Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the lifesaving efforts of Deputy Quinten L. Might of the Gibson County Sheriff's Office and thank him for his continuing service to his community and state.

Deputy Might grew up in the community that he serves today, attending and graduating from Wood Memorial High School in Gibson County. After graduation, he enlisted in the United States Army where he served as a medic. He continued his record of service when he joined the Gibson County Sheriff's Office in 2019 as a correctional officer and was sworn in as a deputy in 2021. At only 25 years old, Quinten has proven that he is willing and ready to protect and save the lives of those in his community, including in four separate incidents since July of 2023.

One of these lifesaving occasions was on May 24, 2024, when Deputy Might and another deputy responded to a personal injury accident involving a two-vehicle collision. Upon arrival, Deputy Might came to the aid of an individual who was unconscious and not breathing. Despite multiple small explosions from the fire of the crash, the two deputies moved the victim to safety, and hooked up an AED unit and began two- person CPR until the individual thankfully regained consciousness, ultimately surviving the incident.

More recently, on August 9, 2024, Deputy Might responded to a residence call about a two-year old girl who fell into a swimming pool and was unresponsive. As soon as he arrived, Deputy Might called an ambulance and quickly moved the child from the backyard to the front, during which time he freed up her airway by striking her back, likely saving her life.

I am grateful that we have law enforcement officers like Deputy Quinten Might serving our communities today and thank him for his service and dedication to Gibson County, and the State of Indiana.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4581) to amend title V of the Social Security Act to support stillbirth prevention and research, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4581, the Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act led by Representative Hinson.

The United States sees more than 21,000 stillbirths per year, according to recent data reported by the CDC. This equates to 1 out of 75 births. This is unacceptably high, and a recent study funded by the National Institutes of Health shows that one in four stillbirths may be preventable. It is clear that we must do more.

States are authorized to use their Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant funding for stillbirth education and related activities, but due to a lack of clear Federal guidance, some States have refrained from using this funding for these purposes.

H.R. 4581 clarifies that States can use this funding for evidence- based programs and outcomes research to help prevent and reduce the incidence of stillbirth.

This bill supports the sanctity of human life by helping to prevent future stillbirths and supporting mothers and babies across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Hinson.)

Mr. Speaker, I have one additional speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6960) to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the Emergency Medical Services for Children program.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6960, the Emergency Medical Services for Children Reauthorization Act led by Representative Carter.

Recent data from the Health Resources and Services Administration suggests that emergency departments with high pediatric readiness have lower mortality rates among children with critical illness. This data also found that more than 1,400 pediatric deaths may have been avoided had all the surveyed emergency departments been well prepared.

H.R. 6960 reauthorizes the Emergency Medical Services for Children program,

which provides support to States and schools of medicine to expand and improve emergency care for children.

This bill will continue support for this critical program and help prevent avoidable pediatric deaths. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce).

Mr. Speaker, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Bilirakis for those kind remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Dr. Miller-Meeks' bill, the Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act, which I am proud to co-lead.

Indiana is an extremely manufacturing-intensive State, home to more than 546,000 manufacturing jobs. This means that supply chain disruptions in recent years have been especially damaging for the Hoosier State.

This bipartisan legislation will direct the Department of Commerce to study which products in critical sectors are being imported due to manufacturing and supply chain constraints. Based on this study, the Department will develop recommendations on how to stand up production capabilities in the U.S. in rural areas. Expanding our manufacturing capabilities in rural areas will help prevent supply chain shocks from occurring.

I thank Dr. Miller-Meeks and other sponsors of this bill for their leadership, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6571, the Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act, which I am proud to co-lead with my colleague, Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, producers in sectors across the economy had to slow or stop production. They couldn't access the inputs they needed to operate due to shipping bottlenecks or a lack of diversified suppliers.

My bill establishes a program within the Department of Commerce to map and monitor critical supply chains utilized by American producers. It will allow us to know where our strengths and vulnerabilities are, a critical step in improving our economic and national security.

This program will also develop best practices to advise manufacturers on how to strengthen their supply chains and help government and private sector stakeholders plan for and respond to supply chain shocks.

Hoosier manufacturers make some of the best products in the world and need

reliable supply chains. Having the Department of Commerce study and advise on how to strengthen supply chains will allow producers to plan appropriately.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6571.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6572, the Deploying American Blockchains Act, that I introduced alongside Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester.

This bill will promote American innovation and help develop the use of blockchains and distributed ledger technologies throughout the U.S. economy.

Americans are leaders in utilizing blockchains in public and private sector areas, ranging from ensuring the traceability of drugs to managing supply chains for manufacturers.

Unfortunately, in recent years, our leadership position has seriously diminished as other countries see and embrace the promise that blockchains hold.

