Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today in complete support of H.R. 5376, the Inflation Reduction Act.

During my time in Congress, I have dedicated my service to improving our healthcare system and working to lower the cost of prescription drugs. I am ecstatic that the bill before us today includes my and Representative Peters drug price reduction framework that will finally rein in the cost of prescription drugs for our seniors and protect pharmaceutical innovation, contrary to what the other side will tell you.

The Medicare drug cost reductions will be transformative. The bill will allow Medicare to finally negotiate drug prices and the practice of raising prices in the Medicare program beyond the rising inflation and provide lasting financial relief to our most vulnerable seniors by establishing a $2,000 out-of-pocket maximum for spending on prescription drugs.

The prescription drug cost portions of this bill will also preserve scientific creativity and the innovation ecosystem that has been essential to the domestic job-preserving development of life changing and lifesaving treatments and cures.

And the close to $300 billion in deficit reduction from this portion of the bill will be huge for the overall viability of our troubled Medicare system going forward. This will be the biggest improvement to Medicare since the inception of part D almost 20 years ago. I am proud to have been a leading advocate to deliver relief on the high cost of prescription drugs.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues in both Chambers who worked with me directly to get this across the finish line.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and celebrate the life of Ralph Grolener. Ralph served Oregonians as a Clackamas County Commissioner, state legislator and was a leader in Oregon's labor movement with AFSCME, helping make Oregon one of the most union states in the country.

Ralph was a Christmas baby, born Dec. 25, 1941, to George and Mary Groener in Oregon City, Oregon. He attended local schools and graduated from West Linn High School in 1960. He spent four years in the U.S. Air Force and was awarded the Airman's medal for heroism.

In 1965 he married Sharon Rich, of Oregon City. Initially attending Portland Community College, they moved to Eugene where Ralph attended and graduated from the University of Oregon. While in college, Ralph worked part-time at a local Safeway, and became a member of the retail clerk's union. Upon graduation in 1969 he worked as a community organizer for the war on poverty, taking his first steps on a lifelong pathway fighting for the underprivileged and working families.

Ralph was elected to the state legislature in 1972, where he served two terms in the Oregon House of Representatives. In 1973 Ralph was an original co-sponsor of the first Gay Rights Legislation to be introduced in the nation. He was also instrumental in the passage of SB 100, Oregon's landmark land conservation legislation, as the bill's carrier on the House Floor. Ralph was then elected to the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners, where he served tirelessly for eight years advocating for children and senior citizens.

In 1990 Ralph found his way back to the Capitol, where he served as a political coordinator and lobbyist for AFSCME for nearly three decades. One of Ralph's favorite bible passages was Matthew 25:40--Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me. It is not hard to see this principle guided him for over three decades fighting on behalf of working Oregonians.

Ralph was a force of nature. He loved to talk. He could out-talk anyone, anytime, anywhere. A familiar sight and sound roaming the halls of the state capitol, he was rarely without his trademark smile or partner Mary Botkin. His son, Chris shared with me that he used to say--keep your chin up and never let them see you sweat. I never saw Ralph without his chin up. Ralph retired from AFSCME in 2018.

Ralph's career was filled with dozens of awards and accomplishments:

United States Air Force Airman's Medal, 1963; Oregon State Sheriffs Association Award of Valor--Three-time recipient; Outstanding Youth Leader of Clackamas County, 1972; Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Retired Persons, 1972; One of the Outstanding Young Men of America, 1973 and 1975; Oregon's Outstanding Educator- Statesman Award, 1975; Oregon League of Cities ``Friend of Cities Award, 2005; NW Senior and Disability Services Advocacy Award, 2018

Ralph passed away on June 1, 2022, losing a dogged fight to cancer. He is survived by his wife, Sharon; daughter Hilary Groener; son Chris Groener; and granddaughter Cassidy Hedger and her husband, Corey Hedger. Ralph is also survived by hundreds of his union brothers and sisters, friends and colleagues from the political and legislative world. I mourn with them on his passing.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Pulp and Paperworkers' Resource Council on its 30th anniversary.

The PPRC is a grassroots organization made up of hourly employees of the U.S. forest products industry whose members work in mills and converting plants, manufacturing sustainable paper and wood products that Americans rely on every day.

Founded in 1991, the PPRC works to ensure real-world perspectives are considered in all policy and regulatory decisions that impact their jobs and our communities.

As co-chair of the bipartisan, bicameral House Paper and Packaging Caucus, I am honored to meet with the PPRC representatives every year when they come to Washington, D.C., to advocate for their priorities and promote this important sector of our economy.

