Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my deepest condolences on the passing of Michael Potemra, longtime literary editor of National Review Magazine.

Mike Potemra was a conservative thought leader who served President Reagan and three United States Senators--Kasten of Wisconsin, Durenberger of Minnesota, and DeWine of Ohio--before joining the Editorial Board of National Review in 1999. Mike was a valued and proud member of the Reagan Revolution.

I knew Mike when we worked in Senator Kasten's office together nearly 30 years ago. Mike's desk was around the corner from the mailroom where I started as an intern. He was a speechwriter for Senator Kasten, and a masterful one at that. With brilliance and absolute integrity, Mike took everyone he worked with to a higher level . . . so much from him.

Mike loved America and the mobility and economic liberty that America embraces. He was born in Youngstown, Ohio to Slovakian immigrants and grew up speaking both Slovak and English. His life embodies the American Dream: as a child of immigrants, he attended Catholic University, Harvard Law School, and served in the White House and the U.S. Senate.

Mike was a profound and dedicated conservative, but he was never partisan. He was intellectually curious about everything and embraced political discourse as a true American does--always providing people with the opportunity to change his mind--which rarely happened.

On a human level, Mike was a wonderful person with a keen sense of humor. More often than not, everyone who visited Mike's desk left with a smile and a hearty laugh at his jokes, observations, and uncanny impressions of William F. Buckley, Ronald Reagan, and Jack Kemp.

Let us take this time to remember Mike's life and service to our country, and pray for the people who loved him dearly--his family, friends, and colleagues. He was a good man, and a great American.

Mr. Chairman, this has been a very busy week in the House.

I just came to the floor from a ceremony where I signed three major pieces of legislation that are now headed to the President's desk to become law.

This House has been very busy keeping its promises: to unleash our economy, to take care of our veterans, to provide hope for the terminally ill.

We just signed those three things that are now on their way to the President's desk.

But perhaps the most important promise that we made was the one that we made to the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces.

We promised to start rebuilding our military to give them the resources that they need to do their jobs, to reassert the United States' dominance in our military in the world.

After tax reform, that was my most important legislative priority, because that was our most important legislative priority.

Mr. Chairman, it is another promise kept.

Earlier this year, we enacted a historic increase in military funding, made possible by the bipartisan budget agreement that came before it.

This allowed us to advance the bill that we have before us right here today.

I want to thank the members of the Armed Services Committee, the ranking member, but I especially want to thank Chairman Thornberry for his work on this bill and his tireless advocacy for our men and women in uniform.

This National Defense Authorization presents another major step toward rebuilding and reforming our military. It will repair the damage done over the previous decade. It starts with readiness. It starts with readiness because this country has had a readiness crisis that has been costing us lives.

More American servicemembers are being killed in accidents and training exercises than on the battlefield. As Secretary Mattis put it, he was shocked by the poor state of our readiness. We must reverse that.

This bill invests in training. This bill invests in equipment. It grows the size of all branches of our military, and it prioritizes missile defense and our nuclear deterrent.

It is a very dangerous world, and this legislation will help us counter the threats, whether they are new or traditional, whether from China or Russia or Iran or North Korea.

But, like I said, we are not just rebuilding our military, we are reforming our military. The legislation streamlines the bureaucracy and improves the buying practices so that we are not devoting more resources to waste, we are devoting more resources to what counts: keeping this country strong and keeping this country safe.

And, of course, we are taking care of our servicemembers and their families with the biggest pay raise for our troops in 9 years.

I am so proud of this legislation. I am so proud of our legislators. I am so proud of the chairman for making this moment possible.

Here we are, not just keeping our promise, but making this a better, stronger, safer United States. This will have a lasting impact, and this will ensure that America continues to lead in the 21st century.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman and the members of the committee, and I urge adoption of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to welcome all the law enforcement officers and their families who have come here to Washington in honor of National Police Week. You know, there is a saying in the law enforcement community: ``In this family, nobody fights alone.''

