Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in favor of the package of bills before us that includes efforts to stabilize the marketplace and address drug prices, a win-win for America. I am particularly proud to rise in support of one bill in the package, my bill, cosponsored with my good friend from Georgia, Buddy Carter, H.R. 938, the BLOCKING Act.

As we are all too well aware, the rising cost of drug prices is deeply impacting every American. At the same time, addressing this issue does not have one big silver bullet solution. The BLOCKING Act is one of many that will address this larger problem. It takes action to ensure that generic drugs reach the market as quickly as possible.

Generic drugs save patients tens of billions of dollars every year. The more competition we have in the generic space, the more savings we see. It is with that knowledge that we provide generic manufacturers that incentive of 180 days of exclusivity.

Unfortunately, in the current system, some generic manufacturers delay bringing their drugs to market by parking their applications, once being awarded the exclusivity, and not actually bringing their drug to market. Doing so does not allow others to come to the market and extends their hold, to the disadvantage of the American consumer.

That being said, a solution is quite simple. We need to prevent loopholes that decrease competition and inadvertently keep drug prices high.

I remain committed to working to lower drug prices and urge others to support passage of this package of bills that will assist in addressing this critical issue for America.

Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise today to recognize and remember a dear friend and devoted, lifelong public servant, my former executive assistant Anne Marie Feeney.

Anne Marie began her more than four decades in Congress in the 1970s with Senator Robert Byrd and retired her career in my office in 2014.

Across the Capitol, Anne Marie was a force to be reckoned with, having served through eight Presidencies and more than 20 Congresses. She knew her stuff.

Beginning her career at a time when few women were hired as congressional staff, she spearheaded the charge to bring full-time childcare to Congress for both Members and staff.

When I was first elected to Congress in 2008, it was Anne Marie who helped me set up my office and guided me through the ins and outs of Congress. I credit her with building the close-knit family culture my office is fortunate to have.

My thoughts this past 2 weeks have been with her daughter, Marybeth; son-in-law, Jamie; grandson, Kyle; sister, Mollie; and brother-in-law, John, as we mourn a great loss and remember the incredibly strong and caring woman that was Anne Marie Feeney.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act. I am a proud cosponsor of the bill and a longtime supporter of the Paris climate accord.

With the Northwest on catastrophic fire alert every year, everyone out west knows full well that climate change is a real and serious threat that needs addressing.

To that end, we cannot abdicate the United States' very serious responsibility to lead the world in curbing the effects of climate change. That is why I have strongly opposed the President's reckless decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, which has seriously damaged U.S. credibility on the world stage.

The Paris Agreement stresses the dire importance of international cooperation in combating the climate crisis. We must work together with countries around the world if we are to achieve any sort of meaningful dent in greenhouse gas emissions.

I am proud that my State of Oregon remains committed to the goals of the Paris Agreement, but one State's efforts cannot combat climate change alone. We need the Climate Action Now Act to keep the entire country committed to the Paris Agreement.

I urge support for the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of the Natural Resources Management Act, a bipartisan package that includes my bill, the Molalla River Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

This legislation would designate over 21 miles of the Molalla River as wild and scenic, a Federal designation that will permanently ensure its protection and preservation as one of Oregon's many national State treasures.

The idea to designate the Molalla River as a wild and scenic recreational river was initiated over 12 years ago by Molalla residents who were looking to preserve and protect their river. Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge and thank these community partners, chief among them the Molalla River Alliance, American Rivers, Molalla River Watch, Northwest Steelheaders, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the city of Molalla.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize the efforts of a few key individuals: Mike Moody, John Atkins, Jack Hammond, Mike Clarke, Kay Patterson, Craig Roberts, Bill Taylor, David Moryc, Bob Rees, and, frankly, so

many others who have worked tirelessly on this project. It is because of their hard work that the cultural, historical, and recreational benefits of the Molalla River will be protected for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the Natural Resources Management Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with some very, very sad news. On Tuesday night, the Mary B II, a crab boat out of Newport, Oregon, capsized while crossing the Yaquina Bay bar.

Members of the U.S. Coast Guard responded heroically to assist the boat, battling seas that were 12 to 14 feet in height. Unfortunately, the crew of three died.