I am pleased to congratulate the PPRC for 30 years of hard work on behalf of such an essential industry.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to former Sheriff John O'Brien, who passed away on June 1 at the age of 74. John was a beloved fixture of the Lincoln County community in my district, where he was known for his dedication to the people he served.

A dedicated Oregon State Beaver, after graduating from OSU, John was drafted in the U.S. Army in 1970, and served in Vietnam where he earned a Vietnam Service Medal and Bronze Star. He returned home and joined the Lincoln County Sheriff's office as a patrol deputy in 1973. It was here that John would find his calling, serving his community and the department for 30 years, the last 9 as sheriff, until his retirement in 2003. After retiring from the Sheriff's office, John worked for the Pacific Northwest region of FEMA, assisting with disasters in Oregon, Alaska, Washington, and New York City.

All who were close to John could attest that he cared about people in an extraordinary way. His generous spirit touched everyone in his life. John dedicated his time to making life better for those he served. He will be missed by all who knew him.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Priscilla, as well as his kids, Eric and Erin, and his four grandchildren. I hope they can all find peace during this difficult time as well as mourn the loss of an extraordinary member of this great family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this year's Water Resources Development Act, which includes funding for several critical priorities for my State and my district.

I am very proud to share that this bill authorizes funding to help the city of Newport replace its woefully outdated and dangerous Big Creek Dam. This dam holds the city's water supply; sits right above the city; could completely wipe out the city in an earthquake.

Funding is also designated for wastewater treatment and dredging along the Oregon coast, particularly in our areas that are facing a lot of issues with the Pacific Ocean.

I really appreciate the opportunity to present on this report and urge its passage.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Affordable Insulin Now Act. The bill before us today will finally deliver the financial relief Oregonians whose lives depend on insulin so desperately need.

By capping the costs to no more than $35 month in Medicare part D and commercial insurance, Congress is making it clear that no one should have to cut back, ration, or skip doses of lifesaving medication.

I am proud that this policy is a central tenet of my own drug pricing bill that I have worked on with leadership, secured in the House, and passed in the Build Back Better bill. We need to rein in all drug price prescriptions. That is why it is important to negotiate drug prices without stifling innovation, like we do in our bill. Limit the price increases of everyday drugs to the price of inflation, and perhaps more importantly, limit out-of-pocket costs to seniors to $2,000 or less.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the America COMPETES Act of 2022.

This comprehensive bill tackles the challenges everyday Oregonians face right now with supply chain and consequent rising consumer prices. It is a huge investment in our competitiveness on the global stage for the 21st century. It invests $45 billion to strengthen and improve our supply chains while incentivizing manufacturing of critical security goods that should be made right here in the United States.

As the pandemic has shown us, active ingredients of lifesaving pharmaceuticals and PPE gear should not be all made overseas.

I am also glad that leadership included the $52 billion in emergency CHIPS Act funding, a priority for my Problem Solvers Caucus and the State of Oregon. Without this Federal investment, our semiconductor problems would only grow worse. We will continue to see critical shortages, hindering a wide range of industries in my district and across the Nation. Passage here will strengthen our domestic supply and lead to good-paying jobs for our citizens and companies as they move to expand and set up our domestic manufacturing facilities.

This bill contains bipartisan proposals to keep us innovating and creating in critical industries and makes sure that the United States is not at the mercy of a tenuous international supply chain.

Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer an amendment to this year's National Defense Authorization Act to help rein in a practice that has existed from the 1990s known as the unfunded priorities list or unfunded requirements list.

The practice originally had good intent, to allow some flexibility for the Armed Services for issues that came up outside of the normal appropriations process, but it has grown to become embedded to encompass larger areas in the Pentagon budget that were never considered to be part of that mandate at the time.

Mr. Speaker, we are getting out of Afghanistan. We have decided that we are not going to be pursuing every war overseas, trying to protect American servicemen and -women. Our budget should reflect that.

We have tried to be honest in our budget this year. The overseas contingency budget has been eliminated. Let's be honest in our budget request.

We go through an extensive process, both in the authorizing committee of the Armed Services and in our Committee on Appropriations, to make sure that the budget requests are reasonable and reflect the interests of the American people and the congressional districts that we represent.

Let's be honest here. The budget has changed. It is time to rein in some of the spending. The Defense Department has showcased $125 billion in waste and inefficiencies within its own budget. It is time to rein that in. The unfunded requirement list, the unfunded priorities list, is part of that.