When an officer goes down, the whole force feels the loss and carries that burden. It is so moving to see that spirit of solidarity right here in Washington on display this week. This year, the names of 360 fallen officers have been added to our National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, including four from the State of Wisconsin.

One of them is Detective Jason Weiland of the Everest Metropolitan Police Department. He was shot and killed in the line of duty last March. His daughter Anna, 10 years old, spoke at his memorial service. She said: ``All of the amazing people in the world will always outnumber the criminals.''

Those words resonated so much that Anna's teacher helped her start a group called Be Amazing. They honor her dad's memory by doing community service projects. Now, how inspiring is that?

Another Wisconsin story I want to share is that of Officer Brian Murphy of the Ashwaubenon Police Department. Last July, Officer Murphy was hit by a drunk driver on Interstate 41. He sustained a number of life-threatening injuries. Yet, just weeks later, he left the hospital able to stand on his own, surrounded by his family and fellow officers. It probably comes as no surprise to you to hear that he is back on the job. This week, Officer Murphy said that the decision to return to work was not difficult at all. It is about a ``good sense of purpose,'' he said.

We have seen this resilience and this devotion of duty right here in the United States Capitol. I don't think I will ever tire of seeing Agents David Bailey and Crystal Griner back at their posts.

As Speaker, I have had the chance to work very closely with the dedicated professionals at the U.S. Capitol Police. It has been an incredible honor--it truly has.

Mr. Speaker, I know this is a very challenging time for law enforcement. If there is one thing that we have come to recognize, it is that we must not take any of this for granted--whether it is the dangers of the men and women who wear the uniform and wear the badge face, or the sacrifices that their families make, all the long nights, all the holidays that they do not get to spend together. We must not take any of it for granted. It is where our safety comes from each and every single day.

We should consider it a privilege to serve those who serve and protect us. To all the cops on the beat and to all your loved ones: You do not fight alone. We are with you. We are behind you always, every day. Thank you, and God bless you.

Mr. Speaker, today, I exercised my authority under section 208(a) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. Sec. 5501(a)) to appoint Father Patrick J. Conroy of Oregon to act as and to exercise the duties of Chaplain of the House of Representatives. The exercise of this authority is the most expeditious means of ensuring the continued service of Father Conroy as Chaplain of the House. It is my hope and expectation that Father Conroy will serve as Chaplain for the remainder of the 115th Congress. As with all officers of the House, decisions on continued service in the 116th Congress will be made by that body.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize Eleni M. Roumel, who is leaving the House to become the Deputy Counsel to the Vice President of the United States. Ms. Roumel has served in the House's Office of General Counsel for more than five years as an Assistant General Counsel. During her tenure, Ms. Roumel played a crucial role in safeguarding the legal and institutional interests of the House of Representatives, particularly in connection with federal court litigation involving issues of great institutional importance. Specifically, Ms. Roumel was instrumental in the formation and presentation of the House's powerful legal arguments in United States House of Representatives v. Burwell, the groundbreaking litigation protecting the House's constitutional prerogative to appropriate federal funds. In addition, Ms. Roumel provided invaluable legal advice and representation to Committees of the House, including in connection with Committee on Oversight and Government Reform v. Holder, which involves civil enforcement of the House's constitutionally-based oversight authority against the Attorney General of the United States.

Ms. Roumel's work on behalf of the House has been of the highest caliber and I have no doubt that the Vice President will benefit from her exceptional legal counsel. On behalf of the entire House community, I thank Ms. Roumel for her dedicated service, and wish for her the very best in all of her future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by thanking the chairman and the ranking member. I also want to thank their staffs for putting in incredibly long hours. This isn't just a weeklong process. This has been months long in the making. So I want to thank all the Members and staff who made this moment possible.

Mr. Speaker, this measure before us is about as critical as it gets; it really is. It addresses the priorities that we have been discussing in this Chamber for a long time.

We talked about the need to rebuild our military. We all agree on the need to rebuild our military. This bill provides the largest increase in defense spending in 15 years.

Why?

Frankly because our military has been hollowed out for many years.