According to a 2023 report, the United States is at serious risk of losing its global leadership in blockchain.

In 2015, 40 percent of blockchain developers were based in the United States. In 2022, that number was just 29 percent and dropping. Our share continues to dwindle.

The Deploying American Blockchains Act will help rectify this trend by requiring the Secretary of Commerce to create a program to help promote the competitiveness of the United States in the deployment, use, and application of blockchains.

Instead of pushing American innovators abroad, the Department of Commerce should work with American innovators to build their products here.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Deploying American Blockchains Act.

Mr. Speaker, I recognize the legacy of Dr. Michael Burgess and support this bill, H.R. 766.

If Members of Congress can agree on one thing, it is that we seek to improve the lives of our constituents. Unfortunately, CBO's current approach to how it develops cost estimates for healthcare legislation interferes with that goal by failing to take into account all the future benefits of the legislation.

CBO's current approach keeps Federal healthcare programs stuck in the status quo of simply providing care when you get sick, including expensive care, instead of focusing on providing care that keeps you healthy and hopefully from needing more expensive forms of care down the road.

CBO's current approach defies common sense, and it is imperative that Congress directs CBO to more accurately reflect the long-term cost saving potential of preventive healthcare initiatives. That is why I am proud to support H.R. 766.

To ensure Congress can better evaluate meaningful and impactful healthcare policies that bolster access and quality of care, Congress must pass this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the Community Oncology Alliance supporting H.R. 766.

Community Oncology Alliance,

Washington, DC, March 18, 2024.

Re Community Oncology Alliance Support of The Dr. Michael C.

Burgess Preventative Health Savings Act (H.R. 766).

Hon. Jodey Arrington,

Chairman, House Budget Committee,

Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Arrington: On behalf of the Board of

Directors of the Community Oncology Alliance (``COA''), we

applaud the House Budget Committee for advancing The Dr.

Michael C. Burgess Preventative Health Savings Act (H.R. 766)

to a floor vote of this important bipartisan legislation

sponsored by Congressman Dr. Burgess with Congresswoman Diana

DeGette.

As you know, COA is an organization dedicated to advocating

for the complex care and access needs of patients with cancer

and the community oncology practices that serve them. COA is

the only non-profit organization in the United States

dedicated solely to independent community oncology practices,

which serve the majority of Americans receiving treatment for

cancer. Since its grassroots founding over 20 years ago,

COA's mission has been to ensure that patients with cancer

receive quality, affordable, and accessible cancer care in

their own communities where they live and work, regardless of

their racial, ethnic, demographic, or socioeconomic status.

The limitation of the 10-year scoring window is a severe

obstacle to realizing the savings from preventive health care

legislation. It is unrealistic to expect that many, if not

most, preventative health care initiatives can return

positive savings by 10 years. As a result of the current

scoring mandate on the Congressional Budget Office, many, if

not most, preventative health care initiatives

are not implemented because of funding constraints.

With cancer, we have more effective treatments, but it is

essential that we look for ways of preventing this disease

that impacts so many Americans. Unfortunately, artificial

scoring mandates undermine the adoption of preventive care

initiatives. As a result, COA supports the passage of H.R.

766, and we greatly appreciate your work and that of your

staff in the landmark advancement of this legislation out of

your committee.

Sincerely,

Ted Okon,

Executive Director.

Mr. Speaker, one of the most important duties the Constitution assigns to Congress is to protect the American people and to safeguard our national security.

After hearing from national security experts last week, it is clear the prolific use of media platforms controlled by the Chinese Communist Party and other foreign adversaries poses a danger to our country.

I am grateful to my bipartisan colleagues for moving this legislation, showing we will take action to protect the American people by protecting their personal data and security from foreign interference and manipulation. We took an oath to do so.

Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleagues that the Democrats control the White House and the Senate.

I rise today to discuss once again the Biden administration's foolish rush-to-green agenda over U.S. energy dominance. I support an all-of- the-above energy strategy.

Actually, our allies are requesting U.S. LNG. I was just in Japan and Europe, so my colleague's previous statement otherwise is false.

The decision to freeze the approval process for new plants to export liquefied natural gas will stifle the U.S. economy, signal weakness to our key allies, embolden our adversaries, and likely increase worldwide CO2 emissions.

This ban sends a clear message that the Biden administration would rather appease radical environmental groups than unleash American energy. This is about election-year politics, not pragmatism.

I join my colleagues today in calling for the House to pass H.R. 7176, the Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act of 2024, reversing the Biden administration's de facto ban.

The bill is also paramount to global energy security, including, as I previously mentioned, the Asia-Pacific and European areas of the world. Studies show also that LNG exports could add upward of $73 billion to the U.S. economy.

Mr. Speaker, to ensure American energy leadership and security, Congress must pass H.R. 7176.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I am rising today to advocate for America's patients and their physicians.

