Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I seek to correct an injustice to Mr. Daniel Kandalaft, a Lebanese citizen with three American children. At a hearing examining Hezbollah's financial network before the Committee on Foreign Affairs on June 8, 2017, a private citizen provided a prepared statement--now printed in the Hearing Record--that identifies certain individuals as arrested in France for financing terrorism under Operation Cedar, a January 2016 coordinated, multinational law enforcement action undertaken by authorities in France and other European countries. U.S. law enforcement, including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), assisted French authorities.

The statement entered into the Hearing Record incorrectly includes Mr. Kandalaft as having been arrested in France. A detailed examination of the complete and official French Operation Cedar case file reveals that Mr. Kandalaft was not investigated, charged, or even asked to serve as a witness. Indeed, there is no mention of Daniel Kandalaft in the law enforcement investigative reports or court filings for Operation Cedar in France. The DEA, having no authority in France, could not (and had no reason to) arrest Daniel Kandalaft and confirmed that it ``does not have authority to perform arrests or detainments'' in France.

It is incumbent upon this great institution, the U.S. House of Representatives, to correct the false statement in a Congressional hearing from so many years ago which has unfairly and unjustly tarnished Mr. Kandalaft's good name and reputation.

I include in the Record the sworn affidavit of William Julie--a licensed attorney at law in France (avocat a la cour) who has reviewed the entire Operation Cedar case file (registered in France under prosecution number 15037000675), and who obtained authorization from French authorities to release information contained in the case file-- as part of my statement and insertion in the Congressional Record. Names other than Mr. Kandalaft and the affiant (Mr. Julie)--including any agent of the DEA or Hezbollah--are redacted from the below Affidavit for privacy reasons (and marked as ``[REDACTED]''), as are the exhibits to the Affidavit and any internal references to same (which are simply deleted).

Affidavit of William Julie

I, William Julie, subscribe and swear as follows:

1. I am a dual national and hold passports issued by both

France and the United Kingdom.

2. I am bilingual and speak fluent French and English.

3. I am a resident of Paris, France.

4. I am a duly licensed attorney at law in France (avocat a

la cour), and I have held this position since being admitted

to the Paris Bar in 2000. I established my own law offices in

2002.

5. I earned my undergraduate degree in international law

(BA), my masters (MA) in public law, and my doctoral

certification (Doctorat d'Etudes Approfondies) in European

criminal justice policy from the University of Paris-Sorbonne

(Paris I), where my studies focused on criminal law and

criminology.

6. Among other things, I am a member of the International

Bar Association (IBA), the Criminal Lawyers Association

(ADAP), the European Criminal Bar Association (ECBA), the

Defence Extradition Lawyers Forum (DELF), the FrancoBritish

Lawyers Society (FBLS), and serve as Chair of the Criminal

Commission of the Corporate Firm Lawyers Association (ACE).

7. This affidavit sets forth my views on whether Daniel

KANDALAFT was arrested in France as part of Operation Cedar.

8. I have personal knowledge of the facts stated in this

affidavit, and if called as a witness, I could and would

testify competently thereto.

9. On September 5, 2016, I was retained by [REDACTED], who

was arrested during Operation Cedar, as his defense attorney.

10. I represented [REDACTED] as his defense counsel from my

appointment during the investigation stage in September 2016

through trial and ultimately the rendering of judgement by

the Paris correctional court on November 28, 2018. In this

role, I was provided and remain in possession of a complete

copy of the case file, as required by French law, which is

registered under the prosecution number 15037000675. In

preparing this affidavit, I reviewed the case file in its

entirety and obtained authorization from the French

prosecutor to release the information from the case file that

is included here in the Exhibits.

11. Operation Cedar was a coordinated, multinational law

enforcement action in January 2016 undertaken by authorities

in France and other European countries targeting criminal

operations in Europe related to the organization known as

Hezbollah (also known as--or ``aka''--Hizballah). United

States law enforcement, including the U.S. Drug Enforcement

Agency (DEA), assisted French authorities in executing

Operation Cedar.

