Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the historic commission of the USS Frank E. Petersen, Jr. The brave servicemen and servicewomen of the United States Navy are now in command of an impressive vessel with an equally impressive namesake.

Lieutenant General Frank E. Petersen, Jr., was an all-American hero who served with distinction for 38 years. As the first African-American Marine Corps aviator and first African-American Marine Corps general officer, Lieutenant General Petersen went above and beyond the call of duty as a fighter pilot in over 350 combat missions in both the Korean and Vietnam wars.

For this exemplary service, Lieutenant General Petersen was well decorated, receiving the Distinguished Service Medal, the Superior Service Medal, the Purple Heart, as well as numerous others. His service was exemplary, and the American people are eternally grateful to him and his commitment to our country.

This vessel will be a mainstay of the U.S. Armed Forces and, as its namesake did, will overcome all in the pursuit of excellent. As soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines have done for generations, the crew members will continue to carry the torch of liberty and defend our great Nation.

Congratulating the Parris Island Marine Corps Band

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Lowcountry's best, the Parris Island Marine Corps Band, for their Emmy-nominated original composition called ``You Were There.'' This piece salutes the first responders who continued to work at the height of the pandemic, honoring their commitment to serve and their dedication to serve.

This piece was inspired by Mrs. Lakin Pellon, the wife of the band director, Chief Warrant Officer Mark Pellon, who worked with COVID-19 patients at the height of the pandemic in Los Angeles, Beaufort, and Hilton Head Island. Her bravery during the pandemic exemplifies the spirit of first responders across the Nation. Mrs. Pellon, as well as so many other first responders from communities just like the Lowcountry, made sacrifices every day for us, and we owe them an enormous debt.

The marines who performed this touching piece are the first responders for the Nation when we have dangers abroad, but it is remarkable to see their tribute to our first responders at home.

Congratulations on this tremendous honor.

Recognizing a Tribute to First Responders

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a tribute to first responders in Charleston during National Police Week. Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg partnered with visual artist Kelvin Blufton and numerous current and former law enforcement officials from across the Lowcountry for an unveiling of ``ESCAPE.''

``ESCAPE'' is an exhibit of original paintings of first responders by Mr. Blufton that is meant to educate young people in the principles of civil service and the subsequent responsibility of serving in our community.

``ESCAPE'' stands for East Side Civic Art Public Engagement and is tailored to encourage young people to aspire to be first responders in order to better serve the Lowcountry.

Mayor Tecklenburg and Mr. Blufton are helping to raise the next generation of public servants, and we couldn't be more thrilled with the progress they are making. Congratulations to them both on this amazing unveiling.

Recognizing Battery Creek High School Wildlife Habitat Program

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Battery Creek High School, a fantastic Lowcountry school in Beaufort, South Carolina, with an excellent wildlife habitat education program that has recently won the South Carolina State championship and will be sending four young men to the national competition in London, Kentucky.

The Wildlife Habitat Education Program is a hands-on environmental education program that provides students an opportunity to test their wildlife knowledge. This knowledge is invaluable to young people, particularly in the Lowcountry, as they learn important lessons about wildlife management and conservation.

Conservation is an important value we all share in our community, and these young men are helping to lead the charge in conservation efforts throughout the Lowcountry and throughout the State of South Carolina.

This championship has meant a great deal to the Beaufort community, and we couldn't be more proud of our young students.

Congratulations to Hunter Smith, Diego Vega, Hunter Hollingsworth, Tanner McCracken, and Ms. Beth Ann Melton. We wish all of them the best at nationals in July and August.

Recognizing Chris and Sheila Porzuczek

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize one of the Lowcountry's businessowners, Chris and Sheila Porzuczek of Tortuga's Mexican Grill on Edisto Beach.

Last week, Tortuga's donated a portion of their proceeds from an event which the Edisto Beach Loggerhead Turtle Project held during Cinco de Mayo called Tacos for Turtles.

This event not only helped to raise money, but also helped raise awareness of the importance of turtle conservation and keeping the lights off at night to help prevent confusion for newly hatched turtles on their way into the ocean.

Despite staffing shortages, which are affecting businesses across the Lowcountry right now, Chris and Sheila are known as hard workers and support local nonprofits in the Lowcountry often.

Thank you to Chris and Sheila for their hard work and their contributions to the Lowcountry.

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

Mr. Speaker, recent cyberattacks on the U.S. Government continue to reveal weaknesses in our Federal information technology systems. One such weakness resides in the software products Federal agencies purchase from the private sector.

IT and software products, like most goods and services, now rely on global supply chains for their development, and this means increased vulnerabilities to threats from malicious and criminal actors, as well as our foreign enemies, as my colleague, Mr. Connolly, just recognized.

