Mariannette Miller-Meeks

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me time.

I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 9615, Battery Recycling for America's Competitive Economy Act, the BRACE Act.

This is a bipartisan bill to strengthen America's domestic battery recycling industry and recover critical minerals already in our country. This is on top of bills I have introduced with the same thing, recovering from hard drives.

I would also like to thank my colleagues across the aisle, Representatives Menendez and Ruiz, for joining me on this legislation.

Demand for lithium-ion batteries has grown exponentially, driven by electric vehicles, energy storage, communication, and consumer products. As these batteries reach the end of their lives, recycling can help recover valuable critical minerals, including lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper. Yet, much of this material is sent overseas, often to China, for processing. In our landfills, it creates a fire hazard.

Our current RCRA regulations, which predate the widespread use of lithium-ion batteries, create unnecessary costs and uncertainty for recyclers. The BRACE Act would allow destination facilities to store lithium-ion batteries at the same location where they are recycled, eliminating unnecessary costs or the need for complex permits.

This commonsense update will help grow domestic battery recycling and strengthen our critical mineral supply chains.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for the BRACE Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Sudanese-American Iowa National Soccer Team Club for its outstanding performance at the Sudanese American Soccer Federation's 25th Anniversary Tournament.

Competing at the national level for the third time, the Iowa team earned three awards that reflect the talent, character, and dedication of its players. The club received the Fair Play Award for its sportsmanship, discipline, teamwork, and respect throughout the tournament.

Olamilekan Ojo, known as Messi, was recognized with the Five-Star Outstanding Player Award for his exceptional performance, and the club also received a Tournament Participation Award. These accomplishments are a testament to the team's hard work and its commitment to representing Iowa with pride.

Beyond competition, the club uses soccer to develop young athletes, build leadership skills and character, promote healthy lifestyles, and strengthen community connections.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the coaches and all the young athletes on the Iowa National Soccer Team Club, and I look forward to seeing all that they accomplish in the future.

Celebrating National Truck Driver Appreciation Week

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate National Truck Driver Appreciation Week and recognize the hardworking men and women who keep Iowa and our Nation moving.

Iowa is home to 37,530 truck drivers, many of whom spend long hours on the road delivering the food, fuel, supplies, and products our families, farms, and businesses rely on every day.

From the truck stops along Interstate 80 to the world's largest truck stop, the Iowa 80 Truck Stop in Walcott, trucking is a vital part of Iowa's economy and way of life. These drivers help keep our grocery store shelves stocked, support Iowa's farmers and manufacturers, and ensure goods can reach communities across our State and country. They even deliver lifesaving medical supplies and organs.

In fact, more than 60 percent of the communities in Iowa depend exclusively on trucks to move their goods. The trucking industry also provides good-paying jobs for Iowans and supports thousands of locally owned businesses.

I am grateful for the dedication and sacrifice of Iowa's truck drivers and the vital role they play in supporting our families, strengthening our local businesses, and ensuring communities across Iowa have the goods and resources they need.

Recognizing the Seol Family

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share a story about an unpayable debt, a promise kept across generations, and the true meaning of the American Dream.

Mr. Speaker, 75 years ago, a young refugee named Myung-Hee Seol, having survived a brutal foreign occupation and the shadow of communism, fought for his life in the Korean war. On a frozen, desolate hill, an American marine pulled him from the brink of death--igniting a spark of gratitude that would shape a family's destiny forever.

Decades later, his son, the international artist Kacey Seol, poured his heart into honoring that nameless marine. He created Alliance 70, a breathtaking 10-foot canvas composed of 300,000 microscopic historic images of both nations harmonizing into one powerful unit that now hangs permanently inside the Pentagon. It is a stunning, living monument to the alliance that bought his family's freedom.

Today, that sacred promise is fulfilled at Rock Island Arsenal in my district. The refugee's grandson, Dr. Jason Seol--serving dually as an U.S. Army Reserve officer and an Army civilian at First Army Headquarters--is living the American Dream his grandfather could only imagine. He also pioneered their innovative Holistic Health and Fitness, H2F, martial arts program, training our Nation's soldiers in physical and mental readiness.

As we continue celebrating 250 years of our Nation, the Seol family reminds us freedom is not free. You earn it daily by what you do for your family, your community, and your country. Their 75-year journey is the ultimate testament that American freedom is a priceless gift that is meant to be paid forward and preserved.

Mr. Speaker, I wish a very happy birthday to my sister-in-law, Susan. Happy birthday, Susan.

Mr. Speaker, I wish a happy birthday to my husband, Curt Meeks. Happy birthday to my husband, and I hope he has many more birthdays to come.

Mr. Speaker, 25 years ago, ordinary people kissed their families good-bye and went to work. As I went to work after making my children's lunch, I heard on the radio that a plane had flown into Tower One and thought it was a prank. By the time we turned on the TV in our waiting room, we saw the second plane hit the tower and knew we had a terrorist attack, our generation's Pearl Harbor.

Among them were a father who called his wife just to say ``I love you'' one more time; a mother who tucked a photo of her kids into her bag that morning; an Iowan who was in his second week at Columbia, who goes down to volunteer and then enlists in the military; firefighters who ran upstairs while everyone else was running down because that was simply who they were.

Nearly 3,000 of them never made it home. In the quiet that followed, in the ash, in the silence, something happened that I still carry with me. Strangers became family. We held each other. We cried together. For a moment, we forgot everything that divided us.

I enlisted in the Army to ensure rights for everyone, regardless of whether they disagree with me. Now, 25 years later, I still think about the families who set an extra place at the table that will always be empty, the children who grew up without a parent. Their grief became our grief, and it still is.

We promise to never forget. I will never forget them. I will always defend them. Those who harm us, we will not forget.