12. On January 24, 2016, following telephone interceptions

revealing the planned arrival in France of Operation Cedar

targets [REDACTED] and [REDACTED], French police confirmed

the targets were on the passenger list for flight ME 205 from

Beirut to Paris, which was scheduled to land that day at

Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris. After the arrival of

the flight, [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] were arrested

(``interpelle''), placed in custody (``en garde a vue'') and

questioned by French authorities. The French police officers

were assisted by DEA agent [REDACTED]. The minutes of their

arrest do not mention Daniel KANDALAFT.

13. On January 24, 2016, French police officers instituted

a surveillance operation against [REDACTED]. He was in Paris,

located at the Hotel Prince de Galles, arrested, placed in

custody, and subsequently questioned. At the time of his

arrest, he was sitting with [REDACTED] and [REDACTED].

French police asked for the identification documents

(``controle d'identite'') of these two individuals but did

not arrest or question them (beyond a simple

identification control, such as confirming their

profession), and both were permitted to stay at the hotel.

The minutes of [REDACTED]'s arrest do not mention Daniel

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7132) to preserve safe access to communications services for survivors of domestic violence and other crimes, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam 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 on H.R. 7132.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7132, the Safe Connections Act. A cell phone may be one of the most important items a survivor of domestic violence, human trafficking, or other related crimes has when living in an abusive relationship. This device will not only allow a survivor to stay connected to family and friends, but it also provides them with access to outside help and support networks.

There is no question that a cell phone is an important lifeline for survivors of these devastating and horrible crimes. However, in some instances, survivors use a cell phone with a shared mobile service plan. This can subject these survivors to ongoing digital abuse like bullying, stalking, or intimidation.

H.R. 7132 addresses these unfortunate circumstances by requiring mobile service providers to separate the phone line of victims from an account shared with their abuser within 2 business days without financial penalties or other potential obstacles.

The legislation also requires mobile service providers to publicly provide information about the availability of line separation requests on their websites, in their stores, and in other public-facing consumer communications.

H.R. 7132 also directs the FCC to establish emergency communications support for these survivors and to explore how to keep calls and texts to hotlines for domestic violence, human trafficking, and other related crimes from appearing on a customer call and text log.

For these reasons, I am pleased that we are bringing this critical legislation forward on a bipartisan basis. I commend Representatives Kuster, Eshoo, and Walberg for their work in advancing this legislation out of the committee.

I know that the Senate passed a companion bill a few months ago, led by Senator Schatz and Fischer.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this lifesaving legislation in a bipartisan manner, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, having no further speakers, I also urge Members on both sides of the aisle to support H.R. 7132.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7624) to make available additional frequencies in the 3.1-3.45 GHz band for non-Federal use, shared Federal and non-Federal use, or a combination thereof, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 7624.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7624, the Spectrum Innovation Act.

Our Nation's airwaves are a critical component in building next- generation wireless networks. These networks can make a meaningful difference in Americans' lives. They can expand the reach of telehealth services, extend educational experiences beyond the classroom, and provide critical communications for public safety activities. But in order to achieve these important goals, we must continue to expand the ability of commercial users to access our airwaves, including by using innovative spectrum management technologies.

H.R. 7624 extends the Federal Communications Commission's auction authority by 18 months from its expiration date later this fall. This extension will allow the FCC to hold its planned spectrum auction in July without disruption, as well as any future actions.

It is essential that we extend this authority. After all, Congress has never allowed this spectrum authority to lapse.

To maintain our Nation's global leadership in wireless innovation, we must come together to ensure the smooth management of spectrum, and that includes the auctions that have for years efficiently made these airways available.

I am also pleased that this legislation will use auction proceeds in a budget-neutral manner to fund two significant programs: the FCC's rip and replace program and the transition to Next Generation 911 networks. Funding these two longstanding priorities will provide consumers with access to safe and secure networks that are able to meet the public safety demands of the 21st century.

The Federal investments in Next Gen 911 will save lives. In an instant, each of us can text a photo to a family member across the country or upload a video to social media for all to see. That same kind of instant communication should be accessible to 911 centers.

Next Generation 911 allows people to call or send text images or videos to 911 to help first responders and emergency personnel to better assess the nature of the emergency and reach people in need. It will help enhance emergency response by shaving precious minutes off response times and equipping first responders with lifesaving information before they reach the scene.