Congress must ensure Federal agencies proactively address supply chain security risks. The Supply Chain Security Training Act will ensure the Federal workforce properly understands these supply chain risks and the appropriate policies to implement to address the risks.

Specifically, the bill tasks the General Services Administration with developing, and the Office of Management and Budget, OMB, with implementing a governmentwide supply chain security training program. This training will prepare the Federal workforce to better identify and mitigate the security risks throughout the acquisition lifecycle of information and communications technology products and services. For instance, Federal agency personnel would be better able to recognize and avoid purchasing software products with malware vulnerabilities.

This is smart legislation that builds on existing congressional reforms. For instance, the bill requires coordination with the existing Federal Acquisition Security Council, an interagency effort established by Congress in 2018 to develop policies and procedures addressing supply chain risks.

Despite these existing efforts, there are currently no Federal workforce training requirements in place to ensure supply chain security policies are properly and consistently implemented. The national security stakes are too high to leave such a strategic gap in our Federal defenses.

S. 2201 represents a practical policy reform to a very real threat. I appreciate my colleagues Representatives Neguse and Franklin's leadership on championing the House companion bill, H.R. 5962.

I look forward to seeing the Supply Chain Security Training Act pass the House and advance to the President's desk.

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

Mr. Speaker, I also want to again recognize my colleagues, Representatives Neguse and Franklin, who crafted the House companion legislation, H.R. 5962.

I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Government is under constant attack. We watch news story after news story of private companies being attacked by hackers across the country and, quite frankly, across the world. But our Federal agencies are also vulnerable.

Malicious hackers try to steal sensitive public information and disrupt the missions of our Federal agencies. In fact, in 2020, there were 11 Federal agencies that were hacked by actors aligned with countries like China and--you guessed it--Russia. And all too often, these malicious actors are successful.

My colleague, Representative Ro Khanna, and I recognized this reality and crafted the House companion bill legislation to the Senate bill we are considering today. That companion bill is H.R. 3599.

The Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act continues the Trump administration's efforts as laid out in the ``America's Cybersecurity Workforce'' executive order. This executive order promoted cyber rotational details at the Department of Homeland Security. Such programs help Federal cyber experts gain more diverse professional experiences and continue to sharpen their skills.

Our Nation's cyber readiness depends on maintaining a skilled Federal workforce to defend against constant attacks. Specifically, this bill establishes an additional governmentwide rotational opportunity for cyber-focused professionals.

The bill has necessary congressional oversight mechanisms, such as a requirement for a detailed operational plan and a future Government Accountability Office review. This will help Congress understand if the program is running as intended. Additionally, a 5-year sunset will provide Congress an opportunity to evaluate the program and decide whether to renew it for future years.

I thank my House and Senate colleagues for their work on this bipartisan bill, which builds upon the cyber workforce efforts of the prior administration, and I encourage my colleagues to support S. 1097 and send this necessary bill to the President's desk.

To any teenager who loves to code out there today, I encourage all of you to look at cybersecurity jobs and opportunities in your near future because we will need you in our workforce.

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

Mr. Speaker, now more than ever, the cyber workforce of our Federal agencies needs to be well equipped to address the constant threats we face.

By expanding cyber rotation programs under this bill, we will help Federal agencies gain valuable experience and share best practices across the government.

I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6531 directs the Office of Management and Budget to lead a government-wide effort to review the share of Federal funds addressing poverty in a consistent manner across agency assistance programs.

Specifically, this legislation will ensure that a more up-to-date and consistent listing of the areas of persistent poverty in our Nation will be used by agencies to determine funding allocations. This will help struggling rural Americans getting greater access to the many taxpayer-funded poverty assistance programs.

The Federal Government currently spends an enormous amount of taxpayer funds on low-income populations. However, it is important that funding be targeted especially to our most vulnerable counties experiencing prolonged struggles with poverty.

This bill creates a consistent approach across competitively awarded Federal grant and financial assistance programs.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Congressman Clyburn and Congressman Hal Rogers, for their bipartisan efforts on this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers).

Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 6531, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, Houston native and Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. In April 2020, she was reported missing from her unit.

Tragically, her body was found 2 months later along the Leon River near Fort Hood. It is believed Specialist Guillen was killed by a fellow soldier at Fort Hood who had been harassing her and stalking her.

Specialist Guillen's death spurred a national policy conversation about the way in which sexual harassment claims have been handled by the military.

I strongly support this postal-naming bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for giving a voice to thousands of women who don't have one with this postal-naming bill tonight. I support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, Lawrence Walsh was born and raised in Joliet, Illinois, where he later served as an Illinois State Senator from 1997 to 2005. He also served his local community as the Will County executive, an office he held from 2004 until his death in 2020.

Mr. Speaker, I support this postal-naming bill honoring an Illinois community public servant, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, tonight, I am honored to speak about Private Jacob Cruz, a marine killed in the World War II Pacific campaign.

