, I thank the chairman for the time and for his leadership.

Let's pass this CRA and overturn this egregious, unproductive BLM rule and return the authority where it belongs, back to the States.

Madam Speaker, North Dakota does not need the stream protection rule and neither does the Nation. By passing this resolution today disapproving the Office of Surface Mining edict, we are responding to the cries of the American people who are tired of nationwide job-killing regulations from Washington.

Madam Speaker, the Obama administration took nearly an entire term and over 10 million taxpayer dollars developing this job killer designed to prevent billions of dollars of coal reserves from ever being developed with absolutely no environmental benefit.

Today's action prevents further destruction of jobs and low-cost energy for the American people.

I urge the Senate to swiftly send this resolution to the President's desk.