Over the past 3 years, doctors across the Nation have more than stepped up to the challenges that they have encountered, COVID, often risking their own health and safety to protect our communities. That not only includes the physicians; that includes the nurses, the technicians, and everyone in America's hospitals. However, when Congress left town in December, we once again let down America's doctors by allowing a 3.37 percent Medicare payment cut to hit January 1.

As a cardiothoracic surgeon for 15 years, I have seen firsthand the consequences of cuts like these. What are the consequences? Access to quality healthcare for rural America that I represent, underserved urban America, the American people.

The payment cut to physicians will impede patients' access to care while increasing the gap between physician expenses and reimbursement rates.

I want to associate myself with Dr. Murphy's comments. Costs are dramatically going up, and, if that continues, more and more of America's physicians will not take Medicare. I didn't say Medicaid. I said Medicare.

Given the existing shortage of physicians in the United States, the combination of declining reimbursement and rapidly rising costs threatens to drive more doctors out of the profession, particularly, as I mentioned, in rural and underserved urban America.

It has led to a lot of consolidation, as Dr. Murphy mentioned-- physicians being consolidated into a large medical practice or employed by large hospital systems.

Fortunately, we have a window of opportunity to right this wrong and support the thousands of hardworking men and women serving millions of Medicare beneficiaries. We must stop the bleeding and eliminate the full 3.37 cut by January 19.

Congress must also implement a permanent solution that will halt the downward spiral of physician reimbursement and provide much-needed and deserved stability for America's doctors. Again, if we want access for America's seniors to the Medicare program, we have to act. We have to act soon.

Again, it is not just physicians out there not taking Medicaid. They are not taking Medicare. I have elderly in-laws and an elderly mother. They have experienced this.

In fact, we had a hearing in the Committee on Energy and Commerce a couple of weeks ago. There was an economist there. He couched it in a way that was positive. He said, Well, 60 percent of America's seniors are not having trouble finding a primary care physician.

When it came around time for my questioning, I said, Well, I want to rephrase that. Forty percent of America's seniors are struggling to find a primary care doctor. That is a big number, folks. Forty percent of America's seniors are struggling. Their physician retires. Their physician moves.

Trying to find a new primary care doctor is a big challenge. We cannot let this continue--again, urban America and underserved areas, rural America that I represent.

In 2023, for a more permanent solution, I introduced the bipartisan Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act, which would tie the annual physician fee schedule updates to inflationary measurements, the Medicare Economic Index, or MEI. That is both fair and efficient. It has been promoted. Almost every medical society in America thinks this is a good idea.

I don't have the graph in front of me but let me just tell you what it shows. Outpatient and inpatient hospital care gets an update based on inflation every year. Providers do not. As Dr. Murphy outlined, it has been at least a 20 percent cut just based on that in the most recent history, and even more if you factor in the massive inflation-- which thankfully is down--that we had last year and the year before.

The current path toward further consolidation, physician burnout, closure of medical practices must be corrected. If we don't correct this, the problems I outlined are going to continue.

I urge congressional leadership to address this critical issue, and I will continue to advance patient-centered solutions that empower patients and support innovation to ensure that all Americans have access to quality, affordable healthcare.

Mr. Speaker, after 26 plus years of service with Toyota Motor North America, Leah Curly, plant president, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana, Inc. (known to us in the Hoosier state as ``TMMI Princeton''), is retiring. In her role as president, TMMI, Leah oversaw all production and administrative functions related to the assembly of the Toyota Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, and Sienna. In 2023, Leah and her team led the transformation for TMMI to assemble two all-new vehicles, the Toyota Grand Highlander and TMMI's first Lexus vehicle, the Lexus TX.

During her career, Leah has served in many leadership positions at TMMI and served as president, Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia from 2017 through 2019. In 2013, Leah received the Manufacturing Institute Step Ahead award, recognizing female leadership in manufacturing, twice named as one of the 100 leading women in NA Automotive by Automotive News. In 2022, she was inducted into the Women of Manufacturing Hall of Fame and was named one of the top 250 most influential business leaders in Indiana by IBJ media.

Leah studied Industrial Electronics at the University of Evansville and Ivy Tech Community College in Evansville, Ind. She holds a TPC Certification in Industrial Electronics. She has served on the National Board of Directors of the Manufacturing Institute and is a member of the Education Alliance, a private, non-profit organization that advocates for public school student achievement.

Leah Curry's outstanding leadership, personal initiative, and devotion to the greater community of Princeton, Indiana, reflect great credit upon herself, the Hoosier State, and the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5378, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act.

This bill, which was a product of thorough bipartisan work across three committees, is one of the strongest healthcare bills I can remember voting on since coming to Congress in 2011. Honestly, it really is. I want to say that again: It is one of the strongest healthcare bills I can remember voting on since coming to Congress.