We are boosting resources for training, for equipment, for maintenance, for base operations. It means new naval ships, new fighters, new Apache and Black Hawk helicopters. It means we are finally building a 21st century fighting force.

We agree on the need to support our servicemembers and our veterans. This funds the biggest pay raise for our military in 8 years.

We have men and women who are fighting for us day in, year in, year out. I saw a woman, a lieutenant colonel, a week ago in the Army, who has done seven combat tours. This is what the people who are volunteering in our armed services are doing for us, and we are finally making right by them by helping them with a pay raise.

It provides record funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs to make sure that our veterans receive better care at better facilities.

Remember those long waiting lists?

No more. This works on that.

We agree on the urgent need to make our schools safer. This bill includes the Fix NICS bill to improve firearm and background checks. It includes the Stop School Violence Act, which this House passed just last week, I think, 407-10, if I am not mistaken. It provides funding for early intervention, mental health, school security programs. Both are provisions that the Parkland families asked Congress to include in this legislation. It is part of the Sandy Hook Promise.

We agree on the need to fight the opioid epidemic that is ravaging communities across this country. Every single Member in this House has a firsthand story on what the opioid crisis is doing to their communities. We have got to get on top of this problem. This bill makes critical investments in treatment and in prevention to fight this scourge of addiction that is ravaging our country.

We agree on the need to secure our homeland. This bill expands resources for law enforcement, for border security, for immigration enforcement. It provides resources for 95 miles of physical barriers along our southwest border, which actually exceeds the administration's request.

We agree on the need to rebuild our Nation's infrastructure. It includes funding for long overdue improvements to our highways, our railroads, our airports, our infrastructure.

And guess what.

There are no earmarks for specific projects in this bill.

The House has worked to reform our forestry laws for years. You see on the news these horrible forest fires that are getting more severe by the year, and it is because we have not been able to manage our forests. This finally has the legislation we need to help manage our forests so we can help protect the West from these catastrophic forest fires.

The House passed the Taylor Force Act to restrict assistance to the Palestinian Authority unless it stops subsidizing terrorism. This bill implements that legislation. The PA is literally making payments to the families of suicide bombers. It is like a bonus for terrorism.

That bill is in here. All of these things are important. They are critical things that we have all been talking about.

What brings me here to ask all of my colleagues for a ``yes'' vote is this: What this ultimately is about is giving our military the tools and the resources it needs to do its job.

This week, the House paused to honor two naval aviators who died in a training crash off of Key West, the two F-18 pilots. We paused to honor seven servicemembers lost in a helicopter crash in western Iraq last week. That is nine of our servicemembers lost in equipment failures and accidents last week.

We continue to lose more American personnel to training accidents and incidents than we do to enemy fire. That is unacceptable, and it is preventable.

Mr. Speaker, we should not wait one more day, not one more hour to go by without giving our men and women in uniform what they have earned and what they deserve. Give them the pay raise that they earned. Give them the equipment and the hours of training that they need to be safe. They are putting their lives on the line for us. Let's make sure they put their lives on the line for us with the proper amount of training, with the proper amount of equipment, so that we can keep our country and our people safe.

Vote ``yes'' for our military. Vote ``yes'' for the safety and the security of this country. Vote ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker. I rise to wholeheartedly agree with the Democratic leader. I am not sure I have ever said that before. Look, this is truly an impressive milestone.

I have got to say, Marcy, the lawmaker that you are surpassing, Edith Nourse Rogers, famously summed up her time in office by saying this: ``The first 30 years are the hardest. . . . You start it, and you like the work and you just keep on.''

Marcy, you have certainly kept on. The leader mentioned it, the World War II Memorial. This started in 1987 as an exchange that you had with a veteran at a fish fry back in Jerusalem Township in your district. I mean, it took, what, 6 years to get a bill into law, then another 11 years to get the memorial built? That certainly is what it looks like when you are keeping on.

Now, Marcy and I served together on the Budget Committee. What serving together on the Budget Committee

means is, between the two of us, we pretty much disagreed on everything we talked about on the Budget Committee.

