Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate Mr. Ernest B. Marvel, proud World War Two Veteran and recent recipient of France's highest distinction, the Ordre national de la Legion d'honneur, also known as the Legion of Honor.

On July 13, 2022, Mr. Marvel was presented the Legion of Honor by the French Ambassador to the United States, Phillipe Etienne. The Legion of Honor was first created over two centuries ago to reward eminent military and civil merits in service or defense of France. Created as an order of merit, foreign citizens may be awarded this recognition for their actions in support of France. For a World War Two Veteran like Mr. Marvel to be awarded the Legion of Honor, they must prove they were involved in combat operations within France.

As a Private First Class with the 45th Infantry Division of the United States Army, Mr. Marvel's service demonstrated exceptional bravery, character, and valor. Arriving in France shortly after the Battle of the Bulge, Mr. Marvel was soon given a vital mission to clear mines and booby traps. That mission brought Mr. Marvel and another soldier into direct contact with enemy troops. For his successful actions that day, Mr. Marvel was awarded the Bronze Star. After this action, Mr. Marvel participated in several dangerous combat missions to help liberate France from Nazi Germany, including missions as a bazooka-man and in notable amphibious operations across the Rhine River.

Despite the significant combat Mr. Marvel and his unit saw in Europe, perhaps the most harrowing experience was their actions to liberate the victims in the Dachau Concentration Camp. As Mr. Marvel and the 45th Infantry Division moved toward Dachau, they were engaged in fierce combat with German troops still defending the camp. Mr. Marvel would help liberate 32,000 captives of Dachau. But, as Mr. Marvel recalls, the ``sights in this camp I will never ever forget.''

Mr. Marvel was awarded numerous awards for his service, including the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantry Badge, and several campaign medals. With the latest award of the Legion of Honor, Mr. Marvel joins a distinguished group of Americans, including President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Audie Murphy, Chuck Yeager, and many others.

Finally, on behalf of the State of Delaware and a grateful Nation, I thank Mr. Marvel for his service to our country. He sacrificed greatly to safeguard freedom and democracy. He is a testament to our Nation and his actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Army. I congratulate Mr. Marvel once again on this honor--he brings great pride to Delaware and the United States.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor the life and legacy of Col. Ron Sarg, a Vietnam veteran, a tireless advocate for Delaware's Veterans, and a friend.

Col. Sarg served combat duty in Vietnam and pursued a career in the Air Force. After his time in Vietnam and throughout his career, he was posted from Turkey to New Mexico. Eventually, he was stationed in Dover, Delaware, where he retired from active duty in 1993.

But Col. Sarg continued to serve his country and community in retirement. He helped Delawareans gain rewarding careers as an instructor at Polytech Adult Education in Dover and he trained many students in the field of dentistry at the University of Pennsylvania.

Yet, he never forgot his fellow veterans. He spent his retirement serving those who heard

the call to duty in our Nation's military. He was a member of the Military Officers Association of America and served as Chairman of the Delaware Commission of Veterans Affairs, a significant leadership role for Veterans in the State of Delaware. In these roles, Col. Sarg pushed for national and state-level policies that helped Veterans and active- duty service members access affordable housing, receive high-quality mental health care, and gain opportunities for a good education and career.

To Col. Sarg's family, please accept my heartfelt and sincerest condolences. Ron was a true friend and a pillar of our community in the First State. He will be greatly missed but not forgotten.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate Mr. Ernest B. Marvel, proud World War II Veteran

and recent recipient of France's highest distinction, the Ordre national de la legion d'honneur, also known as the Legion of Honor.

On July 14, 2022, Mr. Marvel was presented the Legion of Honor by the French Ambassador to the United States, Phillipe Etienne. The Legion of Honor was first created over two centuries ago to reward eminent military and civil merits in service or defense of France. Created as an order of merit, foreign citizens may be awarded this recognition for their actions in support of France. For a World War Two Veteran like Mr. Marvel to be awarded the Legion of Honor, they must prove they were involved in combat operations within France.

As a Private First Class with the 45th Infantry Division of the United States Army, Mr. Marvel's service demonstrated exceptional bravery, character, and valor. Arriving in France shortly after the Battle of the Bulge, Mr. Marvel was soon given a vital mission to clear mines and booby traps. That mission brought Mr. Marvel and another soldier into direct contact with enemy troops. For his successful actions that day, Mr. Marvel was awarded the Bronze Star. After this action, Mr. Marvel participated in several dangerous combat missions to help liberate France from Nazi Germany, including missions as a bazooka-man and in notable amphibious operations across the Rhine River.