In my time on the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Next Generation 911 Act has passed out of the committee and the full House of Representatives on multiple occasions, both as a standalone bill and as part of larger infrastructure packages. This bill marks the most significant progress we have made in this effort thus far, and I remain committed to working with my colleagues to see that it is signed into law.

The Energy and Commerce Committee has traditionally worked in a bipartisan fashion on key telecommunication matters. I commend Chairman Pallone, Ranking Member McMorris Rodgers, and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Ranking Member Bob Latta, my good friend, as well as Representatives Eshoo, Matsui, Davids, Welch, Hudson, Guthrie, Joyce, and Johnson for continuing in this tradition on this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation in a bipartisan manner, and I hope the Senate will soon follow suit.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, but I would just like to reiterate how important H.R. 7624 is to future technologies and to NextGen 911. This is, as was said, a bill that passed out of our committee unanimously, 52-0.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to give it their support when it comes up for a vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 5794.

This bill would rename the post office located in my district at 850 Walnut Street in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, after First Sergeant Leonard A. Funk, Jr.

Leonard was a lifelong resident of the Pittsburgh area. First Sergeant Funk enlisted in the Army months before the U.S. entered World War II, where he volunteered to be a paratrooper.

His time in the military was notable. After jumping into Normandy on D-day with the 82nd Airborne Division, he earned the Distinguished Service Cross during Operation Market Garden, and on August 23, 1945, President Truman awarded First Sergeant Funk the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of the Bulge.

During this pivotal battle, First Sergeant Funk took charge of his company when his company's officer went down. Despite being outnumbered, First Sergeant Funk led a makeshift group of clerks and soldiers to capture a town held by the enemy and then nearly singlehandedly killed or captured 100 enemy soldiers.

First Sergeant Funk is also one of the most-decorated paratroopers of World War II, having also earned the Bronze Star and Purple Heart with two oak leaf clusters.

First Sergeant Funk passed away in 1992 after a civilian career with the U.S. Veterans Administration. I commend him for his heroics and dedication to our Nation.

I am proud to be able to make this small gesture of our Nation's gratitude, spearheaded by the McKeesport community, come to fruition.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill to ensure that First Sergeant Funk's legacy is not forgotten.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the artistic ability of a young student from my Congressional District, Lillian Spencer from the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School.

Ms. Spencer is the winner of the 2022 18th Congressional District of Pennsylvania's High School Art Competition, ``An Artistic Discovery.''

Ms. Spencer's artwork, an acrylic painting entitled ``Surmount,'' was selected from a number of outstanding entries in this year's competition.

In fact, 27 works from 8 different schools in Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District were submitted to our panel of respected local artists.

It is a real tribute to Ms. Spencer's skill and vision that their work was chosen as the winner of this year's competition.

I should add that Ms. Spencer took second place in this competition last year with a color pencil composition entitled ``Seeing Eye to Eye.''

Ms. Spencer's artwork will represent the 18th Congressional District of Pennsylvania in the national exhibit of high school students' artwork that will be displayed in the United States Capitol over the coming year.

I encourage my colleagues as well as any visitor to Capitol Hill to view Ms. Spencer's artwork, along with the winning entries from the high school art contests held in other Congressional Districts, which will be on display in the Capitol tunnel.

It is amazing to walk through this corridor and see the interpretation of life through the eyes of these young artists from all across our country.

Hanna Paras from the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School was awarded second place for their acrylic painting entitled ``Self- Healing.''

Rebecca Carter from the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School received third place for their photograph entitled ``Refracted.''

Naomi Davis from the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School was awarded fourth place for their artwork entitled ``Monster Pen Drawing.''

Brynn Campbell from the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School was awarded fifth place for their acrylic on reused canvas composition entitled ``Reflecting on Winterburn.''

This year, I displayed all of the entries in the art competition at the Braddock Carnegie Library and encouraged the public to choose their favorite work of art.

``Self Portrait,'' a pen and marker composition by Benjamin Kefalos from Woodland Hills High School, received the most votes and was given the ``People's Choice'' award.