My amendment does not eliminate it. I want to repeat that. It does not eliminate it. It just restricts its use back to the services and SOCOM, like it was originally intended. It still gives the Pentagon the ability to showcase additional needs not included in the main budget request, but it eliminates that budgetary creep that we have seen over the past several years.

Mr. Speaker, this issue crosses party lines. Former Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain said, ``I am not really big on unfunded priority lists. I think they are sort of a backdoor way of getting things done.''

We have actually seen what happens when the Pentagon stops this from happening. With Roberts Gates as Secretary, we cut down on the use of these UPLs drastically during his tenure, and the DOD budget continued to operate just fine.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I think the good gentleman on the other side of the aisle is confused. We are not talking about restricting the appropriations process or the Armed Services Committee from making the decisions and the priorities based on what is submitted by the Defense Department agencies, as well as congressional districts themselves.

This merely just says, if we abide by some of the decisions, we should abide by the decisions that are made by the Appropriations Committee, as the good gentleman points out. Actually, abide by the decisions that are made by the appropriators, based on their input, the intel that was just described.

We are talking about the unfunded priorities list, which is basically a slush fund for mission creep that we no longer need. We have to respect the will of the people, the congressional districts that we represent, and should abide by their wishes in our budgetary allocations.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would just point out, as Chairman

Smith said in last year's NDAA, some people believe that no matter what you spend on the Pentagon and defense spending, you should always spend more. And they are trying to push us down that road towards more, which is wrong, because it is waste.

It is also wrong because it is bad for national security. We need to make choices, not imagine that the budget is unlimited. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, very simply put, my colleagues and friends, if the priorities did not make it into the largest piece of the discretionary budget that we vote on, how big a priority can it really be? Let's restrict, but not eliminate, the unfunded priorities list.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of my amendment to ask the FDA to move forward with rulemaking on cannabidiol. Despite the 2018 farm bill being signed into law legalizing cannabidiol, hemp farmers, including those in my home State of Oregon, have faced economic burdens from the regulatory uncertainty by lack of action.

We have legalized the sale of hemp derivatives like CBD, but the marketplace adoption has not taken off like Congress and hemp farmers alike expected. Lack of clarity in legal purchasing of CBD is a big part of the problem.

The FDA has the authority to conduct the necessary rulemaking to establish a regulatory pathway for CBD as a dietary supplement and food ingredient.

This amendment, with my colleague Representative Griffith, calls on the FDA to proceed in doing so, as the livelihoods of hemp farmers and safety of consumers across the country reside in the hands of the agency. There is no reason for the FDA not to be moving forward since the 2018 farm bill.

To that end, I have also introduced with Representative Griffith H.R. 841 on a bipartisan basis. My bill will require the FDA to do what they have the authority to do and should have done already to craft the necessary rules and guidance to regulate CBD as a dietary supplement.

No regulatory system is perfect, but congressional intent has been clear on hemp and CBD. The livelihoods of the farmers and agriculture jobs hang in the balance. It is long past time the FDA and Congress move forward with making CBD legal and safe for consumers.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that Chairman Pallone engage in a colloquy with me on the effect of this bill on small businesses.

Mr. Speaker, I support the purpose of the Consumer Protection and Recovery Act to allow the FTC to get money back for consumers who have been harmed by violations of FTC laws.

I am concerned that small business owners who inadvertently harm customers will, on top of paying restitution, however, get hit with unreasonable penalties for what was essentially an honest mistake.

As a small business owner, I know how difficult it can be to keep up with all the rules and regulations that small businesses must abide by. And I think we should only allow civil penalties for punitive damages where bad actors knowingly violate the law.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the chairman to clarify the extent of this bill with respect to small businesses.

I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his assurances that the intent of this bill is to protect consumers and not to hurt honest small businesses by subjecting them to excessive penalties.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support the energy and commerce provisions in the INVEST in America Act.

I would like to speak briefly about the surface transportation side. An amendment I have in there adds a goal to the Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program that these investments increase the resiliency of bridges, including the ability to withstand disruptions from a seismic event.

The Pacific Northwest is due for a major seismic event, and our communities need to be able to take the necessary steps to ensure our infrastructure can withstand these disasters. This amendment will make that a possibility and ensure that projects focusing on seismic resiliency are prioritized by the U.S. Department of Transportation when they submit applications.

In my district, Interstate 205 is set for a massive retrofitting to improve the vital passenger and freight corridor and mitigate the awful congestion many of our communities currently face.

