Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a standout member of our South Sound community, Mr. Ian ``Shige'' Ainoa. An Air Force veteran, a steward of our South Sound waters as a scientific diver, and a Little League coach, Shige brings Aloha, goodwill, and good spirits to everyone he encounters.

Shige currently works for the Environmental Protection Agency as an IT specialist and a scientific diver, working to support the preservation of our Sound's ecosystem through his skilled fieldwork. A leader in advancing equity and fighting for justice, Shige also served as the manager of the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Program for the EPA's Northwest region.

Outside of his day job, Shige goes above and beyond as an active board member of the University Place Veterans Plaza and volunteers his time to engrave and install new commemorative tiles. He has also coached Little League softball for the last three years.

I thank Shige for his commitment and service to our Nation, our waters, and our South Sound community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Trenton Brazie, an Army veteran who continues to answer the call of service everyday as a firefighter, Emergency Medical Technician, and CPR public education instructor here in our South Sound community.

During his decade-long career in the Army, Trenton was deployed 3 times, completing a combat tour in Afghanistan and peace tours in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. He also served with the 17th Field Artillery Brigade at Joint Base Lewis McChord, and served in roles that, in 10 years' time, increased in leadership responsibility, including team leader, squad leader, and platoon sergeant.

After the Army, Trenton reentered the civilian workforce with an eye towards community-centered service--he soon found himself with the Tumwater Fire Department, where he continues to work as a firefighter. And his service doesn't stop with fighting fires--he works to prepare and protect the community by teaching CPR and serving as an Emergency Medical Technician. Trenton is also pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Service Administration at Eastern Oregon University, demonstrating his dedication to his own self-development as a public servant and emergency service professional.

As Washington continues to face a fierce fire season, I thank Trenton for his selfless service to our community and our country.

Mr. Speaker, House Republicans have made it clear that they do not support liberty, justice, and equal protection under the law for all.

Last week, the majority passed an extremist defense bill that bans gender-affirming and reproductive care for servicemembers, guts support for our servicemembers of color, and prohibits Pride flags from being displayed in any workspace, common access area, or public area of the Department of Defense.

However, they decided that the homophobia and discrimination can't stop there.

This week, Republicans voted to strip critical funding to enhance career development opportunities, provide meals to low-income seniors, create affordable and transitional housing units for vulnerable populations in need, and more.

These projects, led by Representatives Boyle, Pressley, and Houlahan, were vetted months ago to ensure they meet the rigorous community project funding guidelines and are responsible uses of taxpayer dollars.

So why were these projects denied? Because recipients had LGBTQ in their name, and they served communities that the other side demonizes daily. It is hypocritical, it is homophobic, and it damages the idea of liberty and justice for all.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

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

Mr. Chair, Mr. Banks' amendment to prohibit our Nation's service academies from promoting diverse experiences and backgrounds as part of its missions policy will do nothing but weaken our military.

The Supreme Court recently recognized in its decision to leave service academies out of its ruling on affirmative action that our academies are not laboratories for ideological gerrymandering. They are institutions that are foundational to our national security.

Our service academies are responsible for providing a higher education but also for training our Nation's men and women to serve as global leaders. Many graduates will serve in the highest levels of our military and government, where success depends on maintaining an open mind, building diverse coalitions, and drawing on broad experiences. They will lead as part of a military that has never been more diverse, more capable, or more lethal. Soon, nearly half of our servicemembers will be people of color, but only a fraction serve as officers and even a smaller fraction as senior leaders.

We learned bitter and painful lessons in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, when leaders neither understood nor looked like the formations they led.

It is 2023, not 1952. If my colleagues across the aisle knew more about the painful history of this country, perhaps last night one of them would not have referred to Black servicemembers as ``colored people.''

Let's not move our country backward. I oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Kim), the ranking member

of the Military Personnel Subcommittee.

Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Ryan), vice ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

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

Mr. Chair, today's military leaders are unequivocal in their support of diversity and leadership. Joint Chiefs Chairman Milley considers it fundamental. Army Chief McConville calls it a crucial competitive advantage. Then-Air Force Chief CQ Brown called diversity an imperative. Marine Corps Commandant Berger said the core of America's strength lies in its diversity.

The very government assembled here today, in its amicus brief to the Supreme Court, characterized a diverse pool of academy graduates as a vital interest on which the Nation's future depends.

The American people expect and demand that our academies are given every tool and advantage to train leaders capable of fighting and winning our Nation's wars. Make no mistake, diversity is not synonymous with less qualified. We want the best. We want the brightest. We need the most diverse.

This amendment attempts to weaken a concept foundational to our current and future military supremacy, that diversity translates into capability and lethality.

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

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chair, this amendment will eliminate the inspector general position responsible for overseeing diversity and inclusion efforts in the military.

My colleagues across the aisle must understand the full purpose of this office. Number one, it is tasked with supporting effective, evidence-based programs on diversity and inclusion. Number two, it is responsible for responding to extremism and criminal gang activity within our Department of Defense.

This amendment eliminates the investigators who are responsible for weeding out criminal efforts in our government, the same investigators who keep our military accountable to the people we serve.

Mr. Chair, is it my colleagues' intent to support these criminal activities? Because eliminating the deputy inspector position is exactly the message this sends to our department and the American people.

Researchers at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism looked at three decades of extremist attacks in the U.S., and they found that a military background is the most commonly shared characteristic among extremists who committed or plotted mass casualty attacks from 1990 through 2022.

Offenders with military backgrounds were 2\1/2\ times more likely to be classified as a mass fatality perpetrator than extremists who don't serve in the Armed Forces.

Through December 2021, 120 individuals with U.S. military backgrounds were identified as participants in the violent failed coup on January 6.

This is unacceptable. For our safety, for the security of our military, the U.S. must make it a priority to root out extremism in our Armed Forces. Eliminating this office and deputy inspector general sets us back.

The NDAA that we passed out of committee was broadly supported in a bipartisan manner. This suite of amendments attacking DEI and validating extremism, undermines our safety and our security.

Instead of putting housing, childcare, military families and their needs first, my friends across the aisle are choosing to fail them. I strongly oppose this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, Congress must support an inspector general position that ensures military equal opportunity programs work and sounds the alarm when extremism takes root in our military.

What we are seeing here today is a small group of MAGA extremists holding the NDAA hostage in their efforts to politicize the Department.

I urge my moderate colleagues across the aisle who don't want to fire criminal investigators, who don't want to tell our servicemembers that they don't belong, who don't want to leave military families high and dry to please vote ``no'' on this amendment. Use your conscience.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Major Jonathan Taylor of the United States Air Force upon his departure from this body as a Legislative Affairs Officer for NORAD and USNORTHCOM. In that role, Major Taylor served as a bridge between key Department of Defense senior leaders and Members of Congress, advising both on the impacts of Congressional proceedings and legislation to Homeland Defense and National Security. Prior to this role, he served for nearly three years as a Legislative Liaison for the Department of the Air Force during which he escorted many of us Members across the world on successful Congressional delegations, educated and advised his commanders and Members on critical missions sets, and helped us pass three consecutive NDAAs.

Major Taylor's exemplary career began in 2009 as a Distinguished Graduate from the University of Mississippi's Air Force ROTC Det. 430, and he earned his wings at Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training on Sheppard AFB, TX. He spent the next nine years flying the mighty C-17 Globemaster III around the globe, amassing over 2,400 hours, including 555 combat hours, executing airlift, humanitarian, airdrop, and special operations missions. Prior to joining us in the Capitol, he taught hundreds of students how to fly at Altus AFB, OK.

We wish Major Taylor and his wife, Amber, the best of luck as he furthers his education at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and we look forward to seeing him lead in the years to come.

