Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of Timothy McDonald and Deb Schott, who both tragically perished in a helicopter crash at the Brainerd airport last month.

Both Timothy and Deb dedicated their lives to helping others. Timothy was a medical pilot for North Memorial's Air Care Unit and had previously served in the United States Army. He did two tours in Iraq. Deb was an emergency flight nurse for North Memorial's Air Care Unit. She had worked in the medical field since she was 19 years old.

Timothy and Deb both had outstanding reputations in their respective fields and were both beloved by their coworkers. My thoughts and prayers are with their loved ones.

Madam Speaker, our first responders are often the first on the scene, ready to help in times of crisis. We must never take the work they do or the sacrifices they make for granted.

Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman and ranking member for including my amendments in these en bloc amendments.

Mr. Chair, my amendment is simple. It requires the Secretary of the Navy to create a report regarding the feasibility of doing maintenance work on naval vessels at shipyards other than shipyards in the vessel's home port.

Currently, the Navy has a tremendous maintenance backlog, but under current law, there are certain restrictions that limit where naval vessels can undertake maintenance repair. Unless these restrictions are lifted, the Navy's backlog will only increase exponentially.

At the same time, there are fully qualified shipyards in the rest of the United States, including the Great Lakes region, Gulf Coast, and Alaska, that can perform repair work for certain types of naval vessels. Yards such as Fraser Shipyards in Superior, Wisconsin, have the capacity and skills to do this work. They just need the chance.

I know Fraser Shipyards and others are dedicated to the national security mission of the United States and would be an efficient and competent service provider, and I am certain Fraser Shipyards and others within the Great Lakes do not stand alone in this process.

Although these vessels may not be homeported in these regions of the country, it should be within the Secretary's discretion to decide what types of vessels could be sent to such shipyards to help with the Navy's maintenance backlog. This could include noncombatant vessels, vessels with minimal crews, or other vessels that only need limited periods of time in shipyards for the repair work.

The opportunity to create additional geographic repair centers presents the United States Navy an opportunity to diversify their industrial base, create resiliency, and improve our military readiness.

Mr. Chair, I want to thank Congressman Duffy and Congressman Cox for cosponsoring this amendment, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support the en bloc amendment.

Madam Speaker, I voted AYE on Roll Call number 378 when I intended to vote NO.

Madam Speaker, I rise today ahead of a public hearing set to be held in my congressional district by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the proposed delisting of the gray wolf. The gray wolf has recovered.

In fact, back in 2013, the Obama administration delisted the gray wolf for precisely the same reason we are today: because of science. Yet the gray wolf remains listed, and without a State-developed management plan in place, the population in northeastern Minnesota is growing at an uncontrollable rate.

Within the Duluth city limits, which is the largest city in Minnesota's Eighth District, a Labrador retriever was recently attacked by wolves while its owner was just a few feet away. Attacks on cattle owned by farmers trying to make ends meet continue to be all too common.

Madam Speaker, my State's Department of Natural Resources will effectively manage the species once the Federal Government moves itself out of the way.

I am incredibly grateful to Interior Secretary Bernhardt and the Fish and Wildlife Service for choosing to hold this forum in the heart of gray wolf country. No one knows this issue better than those living in northeast Minnesota.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 962, the Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Madam Speaker, if this unanimous consent cannot be entertained, I urge the Speaker and the majority leader to----

Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Woodall for yielding to me today.

Madam Speaker, I offered four amendments to improve this bill and benefit northeastern Minnesota, but, like last week, all four were rejected. They were not rejected on the merits, of course, but they were rejected in the Rules Committee before even being debated on the floor.

Two of my amendments would have removed onerous studies put in place by seasoned politicians from the Twin Cities and Washington, D.C. These studies in the committee report language are simply designed to delay important job-creating mining projects in my district.

Unfortunately, these politicians play politics with the consequence of killing jobs because, to them, our livelihood and these mining projects are nothing more than some faraway idea in a faraway land. Their well-funded interest groups oppose these jobs, so they attempt to move the goalposts, lay down more red tape, require more studies, and make it impossible--or at least attempt to make it impossible--to permit.

I say this: we can do both. We can mine and keep our environment pristine and clean.

