Floor Statements

Offered By: Mr. Gallego

Amendment No. 26: Page 39, line 23, after the dollar

amount, insert ``(increased by $4,500,000)''.

Page 62, line 19, after the dollar amount, insert

``(reduced by $4,500,000)''.

Mr. Speaker, I serve on the House Armed Services Committee, and through that assignment I have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with soldiers, airmen, marines, sailors, and their families.

Like all Americans, I certainly want our sons and daughters to be safe when we send them into harm's way. We want to take as much care of them as we possibly can.

The media has talked some about some of the documents that were released by Mr. Snowden, but there were at one point 7 million documents that were released. Many of these documents didn't even relate to the NSA. When those files are disclosed in the press and they are disclosed to our adversaries that naturally puts our sons and daughters in harm's way. It should say something that the first place you go is China and the second place you go is Russia. That should say something to the American people.

This Memorial Day, I want the American people to focus on those men and women, our country's sons and daughters, who have honorably served our Nation and have stood by their brothers in arms and protected one another as we have asked them to fight for us.

Mr. Chairman and Mr. Ranking Member, thank you for your work on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of John Villafranco, of San Antonio, Texas.

John graduated in 2007 from Ronald Reagan High School in the city's Northside. He would have been 25 on May 31, 2014. John was a drummer with a band called Northern Nights and they played at several venues in San Antonio. He met his wife, Lydia

Marlow, of Watertown, New York, four years ago at one of the band's shows. Shortly after, they began a relationship and John moved to New York.

John drowned on April 21, 2014, while fishing with his wife, Lydia, in New York State. The two lived on the Black River in Watertown. John loved to take a canoe out to go fishing. On that day, the water levels of the river were high, and the water was cold. The couple dropped an anchor to fish; and shortly after the boat capsized. John and Lydia then swam towards a group of soldiers from nearby Fort Drum.

John was swimming well, but went back to save his wife's life when he noticed Lydia was having trouble swimming and keeping up. John kept his wife above water and then, with all the strength he had, he threw Lydia towards the soldiers. She was transported to a nearby hospital where she was hospitalized for hypothermia. Lydia survived. Days after the tragic event, local police and firefighters continued to search for John to no avail. Since then, the search has been called off and John's body was recovered. He did not have life insurance and was about to start working at a car wash in New York.

John is survived by his wife, Lydia; parents, Gilbert and Blanche Villafranco; sisters and their spouses, Natalia Villafranco and Andrew Fetzner, and Monica Villafranco and Rene Trevino; nephews, Joshua and Nicholas; grandmother, Aurora Garza; his pet fur babies, Otto, Leo and Skynard; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

It is with great sadness that I tell this story on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives today. We lost a fellow Texan and San Antonian in a very tragic way. May his memories, joy and stories live in our lives forever. I pray that God may comfort his family, friends and loved ones during these very tough times. I also pray for John and that he may be resting in peace.

Mr. Chairman, I, too, would like to thank Chairman McKeon and Ranking Member Smith for their leadership. I am glad to have had the opportunity to work with and learn from each of them, and I certainly wish the chairman well in his future endeavors.

This legislation marks more than 50 years of bipartisan agreements on national defense. Not many committees in the U.S. Congress can say that. As a new Member, I am proud to be part of that tradition.

However, the bill only buys us a little time. Unless Congress provides relief from sequestration, next year's decisions will be exponentially more difficult. Yet we must do everything to be sure that our sons and daughters have what they need to be successful and safe, both at home and abroad. That means training or weapons or materials or supplies or equipment or machinery. Our sons and our daughters deserve the very best.

Texas is extremely proud of its connection to our military. Important installations like Fort Bliss, Laughlin Air Force Base, and Joint Base San Antonio are core parts of our economy and our communities. Texas is home to many of our warfighters--soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines--and both the civilian and military personnel who support them.

I, too, am proud to support our men and women in uniform. Thus, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill and, like today, work in a bipartisan fashion that ends sequestration tomorrow, and from here on out, work in that same bipartisan fashion.

May God's blessings be upon all the men and women in uniform who are impacted by this bill and their families.

I want to thank Chairman McKeon and Ranking Member Smith. It was a pleasure working with them both on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the legacy of Pedro Huiizar. A surveyor by trade, his family roots and history date to the 1700s when accuracy in surveying depended on personal skill--not technology. Pedro was born in 1740. As a young man, he was trained as a sculptor in Spain and then sailed to the New World to seek his fortune.

Thirty-eight years later, he married his first love, Mariia de la Trinidad Henriques. Historical records are somewhat hazy, but we know they had at least four children: three boys and a daughter. Sadly, in an event lost to history, Mariia died. Pedro would later remarry to Mariia Gertrudis Martinez in 1798.

In April 1793, Pedro was appointed surveyor when the San Antonio de Valero Mission--the mission we now know as The Alamo--was secularized. He was also present when Governor Manuel Munnoz distributed lands to 23 adult Indians. He too received a small piece of land for his service. Pedro went on to survey the lands at the missions San Francisco de Espada, San Juan Capistrano, San Josee and San Miguel de Aguayo, and Nuestra Sennora de la Puriisima Concepcioon de Acunna.