But I have got to say, I have always had great respect for how you engage in the battle of ideas and how you stay true to your principles, and you do it in such an uplifting way.

Passion is not hard to find in our politics today. There are no two ways about that. But passion sustained over a long time, over the long haul, without fail, takes an enormous amount of commitment.

No matter which side of the aisle we are on, we can all take something from your example. You have been a tireless advocate for your principles, your point of view, and you have done it with honor and distinction. And that is a phenomenal example for all of us.

It is truly fitting that this is happening during Women's History Month as well. But this milestone, I would say, is not so much about days served; it is a testament to the endless possibilities that are in front of us.

I think of my own daughter, Liza, who was elected vice president of her class last year, which goes to show that at least somebody in our family can get elected to vice president.

Her generation is just so fortunate to have all these pioneers to look up to, to have stories to hear from and to learn from; whether it is Marcy Kaptur or Nancy Pelosi, our first woman Speaker of the House; or Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the longest-serving conference chair since my mentor Jack Kemp; or Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the first Hispanic woman ever elected to Congress; or Elise Stefanik, the youngest woman ever elected to this Congress. Every day we get to work with leaders who are making history and inspiring generations now and to come.

So, Marcy, thank you for keeping on for all 12,858 of these days. Thank you for your service. Congratulations on this great distinction and honor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of Jeffrey L. Bell, an Army veteran and prominent conservative leader who passed away on February 10, 2018. I extend the deepest condolences of the whole House to the Bell family, most especially his wife, Rosalie, and their four children.

Jeff Bell's many contributions to politics and public policy date back half a century. He was a heavyweight in the conservative movement before it even was a movement. His ideas, and the passion with which he espoused them, paved the way for the Reagan Revolution. He was an integral part of President Reagan's campaigns, and worked with my mentor, Jack Kemp, to develop the policy agenda that would bring the nation great prosperity and end the Cold War.

His work spanned, and inspired, generations. Jeff ran for U.S. Senate in New Jersey twice, in 1978 and 2014. He published two influential books, in 1992 and 2012. To the last, he remained at the forefront, one of the most original voices for inclusive, aspirational conservatism.

Indeed, I count myself among the many who learned so much from this man. We first met in the early 1990s, and I have looked up to him ever since. Beyond the depth of his thinking, I was always struck by how decent and gracious Jeff was to everyone he encountered--the epitome of a happy warrior. It was such an honor to know him.

God bless the memory of Jeff Bell, the family that he loved so dearly, and this great country that he served so well and faithfully.

Mr. Speaker, since 1983, the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag and Bundesrat have conducted an annual exchange program for staff members from both countries. The program gives professional staff the opportunity to observe and learn about each other's political institutions and interact on issues of mutual interest.

A staff delegation from the U.S. Congress will be selected to visit Germany for nine days from Saturday, June 30-Sunday, July 8, 2018. During this nine-day exchange, the delegation will attend meetings with Bundestag/Bundesrat Members, Bundestag and Bundesrat party staff members, and representatives of numerous political, business, academic, and media agencies.

A comparable delegation of German staff members will visit the United States for nine days from Saturday, September 29-Sunday, October 7, 2018. They will attend similar meetings here in Washington.

The Congress-Bundestag/Bundesrat Exchange is highly regarded in Germany and the United States, and is one of several exchange programs sponsored by public and private institutions in the United States and Germany to foster better understanding of the politics and policies of both countries. This exchange is funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The U.S. delegation should consist of experienced and accomplished Hill staff who can contribute to the success of the exchange on both sides of the Atlantic. The Bundestag reciprocates by sending senior staff professionals to the United States.

Applicants should have a demonstrable interest in events in Europe. Applicants need not be working in the field of foreign affairs, although such a background can be helpful. The composite U.S. delegation should exhibit a range of expertise in issues of mutual concern to the United States and Germany such as, but not limited to, trade, security, the environment, economic development, health care, and other social policy issues. This year' s delegation should be familiar with transatlantic relations within the context of recent world events.