One of the key components of this project is to retrofit the Abernathy Bridge and make it seismically resilient. This bridge is a critical span over the Willamette River and will be essential in the event of a major disaster to coordinate first responders and supplies to affected Oregonians.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to offer the amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of S. 415, a bill that has the same policy as my own and Mr. Guthrie's here in the House, H.R. 1857, the Protecting Access to Safe and Effective Medicines Act.

This bill is a simple fix, providing clarity around the drug approval process by increasing the specificity of the language companies may use when submitting these complex and often lengthy applications. Simply put, utilizing the term ``active ingredient'' opens the unintended opportunity for pharmaceutical companies to make minor, relatively nonpharmacological changes to the same chemical and prevent generic alternatives from coming to the marketplace. By changing this language, as this bill does, to ``active moiety,'' we will be able to close another loophole that can be exploited by companies to inappropriately obtain exclusivity and hold back competition in the marketplace, the key mechanism for lowering drug prices.

While this is good policy, it is one small piece of the larger drug- pricing conversation that we need to have. It demonstrates, yet again, that the policies to lower drug prices are bipartisan and bicameral. In fact, there are many such policies that did not get done in the last Congress that offer a starting point for a comprehensive approach addressing drug pricing, and now is the time to continue this important work.

I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for the help in supporting this important bill before us today, and I urge its passage.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to echo Mr. Newhouse's comments et large.

The Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers are a critical aspect of rural America's ability to fight fires and do good work in rural America.

I want to applaud Secretary Perdue for reversing his decision. It is one thing to be here in Washington, DC, and think you are counting the taxpayers' money very carefully and doing the right thing; it is another thing to be out in the real world and live the life that we have out there in timber country and know what valuable lessons they provide these at-risk youth who, frankly, would have no other options going forward and, at this point, fight our devastating wildfires. They are adjunct to the professional people that we have out there.

I thank Representatives Newhouse, DeFazio, Gianforte, and even Senator Merkley on the Senate side. This is one area where you have nice bipartisan, bicameral support, and it is an area where it is good to see Congress come together and the executive branch understand the realities of the world.

Mr. Chair, I really appreciate everyone's efforts. It has been fun to work on that.

Mr. Chair, I rise today to urge support for this important bipartisan amendment.

The Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers program provides valuable services to get at-risk young adults the skills they need to succeed. I would repeat that: This is a very successful program with phenomenal results. To turn our back on these kids is unconscionable.

It is an extremely successful program, training thousands in a variety of tasks, like working on rural infrastructure projects, maintaining our national forests, and being a frontline member for our natural disaster relief teams.

Wildfire season has already started out West. We need these services to enhance our brave first-responder teams. As pointed out by the chairman, these folks were invaluable during the 2017 fire season, providing the equivalent of 450,000 hours of service, leveraging our tax dollars in a great way.

I have heard from a number of constituents and groups in my district that are worried about the future of these young people, like the Angell CCC on our Oregon coast.

This is a callous approach by the administration.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and push back against this ill-thought-out plan.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Phyllis Watt Wustenberg a constituent of mine from Bay City, Oregon who recently passed away at the age of 92.

Phyllis was a remarkable woman and beloved member of the community who leaves behind an incredible legacy of a life that was dedicated to service. The Tillamook County area won't be the same without her. Today I would like to include in the Record Phyllis' obituary and extend my sincere condolences to Phyllis' family and the people of Tillamook County.

Obituary for Phyllis Watt Wustenberg

Phyllis Wustenberg, age 92, passed away peacefully on May

7, 2019 while seated at the desk of her home in Bay City, OR.

There were messages on the answering machine, minutes and

notes from recent nonprofit board and public commission

meetings, and treasured memories from five generations of her

Oregon family within arm's reach. Phyllis Watt Wustenberg--

pioneer, matriarch, scholar, mink rancher, gardener, civic

leader, philanthropist, sorority sister, and great

grandmother--was busy living right to the last moment. It was

a life well lived, dedicated to the betterment of her family,

community, and state she loved so dearly.

She was born July 25, 1927 in Vancouver, WA to Robert, son

of settler, farmer, logger and lumber mill owner Robert Watt,

and Jean Morris Watt, who he met in Haines, AK. The Watt

family journey from Scotland and contributions as pioneers in

the coastal region are documented in the 1974 book, Five Watt

Brothers. Phyllis attended Bay City school with siblings

Barbara, Joan and Robert. She graduated in 1945 in a class of

nine, received her B.S. from Oregon State University in 1949

and was one of the first women to achieve a Master's in

Fisheries Management in 1951. Phyllis was on faculty at OSU

from 1951 to 1953, where her work was described in Fur Animal

Research where, in 200, editor J.E. Oldfield remembers: ``I

moved from U.B.C. to Oregon State University in 1949 and

found a mink research program in the Department of Fisheries

and Wildlife (then ``Fish and Game'') which was ably directed

by Phyllis Watt (now Wustenberg). If I needed any

encouragement to continue my interest with mink, Phyllis

certainly supplied it. Raised on a mink ranch at Bay City,

Oregon, she combined her knowledge of the industry and its

needs with her research abilities to form an effective

program which she operated with great good humor.''