It was actually to be Josh Porter's last trip on that boat. He had a different job.

Mr. Speaker, I want to convey my deepest condolences to the crews, the family, the friends, and, frankly, the community for their immense loss. The tragedy illustrates the courageous and perilous work that our Coast Guard members perform daily and how vital their services are for these communities.

I am proud to lend my support to legislative efforts that make sure these men and women actually receive their pay for this dangerous work that they perform on our behalf.

As we enter almost 3 weeks under a partial shutdown of the government, I know, for many of our valuable public servants, their resources are stretched thin. They will start missing paychecks because of the failures of the Federal Government. They continue to admirably serve throughout this shutdown, and we must ensure they don't suffer because of our failures.

Mr. Speaker, I implore the President and Congress to take up the bills the Senate and House have passed and reopen the United States Government.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of the State Offices of Rural Health Reauthorization Act.

Since 1979, as alluded to before, Oregon's Office of Rural Health has provided services critical to the folks in the rural portion of my State. Thirty-six percent of Oregonians live in rural communities, and as we know, these communities often face challenges not experienced in urban or suburban settings.

People in rural areas might have long distances to travel over mountainous terrain just to see their doctor, or they might have issues even finding a primary care provider or specialist who can help them where and when they need it. That is why we need the Offices of Rural Health and why the House should pass this bill today.

Oregonians have come to rely on the services and expertise of the Oregon Office of Rural Health to help build up the healthcare in rural areas so folks in these communities know they will be able to see a doctor, nurse practitioner, or other healthcare professional.

The Office of Rural Health has worked with small hospitals and EMS providers to ensure that patients are safe, the ethics are up to code, and they can work through the often challenging patchwork of programs and regulation.

My State's Office of Rural Health has also been instrumental in providing the data and policy expertise we have needed to ensure that all Oregonians receive the care that the Affordable Care Act and Oregon's healthcare transformation projects have promised.

Everyone, including folks in our rural areas, should have access to quality healthcare. This bill provides the Federal support and resources necessary to ensure that all 50 States' Offices of Rural Health can be there for the patients who need them.

I am proud to have led on this bill in the House with my good friend, Markwayne Mullin. I am grateful to Chairman Walden and Ranking Member Pallone for getting this to the floor before the end of a very interesting session. I thank them for their leadership on this issue and urge support for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7217, the IMPROVE Act.

I appreciate all the work that has been done on this bill over the years.

From improving care for kids with complex medical conditions to strengthening community-based, long-term care services for the disabled community, there is a lot to support in this bill.

I want to highlight one portion of the bill that my colleague and good friend Peter Welch alluded to a few moments ago. A few years ago, families were shocked when the drug company Mylan raised the price on EpiPen, a common generic drug used to treat allergies in emergency situations, by more than 400 percent.

While patients were facing this sticker shock for a drug necessary to keep them alive, investigators in the Department of Health and Human Services and in our own House and Senate committees were doing some digging of our own.

In the course of their investigation, they found that not only was the manufacturer of EpiPen ripping off patients and their families, they were ripping off the American taxpayer, too. By misclassifying their drug as a generic when it was actually a brand drug, Medicaid was being overcharged for years.

Further investigations by HHS found that hundreds of other drugs were also misclassified, and Medicaid was overcharged by more than $1 billion in the 4 years between 2012 and 2016. By passing this bill today, we can put an end to this waste and abuse in our Medicaid system.

Under this bill, if a drug company knowingly misclassifies their brand drug as a generic, CMS will have the power to fine that drug company double the normal rebate they would have had to pay the government. The bill strengthens CMS and congressional oversight of the program to prevent this from ever happening again.

I thank Mr. Welch, and Senators Wyden and Grassley, for their active work on this one, as well as Mr. Barton, Mr. Green, Chairman Walden, and Mr. Pallone for including it in this great reform package.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5554 is a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the animal drug and animal generic drug user fee programs, and I am proud to lead it with my colleague, Mr. Mullin.

ADUFA and AGDUFA are crucial to FDA's work to review and approve applications for animal drugs. Over the past several years, animal drug user fee programs have streamlined the approval process for pharmaceuticals and eliminated the FDA's application backlog, reduced review times, and created a more predictable process.

