Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, as we as a nation reflect on 13 more killed in action, 13 more Gold Star families, I think it is worth noting that they did their mission. They did their jobs.

Their operation, their mission, was to secure Kabul International Airport, to evacuate our Embassy, to evacuate those who had worked with us, to evacuate the remaining military assets. And they did their job. They secured Kabul International Airport. But they went above and beyond.

After pulling grueling, long shifts in the August heat in Afghanistan--and everybody who has served there knows how difficult that could be--they went on their own time and were working with grassroots veterans organizations who sprung up, who stepped up to do, frankly, what should have already been done and to help those who had stood with us and stood for that flag for 20 years.

They, on their own time, at great risk, were getting people out. They knew the dangers. Everybody who had served there knew that it was only a matter of time till they were going to be hit. They knew that it was only a matter of time. Yet, they did it anyway.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support this legislation for the Congressional Gold Medal, but we owe them answers. We owe their families answers. We owe this country answers.

Why were they defending an airport in the middle of a city of 4 million people? Why were the military assets pulled before--before--all of our civilians and our government employees were out?

Why? Why? Why? So many questions. So many answers.

I can tell you, and I could tell these families, I tell this body, I will not rest, I will never forget, and we will get those answers that those 13 Gold Star families deserve. And there will be accountability for why we now have 13 more dead Americans.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to thank Ms. Deborah Hansen for her service to the people of Florida's Sixth Congressional District over the last 3 years in my office.

Deborah was born in Salem, Oregon, to her parents, Bill and Fae Hansen. After graduating high school, Ms. Hansen left Salem to attend the University of Utah where she received her bachelor's degree in science and sociology with an emphasis in criminology, social work, and child welfare.

Upon graduating from the University of Utah, Ms. Hansen began her steadfast and inspiring career of public service. Deborah devoted over 30 years of work to the juvenile justice programs in Oregon and Utah. During this time, she also taught criminal justice courses as an adjunct professor for local community colleges.

While attaining all of her accomplishments, Deborah is most proud of raising her four beautiful children--Dustin, Dalton, Dain, and Danelle.

Prior to coming to my office, Ms. Hansen served with Representatives Cresent Hardy from Nevada and Representative Jason Lewis from Minnesota. In 2019, I was fortunate enough to have Deborah join my team as my office manager.

She quickly proved herself to be an invaluable asset, overseeing multiple meetings, the many requests we received, managing the daily operations of my Washington, D.C., office, and most importantly, keeping a freshman Member of Congress on track--no easy task, for sure.

Not only did she keep all of us in line, but Deborah also brought a great spirit to our office. She always brought in baked goods to share, had a new story to tell--whether it be a memory of her time on the West Coast, the latest adventures of her grandchildren, or about some mischief her new puppy, Tucker, had managed to get himself into--we were all ears.

Deborah is diligent; she is talented, hardworking, but above all, she is kind. And while I am sad to see her leave, I can say without a doubt, she has made both our office and our country a better place.

We wish Deborah a happy and hopefully, very relaxing retirement in the country filled with quality time with her four children, 13 grandchildren, and her favorite puppy, Tucker. However, I know this is not the end of Deborah's public service but the start of a new adventure in service to her community.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues and the United States House of Representatives to join me in commending Ms. Deborah Hansen for her lifelong career of servant leadership. From the bottom of our hearts, we wish Deborah the best as she embarks on this next chapter in her life.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of Representative Gallagher's bill, to get us some simple facts: How many Americans are stranded and are we going to get them home.

Yes, these issues are important. We should debate these issues. Infrastructure, healthcare, all of these issues are critical to our country.

But the number one job of the Federal Government is to keep Americans safe. Today, America is less safe. Americans are stranded behind enemy lines, and they are not all going to get out by August 31.

Colleagues, what happens in Afghanistan does not stay in Afghanistan. It will follow us home. Terrorism is a cancer that once again will threaten the United States.

I want everyone to see this picture and remember it: Osama bin Laden--by the way, then-Vice President Biden opposed the raid to bring this man to justice. His deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri--know that name--who is now leading al-Qaida, now has a terrorism playground from which to plot and plan attacks on the United States once again.

The intelligence has been clear. Al-Qaida 3.0 will come roaring back. The Taliban equals al-Qaida. As we head into the 20th anniversary of 9/ 11, we once again are going to face the prospect of more Pulse nightclubs, San Bernardinos, and, God forbid, another 9/11.

