Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5706) to protect transportation personnel and passengers from sexual assault and harassment, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5706.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5706, the Stop Sexual Assault and Harassment in Transportation Act. The number one goal in the transportation of people, whether it is across town or across an ocean, must be safety. No matter how much progress we have made in increasing the safety of our transportation system, we must always strive to do better.

But as we have seen over the course of the last several years, much more work remains to be done. And unfortunately, the pandemic has only served to exacerbate the problem. For instance, there were more than 5,700 reports of air rage incidents on U.S. airlines in 2021 compared to a typical year of 100 to 150 cases. Many of these incidents included sexual assault and harassment.

In fact, last August, a passenger was arrested for punching a Frontier Airlines flight attendant and groping two others on a flight from Philadelphia to Miami. On another flight from New York to San Francisco last year, a plane was diverted when a passenger engaged in erratic behavior, including sexually harassing another passenger. The risk of an unwelcome and even threatening environment has never been more real for both passengers and transportation workers alike.

This risk existed long before the pandemic. According to a 2018 study, 68 percent of flight attendants on U.S. airlines say they experienced sexual harassment, and 18 percent experienced some type of physical sexual abuse from passengers during their careers; 68 percent sexual harassment, 18 percent physical sexual abuse.

Moreover, this type of misconduct is not just limited to aviation. For example, sexual assault is by far the most frequently reported crime on cruise ships, with 101 incidents reported in 2019, the last full year before the pandemic shut down much of the industry's operations. While we don't have a comprehensive set of data for public transit, a March 2020 survey of students at San Jose State University found that 63 percent of respondents had experienced some form of harassment while using transit.

In recent years, there may be no other industry this issue has plagued more than transportation network companies. In 2019, Uber released its first-ever report documenting sexual assaults among users of its ride sharing app. The company documented over 6,000 reports of sexual assault incidents in a 2-year span. That is an average of almost 10 sexual assaults in an Uber per day. Just last October, Lyft released its first-ever report documenting 4,158 sexual assault incidents over a span of 3 years. These results highlight the need for the Federal Government to do much more to root out the scourge of sexual assault in our transportation system.

But we can't effectively respond to these incidents until we fully understand the scope of the problem. Unfortunately, there is no Federal clearinghouse for transportation-related sexual assault and harassment incidents. The data that the Department of Justice and the Department of Transportation collect on sexual assault and harassment in transportation are largely of incidents that were directly reported to them, not from transportation providers. This information gap leaves lawmakers, policymakers, and transportation providers themselves unaware of areas where laws and policies should be improved.

That is why the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure passed my bill, H.R. 5706, the Stop Sexual Assault and Harassment in Transportation Act. This bill will require transportation providers to establish formal policies addressing sexual assault and harassment; direct employees to receive specific training for not just how to handle sexual assault or harassment incidents, but also how to recognize and respond to potential human trafficking activities; and direct the Department of Transportation to establish the first-ever Federal clearinghouse for transportation-related sexual assaults and harassment data to allow us and the traveling public to fully understand the scope of this problem.

We can no longer allow sexual violence and abuse to persist on our roads, our waters, or in our skies. We must ensure our transportation system is safe for those who work in it and those who wish to use it. This bill, which will allow us to finally track, respond to, and ultimately prevent sexual assault and harassment within all areas of our transportation system, brings us one step closer to attaining that goal.

I want to acknowledge and express my appreciation for the many supporters of this bill. In particular, the bill has been strongly endorsed by the Air Line Pilots Association, American Association for Justice, Association of Flight Attendants, Association of Professional Flight Attendants, National Center on Sexual Exploitation, Rights4Girls, Survivors for Solutions, Transportation Communications Union, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, and Transport Workers Union of America. I would also like to thank my Republican colleagues for their help in strengthening this bill by expanding its requirements to State-regulated for-profit vehicles.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Commitiee on the Judiciary,

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC, March 18, 2022.