As a veterinarian from Oregon, I am particularly grateful to see this bill come to the floor. I am acutely aware of the great innovations that are occurring in the human health sphere, and I want to ensure our four-footed friends also have access to the latest and greatest medical innovations. That is why I am particularly pleased with this bill and its language to expand conditional approval for animal drugs with major uses in major species.

Conditional approval is a careful, deliberative process based on similar pathways for drugs for minor uses and minor species that was already established in 2004.

Conditional approval is critical for veterinary medicine since it is not cost-effective for drug companies to pursue large, complete clinical trials, given the small population of intended beneficiaries, without some initial interest and success under the conditional approval program.

Before being conditionally approved, drugs must demonstrate a reasonable expectation of effectiveness and meet every other FDA standard for approval, including safety. They still need to get complete FDA approval within 5 years and must apply for annual renewal.

I thank Chairman Walden; Ranking Member Pallone; Mr. Green; my colleague from North Carolina (Mr. Hudson), who worked very hard on the bill; and certainly Mr. Mullin for his partnership in leading this way.

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

Mr. Chair, this is what our cuddly sea lions do to our iconic salmon in the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.

Salmon are an important part of the culture, the identity, and the economy of the people and Tribes of the Pacific Northwest. It is one of the reasons why we, as a region, have put so much time, energy, and resources into protecting and recovering these iconic fish.

Along with my good friend and colleague from the other side of the Columbia River, Representative Herrera Beutler, we have worked very hard with the three States in our region, our Tribes, our wildlife agencies, and our colleagues here in Congress to find common ground and to craft a bill that meets our needs to protect endangered salmon, but also addresses concerns about what happens to the sea lions.

Today's consideration of H.R. 2083 marks nearly 9 years that I have been working on this legislation with my colleague from Washington. During that time, sea lion predation on endangered salmon and steelhead runs has increased exponentially, and the results have been dramatic.

Much like the Ballard Locks in Seattle that my colleague referred to earlier, we are facing our own imminent extinction threat with the Willamette winter steelhead run if we don't act immediately. That is just a fact.

In the case of the Ballard Locks, we didn't act soon enough. The pinniped predation drove that steelhead run to extinction.

We cannot repeat the same mistake. It is important to note that nothing in this bill will harm sea lion populations. They are thriving--thanks to the Marine Mammal Protection Act--with a population that now hovers in the 300,000 range.

NOAA has concluded that the California sea lions have reached their maximum carrying capacity. It is a remarkable success story. We want that to continue. But with this success, we also need to recognize that these sea lions no longer need the same level of protections that they did when they first passed the Marine Mammal Protection Act in the early 1970s, when their numbers were only in the 70,000 range.

Now they are threatening, in non-historic areas, to move up the rivers, where they have no history, and eliminate our salmon. There is a 20 to 25 percent predation on these salmon.

Our bill would allow the selective removal of problematic sea lions that are congregating at the Bonneville Dam, Willamette Falls, and some of the tributaries of key estuaries.

Research has shown that removing these sea lions before they habituate to these areas prevents additional animals recruiting to these areas and would result in having to remove fewer sea lions over time.

We have heard some arguments that we shouldn't focus on sea lions, that we should take a comprehensive approach. My good colleague from Arizona said there is no silver bullet here. I agree. I agree.

We have been doing nonlethal hazing for more than 15 years that has been totally ineffective. Transport these sea lions to the coast from the middle of Oregon, and they are back in 5 days at the Willamette Falls.

Every entity involved in salmon management, from Tribes to fishermen to dam operators, has altered their behavior to protect salmon. Pacific Northwest ratepayers, through their electric bills, contribute nearly $1 billion a year, the biggest fish recovery program in America, a third of their electric bill, to help fund the largest fish mitigation program.

This money goes toward the habitat restoration that was alluded to; improvements to fish ladders, fish screens, turbines; improving hatcheries. It is our responsibility as Members of Congress to safeguard the public investment in improving these salmon runs.