What has me so upset, so flaming mad, as a veteran, as a Green Beret that has had to fight this fight, is future soldiers are now going to have to go back and deal with this again, but now with no bases, no local allies, and a Taliban that is armed to the teeth with our own equipment. That is unconscionable. It is unacceptable. If the White House won't lead, then Congress will.

Mr. Speaker, for me, as well, this is a very personal endeavor and a very personal bill.

Speaking as a combat veteran of the Afghan war, the Afghans supporting our troops weren't just interpreters; they became our brothers and our sisters on the battlefield. We depended on each other for survival.

They fought with us; they bled with us; and in many cases, they died with us, all for the dream of a better Afghanistan, for a safer world, for prosperity for their families, and for ripping out the dangerous and sick extremist ideology that has tormented their country, taken their society backward, and threatened the United States of America.

Unfortunately, the Biden administration's reckless withdrawal is allowing the Taliban to once again seize control of Afghanistan.

The urgency of the situation on the ground is not hyperbole. Just yesterday, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs said the Taliban appears to have strategic momentum in their offensive, and I hope that this Congress can continue supporting the Afghan security forces to help them halt that advance and, in the wake of it, al-Qaida's and ISIS' inevitable rise.

No one is safe from the Taliban reprisal. We have seen in recent weeks the mass execution of surrendering Afghan security forces and the Afghan interpreters who worked with our troops that are now at the top of the Taliban's target list.

The United States made a commitment to our allies in this conflict, and these individuals have lived up to their end of the bargain. Now, we have an obligation to honor our promises to them.

According to the State Department, the average processing time for an SIV applicant is over 700 days. This is unacceptable, given the urgency.

I want to be clear. The legislation before us, which I strongly support, does not diminish or circumvent the screening process. Trust me, before these men and women were allowed to work with our units, they were heavily vetted, and that is before this 700-day process that they are now going through.

I support increasing the number of Special Immigrant Visas by 8,000. I support streamlining this process. And if it comes to it, I support taking care of the families of those who didn't make it back, like one of my interpreters, who we called Spartacus, who was found with American documentation on him and taken back to his village and beheaded along with members of his family to send a message.

It is notable, Mr. Speaker, that, in 1975, then-Senator Biden did not support the evacuation of our South Vietnamese allies. I hope now- President Biden will erase that sin.

It is not just a moral obligation. It is a national security obligation because when our soldiers have to go back to deal with a rising al-Qaida, which I sadly predict they will have to, we will need local allies once again.

We are sending a message right now by our conduct. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this critical legislation and ask the Senate to swiftly pass it.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to stand with the people of Cuba. I rise today to stand with these brave people who are risking everything, their lives, their families, their livelihoods.

Standing for freedom in Cuba isn't an academic exercise. They not only put their lives on the line, they put their entire family's lives on the line. And as they do this they are reading from the Constitution of the United States of America, they are reading from the Declaration of Independence, they are waving the American flag. They are not waving flags of Europe or other countries. They are waving the American flag, the international symbol of freedom.

Madam Speaker, socialism does not work, is not working, has never worked anywhere around the world. The only place in the world where the Cuban people are not succeeding is in Cuba. We must stand with them. We will stand with them. And the Cuban people will be free.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2225, the NSF for the Future Act, which I am proud to be an original cosponsor of, along with Chairwoman Johnson, Ranking Member Lucas, and Chairwoman Stevens.

As ranking member of the Research and Technology Subcommittee, I am proud of the process this bill went through to get here today, with well over a year's work, including meetings, roundtables, legislative hearings, and two committee markups.

The final bill includes over 13 Republican amendments and standalone pieces of legislation and 11 recommendations from the House GOP's China Task Force. It is projected that China surpassed the United States in 2019, in total research and development spending.

I would like to thank Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas for their leadership throughout this process, which set the tone for developing thoughtful legislation.

H.R. 2225 takes important steps in expanding the mission of the National Science Foundation to ensure we maintain our edge against rising global competition, while protecting the foundation's primary mission of supporting fundamental research.

It makes key investments in the STEM workforce to expand the American talent pipeline. It supports world-class research facilities, like Embry-Riddle, Bethune-Cookman, and Stetson Universities, all of which are in my district. It promotes the research needed to develop revolutionary technologies that are crucial to our national and economic security.

While making these investments, we also secure taxpayer-funded research and technologies from adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party.

The National Science Foundation Inspector General is seeing a 1,000 percent increase in FBI referrals for research theft inquiries. H.R. 2225 gives the NSF security office the resources, the authority, and the tools for the foundation, for the sponsoring institutions, and for the applicants to identify and address malign foreign influence and to address research theft.