Despite the significant combat Mr. Marvel and his unit saw in Europe, perhaps the most harrowing experience was their actions to liberate the victims in the Dachau Concentration Camp. As Mr. Marvel and the 45th Infantry Division moved toward Dachau, they were engaged in fierce combat with German troops still defending the camp. Mr. Marvel would help liberate 32,000 captives of Dachau. But, as Mr. Marvel recalls, the ``sights in this camp I will never ever forget.''

Mr. Marvel was awarded numerous awards for his service, including the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantry Badge, and several campaign medals. With the latest award of the Legion of Honor, Mr. Marvel joins a distinguished group of Americans, including President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Audie Murphy, Chuck Yeager, and many others.

On behalf of the State of Delaware and a grateful nation, I thank Mr. Marvel for his service to our country. He sacrificed greatly to safeguard freedom and democracy. He is a testament to our Nation and his actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Army. Congratulations once again to Mr. Marvel on this honor, as he brings great pride to Delaware and the United States.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Ensuring Women's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act. In the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, this legislation is necessary to ensure that those in States that have restricted abortion care can travel across State lines to seek the care they need and not be criminalized for doing so.

I am proud that women in my home State of Delaware still have access to abortion care and that we can serve as a safe haven for those from other States.

But the reality for far too many people across the country is that they live in States where access to reproductive care has been so severely restricted that it is unavailable. While the bills we are voting on today are necessary, we must also confront the realities of what overturning Roe means.

Now, my middle name is Blunt, so let me be clear about who is going to be hit the hardest: poor women, young women, women in rural areas, and women of color, people who may not have the ability to travel hundreds of miles to get the care they need.

Madam Speaker, I was 10 years old when the landmark case of Roe was decided. Half a century later, I am standing on the floor of the House of Representatives, standing in the gap for doctors and healthcare providers, so that they don't have to consult with a lawyer before they decide to give good care to their patients, standing for those who stood before us and fought for us to have this right for reproductive rights in the first place. I am standing for our young people so that our daughters and granddaughters don't need a health passport to travel from State to State or need to worry about being criminalized for seeking care.

Madam Speaker, I urge all Members of the House to support both the Ensuring Women's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act and the Women's Health Protection Act. The bottom line: There is no room for politicians in our wombs.

Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Scott for his leadership.

I am proud to have my amendments to H.R. 7309 before the House today. In particular, I am proud of amendment No. 3, which gained the support of 42 of my colleagues. This amendment would establish grants to help break the cycle of violence in communities by providing job and workforce development opportunities to youth in communities disproportionately affected by gun violence.

With this broad support, I call on my colleagues to support this amendment, which helps reduce community violence the best way we know how--by building pipelines to good-paying, high-quality jobs for youth that are disconnected from school and the workforce--to create opportunity, to improve lives, and to provide for the future.

Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman, again, for his leadership.

Madam Speaker, today, I rise to remember the life of a remarkable public servant, leader, and educator, Dr. Terrance Newton.

Today, family, friends, and his beloved Warner School community are saying good-bye to a person who they called Newt.

Dr. Newton was a fixture in the Delaware education system for decades, himself a product of Wilmington's East Side, a Kappa Alpha Psi man, and a Delaware State University man.

Newt would become known to his students as their most fervent advocate and ally. Every morning, he would stand on the front steps of Warner Elementary and greet students as they passed through the front doors, hugging them, high-fiving them, and inspiring every child.

Dr. Newton was always looking for unique and impactful ways to connect with his students, going so far as to open a barbershop where he could cut the students' hair in school, giving them a safe space to talk about their academics, their communities, and their lives.

It is no exaggeration to say that Dr. Terrance Newton was a powerful pillar of the community, a real-life superhero who spent every day devoted to the next generation of Delawareans.

We have lost Dr. Terrance Newton far too soon, but because of all the energy, inspiration, and love that he poured into his students, family, and community, his legacy will live on for a lifetime.

To his family, colleagues, students, friends, I send sincere condolences.

Madam Speaker, I close with some words from Dr. Newton himself. He said of his students: ``When I see them, I see me. So, my goal is to change the world.''

Indeed, Dr. Newton, you did.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record this article in recognition of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Francis Vincent.

[From the Delaware Genealogical Society, May 2021]

Francis Vincent: Editor, Public Servant

(By Mary Anne Vincent)

March 17, 2022 will be the 200th anniversary of the birth

of one or Delaware's most illustrious citizens, Francis

Vincent.

Francis Vincent was only 23 when he co-founded the Blue

Hen's Chicken, a newspaper which would greatly influence

events in Delaware and Maryland within the next few years.

Local papers in his day borrowed heavily from large city

paper but they printed little news about either Wilmington or

Delaware. Vincent, who knew the state from end to end,

devoted most of his paper to state and local news. Within

three months his paper had the largest circulation in the

state.