Private Cruz fought bravely alongside other marines and soldiers who were also killed in battle. However, until recently, many of these American heroes were laid to rest abroad in unknown or lost graves.

In 2019, thanks in part to the Virginia nonprofit History Flight, Private Cruz's remains were finally identified. Later in 2021, his remains were finally returned to the United States and returned to his family members. Private Cruz now lies in rest here in the United States, the country he gave his life defending.

Today, we honor this American hero by renaming a U.S. Post Office in his honor. I support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, our soldiers sacrifice so much for our Nation. Naming a Post Office for those veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan is the least we can do to honor them. When local residents visit this Post Office in Schaumburg, Illinois, hopefully, they will be reminded of all the sacrifices made by our servicemembers in support of American freedom, democracy, and national security that we hold so dear here and around the world.

Mr. Speaker, I support this postal-naming bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, Rosa Parks is known as the ``Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.''

Her brave resistance set in motion one of the largest social movements in American history: the Montgomery Bus Boycott. After 381 days, the Montgomery Bus Boycott ended after the Supreme Court held that any law requiring racially segregated seating on buses violated the 14th Amendment.

Because of her brave actions, Mrs. Parks lost her job and faced death threats the remainder of her life, but she never gave up the fight. She moved with her family to Detroit in 1957, where she continued to support the civil rights movement.

Mr. Speaker, I support this postal-naming bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Duncan), the sponsor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill honoring Easley, South Carolina native and American hero, Private First Class Austin. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Duncan), the sponsor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill honoring Specialist Johnson, who was the first Vietnam war casualty from Pickens County, South Carolina.

Welcome home, Specialist Johnson.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Kelly), the sponsor of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill honoring one of the most decorated U.S. Army

soldiers in the history of our country, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Kelly), the sponsor of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the support of my colleagues on this bill honoring Lance Corporal Tucker, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, Christian Koch enlisted in the National Guard Infantry in March of 2000. He graduated second in his basic training class with honors. With such an excellent record, he was immediately awarded a slot in Airborne School. He was quickly promoted and granted a spot in Air Assault School, which was a unique honor.

In 2004, he was accepted into Warrant Officer School at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Upon completion, he then attended and graduated flight school in 2008. He was deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he flew supplies and personnel. Later, he was deployed to Afghanistan as a medical evacuation pilot.

He passed away in January 2021 during a training mission, leaving behind his wife and their four children.

Mr. Speaker, to honor his legacy, I strongly support this postal- naming bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize and commend two of my young constituents from Daniel Island, South Carolina, Ella and Owen Rogers--Ella is 14 and Owen is 17--and their efforts in support of Ukraine and standing in solidarity with the Ukrainian people during one of the toughest times in Ukraine's history.

They are both descendants of their great-great-grandfather, Joseph, who was born in Galicia, Ukraine. Joseph was forced to flee to the United States during the early 20th century due to the armed conflict between Austrian and Russian Empires trying to occupy the region.

The story of their family history shows similarities to what the world has witnessed in the last few months during the beginning of the unconscionable and illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces in late February.

As Ella and Owen Rogers have witnessed these atrocities, as my teenage kids who are very similar in age, these kids have seen these atrocities; have witnessed these war crimes. They have seen it all over social media and television.

But they have spoken with their uncle recently who had been providing humanitarian and military intelligence aid in Warsaw, Poland at the time, and they decided the best way to make a difference was through providing nourishment to mothers and children who are fleeing their home country of Ukraine.

I was recently in Warsaw and in Poland a few weeks ago witnessing the women and children fleeing Ukraine and coming into the country. There are millions of families, particularly women and kids, who have been displaced because their fathers and husbands and partners are staying back home in Ukraine to fight this war.

But they rallied their relatives, their friends, their neighbors, the amazing community of Daniel Island in the

Lowcountry. Ella and Owen have raised over $7,000 for the World Central Kitchen, which is an organization that provides food and nourishment to communities around the world in times of conflict, crisis, and war.

Ella and Owen are just one example of the type of compassion and empathy that we see each and every day in the Lowcountry. The great people of the Lowcountry show, not only to their fellow citizens, the State of South Carolina, our Nation, and around the world, there are no strangers they have ever met, and everyone is witnessing great hope for the future of Ukraine.

I hope that the story of Ella and Owen can serve as an inspiration to others who stand up for what is right, even when it seems like there is nothing that can be done in the face of hardship. They have shown hard work; they have shown that we need to do the right thing; and they have shown people that they care.

And now, more than ever, it is important that we do all we can to support our friends in Ukraine to help them during this critical crisis.

I again thank the Rogers family and the incredible work ethic that Ella and Owen have shown the Lowcountry and the State of South Carolina.