Hon. Peter A. DeFazio,

Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman DeFazio: This letter is to advise you that

the Committee on the Judiciary has now had an opportunity to

review the provisions in H.R. 5706, the ``Stop Sexual Assault

and Harassment in Transportation Act,'' that fall within our

Rule X jurisdiction. I appreciate your consulting with us on

those provisions. The Judiciary Committee has no objection to

your including them in the bill for consideration on the

House floor, and to expedite that consideration is willing to

forgo action on H.R. 5706, with the understanding that we do

not thereby waive any future jurisdictional claim over those

provisions or their subject matters.

In the event a House-Senate conference on this or similar

legislation is convened, the Judiciary Committee reserves the

right to request an appropriate number of conferees to

address any concerns with these or similar provisions that

may arise in conference.

Please place this letter into the Congressional Record

during consideration of the measure on the House floor. Thank

you for the cooperative spirit in which you have worked

regarding this matter and others between our committees.

Sincerely,

Jerrold Nadler,

Chairman.

Madam Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, as I said earlier, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Hopefully, we can move it out of the House unanimously and get the Senate to act in the near future. I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 400) to designate the headquarters building of the Department of Transportation located at 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, in Washington, DC, as the ``William T. Coleman, Jr. and Norman Y. Mineta Federal Building'', as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 400, as amended.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 400, as amended, a bill to name the headquarters building of the Department of Transportation located at 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, in Washington, D.C. as the William T. Coleman, Jr. and Norman Y. Mineta Federal Building.

The text we are considering today represents an agreement reached with the Senate and reconciles the differences between S. 400 and my bill, H.R. 4679, which passed the House last November. This compromise language pays tribute to two American patriots, William T. Coleman, Jr. and Norman Yishio Mineta.

William T. Coleman, Jr. led a life of extraordinary achievement. He attended a segregated elementary school, graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, and was accepted into Harvard School of Law. He left in 1943 to enlist in the Army Air Forces, trained with the Tuskegee Airmen, after which he returned to Harvard Law School and graduated first in his class.

He was the first African-American clerk on the Supreme Court. He also worked with Thurgood Marshall on the legal team preparing the briefs in Brown v. Board of Education, served as president and chairman of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and argued 19 cases before the Supreme Court. Mr. Coleman was the second African American to serve in a White House Cabinet, after being appointed Transportation Secretary by President Gerald R. Ford in March 1975.

Norman Y. Mineta also has an extraordinary life story. He, along with his family, suffered the grave injustice of being forcibly relocated and interned during World War II, but he was not bitter toward his government. Instead, he spent his career serving his country by participating in and improving government.

For almost 30 years, Norm represented San Jose, California, on the city council, then as mayor, and from 1975 to 1995 as a Member of Congress. He served on the Committee on Public Works and Transportation during his entire time in Congress. He chaired the Subcommittee on Aviation, the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, and he chaired the full committee for one full term.

Norm's skills and accomplishments were widely recognized. He was President Bill Clinton's Secretary of Commerce and President George W. Bush's Secretary of Transportation, where he was the longest-serving Secretary of Transportation in U.S. history.

Following the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001, Secretary Mineta guided the creation of the Transportation Security Administration, an agency with more than 65,000 employees, the largest mobilization of a new Federal agency since World War II.

For their contributions to this institution, to our government, and to the field of transportation, Secretary William T. Coleman, Jr. and Secretary Mineta deserve this recognition. I strongly support this legislation and urge my colleagues to join me.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to close.

I have already spoken strongly for this bill, for the Department of Transportation building to be named in honor of William T. Coleman and Norm Mineta.

I just want to add a personal note. I served with Norm Mineta for 8 years, and he was a great chairman and mentor. Between him and Jim Oberstar, I owe them a lot for my success in Congress and for the leadership in this committee, so I am really pleased that we can do this today. I would expect it will pass the House unanimously, but there are inane people on the other side of the aisle who insist on voting on everything for no apparent reason, so I expect we will end up with a recorded vote, but I expect that will be unanimous.