The bill also instructs the NSF to develop mandatory security training to ensure that individual researchers, frankly, have no more excuses and that they understand the threat and the Federal policies and guidelines.

Lastly, Representative Randy Feenstra and I successfully added an amendment during the full committee markup that bans grant applicants from participating in malign foreign

talent programs, like the Chinese Communist Party's Thousand Talents program.

It is critical that we strike a balance between keeping our research enterprise open, but also protecting it from adversaries who seek to take advantage of our open system.

There is more work to be done, but I think these provisions take some big steps in striking that balance.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about our local allies in Afghanistan, those that are trying to come to the United States through the Special Immigrant Visa program.

Beside me here is one of the brave Afghan interpreters who stood alongside my Special Forces unit, my fellow Green Berets, in Afghanistan during one of my tours. He volunteered for that duty. He stood with us in combat. He faced extremism head-on.

And when these brave Afghans stand up, Mr. Speaker, to stand with us, to stand with our soldiers, as a critical asset that enables us to deal with the populous and communicate with the populous that we are trying to protect, but also fight alongside our Afghan security forces partners, we could not do what we have done in the last 20 years in Afghanistan and around the world in places like Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and in places like Africa, without these brave individuals who not only put their lives on the line but put their families' lives on the line to stand with us against extremism.

We called him Spartacus. We didn't use his real name, because if the Taliban found out that he was with us, they would not only track him down, they would track his entire family down.

Well, unfortunately, after our redeployment, Mr. Speaker, the very thing that he needed to get a visa to the United States, the identification paperwork that he had fought with the United States, that he had fought with America, was found on him in a Taliban checkpoint. He was taken back to his home village and beheaded, along with his brothers and cousins in his family.

This story of Spartacus is happening right now, as we speak. The Taliban, as they slowly and methodically take over Afghanistan, are hunting these brave individuals down who stood with us against extremism.

We need to ask ourselves, as Americans, what message are we sending in terms of keeping our promises, not only with the Afghans, but again, around the world? The bottom line is, we need to get them out. We have a moral obligation to get them out.

This is not just a moral obligation, but it is a national security obligation. The State Department has a 14-step process that takes over a year to do the appropriate vetting and to assign these visas. We don't have time for that anymore with U.S. forces withdrawing within weeks.

The Defense Department is ready to do an evacuation right now. The Governor of Guam has said he is ready to accept these people, as they have done with our partners in South Vietnam, as they did with the South Koreans, as they have done with Cubans. We can process them in a safe third country and then bring those individuals home.

The Defense Department says they are ready; Guam says they are ready. Everyone is waiting on the green light from the White House.

Where is that green light, Mr. Speaker? Where is it? Will President Biden stand up and stand with those and do the right thing for those that fought with us?

And I have to be candid, he hasn't always done so. He didn't support the evacuation of our South Vietnamese allies when he was a Senator. I pray and hope he will correct that past sin and stand with those who stood with us against extremism.

I mentioned this is a national security issue as well. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Mr. Speaker, just testified that he believes there is a decent likelihood, a medium probability, that al-Qaida will come roaring back in the wake of our withdrawal. So we must also ask ourselves, when our soldiers have to go back into Afghanistan, who are they going to have to fight alongside? Will they have anyone left that will not have been hunted down like Spartacus was?

Finally, this isn't just an interpreter issue. Twenty-five percent of the Afghan Parliament is set aside for women. These women are also being hunted, abused, forced to stay home, not go into their elected office. Some have had acid thrown on their face. Some are even executed themselves.

Civil society leaders, journalists, all those who have spoken out against the atrocities that we have seen, that we have fought against are also being targeted.

We have an obligation, as an American people, as a military, to support those who have stood with us.

Mr. Speaker, should we not, time is running out. The world is watching, and when that last American soldier

goes wheels up, these people will have a death sentence, and there will be blood on this administration's hands.

Mr. Speaker, since 1904, Bethune-Cookman University, a historically Black college, has contributed to a rich, diverse history in my district in Florida. Four thousand students proudly call this university home. In Florida's Sixth Congressional District, we are proud of all of Bethune-Cookman's accomplishments, especially in the STEM fields. I personally look forward to seeing the statue of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune represent the great State of Florida in Statuary Hall very soon.