However, to my constituents, these projects are a reality. These good-paying jobs will put food on the table, and they will put gas in our car and clothes on the backs of our children. These jobs will allow us to work, recreate, play, and raise a family in northern Minnesota.

These projects not only mean good-paying, union-protected mining jobs in cutting-edge industry, these projects can mean a larger property tax base, increased enrollment in our schools, and a population growth in our communities.

These mining projects are a big part of our economic engine, yet Washington, D.C., and Twin City politicians can sneak language into a committee report to undermine a fair process, while arbitrarily rejecting my amendments.

Another amendment I introduced would have ensured no funding is available to list the gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act. As I testified last night at the Rules Committee, the gray wolf has recovered. Even the Obama administration attempted to remove it from the Endangered Species Act in 2013.

In northern Minnesota, wolf attacks on cattle and domestic pets are becoming far too common, burdening our farmers who already are struggling. One small northern Minnesota county alone accounted for 21 confirmed wolf attacks on cattle, and local officials expect the number to be much higher, as many cattle that simply go missing are likely wolf attacks.

Because the gray wolf is listed as Federally endangered, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is unable to control them. Our local experts, who truly understand the problem, have their hands tied because politicians in this town, Washington, D.C., think they know best. But they do not.

I thought my final amendment was a no-brainer, Madam Speaker. It would have increased the Forest Products Timber Sale program by a little more than $6 million. Because it is in the National Forest System, it would have no negative budgetary effect.

The Forest Products Timber Sale program provides needed resources for Forest Service personnel. It allows them to research, recycle forest products, and find new ways to market them.

Meanwhile, an increase to this program means getting our loggers out in the woods and creating jobs for our communities. This would have directly benefited both Superior and Chippewa National Forests. It would have allowed our loggers and our Forest Service personnel to handle local environmental challenges like ensuring fallen trees do not contribute to forest fires.

My amendments would have directly benefited the small, rural communities in northern Minnesota. Unfortunately, powerful politicians used the system to their advantage by rejecting my amendments and preventing even an open debate on the issues.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in memory Daniel del Castillo, a dedicated public servant from the state of Minnesota who passed away suddenly on May 8, 2019.

Daniel joined the State Department in 2008 and served his country with distinction in several different capacities all over the globe. He served at the embassies in Kathmandu and Cairo, as a Political Advisor to U.S. Africa

Command, and at the National Security Council before joining Secretary of State's Executive Secretariat in the summer of 2017. As part of secretariat staff, he advanced travels for the Secretary of State to Manila, Beijing, Doha, Mexico City, Brasilia, and Paris, among other places.

Daniel dedicated his life to his country and his loss will be felt deeply at the State Department. To his coworkers, Daniel was thoughtful and intelligent. They could always rely on his calm demeaner and valuable insight into policy and the State Department's role in the world.

Daniel was a husband, son, and friend. He is survived by his wife Renae Ask; his mother Marcia del Castillo; his two older sisters Deborah and Michele del Castillo; nieces Isabella and Cezanne; nephews Giovanni and Alessandro; and two great-nephews, Hayden and Hudson. My prayers are with them as they mourn his loss.

Mr. Speaker, I find myself in rule debate today because my very reasonable amendment was not made in order. The amendment was germane to the bill, written with proper offsets, and in accordance with House rules. The denial of my amendment was purely political.

I wanted to debate my amendment on its merits because the passage of my amendment would mean jobs for families in Minnesota's Eighth Congressional District.

In northern Minnesota, there are vast reserves of copper, nickel, and other precious metals, offering the opportunity for northern Minnesota to power our economy while providing high-wage union jobs and diminishing our reliance on foreign resources.

The Twin Metals project has a long and difficult regulatory review ahead because our approval processes are the strongest in the world. Twin Metals is following the process. We require that they cross every ``t'' and dot every ``i,'' and they will employ our friends and neighbors in good mining jobs of the future.

Unfortunately, politicians in Washington and the Twin Cities metro area oppose this project. They know that we have the strongest environmental reviews in the world, and they know Twin Metals will have the opportunity to succeed, so they decided to change the rules.

They included language in this spending bill creating a ``study'' that does nothing more than delay this project. It is changing the rules when they know a project has a great chance to be successful.

Instead of including it in the base bill, they snuck it into committee report language. Instead of making my amendment in order, they decided to reject it, all because they want to interfere with a promising project in Minnesota District Eight.