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

Madam Speaker, on Monday, March 28, 2022, I was unavoidably detained and missed the day's votes. Had I been present, I would have voted:

Yea on Roll Call Vote 83, H.R. 1621--To amend section 3661 of title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the consideration of acquitted conduct at sentencing; and

Yea on Roll Call Vote 84, S. 3294--To obtain and direct the placement in the Capitol or on the Capitol Grounds of a statue to honor Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Sandra Day O'Connor and a statue to honor Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure be discharged from further consideration of House Concurrent Resolution 74, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the call of the Private Calendar be dispensed with on Tuesday, April 5, 2022 and Tuesday, May 3, 2022.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6865) to authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 6865, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to call up and speak in support of my bill, H.R. 6865, the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022.

This bipartisan legislation will authorize funding for the United States Coast Guard for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 and address a number of important issues concerning the maritime industry.

I would like to take a moment to express my deepest sympathies to Congressman Don Young's wife, Anne, the rest of the family, and the people of Alaska.

Don was larger than life. He was the dean of the House. He was affable, cantankerous, and sometimes funny.

You know, I have stories like the Speaker mentioned today about Don and the buck knife in his pocket, but I won't go into those now. But, anyway, we developed a good friendship.

I feel fortunate that I had time to develop that relationship with him, serving together on both the House Committee on Natural Resources for 26 years and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for 36 years.

His service as Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee had an extraordinary impact. It was capped by the passage of SAFETEA-LU, a surface transportation reauthorization that was named for his beloved late wife.

It was a strong bipartisan bill that provided much-needed investment infrastructure across the country, including my home State of Oregon.

Don believed in bipartisanship. We didn't always agree, but we would often find a way to compromise, come together for the good of the country, and he always, always stayed true to his values and the people of Alaska.

Given Alaska's vast coastlines, the Coast Guard plays a particularly important role in the State, and Congressman Young was always there to support the United States Coast Guard.

That is why I am particularly happy to include several provisions important to the Congressman that will have a dramatic impact on the State of Alaska and this bill.

At a committee markup earlier this month, Don said, I have voted on 20 Coast Guard authorization bills in my career. I have served on the Coast Guard subcommittee for 46 years. This is a good bill. It is really needed. And it is really needed. And naming it for Don Young is incredibly appropriate.

I would like to thank my ranking member, Sam Graves, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Gibbs for their work. I particularly want to thank the chair of the subcommittee, Congressman Carbajal, for this very important and overdue additional investment in the Coast Guard and addressing a number of other issues relating to the maritime industry. This is evidence that bipartisanship can still live in Washington, D.C. today.

It not only authorizes the Coast Guard but also reauthorizes the Federal Maritime Commission which is the center of the supply chain congestion that has plagued this country and the world for over a year.

It incorporates the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 which will begin to address several unfair shipping practices that have contributed to inflation across every sector of the American economy.

This legislation gives the Federal Maritime Commission the authority to protect exporters, importers, and consumers from unfair practices by expanding their oversight and enforcement capabilities.

The largest three shipping companies in the world made more money in the last year than they made over the last decade. It is not warranted. They are essentially running a cartel, and it is time that we took action.

The Federal Maritime Commission, under this administration, is finally waking up, and they are going to take action against these cartels and the price gouging that is going on on our consumers.

It further amends title 46 to ensure shipping capacity once contracts are signed, increases penalties for retaliation against shippers, and encourages reciprocal trade.

H.R. 6865 increases the Federal Maritime Commission's annual operating budget by 10 percent over 2021. It will give them the additional resources they need to provide effective oversight and ensure that all foreign carriers abide by fair shipping practices which they are not doing today.

For the Coast Guard, this bill provides more than $12 billion for fiscal year 2022, $13 billion for fiscal year 2023. These authorized funding levels support servicemembers, fund new asset acquisitions, and improve the Coast Guard's crumbling shoreside infrastructure.

I am particularly pleased with the improved vessel safety measures included in the legislation, and H.R. 6865 takes a leap forward in small passenger vessel safety by mandating commonsense requirements for passenger amphibious vessels and others.

Chairman Carbajal recently held a hearing on a horrible tragedy in his district which this will also have an impact in preventing in the future.