This is not a radical bill. This is a thoughtful, narrow approach that is based on sound science, brought to us by the Departments of Fish and Wildlife of the three States in question and supported by Jay Inslee of Washington and Kate Brown of Oregon, Democratic Governors; Butch Otter of Idaho, a Republican Governor; Tribes; wildlife agencies; and biologists. Senators Cantwell and Risch have introduced a companion bill in the Senate.

Most importantly, the process will require the following: NOAA still will review the permit application and issue a request for public comment. NOAA will form a task force to review the application and make recommendations. NOAA will conduct a NEPA review.

We have a great many people doing incredible work.

Mr. Chair, I just want to thank everyone for their strong effort in this area: the Tribes; Liz Hamilton, Bob Rees, and our conservation community; Curt Melcher and his team at ODF&W, Shaun Clements and Ed Bowles; and our friends on the other side of the river at WDFW also. All these folks have been tremendous partners. I can't thank them enough.

Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague from across the river, Jaime Herrera Beutler. It has been a great partnership.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support our region and our efforts to protect and support our salmon. I ask for your help and to support this legislation today.

Mr. Speaker, like so many others, I have been dismayed about the administration's actions, ripping thousands of children from their parents' arms at our border.

Let's make one thing clear: Yesterday the President didn't fix the immigration problem, and this House is not going to fix the problem here today.

People are coming to our border, fleeing oppression and violence, turning themselves in, and asking for our help. This administration's response is to try to deter these immigrants by matching the cruelty they are fleeing.

We have to acknowledge the truth of what is happening. Children are being caged. Families are suffering long-lasting emotional and mental trauma, being used as pawns in the President's political games.

Every day for months, our neighbors living here under DACA have continued to face uncertainty. This is nothing short of inhumane, barbaric, and, frankly, immoral.

Moving kids from DHS cages to DOD cages doesn't solve the problem. Building a wall doesn't solve the problem.

Let's get our priorities in line. End the President's disastrous policy and pass the Dream Act.

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

Mr. Chairman, I first want to thank Chairman Shuster, Ranking Member DeFazio, Subcommittee Chairman Graves, and Ranking Member Napolitano, and their staffs for working with us on this amendment.

The amendment simply provides communities with the certainty that the Army Corps has the authority to help them mitigate any detrimental impacts to municipal water supplies that may happen due to a Corps construction project. It is a commonsense amendment, and I am glad to offer it.

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

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

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

Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairman Shuster, Ranking Member DeFazio, Subcommittee Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Napolitano, and their staffs for working with us on drafting this amendment.

My amendment requires the Corps to include any project or facility for which there is a final report for disposition from the Director of Civil Works to be in their future work plans, to the maximum extent possible.

Mr. Chair, it is a straightforward amendment. I am proud to offer it.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, the Pacific Northwest is facing an unprecedented and growing problem of sea lions who are decimating our endangered salmon and steelhead runs in the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.

Right now, in front of my district office in Oregon City, there are 24 sea lions sitting at the base of Willamette Falls gorging themselves on the spring salmon run. This is 127 miles from the Pacific Ocean, their natural habitat.

This salmon buffet of endangered fish costs Northwest ratepayers nearly $1 billion a year: a third of our electric bill.

We need to pass H.R. 2083, the Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act, now. I introduced this bill, along with my Northwest colleague, Jaime Herrera Beutler.

It will provide Oregon and Washington wildlife managers with the tools they need, that they requested, to quickly act to remove problem sea lions to protect these endangered fish.

If we don't act now, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says that there is a 90 percent chance the Willamette winter steelhead run will go extinct in the next few years.

Mr. Speaker, it would be unconscionable to let this happen. We know the problem, and it is identified. Let's take action.

Madam Chair, as a veterinarian, I agree with my good friend and colleague, a large animal practitioner from the great State of Florida, Ted Yoho, that pasteurization is essential to preventing the reemergence of some of the most basic foodborne diseases that, unfortunately, we now take for granted in the United States of America.

Prior to the advent of pasteurization, tuberculosis, brucellosis, and all the diseases my good friend and colleague alluded to were commonplace. Commonplace, and this is only over a little over 100 years ago.

Milk, which is high in protein, starch, and fat, is an ideal medium for bacterial growth. Within days, if not from original contamination at the dairy, these deadly bacterial diseases develop. Pasteurization is the modest heat treating of milk that keeps these deadly bacteria from growing, thereby improving shelf life and allowing widespread distribution of safe, clean, healthy, uncontaminated milk that makes us the envy of the world.