Around 1790, Pedro was commissioned by Governor Manuel Munnoz to draw the plans for reconstruction of the San Antonio de Beexar Presidio. Shortly after, on March 4, 1791, Pedro was sent to La Bahia to report on the feasibility of irrigation for lands around Nuestra Sennora de Loreto Presidio, but later concluded that the efforts would be too costly.

Through his profession as a surveyor, Pedro Huiizar played an important role by surveying the various missions and the presidios of San Antonio de Beexar. His reputation for honesty and sound judgment earned the trust of his community and made others call upon him when a reliable assessment or survey was required.

After many years of service, Pedro Huiizar was appointed a justicia at San Josee in 1794 by Governor Munnoz. Later, in 1796, he was appointed justicia at Concepcioon, also by Governor Munnoz. In that position, he oversaw the temporal affairs of the Native American population.

Today, Pedro is most known as the probable designer or sculptor of the window of the sacristy at San Jose Mission. No documents exist to prove he was the sculptor, but it is believed he was the artist in charge of both the rose window and the faccade. There are several variations of the legend concerning Pedro's connection with the rose window. Some claim that the window was dedicated to Saint Rose of Lima, but there are no roses in the window, only figs. The Huiizar family maintains that the window was dedicated to Rosa, a love lost on the journey to the New World.

Today, on this floor, I honor the life and legacy of Pedro Huiizar. I also honor his descendants--many of whom even today still live in the San Antonio area and in the area of the San Antonio missions.

Mr. Speaker, today, in my 23-in-1 journey, I would like to take you to a beautiful city in West Texas known as Marfa.

Established in 1883 as a water stop for the railroad, Marfa has become a cultural mixing bowl, with cowboys and artists alike. Located in the Trans-Pecos area at an altitude of over 4,800 feet and situated on what is known as the Marfa Plateau, it is surrounded by a beautiful landscape that has served as the backdrop to many notable movies, like the film ``Giant,'' starring James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor.

Despite having a population of only 2,000 people, Marfa has become a hidden cultural hub in the desert. It is a place filled with cowboys and art galleries, Mexican food and Texas barbecue.

In Marfa, you will find one of the most beautiful, historic courthouses in Texas. The antelope literally play amongst the rich outdoor art, and the tourists come to relax, surrounded by big city culture in a town with only one traffic light.

In Marfa, the old crashes with the new to form a harmony that is truly American. I am honored to represent a city so rich in art, cultural life, and history. Mr. Speaker, I invite everyone to Marfa.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 142 I was unavoidably detained en route to the House floor. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, everyone in Texas knows about the Permian Basin's reputation for oil and gas. Every UT Longhorn or Texas A&M Aggie knows about the Permanent University Fund.

Not everyone knows the critical role that Big Lake played in each of these, so today, my 23 in 1--taking people to the 23rd District in 1 minute--is about Big Lake.

The first well to hit on university lands was the Santa Rita well, which is now enshrined on the UT campus in Austin. Just outside of Big Lake was the site. It was named for the patron saint of the impossible because no one really expected the well to hit.

The population went from 100 people to over 2,000. Today, those wells have produced great, great resources for the University of Texas and A&M over a long period of time.

There was once a lake in Big Lake; it is dry now. It was fed by springs that are no longer there. They are there only when it has had significant rain. Big Lake is a wonderful place to visit. If you ever have the opportunity, please go.

Mr. Speaker, in my continuing efforts to highlight the 23rd District of Texas, I would like to talk about one of my favorite and one of the most rural parts of the 23rd District, the ghost town of Terlingua. Terlingua, the ghost town, is located near Big Bend National Park.

There are not a lot of ghosts there. There is a lot of history. There are very few people. The population is about 100 people or so. The name comes from tres lenguas, which is Spanish for three tongues because three creeks flow together nearby. It was founded in the mid-1880s as a mining town after the discovery of cinnabar.

There are many things to do there every day. You can go rafting or kayaking on the Rio Grande, mountain biking, camping, hiking, motorcycling, and many, many other outdoor activities.

On the first Saturday in November, more than 10,000 chiliheads convene for two annual chili cookoffs, the Chili Appreciation Society International and the Frank X. Tolbert/Wick Fowler World Chili Championships.

In the 1970s, as a matter of fact, the chili cookoff also sponsored a Mexican fence-climbing contest to parody the U.S. government's plan to reinforce chain link fences along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The other interesting thing about Terlingua is the unique politics of Terlingua. Clay Henry, the first mayor elected, was elected in 1986. Clay Henry was a beer drinking goat, and he defeated a local dog. Some of his campaign posters are still around, and now, they are worth a lot of money.

I invite everyone to explore the beauty of the Big Bend Country and the beauty of the 23rd District.