I thank Chair Rodgers, Ranking Member Pallone, and the members of the other two committees for their hard work on getting this bill to the floor.

At nearly $13,000 per person, or about 18 percent of the GDP, U.S. national health expenditures far exceed other high-income countries, and they continue to rise at unsustainable rates.

Congress must enact serious reforms that spur competition and show taxpayers where all of these healthcare dollars are going. They are certainly not always going to them.

The problem is not limited to one part of our healthcare system, and so

the solution must also reach across the entire system. This legislation seeks to increase transparency and lower costs related to hospital care, outpatient services, and prescription drugs, among other things. It also reauthorizes community health centers and supports disproportionate share hospitals.

Finally, we cannot get control of our national debt and deficit unless we first have transparency in our healthcare system, one of the largest expenditures that the Federal Government has. This bill is a tremendous step in that direction.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support this legislation, and I urge all my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in favor of H.R. 4531, the Support for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act.

I was exceedingly proud to work on the SUPPORT Act when it was first passed in 2018 in response to the opioid crisis.

The legislation brought about many positive changes, but substance abuse and addiction continue to threaten individuals and communities in every congressional district across the country and across all socioeconomic classes.

With over 100,000 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. last year alone, we must continue working to increase access to, and availability of, lifesaving treatments and recovery services.

I am particularly happy to be reauthorizing the CORC, or Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers program, which will directly affect my home State of Indiana.

Regrettably, per capita rates of drug overdose deaths in the Hoosier State are higher than the national average. The CORC program helps coordinate the targeted resources available for those who need help overcoming opioid use disorder.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this critical piece of legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4468, the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act. I support EVs, but this administration continues to push a rush-to-green agenda that prioritizes government mandates over the American people.

The American people have spoken through their shopping habits. EVs sit unsold on lots nearly twice as long as internal combustion engine vehicles due to a lack of charging infrastructure and high costs. On average, EVs cost $16,000 more than internal combustion engine vehicles.

We all want to reduce emissions, but EVs are not the solution that the administration says they are. The amount of raw materials in one long-range battery EV could instead be used to make 90 hybrid electric vehicles. The overall carbon reduction of those 90 hybrids over their lifetimes is 37 times as much as a single battery EV.

Where are the raw materials developed?

Mostly in China.

Should we be dependent on them?

Preserving consumer choice is critical to maintaining competition in the automotive markets and ensuring access to reliable and affordable cars for all Americans.

You cannot force Americans to buy cars they do not want any more than you can force energy transitions that can't be accomplished.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to raise further awareness of an issue of great importance to this legislative body and to many of our constituents: the problem of drug shortages, specifically cancer drug shortages.

As a physician, I know this has been a problem for decades, and there isn't one solution to the problem.

Let me tell you some personal stories I have heard recently. I heard this month from a family in my district with a 5-year-old son battling pre-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

For 2\1/2\ years now, the family has been facing heartbreaking challenges, which have been made significantly worse by shortages of generic medications.

First, their son was supposed to receive cytarabine, also known as ARA-C. This is a generic chemotherapy medication the family should have been able to inject into the little boy's thigh at home, during a particularly fragile stage of their son's treatment.

Instead, the family was informed that shortages would prevent them from obtaining that form of medication, and they would need to deliver all chemotherapy through a central port intravenous line.

Repeated access to the central port line led to an infection and ultimately a 3-week hospital stay hundreds of miles from their home in Evansville, Indiana.

On top of that, the family has experienced shortages of dexamethasone, a generic corticosteroid that supports the immune system and helps the body to endure heavier rounds of chemo and blood thinners needed because of his port, and finally, even antibiotics needed when his suppressed immune system needed help.

This wasn't the first story I had heard of the troubling news about drug shortages. Earlier this summer an oncologist in my district brought to my attention the fact that his practice was short on chemotherapy drugs. Subsequently, we found out this was a nationwide issue. In fact, they were so short that they were forced to, essentially, ration the medication needed by his patients with cancer.

I was really shocked that in our country we would have to potentially ration chemotherapeutic agents due to a shortage. We subsequently found out it was due to a manufacturing issue overseas.

As a physician myself, I cannot imagine being put in a position where I might have to choose which of my patients on this day might receive lifesaving treatments.

As the Energy and Commerce Committee--of which I am a member--and other committees are considering legislation on drug shortages, let's think critically about how to enact meaningful reforms that will address the roots of these problems and allow for long-term change to mitigate chronic drug shortages.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to remember that real people are affected by these shortages every day. Our constituents and all Americans are affected by this problem.

Mr. Speaker, let's pass meaningful legislation to help resolve these chronic drug shortages.