In addition, Honorable Mention Awards were presented to works by Cameron Petrosky, from East Allegheny Jr./Sr. High School; Mia Mace, from South Allegheny High School; and Eva August, from the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts.

I would like to recognize all of the participants in this year's 18th Congressional District High School Art Competition:

from East Allegheny Jr./Sr. High School, Marley Green, Samantha Hallick, Jax Jurisic, Casey Kapa, Gabrielle Miller, Cameron Petrosky, and Kalea Slaby;

from Pittsburgh CAPA, Farhaanah Ahmad Ali, Eva August, Brynn Campbell, Rebecca Carter, Valentina Chiriatti, Naomi Davis, Lillian Spencer, Hannah Paras, Raisa Suhrbier, and Alexia Tsoukalas;

from Propel Braddock Hills High School, Raevin Fletcher, Thai George, and Ranya Watkins;

from South Allegheny High School, Mia Mace;

from South Fayette High School, Kira Perna;

from Thomas Jefferson High School, Gina Cocuzzi;

from West Mifflin Area High School, Emily Seech and Gianna Guerra;

and from Woodland Hills High School, Makhiya Easley and Benjamin Kefalos.

I would like to thank these impressive young artists for allowing us to share and celebrate their talent, imagination, and creativity.

The efforts these talented students have put into expressing themselves in a powerful and positive manner are deeply inspiring.

I hope that all of them will continue to utilize their artistic talents, and I wish them all great success in their future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend the Girls of Steel robotics team for qualifying for the eleventh time to attend the FIRST World Championship competition by winning the Regional Engineering Inspiration award at the Greater Pittsburgh Regional, held at California University of Pennsylvania in California, Pennsylvania, between March 17th and 19th, 2022.

I also want to commend the Girls of Steel for winning the Regional Chairman's Award at the Buckeye Regional held at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio, between March 24 and 26, 2022. The Regional Chairman's Award is the most prestigious award at FIRST. It honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST.

The students are proud that their awards qualify them to attend the 2022 FIRST World Championship in Houston, Texas. I think that the remarkable accomplishment of continuously making it to the Championship speaks volumes about the dedication these young women have in pursuing ``STEM''--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math--careers, their ability to sustain their team, and the thousands of hours they have spent collectively doing outreach in the community. The Girls of Steel are often referred to as the hometown favorite robotics group and continue to be featured in videos, print media, and blog posts.

FIRST, which stands for ``For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology,'' is an organization dedicated to engaging our students in STEM fields. Hundreds of thousands of students gain practical, team- based engineering experiences through FIRST every year.

As a founder and co-chair of the Congressional Robotics Caucus, I believe competitions like these are incredible tools for helping our young people to explore potential careers in STEM. I've witnessed firsthand the incredible economic growth and development that these fields can bring to my home district, and I strongly believe that these fields are crucial to our nation's future prosperity. For encouraging young people in these pursuits, I want to commend organizations like FIRST for their important work. The FIRST Robotics Competition allows students to apply creativity and critical thinking in the demanding and competitive field of robotics, all while instilling a strong sense of pride in participants.

Fifty-three young women from 8th through 12th grade associated with schools located in and around the Pittsburgh area represent this year's Girls of Steel program, and in recognition of their hard work, intelligence, and teamwork, I would like to mention each of these inspiring young people by name. They are Ciara Anderson, Ariella Avigad, Somdatta Basu, Justine Bennett, Aashi Bhatt, Megan Cassady, Elise Chu, Diya Cowlagi, Nina Cranor, Elizabeth Crookston, Maggie Davis, Maeve Dever, Mikaela Dassanaike-Perera, Natalie Ficca, Alexandra George, Susanna Getty, Anuva Ghosalkar, Teodora Gildengers, Grace Goslin, Samhita Gudapati, Katherine Hu, Rayna Huang, Amanda Hulver, Amy Jin, Janise Kim, Jessie Lee, Harshitha Lingam, Kameron Locy, Elizabeth Maier, Mia Maurizio, Lauren Michaels, Ava Miller, Sreyashi Mondal, Aria Narasimhan, Madeleine Ng, Swathi Padmanabhan, Dustana Roberts, Gray Scherer, Lucia Samaras, Mahika Shetty, Sophia Shetty, Rishika Somireddy, Aditi Srivastava, Tara Staresinic, Kelly Tai, Aditri Thakur, Justina Wang, Ashley Wei, Gloria Wen, Hannah Yang, Mary Zagrocki, Kexin Zhao, and Audrey Zheng.

