Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I was unavailable to vote in the House on February 17, 2021 and February 26, 2021. Had I been present, I would have voted: Roll Call 41: NAY; Roll Call 42: YEA; Roll Call 43: YEA; Roll Call 44: YEA; Roll Call 45: NAY; Roll Call 46: NAY; Roll Call 47: NAY; Roll Call 48: YEA; and Roll Call 49: NAY.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 100th anniversary of East St. Louis American Legion Post 53. During the last century, this post has provided countless local veterans with services, support, and fellowship. Such commitment to our heroes has helped the American Legion become one of the largest non-profit organizations in the United States.

After World War I ended with the signing of the Armistice in November 1918, veterans came back to America wanting to remain a close-knit community. After Congress chartered the American Legion later that year, Post 53 in East St. Louis became a pillar of the national organization. As a Marine and the father of a Marine, I am so grateful for all of the work the American Legion at Post 53 has done over the years to bring our heroes together and ensure they receive the benefits they deserve.

Madam Speaker, please join me in recognizing this momentous occasion and commend the East St. Louis American Legion Post 53 for the great achievements they have achieved over the last 100 years.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table H.R. 3401, with the Senate amendment thereto, and concur in the Senate amendment. This bipartisan bill passed the Senate with 84 votes and could be sent to the President's desk for his signature today.

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chair, the purpose of my amendment is to put the House on record in support of strengthening HUD's oversight of public housing.

Many of my colleagues may have never heard of Cairo, Illinois, or what took place at the Alexander County Housing Authority, but they should.

An investigation by The Southern Illinoisan newspaper discovered a public housing agency plagued with corruption and mismanagement.

Residents lived in unsafe, unsanitary conditions, with mold, rodents, and broken air ducts that allowed for the creation of black mold-- public housing that was not suitable for any human being to live in. The problem was so bad that many of the buildings had to be demolished.

Residents were forced to move far from Cairo.

All the while, the housing authority's senior leadership was cashing in. Officials received excessive pay and benefits, large pensions, lavish travel expenses, and a big consulting contract for a former director; all of this paid for with taxpayer money.

These problems did not occur overnight. It took decades of corruption and neglect. The Federal regulators were asleep at the switch. Despite the terrible living conditions, HUD inspectors gave a passing grade to the Alexander Housing Authority on several occasions.

HUD failed to properly audit the financials. If they did, they would have taken action before conditions became a crisis.

Last year, HUD Office of Inspector General issued a report on failures in Alexander County. The report included four specific recommendations on improvement to the agency's regulations of public housing.

The House Committee on Financial Services conducted a hearing on this report. I testified as a witness. I was glad to see the bipartisan outrage which occurred about the situation that occurred in Cairo.

More recently, the HUD Inspector General issued a report on the specific criminal actions of Alexander County Housing Authority leadership. Charges have been filed against these officials. Unfortunately, it comes too late for most residents of the housing authority.

But we can stop this from happening again. The purpose of my amendment is for HUD to implement the OIG improvements.

In addition, it is my hope that the House Financial Services Committee continue its work to conduct oversight of public housing agencies. What happened in Alexander County may be the most extreme outcome, but it is not the only one of these types of issues that are occurring around this Nation today.

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

Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman for his support of the amendment. With this, it is our hope that things like what happened in Alexander County will not happen again; that proper oversight will be given.

The effect that this has on people's lives is tremendous, and anyone that has worked with these situations knows and understands.

I appreciate the fact that my colleague, the chairman, supports this, and I ask for my colleagues' support.

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

Madam Chair, I rise today in support of this en bloc package.

My amendment highlights the positive work done by public universities and law schools offering pro bono legal services for our Nation's veterans.

As the ranking member of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, I understand that putting together a proper application for disability benefits can be difficult at times.

In my district, Southern Illinois University Carbondale School of Law offers assistance to veterans when appealing disability claims. The program has helped thousands of these heroes and increases the chances for the veterans receiving positive responses in a timely manner.

I thank the chair and ranking member for including this in the en bloc package, and I urge its support.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment in support of the President's executive order entitled ``Strengthening Buy-American Preferences for Infrastructure Projects.''

When Federal agencies spend tax dollars, those dollars should be spent on American-made products. This not only includes items directly procured by the Federal Government but, also, those funded through Federal aid programs.

Each year, the Federal Government will spend hundreds of billions of dollars procuring goods and services. Many billions more will be provided directly to States to build our Nation's military infrastructure.