On behalf of the U.S. Congress and a grateful Nation, I extend our deepest appreciation to Major Jonathan Taylor for his dedicated service to the U.S. Air Force and to our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Sarah Harris, a standout public servant and local leader who recently retired from her role as Puyallup's Parks and Recreation Director after a 35-year career with the City.

After graduating from Arkansas College, Sarah spent several years working for the military with a focus on recreational sports and fitness. When she moved to Washington state, she applied her love of sports and recreation to her first job with the City of Puyallup as a part-time Recreation Supervisor in 1988. Sarah eventually shifted to her most recent role with the City as their Parks and Recreation Director, working to grow the City's parks and beautify its public spaces for South Sound communities.

During her decade-long tenure as Director, Sarah oversaw several community projects, including the creation of Van Lierop Park and the installation of Puyallup's first-ever Spray Park in Pioneer Park. Thanks to Sarah's skilled leadership and sustained commitment to the City's development, Puyallup has one of the best Parks and Recreation systems in Washington.

I commend Sarah for her tireless service to the people of Puyallup and the state of Washington and wish her all the best in her well- deserved retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an exemplary man, Mr. Sam Jones, and to right a historic wrong.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, on June 19, the second celebration of the national holiday for Juneteenth, Mr. Jones was finally recognized by the Boy Scouts of America, Pacific Harbor Council, as an Eagle Scout, the highest honor you can earn as a Boy Scout.

This recognition is long overdue. Mr. Jones should have received this honor in 1962 when he was 15 years old. I am pleased to have this opportunity to recognize his accomplishments today, 61 years later.

Mr. Jones was raised in Rochester, New York, by a single mother and joined the Boy Scouts shortly after he turned 11 years old. He earned 25 merit badges and was the first person in his troop to qualify for the rank of Eagle Scout.

Sadly, when this young man asked the nonprofit that sponsored the troop why he was not going to receive a ceremony for this prestigious honor, he was told, a Scout raised by a single mother didn't match the model Black youth the nonprofit wanted to promote.

While Mr. Jones could have allowed this setback to affect his future, he continued to serve his country and his community.

He graduated from the University of Michigan, joined the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps, served the Navy for his entire career, and retired in 1991 with the rank of commander.

He moved to Puyallup, Washington, in 2015 to be closer to his family, and is now a mentor at Mountain View Lutheran Church in Edgewood, Washington.

It is my honor to recognize Mr. Sam Jones on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives today as he celebrates the long-overdue recognition of achieving the rank of Eagle Scout.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my friend and colleague Dr. Anthony Chen, who will retire at the end of the month as the Director of Health at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department after serving Washington's communities with care, competence, and compassion for thirty years.

After graduating from Duke University's School of Medicine and completing his residency at the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Chen came to Washington in 1993 to serve as a faculty member of the Swedish Family Medicine Residency Program before transitioning into his role as Director of Health at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.

For fifteen years, Dr. Chen has promoted positive public health outcomes in Pierce County. He has elevated the conversation and outcomes associated with quality of care, intentionally coordinated with community leaders to improve care delivery to all residents, and advanced cultural competency in public health and medicine.

Through the tumult of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Chen worked tirelessly to maintain the Department's structure while facing opposition from misinformation campaigns, continuing the ethos of care in his work that helped set the standard in Washington State. Under Dr. Chen's leadership, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department won the VISION 2050 Award in 2022 for their innovative, equity-minded approach to integrating health into Pierce County's long-term plans and guidance for growth.

I thank my friend and colleague, Dr. Chen, for his service to the Pierce County community and the state of Washington, as well as congratulate him on his well-deserved retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to fight for our Nation's servicemembers and push back against the extreme MAGA agenda wish list that will yank the rug out from under American families, small businesses, and our enlisted military members.

Pay for our soldiers, benefits for our veterans, military readiness, and more are in serious jeopardy. We risk America's health and safety, and we risk hurting America's middle class all because the MAGA wing continues to control the GOP.