Please note that the U.S. participants are expected to plan and implement the meetings and program for the Bundestag/Bundesrat staff members when they visit the United States.

Participants are selected by a committee composed of personnel from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State and past participants of the exchange.

Members of the House and Senate who would like a member of their staff to apply for participation in this year's program should direct them to submit a resume and cover letter in which they state their qualifications, the contributions they can make to a successful program and some assurances of their ability to participate during the time stated.

Applications should be sent to the Office of Interparliamentary Affairs, HC-4, the Capitol, by 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 22, 2018.

Mr. Speaker, I will be brief.

A few hours ago, the Senate passed this agreement with a very big bipartisan vote: 75 percent of the Senate Democrats, 68 percent of the Senate Republicans, Republicans and Democrats coming together on a true compromise measure. I think that is a thing to celebrate.

It accomplishes what so many of us had been fighting for. First and foremost, this agreement accomplishes getting the resources that we need to rebuild our military. Also, this includes long-delayed disaster funding to aid recovery from the hurricanes and the wildfires; money to fight opioids, something that knows no partisan boundaries; and the extension of important healthcare programs.

This agreement will also allow us to step off this carousel of short- term funding bills that do nothing but hurt our military and stymie our ability to focus on other important agenda items. And I think that has been noted here tonight.

You know, most Americans are not even awake yet, or maybe they are just getting up for the first shift. By the time they catch up with the news this morning, they will see one of two things, depending upon what choice we make here right now.

Either Congress will have done its most basic responsibility: funding the government and taking care of our brave men and women in uniform. I really believe that that is what the majority of this people in this body want to see happen.

Or they will see a second needless shutdown in a matter of weeks. Entirely needless.

Republicans will deliver more than our share of votes this morning. I urge my friends in the minority to stand with us on this bipartisan bill.

My commitment to working together on an immigration measure that we can make law is a sincere commitment. Let me repeat. My commitment to working together on an immigration measure that we can make law is a sincere commitment. We will solve this DACA problem.

Once we get this budget agreement done--and we will get this done, no matter how long it takes for us to stay here--we will focus on bringing that debate to this floor and finding a solution. But we cannot do that unless we pass this budget agreement.

Our military can no longer be held hostage in this process. So, for this morning, let's honor our troops. Let's do our most basic job and let's pass this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to say a few words about the last couple of days.

I know there is great relief that this episode is coming to an end. This shutdown did not need to happen. However brief, it inflicted needless costs on the country.

There are no winners here today--I want to make that clear--no winners except for, perhaps, the millions of families who depend on the Children's Health Insurance Program. Soon the longest reauthorization in the program's history is about to become law.

But this is not a moment to pat ourselves on the back, not even close. We very much need to heed the lessons of what just happened here.

We need to move forward in good faith: yes, on DACA and immigration and, yes, on funding our military so that it gets the resources that our military so badly needs. Let's address these urgent challenges.

Finally, I think all of us want to join in thanking the men and women who

serve in our Armed Forces and who serve in our government around the country and around the globe. They and their families are the ones that kind of get caught up in things like this. For them, these aren't political debates; they are livelihoods.

The country's safety and security depend on responsible governing. That is why I sincerely hope that we never find ourselves in this position again.

I thank all of our Members for their patience this week.

Mr. Speaker, at this hour, the Federal Government is needlessly shut down because of Senate Democrats. One party in one House of this Congress is deliberately holding our government hostage. This did not need to happen.

Mr. Speaker, it is important for people to understand why this is happening. On Thursday, this House responsibly passed a bill to keep the government open and to extend the Children's Health Insurance Program which covers nearly 9 million children who come from low-income families. No games. No strings attached. A straightforward bill. We did our job.

But Senate Democrats simply refused to do theirs. Last night, they used the filibuster to block our bill and to shut down the government. But why? What exactly in this bill was it that the Senate Democrats opposed? Why would they do such a thing? What do they find so objectionable? What do they disagree with? What is so objectionable that it is worth holding the entire government hostage?

