Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember and celebrate the life of Sam Stewart, Jr. and his support of The Downtown Market and City of Anniston.

Sam lived a life of public service in Anniston, Alabama and Calhoun County. Sam even served as an Anniston City Councilman and a candidate for Probate Judge. Sam was very active in the community and schools and was invested in making Anniston the best city it could be.

Sam served as a charter member of The Downtown Market's original advisory board and helped shape the market to be the success it is today. Rain or shine, you could always find Sam under the big top tent visiting with each vendor on market days.

Sam lived with MS, but did not let it slow him down. He was an avid Auburn fan and was always ready to talk football. Sam loved his family and his friends.

Sam passed away on October 12, 2016. His absence is still greatly missed in Anniston, but his vision for Anniston lives on in The Downtown Market--which he was passionate about.

On June 2nd, his life will be celebrated at The Downtown Market.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in remembering Sam Stewart and recognizing his hard work to make The Downtown Market a reality.

Mr. Chair, I claim time in opposition to this amendment.

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

I strongly oppose this amendment. This amendment is not about stewardship of taxpayers' dollars, good government, or setting priorities. Instead, this amendment is part of a broader, antinuclear agenda that we see year in and year out.

Let's be clear about what this amendment does. It cuts $145 million in desperately needed funding for recapitalizing nuclear weapons production buildings dating back to the 1940s and the 1950s.

Here is a quote from General Klotz, President Obama's NNSA Administrator, before my subcommittee a few years ago:

Our infrastructure is extensive, complex, and, in many

critical areas, several decades old. More than half of the

NNSA's approximately 6,000 real property assets are over 40

years old, and nearly 30 percent date back to the Manhattan

Project era.

Many of the enterprise's critical utility, safety, and

support systems are failing at an increasing and

unpredictable rate, which poses both programmatic and safety

risk.

That was in 2016. Folks, let me assure you, this problem has not gotten any better since then. I know that it has only gotten worse because I have visited all NNSA sites and have seen these deplorable conditions firsthand.

We are asking the Nation's highly skilled scientists, engineers, and technicians to design and build our nuclear weapons in buildings that are literally falling down around them. We have had large chunks of concrete fall from ceilings into operating workspaces. We have even had tape and plastic sheathing around 40-year-old pots carrying radioactive liquids. I have personally seen tarps hung over sensitive diagnostic equipment to prevent leaking roofs from destroying equipment worth tens of millions of dollars.

NNSA has a $3.7 billion backlog in deferred maintenance and repair needs. The funding that this amendment would strip away is sorely needed to help dig out of this hole. It is unfortunate that the gentleman does not at least recognize that this amendment would do harm to the safety of our workers.

I urge my colleagues to recognize this amendment for what it is and reject this broader agenda to undercut the U.S. nuclear deterrent.

Mr. Chair, I urge a ``no'' vote, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. DesJarlais), my friend and colleague and a member of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces.

Mr. Chair, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Thornberry), the full committee chairman, for any comments he may have.

Mr. Chair, I urge a ``no'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairman Thornberry and Ranking Member Smith for their leadership in bringing this year's NDAA to the floor with another overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 60-1 out of our committee.

I also thank my friend, the gentleman from Tennessee, Jim Cooper, the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, for working with me on some of the most difficult and complex issue sets that the HASC is responsible for.

The issues we deal with--nuclear weapons, missile defense, and space--are difficult issue sets, but our strong, bipartisan working relationship ensures the best oversight and policy is provided for our warfighters. I thank the gentleman for helping all of us in this regard.

I will focus on some of the key provisions under the jurisdiction of our subcommittee.

First, nuclear modernization. This bill starts with a clear-minded view of the threat posed by our strategic competitors Russia and China. The Strategic Forces section of the bill heeds the advice of General John Hyten to ``go fast'' and ensures that the U.S. will have a safe, secure, and modern nuclear deterrent. We accelerate funding for the LRSO and GBSD. We ensure full funding of a low-yield nuclear weapon option, as recommended by the Nuclear Posture Review, and we invest in our nuclear infrastructure.