Additionally, I want to convey my sincere appreciation to the faculty and staff of Carnegie Mellon University's Field Robotics Center, who have mentored the Girls of Steel since 2010. Because of their efforts, more young women experience real-world technological challenges and learn from some of the nation's best at solving these problems. These experiences will certainly benefit these young women in the future.

The Girls of Steel will compete in the FIRST Championship in Houston, Texas, at the end of April--one of the largest competitions of its kind. It's essentially the Super Bowl of Smarts. They will compete against top teams from all over the world.

I congratulate the Girls of Steel and wish them all continued success in their academic and professional endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, as you know, this past September we played the Congressional Baseball Game. We had another record crowd and raised over a million dollars for our charities. It was a great game, 13-12.

I am here today to congratulate our Republican players on their victory, a hard-fought victory. They played hard. The lead went back and forth all the way to the last inning when they scored enough runs to get that extra run and beat us.

Congratulations. We will see you next year. I think the game has been set for July 28, and we are looking forward to playing it then.

I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the FUTURE Networks Act, which is a bill that I have introduced, along with my friends, Representatives Lucy McBath and Bill Johnson.

Our Nation's wireless networks are constantly evolving, bringing more innovative services and connectivity to our constituents. Over my time in Congress, I have watched wireless networks transform from the first iterations of digital technology to 3G, then 4G, and now 5G networks with achievable speeds well over 1 gigabit.

While these innovations have been extraordinary, the benefits have not flowed to all Americans equally, and we have seen related policy issues that have necessitated congressional action and regulatory steps from the FCC. To ensure that all Americans benefit from the next generation of wireless technology, 6G, we need to be considering it now.

The FUTURE Networks Act will require the Federal Communications Commission to create a 6G task force with members appointed by the chair and comprising representatives from trusted companies, public interest groups, and government representatives at every level of government, including Tribes. The mandate of the task force would be to report on possible uses, strengths, and limitations of 6G, including any supply chain, cybersecurity, or other limitations that would need to be addressed as the wireless technology evolves.

This bill would lay the groundwork for the policy considerations that will certainly arise, and it is good, forward-looking governance.

I want to thank the cosponsors for their efforts on the bill, Representatives Lucy McBath and Bill Johnson, and my bipartisan colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee for their input and support to strengthen this measure throughout the process.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support the FUTURE Networks Act.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the artistic ability of a young high school student from my Congressional District, Makenzie Sing from the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School.

Ms. Sing is the winner of the 2021 18th Congressional District of Pennsylvania's High School Art Competition, ``An Artistic Discovery. ``Ms. Sing's artwork, a mixed media collage with pen and ink entitled ``Portrait of Truths,'' was selected from a number of outstanding entries to this year's competition. In fact, 20 works from 4 different schools in Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District were submitted to our panel of respected local artists. It's a real tribute to Ms. Sing's skill and vision that their work was chosen as the winner of this year's competition.

Ms. Sing's artwork will represent the 18th Congressional District of Pennsylvania in the national exhibit of high school students' artwork that will be displayed in the United States Capitol over the coming year. I encourage my colleagues, as well as any visitor to Capitol Hill, to view Ms. Sing's artwork, along with the winning entries from the high school art contests held in other Congressional Districts, which will be on display in the Capitol tunnel. It is amazing to walk through this corridor and see the interpretation of life through the eyes of these young artists from all across our country.

Lillian Spencer from the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School was awarded second place for their color pencil composition ``Seeing Eye to Eye.'' Nathan Weaver from CAPA received third place for their acrylic painting entitled ``Miners.'' Bina Guo from the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School was awarded fourth place for their watercolor and pencil composition entitled ``Organic Ruin,'' and Margaret Tracht from CAPA received the fifth-place award for their pen on paper composition ``Overgrown.''