Unfortunately, buy-American preference requirements are not consistently applied between various agencies. This may result in the loss of jobs and missing contract opportunities for American businesses and workers.

To address these potential shortfalls, the President's executive order directs agency heads to identify opportunities to maximize the use of American-made products.

I strongly support those efforts. Federal agencies should already be following this executive order, and my amendment would simply reinforce the President's efforts.

Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I appreciate the gentlewoman's support of the amendment. I also support the cosponsorship from Congressman Dan Lipinski and his support of these efforts as well.

Madam Chair, with that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

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

My amendment provides a much-needed increase of $3 million in funding to International Trade Administration Enforcement and Compliance to enforce the antidumping and counter vailing duty trade remedy laws.

My proposed offset is a similar reduction in International Trade Administration, Global Markets. This program would still receive a substantial increase in funding above the administration's request.

I thank the committee for its work in this regard to help fund trade enforcement, but much more must be done.

Trade remedy enforcement is about protecting our manufacturing workers and our businesses from illegal trade practices that cost jobs and harm our economy. Look no further than my district in 2015 when U.S. Steel announced that it was idling operations due to, in no small part, illegally dumped and subsidized steel imports.

Unfortunately, when it comes to nations that engage in illegal trade practices, business is booming, and no manufacturing business is immune from harm. The number of antidumping and countervailing duty cases has steadily increased over the years. In addition, even when the United States has acted to protect our market, nations like China have found ways to circumvent these protections to continue dumping products into our country.

Antidumping and countervailing duties are our most important shield against such illegal trade practices. However, these cases are very complex. The investigations are time and labor intensive. They require the collection and analysis of vast quantities of data. They require thorough investigations and the verification of information from foreign respondents.

While I am pleased the enactment of the bipartisan legislation I sponsored has sped up this process, cases can take many months before a determination is delivered. By then, it may be too late for victims of illegal trade practices.

In addition, many businesses that are victims of illegal antidumping and countervailing duty trade practices don't have the resources to avail themselves of these remedies. They and their workers are relying on us to provide a fair and level playing field.

Policymakers must set priorities. I fully support efforts to assist our businesses to export to foreign nations.

The United States has the most open and competitive market in the world. It is well past time other nations follow our example.

At the same time, our first priority must be to protect our workers and businesses from unfair competition. Additional resources for the Department of Commerce's Enforcement and Compliance will not only help with those that have filed petitions, but it will also permit the agency to self-initiate investigations, particularly for those workers and firms that don't have the resources and administrative capacities to file cases themselves. It will help combat the illegal circumvention of products through other nations.

Mr. Chair, I urge the House to adopt my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, in closing, let me say that this is an issue that we have dealt with in this Nation for a very long time. This gives us the opportunity to aggressively go after those that are illegally importing and transporting those goods that are hurting American jobs.

For the sake of our American jobs and our businesses, I ask for the support of the body, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I was unavailable to vote in the House on June 11, 2019. Had I been present, I would have voted: nay on Roll Call No. 245; nay on Roll Call No. 246; nay on Roll Call No. 247; and yea on Roll Call No. 248.

Madam Speaker, I was unavailable to vote in the House on June 10, 2019. Had I been present, I would have voted: YEA on Roll Call No. 242; YEA on Roll Call No. 243; and YEA on Roll Call No. 244.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the East St. Louis Boys Track and Field Team for winning the 2019 Class 2A State Tournament.

On Saturday, the Flyers beat their competitors by 42 points at O'Brien Field in Charleston, Illinois. This victory is the 12th boys state title for East St. Louis.

Madam Speaker, please join me in congratulating the team, their coaches, and their families that supported these young men on their journey to victory. They have brought tremendous pride to the 12th District of Illinois. Go Flyers.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the East St. Louis Girls Track and Field Team for winning the 2019 Class 2A State Tournament.

On Saturday, the Flyerettes beat their competitors by seven points at O'Brien Field in Charleston, Illinois. This victory is the second Girls state title for East St. Louis.

Madam Speaker, please join me in congratulating the team, their coaches, and their families that supported these young women on their journey to victory. They have brought tremendous pride to the 12th District of Illinois. Go Flyerettes.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Michael S. Monaghan in honor of his retirement as executive director of the Illinois Community College Trustees Association. Mr. Monaghan has been a crucial member in the education community for over 45 years, spearheading the movement to reform the community college system in Illinois while transforming thousands of lives along the way.