Mr. Speaker, minorities make up 30 percent of the United States population, but nationwide we are seeing a gap in minority representation in STEM fields. Believe it or not, minorities account for only 11 percent of the STEM workforce, and that 11 percent comes after years of slow improvement and diversity inclusion, but does not factor in how the COVID pandemic has disproportionately affected women and underrepresented minorities in STEM. There is fear that this limited progress may be undone by the COVID-19 crisis.

Simultaneously, the demand for STEM skills is at an all-time high. Over the next decade, the STEM shortage is anticipated to reach 1 million professionals. So we have a math problem.

If we want to maintain America's edge over the Chinese Communist Party and over our adversaries, then we need to make sure our workforce reflects our country's diversity and that the numbers for that workforce are there. We must commit to increasing participation in the STEM enterprise and supporting individuals and institutions disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Minority-serving institutions like Bethune-Cookman University play a critical role in bringing members of underrepresented groups into STEM training and careers. By partnering with MSIs, the bill we are considering today would help increase the capacity for minority students in STEM curricula and encourage partnerships with industry and Federal laboratories.

While the Chinese Communist Party is trying to leapfrog America in STEM, this bill will enhance our domestic workforce to compete. If America wants to lead militarily, economically, and globally, then we must lead in STEM.

Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss to not mention the importance of women as well in STEM. As I have said countless times since I have been elected, and will continue to say, from my experience as a Green Beret around the globe, where women thrive in business, in civil society, and in politics, the fact is that extremism does not thrive. So for that reason, amongst others, diversity in STEM is a national security issue.

In Volusia County, in my district, just north of Cape Canaveral, Florida, and the Kennedy Space Center, we are seeing countless businesses participate in workforce programs like the Space Coast Consortium Apprenticeship Program. This program and others are making huge strides to advance STEM curriculum and workforce development.

As the Republican lead on the MSI STEM Achievement Act, I want to thank Chairwoman Johnson, as well as Ranking Member Lucas, for working with me to improve participation in STEM at MSIs. For America's continued predominance in science and technology, I urge my colleagues to support this important bill and for its passage.

Mr. Chairman, this cut to the Overseas Contingency Operations budget, to the operations and maintenance account, is an attempt to back us out of the war on terror.

We all want peace. We all want these wars to go away, but that doesn't mean we can just wish them away, that we can just cut an account by over a third and wish these wars away like the Obama administration tried to do in Iraq.

The reality is we can either fight these wars in places like Kabul and Kandahar and Damascus and Baghdad, or this problem, particularly the terrorism problem, the extremism problem, will follow us home to places like Kansas City, San Bernardino, Orlando, New York, and others.

It is irresponsible, in the midst of a war--and I remind my colleagues that we are in the midst of a war--to tie the Pentagon's hands by cutting these funds when we have special operators, as we speak today, as we are debating here today, in 72 countries, as we have more American servicemembers deployed overseas than the entire armies of the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada combined, ensuring a liberal world order that has ensured the greatest period of prosperity since World War II that the world has ever known.

Mr. Chair, this is an irresponsible amendment. We can have this debate over where we should be and how our servicemembers should be deployed, but to cut their funds in the middle of the war on terror and try to back us out of these wars because you disagree with them is the height of irresponsibility.

We have a moral obligation to our servicemembers overseas. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, with 23 years of service as a Green Beret, as a special operator with tours in the White House and the Pentagon, I can assure my colleagues that my primary focus is the Floridians I represent and the troops downrange.

There are many things that I support in this bill: support and greater benefits for Gold Star families--although some of those recently introduced are not fully funded; restricting additional contracting with the Maduro regime; fully authorizing the Navy's anti- submarine warfare capability; and, of course, the emerging Space Corps.

But I would describe this bill is, in many ways, necessary, but in a whole, not sufficient, particularly in seeking to close Guantanamo Bay without sufficient alternatives that previous administrations and Congresses have all, I think, sought to do in good faith; tying the President's hands in protecting the border and on Iran; and, of course, a wholly insufficient top line, as we have discussed here today, to deal with the global threat that remains on terrorism, to deal with China, to deal with Russia, Iran, North Korea, and other near-peer threats.

Mr. Chairman, I hope this bill improves, sincerely, with amendments on the floor to be worthy of the men and women downrange defending this great country.

Mr. Chair, there is a distinct difference between oversight and unnecessary micromanagement.

Protection of civilians is a fundamental part of military operations.

DOD standards and policies are some of the most stringent in the world. No force in history has been more committed to limiting harm to civilians than the U.S. military.