Was it funding for our military?

Was it the Children's Health Insurance Program?

Is it funding for the Veterans Administration?

Is it funding for our National Parks?

What is it?

The answer is, they have no problems with any of it, and, yet, they are blocking this legislation anyway. That is right: Senate Democrats shut down the government over a bill that they have no issues with. They opposed a bill they don't even oppose.

We do some crazy things in Washington, but this is utter madness. Here is the simple truth: Senate Democrats refuse to fund the government unless we agree to their demands on something entirely unrelated. They want a deal on immigration, and then they will think about reopening the government. It is a shakedown strategy that Senate Democrats have been talked into by their base.

Now, I could go on and on about how cynical I think this ploy is--and I certainly do--but let me read you something Senator Schumer himself said in 2013, the last time we found ourselves in this position with a government shutdown.

Here is what in 2013 during a government shutdown Senator Schumer said:

``No matter how strongly one feels about an issue, you shouldn't hold millions of people hostage. That's what the other side is doing. That's wrong, and we can't give in to that.''

Let me repeat that first line:

``No matter how strongly one feels about an issue, you shouldn't hold millions of people hostage.''

He was right. You shouldn't. But that is exactly what he and his party are doing right now.

Here is something else that Senator Schumer said in 2013.

``I believe in immigration reform. What if I persuaded my caucus to say, `I'm going to shut the government down, I am going to not pay our bills unless I get my way?' It's a politics of idiocy, of confrontation, of paralysis.''

``Politics of idiocy.'' His words, not mine.

Here is one more quote from Senator Schumer in 2013 during that government shutdown:

``We believe strongly in immigration reform. We could say `we're shutting down the government . . . until you pass immigration reform.' It would be governmental chaos.''

Sadly, he had that right as well.

Mr. Speaker, as we speak, furlough notices are going out to Federal workers across the country. Half of the Defense Department's civilian workforce has been furloughed. Training for Reserves has to stop. Guardsmen have to be sent home. A number of States are going to run out of money for children's health insurance. And all of this, all of this is completely unnecessary.

But Senate Democrats believe none of it is too high a price to pay for appeasing their political base. There was no reason for this shutdown. We have been, and we continue to be, willing to work together in good faith on immigration, but that deadline is weeks away. There is no good reason for Senate Democrats to keep willfully forcing a shutdown on this country.

Now, I want to take a moment and I want to address the men and women who work here in the Capitol and who work around the country in this government, whether you are in the military or in the Reserves or you are law enforcement or medical researchers or people working at our National Parks, whichever you do, wherever you are,

whatever it is that you are doing for the taxpayers.

Thank you for your service. Thank you for your sacrifices that you and your families make. We could not be more grateful. You should not have to go through this uncertainty. You deserve so much better than this needless shutdown, and we hope that it will end very soon.

Mr. Speaker, Senate Democrats shut down this government, and now Senate Democrats need to open this government back up. Stop holding our troops and children's health insurance hostage. End this reckless shutdown that is inflicting needless uncertainty on our country. Let common sense and cooler heads prevail.

Come to your senses. Do the right thing. Open this government back up.

Mr. Speaker, first, I just want to say to all my colleagues that I respect the passionate views that are on display here. I think this has been a very passionate and interesting debate. What I would like to do is try and bring a little clarity to this debate.

I want to thank the minority leader for coming up and speaking against the Amash amendment and in favor of the underlying bipartisan amendment.

We, on a bipartisan basis, have been working with the Senate and the White House to get this right, to add even more privacy protections to the law, even more than the status quo, to add the warrant requirement that this underlying bill has.

Let me try and clear up some of the confusion. There has been wide reporting and discussion here in the House about parts of the FISA statute that affect citizens. It is a big law. It is a big statute with lots of pieces. Title I of the FISA law is what you see in the news that applies to U.S. citizens. That is not what we are talking about here. This is Title VII section 702.

This is about foreign terrorists on foreign soil. That is what this is about. So let's clear up some of the confusion here. Let me give you two examples of what this program has done to keep our people safe, two declassified examples.