On missile defense, we place additional emphasis on space-based sensing, boost-phase intercept, and directed-energy efforts. We also preserve the Missile Defense Agency's unique acquisition authorities, ensuring that the MDA can continue to quickly deliver capabilities to defend against the missile threats of today and tomorrow. Additionally, we accelerate funding for our own conventional prompt strike hypersonic weapon development.

In the space domain, we continue to press the Department of Defense and

the Air Force to fix the significant flaws in the organization and the management of the national security space enterprise.

In our section of the bill, we direct the establishment of a new numbered Air Force to help better resource the space cadre. We establish a sub-unified command for space to help bring back the advocacy and priority of space within the COCOMs. And we continue pressing for space acquisition reform.

Since last year, President Trump has endorsed the establishment of an independent space force. We remain committed to laying the foundation for the space force and to keeping the pressure on the rest of the executive branch to make progress in this regard.

This is a strong defense bill that directly contributes to increasing the lethality and agility of our troops, and I urge the House to adopt this legislation and vote ``yes.''

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to this amendment.

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

This amendment is very similar to NDAA amendments that have been presented to and rejected by this House each of the last 4 years in a row. One of the reasons this amendment has failed so many times is that even the Obama administration opposed it.

A few years ago, President Obama's Assistant Secretary of Defense told us that this type of multidecade report was a bad idea. He called such a report ``burdensome,'' explaining, ``As you would expect, looking out that far, 25 years, the credibility of the numbers would be very, very suspect.''

He went on to say: ``Forecasting DOD costs over a 25-year period with any useful accuracy is extremely difficult given the challenges of predicting developments in the international security environment and ongoing technological advancements.''

The Trump administration opposes it, too.

Here is the view of the current Department of Defense on this idea: ``Projecting out 20 years will result in even lower quality cost estimates with a higher degree of uncertainty. . . . `'

They go on to say: ``Given these and other uncertainties, cost estimates that project beyond 10 years into the future provide little value in understanding either the Department's fiscal position or its performance in managing programs.''

This amendment would not result in good, effective oversight and transparency. It would result in false, unreliable data entering the public debate.

This amendment is part of a longstanding effort to make our nuclear deterrent appear too expensive by calculating its costs over multiple decades. Regardless of the trillion-dollar figures thrown around by nuclear disarmament advocates, CBO has confirmed that our nuclear deterrent will never cost us more than 7 percent of the defense budget in coming decades. Seven percent of the defense budget to deter nuclear attack on our country is a bargain.

As Secretary Mattis said last year: ``America can afford survival.''

Mr. Chairman, I urge a ``no'' vote, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn), my friend and colleague.

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

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

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

Mr. Chair, I strongly oppose this amendment. Three successive Secretaries of Defense--Secretary Hagel, Secretary Carter, and Secretary Mattis--have said that nuclear deterrence is DOD's ``highest priority mission.''

In its 2018 Nuclear Posture Review, Secretary Mattis conducted a clear-eyed assessment of nuclear threats. In the end, Secretary Mattis concluded: ``We must look reality in the eye and see the world as it is, not as we wish it to be.''

This stands in stark relief to the Obama administration's 2010 Nuclear Posture Review, which concluded: ``Russia is not an enemy and is increasingly a partner.''

I will not list the many, many ways that this statement from 2010 is so obviously wrong. I will just note that Russia has many thousands of low-yield nuclear weapons, including nuclear artillery shells, nuclear land mines, and nuclear torpedoes, and recently announced even more. Russia regularly exercises them with its ``escalate to de-escalate'' doctrine, which they believe will force the U.S. to surrender early in a conflict.

The NPR rightly states: ``Correcting this mistaken Russian perception is a strategic imperative.''

Russia is not a partner, but a competitor, and we must shore up our deterrence posture.

Let me briefly address the specifics of the gentleman's amendment.