Moreover, H.R. 6865 offers meaningful reforms to a culture of sexual abuse within the maritime industry. I am proud to have worked with Members from both sides of the aisle to determine what changes are necessary to begin to address the toxic culture in the industry and create a safe work environment for all mariners.

H.R. 6865 includes language from my other bill, the Safer Seas Act, which will give the Coast Guard more leverage to investigate and remove predators who sexually harass and assault. It also includes important safety measures such as surveillance, master key control systems, and extends the statute of limitations for cases of sexual assault and harassment.

This groundbreaking legislation is just one step towards bringing justice for victims and getting predators out of the industry.

In closing, let me thank once again my Ranking Member Sam Graves, Ranking Member Gibbs, and of course, Chair Carbajal for all their extraordinary work on this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the chair of the subcommittee, Congressman Carbajal.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi), a senior member of the committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Auchincloss), a member of the committee.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Keating).

Mr. Speaker, certainly, I would assure both this gentleman and Representative Auchincloss that I will be happy to work with the two of them as the legislation goes to the Senate.

I want to move toward employing qualified American mariners and to have the people who work on these ships meet the same requirements as American mariners.

Flags of convenience have destroyed the U.S. maritime industry. We are going to rebuild it, and we are going to rebuild it with American crews and ships. Dominion Resources is currently building an insertion ship.

I certainly do not want to impede projects in the near term, Vineyard Wind and others that are immediately pending, and we will work to ensure there are no disruptions as we move toward a cleaner energy future.

I would be happy to work with the two gentlemen and others who are concerned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Malliotakis).

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

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

Madam Speaker, it was very fitting the tributes that we heard. We all have stories about Don, and I wish we had more time to share, but his many decades of work will stand as a monument to his life, and this bill, in particular, will honor his extraordinary service on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. I think it was called Public Works when Don first came to serve here.

Madam Speaker, I urge support for this bill. As I mentioned earlier, we are finally recognizing that the Coast Guard has been under resourced for decades. We are beginning to deal with that problem, their shoreside infrastructure, their assets at sea, and in particular, the extraordinary people who serve in the United States Coast Guard.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to have named the bill for Don. I would urge that this bill be unanimously approved by our colleagues, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, the President just announced that he will ban the importation of Russian oil. It is a tiny fraction of the oil we consume, so it shouldn't mean a big run-up in price. In fact, prices have already run up 30 percent since the invasion of Ukraine, they have already priced it in, and they are already profiting from it.

We need to become energy independent, as the President pointed out. We have to break our addiction to Big Oil. We need to be self- sufficient on renewables, but we don't need to price gouge the American people on the way there.

Last year, the oil companies reported record profits, bought back $7 billion worth of stock, and had record dividends. This year, they say there is a $22 billion stock buyback, bigger dividends, bigger profits. They should not be price gouging during a crisis.

I am introducing legislation for a price gouging profits tax with rebates to consumers.

Colleagues, join me in this effort. Don't let Big Oil gouge the American consumers under the guise of an international crisis.

Madam Speaker, I thank Mrs. Maloney for getting us to this point today, and I thank the ranking member also.

Postal reform has been languishing around here for more than a decade, and we are finally there. The two largest elements of this bill--one was already just mentioned by Representative Connolly, the absurd prefunding mandate that was stuck in at midnight in a conference, and no one knew it was there. It was back during the Bush administration. They were trying to kill off the Postal Service.

It said you will prepay healthcare for the next 75 years of employees. That means people who weren't even born yet, people who might go to work for the Postal Service someday, that might retire, we are prepaying their healthcare. That has been an incredible burden on the Postal Service.

Now, that is going to be fixed. We are going to do away with that. That is a bill I have carried for many years, the USPS Fairness Act. We had, actually, 277 cosponsors on that bill in this Congress. I am very pleased it was included as a key part of reform.

The other one is to have postal retirees sign up for Medicare like our Federal retirees. That saves another $23 billion.

Those two things alone will put the Postal Service solvent into the near future, and we will take other steps to increase efficiency.