As a special operator who has had to make these decisions, we need to be very careful of secondary effects of these types of reports, from putting soldiers unnecessarily in harm's way, to pilots being overly cautious to provide close air support, to terrorists living another day to kill more civilians, ironically, because of this overreach and overcaution.

Our policies and procedures are sufficient.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment.

Madam Speaker, since the 1940s, Daytona Beach has been the premiere destination for auto racing.

Fifty years ago, Bill France, Sr. and John and Peggy Bishop laid a foundation that today supports one of the most prominent auto racing organizations in the world--the International Motor Sports Association. What began as a sanctioning body for a Formula Ford and Formula Vee race at Pocono Raceway has grown to become an international powerhouse specializing in world-class sports car competition.

This year, IMSA, based in Daytona Beach, turns 50. It comes from humble beginnings. The IMSA started as a race with fewer than 330 attendees has expanded by leaps and bounds over the last 50 years now boasts some of the largest attendance numbers in its history.

Here in my district, we understand the excitement and the benefits of our car racing. IMSA has been an important piece of our community, debuting its Grand-Am road racing circuit in 2000 at Daytona.

This year, the IMSA will lead seven motorsports platforms and deliver live coverage to racing fans all over the world.

It's an honor to recognize the IMSA and their contributions to our district and the racing community. I'd like to congratulate them on 50 years worth being proud of. Here's to many more.

Madam Speaker, election security is especially significant to Floridians. Two Florida counties were breached in the 2016 election as a result of Russian spear phishing targeting county election officials.

As Members of Congress, obviously, we are not here to relitigate 2016 but to work toward bipartisan solutions to defend the 2020 elections from foreign intrusion.

I am disappointed that the majority is rushing this partisan proposal to the floor this week and has bypassed Republicans who have shown interest in working on election security. Just yesterday, the Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing on election vulnerabilities and potential solutions. That hearing occurred after-- after--this proposal had been introduced and a day before it will receive a vote on the House floor.

This proposal throws $1.3 billion at the problem without careful consideration by the authorizing committees. This proposal also excludes bipartisan solutions, like the one I am drafting with Representative Stephanie Murphy from Florida.

Our proposal, the ALERTS Act, would require Federal agencies to report to the Department of Homeland Security if an election intrusion is identified and require DHS to notify State and local officials of the breach, unless the information is deemed to compromise intelligence sources.

Federal, State, and local officials have a duty to notify voters in Florida and voters across the country impacted by election attacks, a duty that was not upheld by the FBI in the wake of the 2016 elections and a duty that the ALERTS Act, this bipartisan proposal, would require.

At yesterday's Science, Space, and Technology Committee hearing, the secretary of Oklahoma's State Election Board recommended a State and local reporting requirement like the ALERTS Act.

So, testimony and a recommendation--both--were not considered by the authors of this bill.

Madam Speaker, I request that my colleagues oppose this bill, and immediately following this vote, I ask Democrats and Republicans to come together to work toward a bipartisan election security package.

Mr. Speaker, this motion amends the bill by adding $10 million for the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Department of the Treasury. This office plays a key role in countering our most critical national security threats by implementing sanctions.

As a Green Beret, I have fought in the war on terror, and I can tell you this office is vital to the safety of our Nation and preventing war. In light of our current threats, this office requires an additional $10 million to accomplish its goals.

This motion will implement sanctions policy toward Russia, North Korea, ISIS, and, particularly, the Iranian regime, the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism.

I am personally well aware of the grave threat Iran poses to the security of our country. I have lived it. I have dealt with the Iranians and their proxies all over the world. They are an enemy of this country and our ally Israel, and that does not change regardless of whether my colleagues are Republicans or Democrats.

Mr. Speaker, no one wants war. In fact, we want to drive Iran back to the negotiating table to prevent war. The best way to do that is to exert maximum pressure on its economy because what the regime cares about the most is not the Iranian people--is not the Iranian people-- but lining its own pockets.

All indications from the intelligence community are that the economic pressure campaign is working. Iran's currency is tanking. Inflation is on the rise. Oil exports are drying up. Most importantly, Iran is unable to pay its terrorist proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas.

Specifically, this motion would fund sanctions on Iran's leadership, on senior commanders of the IRGC, on front companies, and on Iran's terrorist ally Hezbollah.

Mr. Speaker, I want to remind this body of the marines we lost in Beirut at the hands of Iran, the 500 Americans killed by Iranian militias in Iraq, and the American hostages held in Iran as we speak here today, which include a U.N. worker and a Princeton Ph.D. student.