First, previous NDAAs already line-item authorize funding for individual warhead programs, regardless of the yield.

Second, in an April hearing, the Navy confirmed that having a low- yield nuclear weapon does not increase risk to the submarine.

Finally, Secretary Mattis and General Hyten of STRATCOM have stated that having this low-yield weapon does not increase the risk of strategic miscalculation.

The bottom line here is that this amendment is designed simply to slow down the long-overdue modernization and improvement of our nuclear forces. Because of that, I have to urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn), my friend and colleague.

Mr. Chair, I once again urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chairman, though I plan to withdraw this amendment, I seek to enter into a colloquy with my good friend, Chairman Conaway, regarding the Conservation Reserve Program and to express concern with the number of acres authorized in the CRP program in H.R. 2.

Chairman Conaway has been a strong chairman and a leader for America's farmers, and for that I would like to thank him.

CRP is a well-intended program that has a place in protecting sensitive lands; however, the program should not be expanded beyond levels currently authorized in the Agriculture Act of 2014.

The Agriculture Act of 2014 reduced the national CRP acreage cap from 32 million acres to 27.5 million acres in 2014 and to 24 million acres in 2018. H.R. 2 would then increase this cap by 1 million acres each year to a maximum enrollment of 29 million acres by 2023.

USDA's Farm Service Agency's CRP enrollment data reveals that, for the 2016 fiscal year, 23.9 million acres were enrolled in CRP, representing approximately 7 percent of the U.S. cropland. Rental rates and leases offered by the Federal Government are often much more lucrative than farming would be.

While congressional directives and a favorable farm economy in prior years led to lower CRP enrollment, nearly one-quarter of all land enrolled in CRP has been enrolled for more than 20 years, including 2.7 million acres, or 12 percent, enrolled for more than three decades since the inception of the program. During the 2016 fiscal year, payments for CRP lands totaled $1.7 billion.

As our Nation's farmers and ranchers face the challenge of meeting the increasing demand for food and fiber in the U.S. and abroad, I ask the chairman: Should America's producers be forced to continue competing with Federal programs for access to farmland?

I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman for his leadership and commitment

Mr. Chair, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw the amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer my amendment, which would allow SNAP users to purchase multivitamins.

First, I would like to thank Chairman Conaway for his hard work during this farm bill process. H.R. 2 is a bill that will strengthen the farm safety net for America's farmers and ranchers, and give folks on SNAP a path out of poverty with workforce training programs.

The multivitamins can serve as an effective bridge between what Americans should eat and what they actually consume. Repeated studies have shown that Americans do not consume essential nutrients at recommended levels through diet alone. Low-income and older Americans are more likely than others to have insufficient and nutritionally inadequate diets.

Multivitamins are not a replacement for a healthy diet, but these supplements can help fill that nutrient gap. Safe, convenient, and scientifically supported multivitamins represent a low-cost immediate solution for SNAP recipients looking to ensure their families receive adequate intake of essential vitamins and minerals.

It is my hope that by empowering low-income Americans to achieve optimal nutrition, SNAP recipients will develop lifelong habits that will eventually break the cycle of poverty and allow them to reach their full potential.

Mr. Chair, I urge passage of this commonsense, no-cost amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for the House's attention today to recognize Pastor Kent and Beverly Mattox and his staff at Word Alive International Outreach church in Calhoun County during the Freedom Riders celebration in Anniston on May 5, 2018.

Word Alive International Outreach was founded in December of 2000. Pastor Kent and his staff went above and beyond measure to help make the celebration a huge success. Their hospitality and service to the community was amazing. It is great people like them that make the difference in servitude.

All in all, they made the celebration even more special for all who attended.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in recognizing and thanking Pastor Kent Mattox and the Word Alive staff.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for the House's attention to recognize the National Skilled Nursing Week, formerly known as National Nursing Home Week, May 13-19, and recognize our Veterans at the Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System (CAVHCS).