The Postal Service is critical. They will go where the private sector will not go, does not want to go. I have people who live in the most remote parts of my district, very remote. They make a living on eBay and selling things. If the Postal Service wouldn't pick up their packages and wouldn't deliver their packages with that box rate, they couldn't make a living. FedEx isn't going to go out there; UPS isn't going to go out there. In fact, they dump all the stuff about 25 miles away from Powers and say: Hey, take this out to that little town. We don't want to go out that far.

It is an absolutely crucial service for tens of millions of Americans, and today, we are going to ensure its future.

Madam Speaker, I urge passage of this bill, and I thank the chair and the ranking member for their work.

Madam Speaker, this bill does not look back.

Yes, we saw the abuses of Donald Trump over using the 1976 National Emergency Act in ways that it had never ever been used before to move money around to things because he couldn't get it appropriated through a Republican Senate and a Republican House. He couldn't get it done, so he moved the money around.

Anybody who works in the House of Representatives or the Senate should be insulted that you want to empower a President--what about if Joe Biden starts doing that? Don't you want to have these tools? Or any other future President of either party?

This isn't about Donald Trump. It is about the Trump era, which exposed things that need to be fixed, and this law does that.

Subpoena power--our subpoenas should be enforceable, whether they are from a Democratic Congress or a Republican Congress. They are not.

The Department of Justice needs to have a firewall between the White House and the Department of Justice. You can't have the President calling up the Department of Justice, telling them to prosecute people or make stuff up. Any President of any party shouldn't be able to do that.

Then the President embargoed, stopped money that Congress, a Republican Congress, had sent for Ukraine. Just stopped it. But apparently, on the other side of the aisle, they feel like their job is to be handmaidens in case Trump comes back.

They don't want to put in the protections now when Joe Biden is there, who they carry on about as abusive all the time. Why not put in the protections now? Because you want Donald Trump to be able to come back and continue these sorts of abuses.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5376, the Build Back Better Act. By passing this landmark legislation, House Democrats are making lasting investments in the American people, our infrastructure, and are lowering taxes for working families across this country.

It fights inflation. It is fully paid for. We accomplished this by making sure big corporations and the wealthiest pay their fair share, all while creating hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs that don't require a college degree. It is no wonder why this bill is popular with a strong majority of Americans and very unpopular with the Republican minority.

As chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I am particularly proud that the Build Back Better Act will provide a vital down payment in the fight against climate change. The transportation sector is the largest source of carbon pollution. Important investments in my committee, and others, included in this bill to decarbonize transportation will address the climate crisis with the urgency it deserves, something I have been pushing for a long time.

The nearly $40 billion from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will support climate investments by reducing carbon emissions from surface transportation, aviation, ports, and public buildings; ensure critical transportation connections to affordable housing and reconnect bisected neighborhoods; robustly fund high-speed rail; supply ports as they struggle with the supply chain crisis; and ensure climate-resilient and affordable investments in our wastewater infrastructure.

For working families, the Build Back Better Act will provide universal pre-K, childcare, lower healthcare costs, and establish a permanent program of 4 weeks paid family medical leave. It makes historic investments in housing and includes provisions to ensure affordable pricing for certain prescription drugs. This legislation also includes investments in tax enforcement to catch the tax cheats, the wealthiest tax cheats in America. Again, the Republicans don't much like that part of the bill.

It should be clear: The Build Back Better Act will lower costs for families, put money back in the pockets of hardworking Americans, create hundreds of thousands of family-wage jobs, and good benefits.

By passing this bill, along with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we are truly catapulting Americans into the modern era, making the largest investments to combat climate change in American history.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, on November 3, 2021, I inadvertently voted in favor of H. Res. 760 when I intended to vote against it. Even though the resolution passed by a large margin in the House of Representatives, I oppose this resolution and am disappointed it passed the House.

Let me be clear: I strongly support those in Cuba who are protesting against the repressive and anti-democratic Cuban regime, and I support this resolution's sentiment in solidarity with Cubans who are demonstrating peacefully for fundamental freedoms.

However, this resolution is flawed and does not present real solutions for Cuba or its people. It completely ignores the U.S.'s decades-long failed policy toward Cuba and fails to acknowledge the negative impact that this failed U.S. policy has had on the Cuban people.