For the first time this year, we posted all of the entries online and allowed people to vote for their favorite one. Over the course of several weeks, more than 400 people voted for their favorite entry. ``Unclear,'' a watercolor by Zoe McCoy from South Fayette High School, was the overwhelming favorite with just under 20 percent of the votes cast, and so Zoe was the winner of our first ``People's Choice'' award.

In addition, Honorable Mention Awards were presented to works by Yutaka Tomokio from the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School, Zoe McCoy from South Fayette High School, and Annika Vaughan from the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School.

I would like to recognize all of the participants in this year's 18th Congressional District High School Art Competition, ``An Artistic Discovery:'' from Allderdice High School, Sean Folan; from East Allegheny High School, Marley Green, Samantha Hallick, Casey Kopa, and Mandy Ruffing; from the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School, Brynn Campbell, Anya Frazier, Ruby Frazier, Bina

Guo, Sofia Montelibano, Polina Novikova, Makenzie Sing, Lillian Spencer, Melaina Thompson, Margaret Tracht, Yutaka Tomokio, Annika Vaughan, Colleen Vine, and Nathan Weaver; and from South Fayette High School, Zoe McCoy.

I would like to thank these impressive young artists for allowing us to share and celebrate their talents, imagination, and creativity. The efforts of these students in expressing themselves in a powerful and positive manner are no less than spectacular.

I hope that all of these individuals continue to utilize their artistic talents, and I wish them all the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Esther L. Bush, who will be retiring after 27 years as President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Urban League--one of the top-rated Urban League affiliates in the country.

A Pittsburgh native, Ms. Bush is a member of the class of 1969 from Westinghouse High School in Pittsburgh. She went on to earn a bachelor's degree in education from Morgan State University and a master's degree in guidance and counseling from Johns Hopkins University before beginning her career as a high school teacher and later a college administrator and corporate consultant.

Ms. Bush spent a total of 41 years working for the Urban League. Beginning in 1980, she worked for various Urban League branches in New York City and was President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Hartford before returning to her hometown of Pittsburgh in 1994.

As a member of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education, she prided herself on her contributions to education and once stated that the formation of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh Charter School in 1998 was one of her greatest accomplishments as the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh's President and CEO. Her excellent work in education resulted in national recognition. In 2013, Ms. Bush was 1 of 10 Americans recognized at the White House as a Champion of Change in the Educational Excellence for African Americans program.

She also hosted the National Urban League Conference in 2013. Under her watch, the Pittsburgh Urban League Chapter also received the distinction of receiving a 5-out-of-5 top rating in its assessment from the national chapter.

On behalf of Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District, I want to commend Esther Bush for her contributions to Pittsburgh and the African American community. Her actions are reflected in every life that she touched. Esther Bush should serve as an inspiration for us all. I am pleased to recognize her service to our community and wish her a happy and enjoyable retirement.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Pennsylvania College of Emergency Physicians on its 50th Anniversary. The Pennsylvania College of Emergency Physicians was founded in 1971 by six physicians and held its first meeting on November 27, 1971 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Today, they represent over 1,900 emergency medicine physicians who treat over 6,000,000 patients each year in emergency departments across the Commonwealth.

These dedicated Pennsylvania emergency physicians provide medical care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to all Pennsylvanians with any condition regardless of socioeconomic status, and serve as the healthcare safety net in the Commonwealth. These emergency physicians are also critical to the ability of the Commonwealth to respond to disasters and mass casualty events, are vital frontline healthcare workers in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and the medical care they provide saves the lives of many patients in the Commonwealth every day.

Pennsylvania emergency physicians are leaders in defining, evaluating, and improving quality emergency care, focusing on individual patients while advocating for and advancing the public health and the wellness of society as a whole. The Pennsylvania College of Emergency Physicians is committed to providing ongoing continuing education for emergency physicians in the Commonwealth and serves as the primary voice of Pennsylvania emergency physicians and patients seeking emergency care in the health care system and halls of government.