Madam Speaker, earlier I was on the floor and I mentioned Clay Henry as one of the former elected officials in the district that I represent. I referred to him as the mayor of Terlingua; and you would think having grown up there and lived there all of my life, I would have remembered that he was actually at one time the mayor of Lajitas. Lajitas is a wonderful resort community in the Big Bend Country, right next to Terlingua. Perhaps I had too many visits with Mayor Clay Henry.

I will tell you that one of the most beautiful parts of the world and one that I urge everyone to get familiar with is the Big Bend Country of west Texas: the Rio Grande River, the canyons. It is an amazing place. I urge everyone to get familiar with that part of the world, as there is really nothing like it in the entire United States.

Mr. Speaker, I use some time to talk about the 23rd District. It comprises nearly a quarter of the land area of Texas.

Everybody has heard of the character Popeye and his penchant for spinach, and the spinach capital of the world is Crystal City, Texas. It was named by its early settlers for the clear artesian spring water, and a statue of Popeye was erected there in 1936.

The Spinach Festival is now one of the biggest and best festivals in all of south Texas. It was started in 1936, stopped for a period of time during World War II, and didn't go back up until the 1980s, but it has grown significantly over time.

Crystal City also occupies a unique spot in Texas' political history in that it was the birthplace of the first Latino political party in Texas, La Raza Unida Party, which, for a time, received enough votes to qualify for a statewide ballot.

Crystal City has long been known as a core of civil rights activism, and its rolling fields are now sharing space with the booming Eagle Ford Shale economy of our region.

Come see a gem of the Texas Winter Garden area, Crystal City, Texas.

Mr. Speaker, El Paso, Texas, has a rich and vast history spanning back hundreds of years. With the Ysleta Mission established in the 1600s, it has deep roots in Catholicism, but it wasn't until 1914 that the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso was established by Pope Pius

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

Mr. Chairman, I, too, would like to thank the chairman and the ranking member for their work on this legislation.

I can think of nothing more important that all of us, I think, can agree on than the importance of taking care of our veterans and our veterans' community, especially now that we have so many wounded warriors coming back. So many groups have taken to outdoor activities as part of the therapy for wounded warriors, making sure that we really approach making them whole again in a very real way, and nature is a huge part of that.

Last night, in fact, this Chamber held a moment of silence to honor veterans in Afghanistan and Iraq. These are folks who have put their country above all else. And what this amendment specifically would do would be to essentially correct what I believe also was an oversight in ensuring that veterans are also included in this Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council Advisory Committee. Again, it is because so many veterans groups now in so many places are popping up where the outdoors is a great part of that therapy and a very important part of the therapy that many of our wounded warriors are receiving.

This advisory committee, as they give their advice to the administration, it is important that they do so with a veteran at the table. It is important that veterans have that voice, and they look at it with the perspective from a wounded warrior or a veteran, someone who has served our country in uniform. What is it that we can be doing to make this experience more meaningful for them?

Again, I appreciate the opportunity very much to offer the amendment.

I am happy to yield to the gentleman.

I yield to the gentleman from Oregon.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, in my continuing efforts to highlight parts of the 23rd District, I rise today to talk about one of the jewels of the 23rd, Castroville, where Texas meets France. One of several settlements founded by Henri Castro in 1844, the Alsatian culture there is still evident. And most people don't know that it was the first county seat of Medina County, serving until 1893.

The population in the 2010 census was only 2,680 people. It is a small town very near a big city, 25 miles west of San Antonio. There are 97 historical buildings in the town. It is a great place for a walking tour.

And if you are looking for recreational relaxation, there are few places better than Castroville, where the Medina River meanders through town. The Medina River was once the border between Texas and Mexico. There are 126 acres of pecan trees and flowers along the Medina River in the Castroville Regional Park and lots and lots of shopping. Castroville Pottery is one of the coolest pottery shops around, where they will show you how to make your own.

Mr. Speaker, around the 23rd District in 1 minute.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to talk about the 23rd District in 1 minute--23 in 1 today. I want to talk about Monahans, Texas, the home of the Loboes.

Monahans High School is known not only for their athletic programs, with several State championships in women's volleyball, for example, but also on the academic side as the host of one of the preeminent--one of the biggest--speech and debate tournaments in west Texas.

Monahans is in Ward County in the Permian Basin, located off of I-20. The economy is booming with high-paying jobs and with an active, full service Chamber of Commerce--one of the more active in the region. If you are looking for recreation, the Monahans Sandhills State Park has sand dunes that are 70-feet high, with sand boarding, sand football, sand surfing, sand tobogganing, hiking, and even horseback riding.

If you go there in the spring, for example, the Rattlesnake Army Airbase will be a new museum. It was one of the largest bomber training bases of World War II, and it was the temporary home of the Enola Gay, which dropped the atomic bomb on Japan in World War II. It is scheduled to open in March.

Nearly 24 percent of Texas is in one district, in the 23rd District. It is an incredible stretch. I am so proud to have the opportunity to represent Monahans, Texas, in Ward County.