Throughout my time in Congress, I have worked with my colleagues to change the decades-long failed U.S. policy toward Cuba. Among the goals I've worked toward are lifting the ban on U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba and lifting the restrictions on selling food and medicine to Cuba. I have supported legislation that would achieve these goals.

I was also a supporter of former President Obama's proposals to allow U.S. companies to establish banking relations, ease travel restrictions, and export some goods including agricultural products-- and I strongly oppose former President Trump's reversal of these Obama- era policies.

At the beginning of President Biden's administration, I joined several of my colleagues in urging President Biden to take executive action to reverse the Trump administration's wrong-headed policies toward Cuba, return to the Obama administration's diplomatic proposals, and pursue an end to the nearly six-decade-long economic embargo of Cuba.

As a longtime supporter of reviewing our country's position on Cuba, I will continue to support reform efforts.

Madam Speaker, on November 3, 2021, I voted Present on S. 1064, the Reinforcing Nicaragua's Adherence to Conditions for Electoral Reform (RENACER) Act of 2021.

Let me be clear: I strongly oppose Nicaraguan dictator Daniel Ortega and his repressive and antidemocratic regime. The ills of Ortega's authoritarian regime are manifold. Ortega and his cronies have intimidated or arrested virtually all potential political opposition in the country. Ortega has engaged in numerous human rights abuses, and he has enriched himself and his allies while decimating the Nicaraguan economy and its people.

While I sympathize with this legislation's intent to crack down on Ortega and his cronies, it's not clear that the legislation as written would effectively achieve these aims. Instead, the legislation's text appears to require broad-based sanctions that could contribute to further economic collapse in the country, negatively impact the Nicaraguan people, exacerbate a migration crisis, and further consolidate Ortega's grip on power.

This legislation also did not go through the normal legislative process in the House. Instead of receiving scrutiny through the traditional committee and amendment process, this legislation was put on the floor last-minute as a suspension without adequate input from Members or the House Financial Services Committee--which I understand had significant reservations with the legislation's text.

As we've seen in other countries where the U.S. has engaged in broad- based sanctions, these types of sanctions do not always achieve their intended result. When appropriate, I support smart, targeted sanctions that limit adverse effects on civilian populations. Unfortunately, this legislation--and the lack of adequate legislative scrutiny--does not meet that standard.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4679) to designate the Federal building located at 1200 New Jersey Avenue Southeast in Washington, DC, as the ``Norman Yoshio Mineta Federal Building''.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members

have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4679.

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

Madam Speaker, H.R. 4679 names the Department of Transportation headquarters building in Washington, D.C., after our former colleague Norm Mineta. This recognition is long overdue.

Secretary Norm Mineta is a great American patriot. He, along with his family, suffered the grave injustice of being forcibly relocated and interned during World War II. But he was not bitter toward his country or his government. Instead, he spent his career serving his country by participating in and improving government.

For almost 30 years, Norm represented San Jose on the city council, then as mayor, and then from 1975 to 1995 as a Member of Congress. Norm served on the Committee on Transportation and Public Works throughout his two decades in Congress, and we served together for 7 years. Norm chaired the Subcommittee on Aviation, the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, and finally the full committee.

Norm was a primary author of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, ISTEA, which, as President George H.W. Bush said during the signing ceremony, was ``the most important transportation bill since President Eisenhower started the interstate system 35 years ago.''

Norm was also a cofounder of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and served as its first chair.

Norm's skills and accomplishments have been widely recognized by both sides of the aisle. Norm was President Bill Clinton's Secretary of Commerce and President George W. Bush's Secretary of Transportation, where he was the longest-serving Secretary of Transportation in U.S. history, January 2001 until July 2006. Norm was the first person of Asian-Pacific descent to serve as Secretary of Commerce or Secretary of Transportation, and he was the first DOT Secretary to have served in a previous Cabinet position.

Following the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001, Secretary Mineta worked closely with the then-chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation, Mr. Mica, and myself as ranking member to create the Transportation Security Administration.