Twin Metals will offer a mine plan of operation in the coming months. In that mine plan, they will lay out how they will extract our minerals and store tailings in an environmentally sound way. They will illustrate how they plan to meet or exceed all existing standards.

Mr. Speaker, this is unacceptable. I want to debate the merits of my amendment by discussing how this will follow the rules and benefit jobs in my district. Instead, I am here to discuss the failed process and how antimining groups changed the rules to benefit their antimining ideology.

Mr. Speaker, I oppose the rule, and I urge my colleagues to do so as well.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 3056, an emergency supplemental to provide critically needed funding for the humanitarian crisis at the border, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Madam Speaker, I was unable to vote on May 23, 2019 because I had the privilege of advocating for Duluth, Minnesota's 148th Fighter Wing in a meeting with Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 229; YEA on Roll Call No. 230; and YEA on Roll Call No. 231.

Madam Speaker, as we head into Memorial Day weekend, I want to honor an American hero who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.

Radioman 3rd Class Dante Tini from Virginia, Minnesota, was stationed aboard the USS Oklahoma in Pearl Harbor on Sunday, December 7, 1941, when torpedoes ripped through the hull of the ship. Thirteen days later, he was declared missing in action. He was just 19 years old.

For 77 years, Dante Tini's family prayed for answers and closure. Just last year, Dante's remains were matched with his family, beginning the process of returning him home.

This Saturday, Dante Tini will be laid to rest next to his parents in his hometown of Virginia, Minnesota, which was his wish when he enlisted.

It was an honor and privilege for my office to help in coordinating this effort, and we look forward to this Saturday when we join his family to welcome him home.

While this Memorial Day is a special day to pay tribute to the fallen, it is important to keep their memory alive and to pay tribute to these special Americans like Dante Tini year-round.

God bless the family of Dante Tini, and I ask for continued prayers for our country.

Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Rutherford for yielding to me to speak today.

This week is Police Week, a time to honor our brothers and sisters in the blue and brown. Every day law enforcement officers--local, county, State, and Federal--walk out of their homes leaving their loved ones behind and put their own lives on the line for the safety and security of others. They are our last line of defense, the protectors of our communities, and I am so honored to have served alongside some of these brave men and women.

As a local law enforcement officer with the Duluth, Minnesota, Police Department for 22 years, I have seen and experienced firsthand the violence committed against law enforcement officers, those who are only there to uphold the law and improve the safety of our communities. That is why I have cosponsored legislation like the Thin Blue Line Act and the Protect and Serve Act, which hold the perpetrators of these heinous crimes accountable.

So, now, more than ever, we must show our support for our law enforcement officers. We must make a commitment to them as they have committed to our friends, our families, and our communities. I am happy to stand here today with so many of my colleagues to show our support for the men and women in the blue and brown. I look forward to working with them in the 116th Congress to advance legislation that will support them, both when they are in and out of uniform.

The men and women in law enforcement deserve our respect, our admiration, and our prayers and love every single day, 365 days a year, 24 hours every day.

I stand before you, Madam Speaker, having done a total of 23 years in law enforcement. I can tell you that the men and women whom I served alongside with, I would go into any dangerous situation with them. We love our law enforcement officers, and we love their families.

This Congress stands ready to defend them and their needs, their requests, and any help they need from this Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my friend, Father Richard Kunst, an ordained Catholic priest for the Diocese of Duluth in northern Minnesota.

Before ordination, Father Kunst was a Senate staffer for United States Senator Rod Grams out of Minnesota. He earned his B.A. in political science from Saint Mary's University in Winona, Minnesota, and a master of divinity from Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota.

Father Kunst has had several parish assignments in northeastern Minnesota, including parishes in Brainerd, Cromwell, Floodwood, Meadowlands, and three different assignments in Duluth. He was the vocations director for the Duluth diocese for 12 years and has been the bishop's representative for the diocesan newspaper, The Northern Cross, since 2005. Father Kunst has also been the auditor of the diocesan tribunal since 2000.

As a hobby, Father Kunst collects artifacts associated with the history of the Vatican and the popes and has one of the largest private collections in the world.