In short, Pennsylvania emergency physicians have contributed greatly to the health and wellbeing of the entire population of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

For these reasons, I stand here today to congratulate the Pennsylvania College of Emergency Physicians on its 50th Anniversary; recognize the accomplishments and contributions Pennsylvania emergency physicians have made to advance health care in the Commonwealth; express my support for Pennsylvania emergency physicians in their ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic; and reaffirm the value of emergency medicine and the vital role that Pennsylvania emergency physicians serve in ensuring the health and well-being of all Pennsylvanians.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Brien Wall, a constituent, a 25-year Allegheny County Democratic Committee member, and a lifelong Pittsburgh area resident, who unexpectedly passed away on Saturday, March 6, 2021, in Fort Myers, Florida.

Born on July 5, 1948, in Pittsburgh, Brien was a proud graduate of South Hills Catholic High School. He also graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics as part of the class of 1970. A dedicated alumni of IUP, he was instrumental in founding IUP's Center for Family Business. Committed to the preservation of the family business as the basic element of the American free enterprise system, his leadership helped shape the underlying mission of IUP's Center for Family Business and enhanced its reputation greatly.

Brien was a veteran of the United States Army. He was drafted immediately after college and was selected to serve as a military policeman at the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he held a top-secret clearance.

A Certified Family Business Specialist at Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company for 23 years, Mr. Wall dedicated his professional career to solving problems for clients. Recognized nationally for his work, Brien was one of only 250 employees throughout the country to receive the Family Business Specialist designation, and he was one of only ten agents named to the Mass Mutual Life Insurance Company Master's Club out of 4,000 agents across the nation.

Brien was also an active community leader, giving back as much as he could. He was a founding member of, and served as the finance chairman for, Allegheny Health Choices, and he was a member of both the Three Rivers Labor Management Committee and the Eberly College of Business advisory council. He also served on the board of the St. Francis Health Foundation, where he was awarded the ``Courage to Come Back Award.''

Brien is survived by his loving wife of 44 years, Patricia Ann; children, Brien, Erin, and Sean; grandsons, Brien and Robert; and many family members and friends.

Brien Wall was a good man, whose impact was felt throughout our region and by every person who was blessed to meet him. On behalf of the 18th Congressional District, I want to celebrate the contributions Brien made throughout his life. He will be greatly missed.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Kent McElhattan, a constituent who has dedicated his life and career to safety.

Earlier this month, the National Safety Council (NSC) honored Mr. McElhattan with the prestigious Flame of Life award at the 2020NE Virtual Safety Congress and Expo. This honor has only been given four times in the 107-year history of the National Safety Council, as it is reserved for the most outstanding individuals who have dedicated themselves to building safer workplaces and communities. Mr. McElhattan is a long-time partner to the National Safety Council. He served on the NSC Board of Directors for a decade, including a stint as chairman from 2010 until 2013.

A founder of the Pittsburgh-based Industrial Scientific, Kent worked to build products that protect workers from hazardous conditions around the world. Industrial Scientific specializes in producing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), some of which has become vital to all of us during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under his leadership, Industrial Scientific was a founding member of the Campbell Institute, which is focused on solving global environmental, health, and safety challenges through research and innovation.

Now CEO and co-founder of another Pittsburgh-based company, Discovery Robotics, Mr. McElhattan continues to strive for worker

safety and quality of life through the creation of robotic solutions.

Feeling personally responsible for every worker he employed over the course of his career, he has made it his top priority to ensure that every one of his workers returned home safely to their families at the end of each workday. He and his family also founded the McElhattan Foundation, which is invested in the belief that safety advancements can be achieved through technology. The McElhattan foundation has also partnered with NSC to launch the Work to Zero initiative, designed to eliminate workplace fatalities through the use of technology.

On behalf of Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District, I want to commend Kent and thank him for his many years of dedication to building a safer community and a safer workplace for his employees. His actions serve as an inspiration and should be admired by us all. I am pleased to honor him as a deserving recipient of the National Safety Council Flame and Life award.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my support for the resolution to impeach President Trump.

This is an open and shut case. The facts are clear to all who wish to see them.

In his January 6 speech, Donald Trump incited a vicious assault on the U.S. Capitol with the intention of pressuring Vice President Pence and a joint session of Congress into overturning the results of the Electoral College vote that made Joe Biden president. It's clear he wanted Congress and the Vice President to declare him president for a second term despite his losing the election.