The American Health Care Association established the National Nursing Home Week in 1967 and this year's theme is ``Celebrating Life's Stories.'' Each nursing home center will collect stories on each individuals' personal story.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in recognizing this special week and thanking all of our Veterans in Alabama.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th anniversary of the founding of West Point Baptist Church located in Jacksonville, Alabama.

The church was founded on May 19, 1918, by 21 men and women. They first held their services in the West Point School building. When the school abandoned this structure in 1931, the congregation bought and remodeled it. This building was used until 1967 when they constructed a new red brick veneer structure on that site. The red brick building was enlarged and adapted to meet the need of a growing church family.

Sadly, this building was totally destroyed by a tornado on March 19, 2018. Although the building can no longer be used for worship, the church family continues to grow in spirit and increase in numbers.

The current pastor, Reverend Ronny J. Moore has served at West Point Baptist since March of 2011.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating the congregation of West Point Baptist Church on the 100th Anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for the House's attention to recognize the 100th birthday of Polly Millhouser.

Polly was born March 22, 1918, in Waukegan, Illinois. In 1937, at the age of 19, she threw caution to the wind and moved to Honolulu, Hawaii with a friend, working as a secretary for the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor. Shortly after the tragic attack of 1941, she met Charles, a U.S. Marine Corps sergeant, when he stopped by her office one day; she caught his eye and by way of introduction he threw a paper clip in her direction. They married in Honolulu in 1943.

After the war Polly and Charles moved to his hometown of Evanston, Illinois, where their children Mary (Latta), Jean and Robert were born. Later they lived in Arlington Heights, Illinois, where Polly was a homemaker and school volunteer. Polly and Charles retired to Mountain Home, Arkansas in 1987 where she quickly became active in the community, volunteering at the elementary school and the Mountain Home library. Charles passed away in October 1990 at 71 years of age.

She loved listening to the first-graders practice reading, and she spent many happy hours shelving books at the library, working at the library book sales and hosting/attending Friends of the Library meetings. She was honored for her years of service to the library when Baxter County proclaimed April 25, 2009 as Polly Millhouser Day. Polly is a member and former Deacon of the First Presbyterian Church of Mountain Home, Arkansas.

Polly stayed active as a member of a casual walking group of friends who for years walked a 3-mile loop at a local park three times a week. She finally quit putting up her own storm windows when she turned 93. By her grandson David and Amy (Downs) Latta, she has two amazing great- grandchildren, Hannah and Jack.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in wishing Mrs. Millhouser a very happy 100th birthday.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from Georgia for leading this Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to highlight the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is having in east Alabama and across America.

After working under an outdated Tax Code for over 30 years, businesses and

families from the Third District of Alabama and the entire country are feeling some relief. From bigger paychecks to bonuses and raises, many companies in the U.S. have already distributed over $4 billion in bonuses.

In my district, Russell Lands in Alexander City distributed $500 bonuses to each of their 500 employees as a direct result of the tax overhaul.

Three companies in Columbus, Georgia, which is right across the State line from my district, have already rewarded their employees because of tax reform, including, as you have heard earlier, Aflac, Synovus Financial, and Total System Services. This is putting more money back in the pockets of some of my constituents right across the State line in Russell County.

Regions Bank and Protective Life in Birmingham, Alabama; Cogent Building Group in Point Clear, Alabama; Overseas Hardwoods in Stockton, Alabama; and DTI and Xante in Mobile are other companies across our great State that have been giving bonuses to their employees.

I am proud of Ben Russell of Russell Lands and the other companies I mentioned leading the way on this important front.

Because of the tax reform, over 4 million workers have already received a bonus or a pay increase across our great country. These bigger paychecks and bonuses can help families save for their kids' school or help pay for a new household appliance. It helps with making a car payment or paying off student debt.

This extra money represents opportunity. At a time when every penny counts, I am proud to see tax reform is giving hardworking Americans more money to take home to their families.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for the House's attention today to recognize Spring Garden High School Varsity Girls for winning the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) Class 1A basketball state title.