I consider Father Kunst to be a great friend to my wife and me, and I am grateful that he can be here today to open this wonderful Chamber up with a prayer.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of World Down Syndrome Awareness Day, which was Thursday, March 21.

One of the greatest blessings in my life is my 16-year-old son, Isaac, who has Down syndrome. Each day, he brings joy to our lives, and I am so proud of everything he has accomplished.

World Down Syndrome Awareness Day is an excellent opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges that Down syndrome brings, but it is also a chance to celebrate just how incredible people with Down syndrome truly are. It absolutely breaks my heart--just breaks my heart--when I hear some people say that they would rather get an abortion than have a child with Down syndrome.

The sheer ignorance of those individuals is disheartening to me. They do not see what a blessing all of God's children are, even if they are different, and that is unfortunate for them. If they met my son Isaac, I know they would have a change of heart.

When we talk about disabilities, I want us to talk about the abilities of those like my son Isaac. Instead of focusing on what they can't do, let's focus on what they can do.

The limit to what people like Isaac can accomplish is not determined by their condition but by how much we love them and give them the empowerment so they can navigate the world of work, education, and public life.

As Isaac's dad and now as a Member of Congress, I am committed to strongly advocating for the inclusiveness of those who live with disabilities and the protection of their lives, always.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Coach Mike Guzzo of Silver Bay, Minnesota, for impacting the lives of countless young athletes across the great State of northern Minnesota.

When Mike and his wife moved back to his hometown of Silver Bay in 1984, they thought the move might be temporary. However, not long after his return, Mike began to coach youth hockey. Arguably it was his most important role as a coach and mentor that caused him to stay in Silver Bay for the long term.

Mike spent over 30 years coaching the great game of hockey in the great

State of hockey. At the end of this season, Mike hung up his skates and whistle and retired. When asked what he would miss most, Mike said it would be his players.

Growing up playing the sport of ice hockey myself, I will always remember the coaches for whom I played. I have carried the lessons that they taught me throughout my adult life.

Coach Guzzo, I thank you for serving as a role model to these athletes both on and off the ice. I know from my experience as a player that they will always appreciate everything that you have given to the hockey community.

I also want to thank Coach Guzzo for his dedication to the Silver Bay community and rural Minnesota. This community of Silver Bay matters, and Coach Guzzo, your life made it better.

Coach Guzzo, to you and your wife, I wish you a happy, healthy, and long retirement.

Mr. Chair, my name is Pete Stauber, and I was a law enforcement officer for 23 years in the great State of Minnesota, the city of Duluth.

In December of 1995, at 10:32 p.m., at the intersection of 6th Avenue East and 4th Street in Duluth, Minnesota, a criminal who should not have had a

firearm tried to take my life. I was shot in the head, and by the grace of God, I survived.

A few years after that, while on duty in a hostage situation, another criminal pulled a gun on me. Face-to-face, I was staring down the barrel of a handgun. The suspect pulled the trigger. The gun malfunctioned, and I was in a fight for my life. When it was all over, by the grace of God, I was alive. The individual was handcuffed.

Both those individuals were career criminals.

Back to when I was shot in the head, Mr. Chair: I begged the U.S. attorney, along with our police department, to charge the individual with possession of a handgun by a felon. They didn't do it. That individual was allowed to circumvent our community for another 8 years before he was finally put in prison, where he belonged. No more harming other people.

Representative Collins' Mass Violence Prevention Act gets the county attorneys and our Federal attorneys present to prosecute these individuals who have no respect for life.

I carried a handgun for 23 years, Mr. Chair, as a tool to defend my life or somebody else's life from great bodily harm. I support the individual right of law-abiding citizens, the right to keep and bear arms.

Both my wife and I live in rural Minnesota. When we need to protect ourselves, when it takes awhile for law enforcement to get there, we have the ability.

There is nobody I know who wants somebody who is going through a mental health issue or a career criminal or a drug dealer to have these.

We need to start respecting life. Life is precious, from conception to natural death. I am a very proud husband of an Iraq war veteran who understands the value of life.

Mr. Chair, I rise against this. There are better ways to get mothers and fathers, county attorneys, Federal prosecutors, local police departments, and sheriff departments to work together to have a fusion center so, when a young individual types into a computer ``I want to be a mass school shooter,'' there is an instant response to identify the individual and work through it.