I believe that this was the final act in what was a months-long effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election results so that he could remain in office.

I believe that Donald Trump's actions on January 6 constituted high crimes and misdemeanors under the Constitution and therefore justify his impeachment. He is clearly

guilty of sedition, and his actions led to the loss of five lives that day, including that of a Capitol Police officer who was mortally injured defending the Capitol, the Congress, and the Vice President.

I also support impeaching him now, even though he has just a few days left in office, in order to define a standard of acceptable conduct for future Presidents--and a precedent to deter future presidents from attempting to defy the will of the American people.

Finally, I believe that President Trump should be impeached and immediately removed from office because I am concerned that, given what he has done to illegally remain in office, it is possible, if not highly probable, that he would take further undemocratic and criminal actions in the days he has left in a desperate bid to thwart the voters' will.

Those are the reasons why I cosponsored the article of impeachment and why I will vote for it today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the resolution urging Vice President Pence and the Cabinet to remove President Trump from office.

In the interest of full disclosure, I want to make it clear that I've always thought that President Trump was unstable and unfit to hold the highest office in the land. But since the election, I believe that his actions have become more erratic and angry and dangerous.

He has developed an alternative worldview with no basis in reality in which he won more votes than Joe Biden, but the election was `stolen' from him. I suspect that he may actually believe that.

But the facts are clear. The 2020 Presidential election was one of the most open and transparent elections in our nation's history according to election officials and observers, both Republican and Democratic. The FBI said that it found no evidence of widespread voter fraud. The Attorney General, chosen by the President, said that there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud. And the chairman of the bipartisan U.S. Election Assistance Commission said that there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

Nevertheless, Donald Trump has widely repeated this message in speeches and over social media in the months before and after the election, which has led to its widespread acceptance by thousands and perhaps millions of Americans.

In August, for example, he said ``the only way we're going to lose this election is if the election is rigged. Remember that. It's the only way we're going to lose this election.''

Subsequently, he said ``This is a case where they're trying to steal an election . . . . They're trying to rig an election, and we can't let that happen.''

After the election, he said, ``If you count the legal votes, I easily win. If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us.''

And on Christmas Eve, he wrote on Facebook, in all capital letters, ``VOTER FRAUD IS NOT A CONSPIRACY THEORY, IT IS A FACT!!!''

What's even more disturbing is that his actions have displayed a similar unhinged quality. On election night, for example, he urged

his supporters to harass workers counting votes in Arizona and Michigan. He had his campaign file over 60 lawsuits challenging the election processes in a number of states, nearly all of which were rejected by state and federal courts--including several which were rejected by the Supreme Court, He called Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers in Michigan and pressured them to derail the certification of the state's election results. More recently, he called Georgia elections officials and pressured them to ``find votes'' to overturn the presidential election results in Georgia. And just last week, he reportedly ignored requests to mobilize the National Guard in the midst of the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

I believe that his false, misleading claims over an extended period of time, culminating in his speech on the morning of January 6-- repeated and validated on conservative cable shows and social media--is the root cause of the assault on the Capitol last week.

President Trump has spent months and months undermining the American people's faith in the November presidential election. I believe part of it may be a coping mechanism for him because he's totally unwilling to accept that he was defeated by someone else. But I also believe that parts of it are criminal and a deliberate, lengthy effort to undermine and overturn what are, by all credible accounts, legitimate election results in order to stay in office.

Regardless of the motivation for his actions, the President currently appears to be unstable, unfit, and unable to carry out his duties as President of the United States. Moreover, his instability raises concerns for many, myself included, that in his last few days in office, he might take some dangerous action or pursue some policy that will harm the American people in a significant way.

This man currently controls the entire federal government, including the U.S. military, and he has the U.S. nuclear codes at his fingertips.

I fear for our nation as long as he remains in office under these circumstances.

That's why I'm supporting this resolution today to urge Vice President Pence, and a majority of the Cabinet to remove him from office as soon as humanly possible. I believe that the future of our nation may be at stake.