The Panthers beat the Phillips Bears 52-38 on March 1, 2018 at the Legacy Arena at the BJCC in Birmingham, Alabama.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating the students and faculty of Spring Garden High School, the coaches, the players and all the Panthers fans on this exciting achievement! Go Panthers.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for the House's attention today to recognize Sylacauga High School Varsity Boys for winning the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) Class 5A basketball state title for the first time since 1988.

The Aggies beat the Eufaula Tigers 79-78 on March 3, 2018 at the Legacy Arena at the BJCC in Birmingham, Alabama.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating the students and faculty of Sylacauga High School, the coaches, the players and all the Aggies fans on this exciting achievement. Go Aggies.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for the House's attention today to recognize Lanett High School for winning the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) Class 2A basketball state title for the third year in a row.

This three-peat came after The Panthers beat St. Luke's Episcopal on March 2, 2018 at the Legacy Arena at the BJCC in Birmingham, Alabama.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating the students and faculty of Lanett High School, the coaches, the players and all the Panthers fans on this exciting achievement for the third consecutive year. Go Panthers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 50th wedding anniversary of David and Lindalu Barber on February 3, 2018.

David Barber and Lindalu Thompson were married on February 3, 1968 at Wilson Chapel United Methodist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. They are both life-long residents of Jefferson County.

David spent his professional career as a prosecutor, serving Jefferson County as a Deputy District Attorney, and as District Attorney, for a total of 35 years. He concurrently served in the United States Army Reserve for a period of 37 years, retiring in 2005 as a Colonel.

Lindalu's chief occupation was that of mother and homemaker to their three children: Joel Barber (Mindy), Julie Barber Hanner and Jenny Lou Barber Grindle (Chris). They are grandparents to Drew Grindle, Catherine Grindle, John Lewis Barber, Lawson Barber, Fischer Barber, Mary Evelyn Grindle and David Grindle.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in recognizing the 50th wedding anniversary of David and Lindalu Barber.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 50th wedding anniversary of Ronnie and Rhonda Brooks on August 10, 2018.

Ronnie and Rhonda met on June 9, 1968 and were married that same year.

Ronnie graduated from MacArthur Technical College and joined the Navy. He was assigned to a brand new Naval Boot Camp Facility in Orlando, Florida.

Rhonda Fore Brooks graduated in May of 1968 from Kinston High School in Kinston, Alabama. She had just moved back from Tacoma, Washington, where her father was stationed in the Air Force.

Their first child, Scotty Zane, was born in the Great Lakes Naval Training Center on Mother's Day, May 11, 1969. Their second child, Sandra Elaine, was born on February 1, 1972, in Charleston, South Carolina, where Ronnie was stationed on the USS Howard W. Gilmore AS- 16.

Ronnie graduated from Troy State University in 1977 and the University of Alabama in 1982. He taught and was principal at Coosa Christian Elementary School in Gadsden, Alabama. Rhonda went to MacArthur Technical School.

In 1984, they moved to Piedmont, Alabama. Ronnie was Human Resources Manager for SCT Yarns, Inc. and Rhonda went to Jacksonville State University. They again moved to Opp, in 1991 and Ronnie became Personnel and Safety Manager with Opp & Micolas Mills and Rhonda owned the Opp Christian Bookstore for the next 10 years before moving to Phenix City, Alabama, as part of Ronnie's job promotion.

Their children are married now: Scotty married Tammy Bryan and Sandie married James Manscill, Jr. They have four grandchildren: Justin Brooks (married to Anna Frederick), Hannah Brooks, Erika Manscill and Danielle Manscill.

Being retired now, Ronnie and Rhonda are still active in the community, active members of Epworth United Methodist Church and members of the International Gideon's Association in the Russell County Camp. They both give the success of their marriage and family to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in recognizing the 50th wedding anniversary of Ronnie and Rhonda Brooks.