As a leader, teacher, and mentor, Mr. Monaghan has been an instrumental part of enhancing the educational experiences of young adults and professors across the state of Illinois. While serving as director of the Community College Trustees Association, he was able to successfully establish a state health insurance program for community college retirees, providing crucial benefits to countless employees.

Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring Mr. Michael S. Monaghan and commend him for his impeccable work for the people of Illinois. I wish him the best in his retirement.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Noah Conner in honor of his presentation of the Golden Apple Award. Out of 150,000 high schoolers, this distinction is given to 26 students across the state of Illinois who not only exhibit an exceptional work ethic within the classroom, but in athletics as well.

As a senior at Pinckneyville High School, Conner has shown his excellence in track and cross-country running while maintaining a perfect 4.0 Grade Point Average. This balance of academics and athletics is a difficult task, and I can't think of a more fitting individual to be merited this tremendous award.

Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring Noah Conner and commend him for his hard work in and out of the classroom.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Megan Breslin in honor of her presentation of the Golden Apple Award. Out of 150,000 high schoolers, this distinction is given to 26 students across the state of Illinois who not only exhibit an exceptional work ethic within the classroom, but in athletics as well.

As a senior at Pinckneyville High School, Megan has shown her excellence on the basketball court and golf links while maintaining a perfect 4.0 Grade Point Average. This balance of academics and athletics is a difficult task, and I can't think of a more fitting individual to be merited this tremendous award.

Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring Megan Breslin and commend her for her hard work in and out of the classroom.

Madam Speaker, a question for those watching at home.

Do you have a cell phone?

Has your family dinner been interrupted by a local call, only to realize that it was spam?

This is incredibly frustrating and becoming all too common. In 2017, under 4 percent of cell phone calls were spam. In 2018, the number jumped to almost 30 percent.

This year spam calls are expected to rise up to the point of half of all cell phone calls. That is why I am cosponsoring the TRACED Act. This bill gives the FCC broader authority to find scammers and increase penalties for those who are caught.

If you have a cell phone, this legislation will save you a lot of frustration and make those times at home with your family maybe a little bit more enjoyable.

I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this commonsense legislation.

The American People Don't Trust Washington, D.C.

Madam Speaker, the American people don't trust Washington, D.C. And I know that shocks everyone, but it is a perception that every one of us deals with back home, and after what the majority party pulled last week, it is easy to understand why.

Three--get it, three--bipartisan prescription drug pricing bills made it through committee and were ready to vote on.

Now let me say that one more time. Bipartisan healthcare bills, three of them; that is unheard of around here.

But then politics got in the way. The majority decided to add an unrelated poison pill to drive away the Republican support. This healthcare package now has no chance of being considered in the Senate and will never become law.

That is why I urge the majority to bring to the floor H.R. 2700. This legislation includes only the three bipartisan prescription drug pricing bills, no poison pills.

Let's come together to address the problem. The American people deserve better than the cynical political games that we are playing.

Celebrating the 19th Amendment

Madam Speaker, Susan B. Anthony once said: ``There will never be complete equality until women themselves help to make laws and elect lawmakers''--and serve as lawmakers and actually serve in the chair.

One hundred years ago, Congress moved one step closer to equality by passing a constitutional Amendment granting women the right to vote.

This week, we celebrate the 19th Amendment. To honor the courageous women who ushered us toward a more perfect Union, we wear yellow roses.

I have two daughters. I have seven granddaughters. I am thankful that they can shape their government because of the generations of women who came before them.

Madam Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Roe and Chairman Takano for allowing this piece of legislation to move forward.

As a veteran, first off, let me say this: I couldn't be prouder than to serve on the Veterans' Affairs Committee with the men and women we serve with because we get the opportunity to actually, hopefully, make a difference in those veterans' lives.

Twenty veterans commit suicide every day, and as was mentioned a while ago, that number hasn't changed much. So clearly, the current situation is not good enough.

We need to think differently about veteran suicide. President Trump recently took action on this issue. Now Congress is too, and it is vitally important that we do. We are acting in a bipartisan manner.

I am honored to stand with the gentleman from New York in supporting this legislation to improve the VA's suicide prevention coordinators.

Veteran suicide isn't a Republican or Democrat issue, and I am proud of the work we have been doing to try to help our veterans. They deserve our help, and, hopefully, with this bill, they are going to get it.

We have to turn the tide on our veterans that are committing suicide around this Nation at the level that they are. We have to do everything we can.

This bill, I believe, was a step in the right direction. I believe that we should pass it to the Senate as quickly as possible, and the Senate should then move forward, and then it should be implemented.