Vincent used the Blue Hen's Chicken to advocate for major

changes in his home state. He called for proportional

representation in the state legislature, ratification of more

important laws by popular ballot, and election of state

officers instead of their appointment by the governor.

Politicians, especially Whigs who controlled the state

government, were sharply opposed to such changed. Vincent

persistently called for a state convention to change the

state constitution. Other newspapers followed his lead by

addressing the same issue. In 1846, the Whigs were turned out

of office.

In 1848, Vincent published an article on the ``Moral

Effects of Hanging''. Shortly thereafter, the state

legislature abolished public hangings. He also called for

abolishing public whipping of women. Known to his

contemporaries as a courteous, gentle man, this treatment of

women was abhorrent to him.

Vincent showed his concern for other segments of society by

calling for a 10-hour

work day (an act of courage in those days), the exemption of

a portion of a citizen's goods from forcd seizure for debt,

the establishment of life-saving service and coastal patrol

on the Delaware River, and free universal education. All of

these proposals were adopted. Indeed, the school system of

Wilmington at the time of his death in 1884 was substantially

what he proposed in 1850.

After the Civil War, Vincent gained fame for his ``Essay

Recommending the Union of Great Britain and her Colonies and

the United States and the Final Union of the World into One

Great Nation''. He explored the topic further in a subsequent

essay addressed to the International and Permanent League of

Peace in December 1869. His plan, which ante-dated Wilson's

League of Nations by almost five decades, never came to

fruition.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the bipartisan supply chain subtitle found in the House-passed America COMPETES Act.

We have all heard from our constituents over the last several months about the impact that inflation has had on households and businesses. We also know that a key reason for rising prices on critical goods is our supply chain instability. The supply chain subtitle in the America COMPETES Act will strengthen our supply chains and ultimately tackle a root cause of inflation.

It is vital that this subtitle is preserved through the negotiations of the America COMPETES Act as we build a better America. This is about creating good-paying union jobs, protecting our national security, and, ultimately, protecting the pocketbooks of the American people. Let's get it done.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule, to voice my strong support of the America COMPETES Act, and to highlight pivotal supply chain provisions that I worked on with Representatives Malinowski and Kinzinger.

As I have traveled Delaware over the last summer, speaking to businesses and constituents, I heard a lot about three things: workforce, inflation, and supply chains. The provisions we are discussing today would tackle all three, ensuring that the manufacturing of critical components of goods we rely on every day are brought back home, creating good-paying union jobs.

At a time when Americans are facing rising prices and manufacturers are struggling to obtain the raw materials they need to produce consumer products, we must act.

These provisions are the solution to strengthening our supply chains while preventing these disruptions from impacting us again in the future. And that is why I am so proud that these provisions enjoy support from key stakeholder groups, from the United Steelworkers to the National Association of Manufacturers.

Let's work together to support American jobs, maintain our national security, and lower the price of consumer goods. Let's pass this bill.

Madam Speaker, tonight, I am honored to stand before you to speak on the passage of one of the most transformational pieces of legislation in a generation signed into law, the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

In my State of Delaware, this bill will invest $1.2 billion for highway repair, over $200 million for bridge repair, and over $100 million to expand internet access, and $300 million to expand access to clean drinking water. But it is more than just concrete and fiber-optic cables, it is about the faces and places that will benefit from this bill.

In my State, I think of the students, I think of the farmers, I think of the union workers whose lives will be improved and whose communities will forever change. It is about recovering, rebuilding, and restoring hope.

Madam Speaker, we have more work to do, but make no mistake--with the bipartisan infrastructure law--we are now on the road to recovery and on the road to building back better.

Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate the anniversary of the Delaware River Basin Commission. Sixty years ago this month, President John F. Kennedy gathered with the Governors of New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, as equal partners to sign the Delaware River Basin Compact, which created the Delaware River Basin Commission.

For six decades, the Commission has carefully balanced the economic and environmental needs of the public, setting a model for the nation and the world on how to manage a vital, common resource. As we continue to battle the impacts of climate change, it is more important than ever to work together to maintain the health of the Delaware River Basin and the communities it serves.

I congratulate and thank the Delaware River Basin Commission for all that they do.

Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 222.

Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress

Aderholt (Moolenaar)

Amodei (Balderson)

DeSaulnier (Thompson (CA))

Fulcher (Meuser)

Garcia (IL) (Garcia (TX))

Gonzalez (OH) (Timmons)

Graves (MO) (Wagner)

Green (TX) (Perlmutter)

Grijalva (Stanton)

Horsford (Jeffries)

Jones (Williams (GA))

Kelly (PA) (Keller)

Kirkpatrick (Stanton)

Lawrence (Beatty)

Lawson (FL) (Evans)

Lowenthal (Beyer)

Maloney, Carolyn (Velazquez)

McEachin (Wexton)

Meng (Jeffries)

Napolitano (Correa)

Payne (Pallone)

Porter (Wexton)

Ruppersberger (Brown)

Rush (Underwood)

Sires (Pallone)

Watson Coleman (Pallone)

Wild (Axne)

Wilson (FL) (Hayes)

Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee for her leadership and the things that she does to protect all of us across the country, not just in her district but across the country. We are greatly indebted to her for her service.

The gentlewoman mentioned me coming from the State of Delaware and whether it is Southern or Northern. Many people might not know, but we are on the Mason-Dixon Line. We are urban, suburban, rural, and coastal. But we are also on that Mason-Dixon Line with that strong history.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman and her coanchor, Mr. Torres, and I thank our esteemed chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Joyce Beatty.

Madam Speaker, I stand before you tonight with a sense of urgency because the most fundamental and sacred right we have as Americans is under attack.

Across this country, State lawmakers have introduced at least 389 restrictive bills in 48 States just this year, and 14 States have already enacted more restrictive voting laws. Even the highest court in the land is chipping away at this fundamental right.

We know that those who would engage in suppression, subversion, and intimidation are not resting, but neither is the Congressional Black Caucus. Tonight, we are standing up and speaking out because we know that just as our message is our power so, too, is our vote.

I am going to say that again: Our vote is our power.

We are here to protect and defend that right because the vote is tied to everything. The vote is tied to criminal justice reform. The vote is tied to healthcare. The vote is tied to the minimum wage increase across this country and access to affordable childcare. It is tied to the preservation of our democracy. It is tied to our very existence: the ability to drink clean water, breathe air that is free of pollution, and even to have a planet to live on.

Everything is tied to the vote, and the vote is on the line.

While we are fighting a new battle, it is the same old tactics that we have seen before. And it is a future we are not going back to.

Yesterday, we lost another American civil rights leader and educator, Bob Moses. One of the many things that he was known for was Freedom Summer, a project to organize and register voters. Through intimidation and beating, Bob Moses never relented in his mission to register voters in the South.

Sixty years later, it is our turn to answer the question that Bob asked of students, a question that goes to the very core of who we are: What kind of society will we be?

Today, the CBC is here to proclaim loudly and proudly: We will be the kind of society that values every voice, empowers every citizen, and counts every vote because it is all on the line. We must pass and have signed into law

H.R. 1, the For the People Act, and H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

In honor of Bob Moses, let's make this the Freedom Summer of our time.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to cosponsor an amendment to H.R. 1187, a bill that would increase transparency of publicly traded companies to disclose workplace harassment cases, and I am pleased to see this amendment passed in the House yesterday.

Workplace harassment is far too common, and the shareholders and customers of a company should know whether that company fosters a healthy work culture and that it allows its workers to thrive.

Up to six in seven women in the workplace report having experienced sexual harassment. Seven of 10 people of color report experiencing some form of verbal, racial, or ethnic harassment, and those who speak out usually face retaliation. This amendment would bring to light these forms of mistreatment and incentivize companies to prevent harassment in the workplace.

I thank Ms. Frankel for her leadership on H.R. 1187, and I encourage my colleagues to support this workplace improvement bill, as well as improving the quality of life.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Pallone for his tireless work to advance this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 1215, the Fraud and Scam Reduction Act. Bad actors preying on older Americans is unfortunately nothing new, but in the midst of a global pandemic, cracking down on those scams must be a priority of the Federal Government.

That is why I proudly introduced the bipartisan Fraud and Scam Reduction Act with my colleagues Mr. Walberg, Deutch, Buchanan, and Welch.

The bill, as its name suggests, was aimed at cracking down on these scams by doing two main things. It would create an advisory group under the Federal Trade Commission made up of government agencies, consumer advocates, and industry representatives, such as financial services and retail, to help identify potential sources of fraud and create educational materials for our Nation's seniors to protect them from these dangerous schemes. It would also establish the senior fraud advisory office, which would give seniors hope in recovering their assets stolen by fraudsters and improve our understanding of senior fraud by encouraging seniors to report this activity.

We are proud to say that the bill has broad support, including AARP, the Retail Industry Leaders Association, Target, Best Buy, Walmart, and Western Union, as well as many more.

Mr. Speaker, one of the most fundamental obligations of government is to protect our citizens. The least we can do is protect already vulnerable seniors from being taken advantage of by bad actors.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans, for their work in strengthening the bill, and I urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of the measure.