As a soldier who has had to fight terrorism, no one wants to avoid war as much as I do. I wear a bracelet on my wrist of one of the Green Berets I lost, and I wake up every day thinking about how this body can be worthy of their sacrifice.

Mr. Speaker, let's support this MTR, and let's work together to avoid another war in the Middle East.

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

Madam Speaker, as a combat veteran and as a Green Beret, this is personal for me. I know firsthand the seriousness of the call to serve our country, and I know that when soldiers take their place on the battlefield, they are prepared to defend America and lose their lives for our freedom.

The families of our servicemembers wait for their loved one's safe return nervously and anxiously await hearing their voice and feeling the comfort of their warm embrace once more. Unfortunately, for some, the knock on their door instead initiates them into a fraternity no family wants to join. That knock changes them forever and makes them part of the Gold Star family.

When our servicemembers pass, many of their spouses put their benefits in their children's name. As if the loss of a mother or a father isn't and wasn't painful enough, some of our Gold Star children's pain is worsened by an unintended oversight in our Tax Code which forces them to pay thousands in additional taxes on survivor benefits and raises their tax liability from 12 percent to nearly 40 percent.

This is not just a financial issue; it is a strategic issue for our Volunteer military. It affects recruitment and retention. Some people may not want to volunteer with the possibility of a large financial burden on their loved one if the worst happens.

The bottom line is, if our family support starts cracking, the entire foundation of our modern military is in trouble. We have an opportunity today to right this wrong and to fix this with the Gold Star Family Tax Relief Act, which is being included in the SECURE Act that is up for today's vote.

I would thank Chairman Neal and Ranking Member Brady for quickly recognizing this issue and for including this measure in the final bill.

Today, I call upon my colleagues in the House to make this right. I hope that Members will join me in supporting the passage of this legislation to show our country's appreciation to the Gold Star families for laying so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Mr. Speaker, when Members think of my home State of Florida, they think of water. From our beaches to our springs to our lakes and our rivers, Florida's waterways stretch far and wide, covering nearly 26,000 miles.

Florida's Sixth District, my district, is no exception, with miles of Atlantic Coast to the east and bordered by the St. Johns River to the west.

From the Matanzas River marsh to the Everglades, water is at the heart of Florida's ecosystem and its natural beauty. People are drawn to Florida's water, and the numbers prove it. One thousand people per day move to the Sunshine State, with a record 126 million people visiting Florida last year.

Tourism drives our economy, and Florida's tourism is dependent on clean water and its natural resources.

Unfortunately, our water quality is threatened right now. We saw a new blue-green algae bloom erupt in the St. Johns River just last month. While it is too early to know exactly the specific cause of this incident, we do know what causes algae blooms, and there are steps the government can and should take to prevent them.

This is why I am focusing my efforts to remove septic tanks from my district and connecting those communities to new sewer utilities.

I am grateful for our State lawmakers and Governor Ron DeSantis, who prioritized water quality this year, putting $49 million toward water quality and wastewater grants and $25 million specifically for septic- to-sewer conversions. These conversions will have a positive impact by lessening discharges since septic leakage contributes to these growing algae blooms and these growing algae problems.

We must leverage these State resources with Federal funds to address the full needs of Florida. We have the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program and State Clean Water Revolving Fund program, but they need to be better focused and better utilized to address this issue.

We have to do more. That is why I requested much-needed funding for our National Estuary Program, which funds the Indian River Lagoon, in the fiscal year 2020 appropriations bill. The Indian River Lagoon in my district has, unfortunately, fallen victim to septic leakage and requires a plan for restoring water quality.

The National Estuary Program supports and will help maintain healthy water and estuary ecosystems like the Indian River Lagoon.

Alongside many of my Florida delegation colleagues, I supported the $200 million funding request for the Everglades restoration project in April, and I am glad President Trump has amended his budget to include the Everglades. Everglades restoration is dependent on cleaning Lake Okeechobee and its discharges, which impact water along our coast.

I also commend my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee for passing the Energy and Water bill yesterday, which includes that $200 million figure. These requests will go directly toward improving Florida's waterways across the State and areas like the Indian River Lagoon, if signed into law.

I am hopeful that, here in Congress, we can get this legislation passed through the House, passed through the Senate, and onto the President's desk for signature. It is the right thing to do for communities along the St. Johns River and necessary for maintaining the travel and tourism that drives Florida's economy.

We must restore Florida's water quality and take this issue very seriously.