Number one, this program, in March of 2016, gave us the intelligence we needed to go after and kill ISIS' finance minister, because of the intelligence collected under this program, a foreign terrorist on foreign soil, the number two man at ISIS who was in line to become the next leader. This program helped us get the information to stop him.

I came here before 9/11. I remember hearing upon hearing in the 9/11 Commission about the old firewall. We were seeing what was going on overseas, terrorists like Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan were doing all these things, and we couldn't pass that information on to our authorities here in America. We had this firewall that prevented us from connecting the dots. That was the big phrase we used back then in the early 2000s.

If we pass the Amash amendment, we bring that firewall right back up. You pass the Amash amendment and defeat this underlying bill, we go back to those days where we are flying blind on protecting our country from terrorism.

Let me give Members an example. This program has not only stopped many attacks, but let me tell you about one: a plot in 2009 to blow up New York's subway system. This was used to understand what people were planning overseas and what they were trying to do here in America so that we could connect the dots and stop that particular terrorist attack.

That is why this has to be renewed. That is why, among many other reasons, section 702, a program designed to go after foreign terrorists on foreign soil, is so essential. If this Amash amendment passes, it kills the program.

If this underlying bill fails, there is one of two things that will happen. The status quo will be continued, meaning no additional privacy protections, no warrant requirement--status quo. That doesn't do anything to advance the concerns that have been voiced on the floor or, even worse, we go dark; 702 goes down. We don't know what the terrorists are up to. We can't send that information to our authorities to prevent terrorist attacks. The consequences are really high.

One of the most important things we are placed in charge to do is to make decisions, not based on TV, not based on internet, but based on facts, based on reality, and we are supposed to make those decisions to keep our country safe.

This strikes the balance that we must have between honoring and protecting privacy rights of U.S. citizens, honoring civil liberties, and making sure that we have the tools we need in this day and age of 21st century terrorism to keep our people safe. That is what this does. That is why I ask everyone, on a bipartisan basis, to vote ``no'' on the Amash amendment and to vote ``yes'' on the underlying bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today for a very happy purpose, and it is to recognize the Honorable Don Young of Alaska as the new dean of the House of Representatives.

The tradition of having a dean dates back centuries to the House of Commons. It is an honor that goes to our longest continuously serving Member.

Don Young is one of only 28 Americans in the history of this Nation to serve more than 40 years in this House. As you can see, he has a very bright future ahead of him.

Don, I want to be clear at the outset that there are limits to the dean's duties. For instance, you cannot hang a bearskin in the House Chamber. You still cannot reserve seats.

The dean has the responsibility of swearing in the Speaker. Remember, that is swearing in the Speaker, not swearing at the Speaker.

This milestone is not just a matter of longevity, but the word that comes to mind when you think of Don Young is ``loyalty.'' This man is fiercely loyal. Don Young is fiercely loyal to Alaska.

He fights hard for what he believes is right. Just look at ANWR. I know it is controversial. We have been talking about doing tax reform for 30-plus years here. Don Young has been working on ANWR for 45 years. When we passed H.R. 1 in the House, that was the 13th time he passed an ANWR bill, and it finally made it into law.

Achievements like this just don't happen overnight. They require leaders willing to carry the torch, come what may. As we all know, Don Young is not the kind of guy that is going to let anything--or anyone-- get in his way.

He is loyal to his family and his friends, which includes many, many Members of this body. He can be direct, but you always know where he stands, or, more importantly, you always know where you stand with him.

But most of all, as our dean, Don Young is loyal to this institution. That, we all know. Decades on, Don Young believes as much as anyone in the value of the work that we do here. As Don, himself, so characteristically put it: ``those who think . . . I might retire, you can forget it. I like what I do.''

Don Young is a man of this institution. He believes in this institution. He believes in the work that we do.

So, on this, his 16,374th day in the House, we extend our congratulations to Don, to Anne, and to their entire family.

I thank Don Young for his service to Alaska and to this country.