Prior to that time, the security at airports was always provided by the lowest bidder. In fact, one of the companies was owned by previous felons. We professionalized aviation security in the TSA. That agency was 65,000 employees, the largest mobilization of a new Federal agency since World War II.

For his contributions to this institution, to our government, and to the field of transportation, Secretary Mineta deserves this recognition.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I recommend this legislation to my colleagues for this long-overdue honor for the longest-serving Secretary of Transportation and the only one who ever served previously as Secretary in another part of the administration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4660) to designate the Federal Building and United States Courthouse located at 1125 Chapline Street in Wheeling, West Virginia, as the ``Frederick P. Stamp, Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4660.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4660 designates the Federal Building located at 1125 Chapline Street in Wheeling, West Virginia as the Frederick P. Stamp, Jr. Federal Building and Courthouse. This legislation was introduced by Congressman David McKinley of West Virginia. Congressman McKinley has long sought this designation to honor Judge Stamp's career and legacy.

Frederick P. Stamp Jr. was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, received a bachelor of arts degree from Washington and Lee University, and a law degree from the University of Virginia. He was a private in the United States Army from 1959 to 1960, and a first lieutenant in the Army Reserves from 1960 to 1967. After 30 years in private practice in Wheeling, from 1960 to 1990, he was nominated by President George H.W. Bush to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, where he served as chief judge from 1994 to 2001.

Judge Stamp's service to his community, his State, our Nation, and the judicial system is widely respected. I strongly support H.R. 4660, as an overdue recognition of his service, and I urge my colleagues to join me.

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

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, this is a long overdue honor for Judge Stamp. And as the gentleman from West Virginia said, he would never have sought this honor himself, but it is being done by Congress in recognition of his great service to our Nation and the judiciary.

Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5763) to provide an extension of Federal-aid highway, highway safety, and transit programs, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5763.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5763, the Further Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021.

Here we are again, calling up yet another short-term extension of Federal highway, transit, highway safety, motor carrier, research, and transportation financing programs.

As I stated when the House took up the first extension on October 1, the House of Representatives did its work last summer, which included a 5-year authorization of surface programs, well in advance of the need for any extensions. And the Senate did later pass a 5-year authorization.

We haven't yet found a path forward for both Chambers to pass the same version of the bill, but we need to act immediately to be certain we don't have a lapse in authorization. There are adequate funds in the highway trust fund to cover this extension. No additional funds will be necessary.

If we don't, on October 31, 3,700 employees will again receive furlough notices that they cannot report to work on November 1, or have to work without pay, with a temporary shutdown of those programs.

The Federal Highway Administration won't be able to provide any new funding to States, the District, or territories. They will be able to continue reimbursing, but a lot of States are beginning--they have initiatives and applications pending for new programs, and all those would be set aside and delayed.

The Federal Transit Administration won't be able to issue new funding to 1,300 transit grantees that rely on Federal grants to fund construction; buy vehicles and equipment, an ongoing process; and, in some cases, pay for operating costs. The FTA can continue to make payments for grants issued before October 1--again, not adequate looking at future needs.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cannot award new grants, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration must stop issuing new motor carrier safety grants.

And the Office of the Secretary will not be able to make any further TIFIA loans.

The Further Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021 will allow the Department of Transportation to restart operations of programs funded by the highway trust fund through December 3, 2021, which will be a momentous day around here. It also authorizes DOT to provide backpay for employees in the event of a temporary shutdown.

I urge my colleagues to support this extension which will help provide additional time to work through the final resolution of a long- term surface transportation bill.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and if the gentleman is prepared to close, I would be prepared to close.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, just to reiterate for colleagues that may be listening, this extension goes till December 3. There are adequate funds in the highway trust fund to fund all the regular programs. This will be at current authorization levels.

It will allow States to move forward and propose new highway and bridge projects. It will allow transit agencies to go ahead and acquire new equipment and make other necessary repairs or improvements to their systems.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will be at full operating and full funding, so there will be no lapse should we pass this now. I urge an ``aye'' vote.

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