It does not denature or impair the nutritional value of this super nutritional food source. Indeed, do we all not remember just a few years ago the melamine contamination in China, their milk source? Chinese mothers now feed their babies American milk.

One of our most basic duties in the Federal Government is to protect the health of the American people. It would be an unconscionable dereliction of our duty to not allow this amendment to go forward. Let's support the Constitution to protect the health and welfare of the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following letters from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, United Power Trades Organization, and the National Electrical Contractors Association.

Mr. Speaker, it is time to put science back in the decisionmaking process for Oregon and Pacific Northwest salmon recovery strategy. Rather than having the courts dictate the best way to balance Northwest fish recovery and the region's power needs, we should let the experts in U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Bonneville Power, NOAA, and NMFS lead the way. H.R. 3144 allows that to occur.

Rather than having fish policy decided by lawsuit, it simply lets the experts do their job. Quite simply, it will allow the Federal Columbia River Power System to be managed according to the 2014 Obama administration-approved biological opinion until a new BiOp can be completed in 2020.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife, BPA, NOAA, and NMFS have spent years developing recovery plans to restore habitat, encourage fish passage, and manage this fishery. Their hard work was summarily thrown out by the court in favor of continued litigation. In fact, a third--yes, a third--of our power bills in the Northwest is dedicated to fish recovery.

We have been diligent. Bonneville ratepayers have stepped up time and again. We have made strides, despite battling the effects of climate change, ocean acidification, and overfishing by foreign nations. Some things we can control, some things we cannot--like sea lion depredation, we can.

Despite the scientific evidence and warnings from Washington and Oregon Fish and Wildlife biologists that say sea lions likely account for at least 20 percent or more of adult salmon loss in the Columbia River system, we are not doing anything about it. Even our Governors agree we need to address this, and these are Democratic Governors. Let's deal with that instead of one injunction after another demanding more spill over the tops of the dams, which, as we have heard, is not based in good science.

This latest order will cost $40 million to $50 million, with the jury out on its effectiveness as to juvenile survival and subsequent adult return. Let's at least get some scientific data to see if this is a good idea. H.R. 3144 would allow that to happen.

BPA is at a crossroads. Natural gas is abundant, very inexpensive, the primary reason a lot of our coal plants are being phased out. But its low cost, coupled with more and more demands for fish mitigation, now threaten to eliminate our clean, renewable hydropower system that accounts for 50 percent of the electricity in the Northwest.

BPA simply cannot absorb more spill requirements with subsequent loss of power generation and revenue without having to curtail the very fish mitigation recovery programs the litigants want that have been helping to recover our endangered salmon. BPA is becoming quickly uncompetitive due to these escalating costs.

If they go away, what happens? It means more natural gas, more fossil fuels. It makes no sense, if your goal is balancing smart, scientific- based fish recovery with clean renewable energy, to put BPA out of business and eliminate local control that the Pacific Northwest has had on determining its own future.

The entire Northwest delegation, Republican and Democrat, worked together on this. We would like to continue to do so. We need to stop this constant litigation. Let the scientific experts steeped in fish recovery do their job.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3144.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to share Miriam's DACA

story and continue to demand that House Republicans allow a vote on the Dream Act. Miriam was brought to Oregon by her parents when she was a little girl. She is grown and has not allowed her immigration status to deter her from working hard or pursuing her dreams.

When DACA was established in 2012, it opened a path that was unknown to her and has allowed her passion to flourish. Miriam is currently a sophomore in college, and her future is full of hope. She dreams of one day holding public office here at home and hopes to work towards a career in either public schools or as a computer engineer in the healthcare sector. This is a young lady who is working hard, doing the right things to better herself, and who maintains goals that give back to her community and this amazing country that raised her.

The sad reality is this Republican-controlled Congress and administration are holding Miriam's dreams hostage by not allowing a vote on the Dream Act. It is inhumane to continue to entangle the lives of these young folks in partisan games.

Let's do the right thing. Let's get a Dream Act passed so that our country can move forward and protect the 800,000 DACA recipients.