This manufactured crisis jeopardizes national security and will ruin our economy. My colleagues across the aisle, who clearly aren't here right now, must choose. Will they crash the economy on purpose? Will they destroy jobs and American livelihoods, or will they stand up for our troops, veterans, families, and seniors? There is a word for people who take hostages, ``terrorists.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a standout member of the South Sound community. I would like to recognize Mr. Layne Harper and his commitment to taking care of our veterans in his role as a Veteran Service Officer for the National Association for Black Veterans (NABVETS).

An Army veteran himself, Layne serves with the wisdom and understanding necessary to successfully process claims and provide services to the military community. Over 10,000 veterans and their dependents in Washington state, the country, and abroad have received their service-connected disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs--the results of Layne's work.

Prior to his time at NABVETS, Layne founded the Caribbean Veterans Service (CARICOM) and received accreditations from his work with the Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A. and the African American Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Association (AAPTSDA).

Layne Harper exemplifies the values of integrity and community commitment that run deep in the South Sound. It is my honor to highlight such a service-oriented constituent and his incredible work improving the lives of thousands of others in the military community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate National Infertility Awareness Week. Started in 1989, we salute the parents, doctors, researchers, and others for working to destigmatize infertility and bring awareness to the many barriers people face when trying to start and build their families.

Most Americans are not aware that approximately one in five Americans are impacted by infertility. The disease affects both men and women of all races, religious backgrounds, and economic status.

Through the revolutionary contributions of research scientists and considerable medical advancements, fertility treatments have vastly improved since the first successful in vitro fertilization pregnancy and live birth occurred in 1978. Such advancements include early infertility detection through detailed and data-driven testing, advanced egg-freezing technology, and progressive procedures that allow young cancer patients to preserve their fertility prior to undergoing lifesaving chemotherapy treatments. Organizations like RESOLVE: the National Infertility Association advocate for millions of individuals and couples in this country who need medical assistance to have a family. Other groups, such as the Military Family Building Coalition (MFBC), have focused on raising awareness for active duty servicemembers and their spouses facing unique challenges with family building. They are actively working to bring awareness to these unique challenges and advance laws and policies that will help our servicemembers sacrificing for our country achieve their dream of building or expanding their own family. The Alliance for Fertility Preservation stresses the importance of affordable fertility preservation options for individuals undergoing cancer treatment. In fact, in the absence of comprehensive and reliable fertility preservation and family building healthcare coverage, the option of having children may not otherwise be available for millions of Americans without the financial assistance of organizations like RESOLVE, AFP, and MFBC, and countless other worthwhile organizations.

While advancements have been a substantial step forward for family building, significant medical, financial, and health equity barriers still exist for others who require medical assistance to combat infertility.

During this National Infertility Awareness Week, I call on my colleagues in Congress to do more to remove many of the barriers that currently exist for those experiencing infertility challenges in their pursuit of having a child. The ability to have children and the timing of building a family is a basic human right, and thus we must work together to pass legislation to create a path for these American families.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an exceptional member of the Pierce County community. I would like to recognize Patty Rose and her remarkable career as a workers' rights advocate, as well as congratulate her on her well-deserved retirement.

A Tacoma native, Patty Rose started her labor advocacy career in 1974 at the local branch of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), a union with national reach that represents service workers in the healthcare, public, and property service sectors. During her more than 27-year tenure at SEIU, Patty managed the Tacoma office for two decades before becoming a SEIU union representative for over 7 years. In 1981, Patty joined the Pierce County Central Labor Council as a delegate and eventually served as an executive board member in the years before her election as the Pierce County Central Labor Council's first female Secretary-Treasurer.

From partnering with equity-focused constituency groups to boost union membership among minority workers and increase minority student enrollment in apprenticeship programs, to playing a pivotal role in helping to pass a 1998 ballot initiative to establish a minimum wage indexed to inflation, Patty has been instrumental in uplifting the voices of workers in Pierce County and Washington State through her work with and later leadership of the Pierce County Central Labor Council. Over the past 30 years, the labor movement has seen significant changes brought on by the outsourcing of jobs overseas and continued threats to organized labor. In spite of all of these challenges, Patty has remained steadfast in advancing the interests of Washington's workers and fighting for economic justice through her tireless engagement of and outreach to her community.