She met and married Donald Wustenberg of Chico, CA in 1953

while at OSU, and in 1955, after he graduated with a Master's

in Fisheries Biology. They relocated to the farm in Bay City

to create a life closer to their shared ideal for raising a

family. Mark was born in 1954 and William (Bill) in 1957. Don

and Phyllis combined their unique research skills in animal

science and genetics to create innovative data management

practices that produced among the finest natural black mink

in the world for over 45 years. During that time they were

active leaders in the Ninth American mink industry: Phyllis

served as chair of the National Mink Farmer's Research

Foundation and was in demand as a renowned speaker; Don was

on the board of the Great Lakes Mink Association during years

of the famous ``What Becomes A Legend Most'' Richard Avalon

ad campaign.

Phyllis served her community and state with a gifted

ability to see possibilities and respect history. She

believed that people's lives can be improved, young and old,

with a free book, a trip to a museum, a walk in a nature

center, or a scholarship for higher education. Near to her

heart was the Watt Brothers Scholarship Trust, where she

served as chair for over 30 years, that annually gifts about

$100,000 to Tillamook County graduates. She was a dedicated

founder of the Bay City Planning Commission, Tillamook County

Pioneer Museum and Kilchis Point Reserve boards, serving

until her last day. She sat on the Tillamook County Extension

Committee and Tillamook County Library Board. In 1994 Phyllis

was appointed to the Oregon State Board of Higher Education

and served until it was disbanded in 2004. She was the

Board's representative to the Center for Applied Agricultural

Research Board during that period and was a tireless advocate

for Oregon State University Cascades to ensure four-year

university education was available to the eastern half of the

state. Former Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Shirley

Clark reflected with great admiration that, ``Phyllis changed

the world and made friends along the way.''

Phyllis did indeed bestow her deepest love upon family and

close friends. She nutured her sons through Willamette

University and Oregon State Veterinary College and was deeply

proud that they each accomplished distinguished careers and

raised close-knit families with core values that mirrored her

own. Her home was a destination for large gatherings of

family, annual OSU Delta Delta Delta Sorority picnics,

international guests, drop-by visitors, and the occasional

elected official seeking advice. She is survived by: son, Dr.

Mark Wustenberg (Judy), Bay City, OR; Dr. William Wustenberg

(Wendy), Farmington, MN; four grandchildren--Dr. Ben

Wustenberg (Dr. Leticia), Carlton, OR and their children

Tristan and Emma; Liam Wustenberg (Jennifer), Forest Grove,

OR and their son Everett; Russell Wustenberg, living in

Toronto, CA; and Lauren Wustenberg, South Royalton, VT; her

sisters Barbara and Joan; beloved nephews and nieces and

extended family by birth and marriage here in the United

States and abroad. She is preceded in death by her husband,

Don, both parents and her brother Robert.

Mark recalls that his mother said, ``Heaven is our memories

carried forward in the lives of those we love and hold

dear.'' The public is invited to join the family at Tillamook

County Pioneer Museum, 2106 2nd St. Tillamook, OR 97141,

Sunday June 9, 2019 from 2-5 p.m. Memorials are requested in

lieu of flowers to honor Phyllis' lifelong dedication to the

good works of the Watt Brothers Scholarship Trust, c/o

Simpson & Roesener, LLP, 2216 4th St. Tillamook, OR 97141 and

the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum, c/o Gary Albright, 2106

2nd St. Tillamook, OR 97141.

When she accepted the 2016 Bay City Pearl Festival Honoree

Award Phyllis said, ``If you love the place you live, you are

extremely blessed.'' A more complete story about Phyllis Watt

Wustenberg's lifelong love of Oregon and the blessings that

will continue due to her dedicated efforts will be available

online at http://www.tcpm.org later this week.

The public is invited to celebrate the life of Phyllis Watt

Wustenberg on Sunday June 9 from 2-5 p.m. at the Tillamook

County Pioneer Museum, 2106 2nd St., Tillamook, OR 97141.