I commend Patty's courage to meet the challenges of today's economic climate by championing union representation of the current workforce and her efforts to ensure economic security for the next generation of Washington's workers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an exceptional member of the Thurston County, Washington, community. I would like to recognize Keoki Kauanoe and his dedication to supporting families in his role as Director of Father Engagement at Family Education and Support Services (FESS), as well as his work fighting for equity in Washington State.

A South Sound-based nonprofit 501c3 orqanization, FESS is focused on fostering positive child development and furnishing families with critical child-care and parental support resources. At FESS, Keoki has administered programs, trainings, and support services that connect parents with peer mentors, provide families with diapers and other child-care necessities, and offer evidence-based courses that promote healthy parenting practices.

Pulling from a diverse network of partner organizations across Washington State, FESS seeks to educate families and ensure healthy outcomes through community trainings. Among the many impactful community trainings offered by FESS is the Q.P.R. Suicide Prevention course, which gives individuals the tools that they need to identify warning signs and help those in crisis.

Aside from his work with FESS, Keoki sits on the board of the Equity in Education Coalition, which works to help close the opportunity gap for minority communities in Washington State, and serves on the Thurston County DEI Committee. Additionally, he is a member of

the State's Department for Children, Youth and Families Citizens Review Panel, which develops and recommends actions aimed at protecting youth and preserving families.

I am proud to shine a spotlight on such a fierce advocate for youth, students, and families here in our South Sound community.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1, the deceptively named Lower Energy Costs Act. This bill will not lower energy costs, and it won't prevent price gouging because Republicans have no plan to lower energy costs.

Here is what it will do: It will increase the deficit by $2.4 billion in handouts to big oil and gas. It will worsen the climate crisis, and it ignores the future of our country's clean energy workforce.

Republicans are more focused on undoing Democratic accomplishments-- which, by the way, have already created over 100,000 jobs--than helping the American people. Polluters over people.

This bill forces the government to lease government land to oil and gas companies even if those companies don't plan to use it. This bill will allow anyone to stake a mining claim on our public lands for less than $10 an acre, even if they haven't discovered any minerals. After that, any mining activity, including dumping toxic mining waste, is considered the highest and best use of those lands.

My Republican colleagues will claim that this bill supports permitting. If you look closely, that simply is not true. The main barrier for getting permits approved is staffing levels. There simply aren't enough staff to get permits approved.

However, I have good news. Democrats have already secured $1 billion in the Inflation Reduction Act for Federal agency permitting offices, which will address this issue and is expected to drastically shrink the timelines for permitting without sacrificing safety. The Republican bill fails to address these issues.

When Democrats were in charge of the House, we passed transformative legislation to lower the deficit, address climate change, create good union jobs, and actually improve the lives of the American people. We put people over polluters.

Instead of helping our constituents, this bill will weaken State and Tribal authority under section 401 of the Clean Water Act. This section was meant to protect communities and water resources by giving them a voice when projects planned to impact their borders. This bill, though, allows special interests to override what Tribal nations and States know is best for their own communities.

In the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, my colleague, Representative Huffman offered an amendment to keep Tribal rights intact under section 401 guidelines, but House Republicans chose again not to prioritize the people.

Mr. Chair, I will remind my colleagues that these protections are meant to prevent environmental disasters. We see all across the country radioactive water spills, water crises, chemical pollutants seeping into groundwater and poisoning communities.

These catastrophes are not just tragic, they are preventable. It is the American people, especially

marginalized communities, who are left with the consequences.

We can make bipartisan strides to protect American energy and security. We can promote innovation without sacrificing our environment or State and Tribal rights. Unfortunately, this is not what the majority has brought to us. I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.