Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on July 21, 2025, I was unable to attend votes due to a travel issue. Had I been present, I would have voted: NAY on Roll Call 213, and YEA on Roll Call No. 214.

Mr. Speaker, during the week of June 2, 2025, I was unable to attend several votes due to a family medical issue. Had I been present, I would have voted: YEA on Roll Call No. 146; YEA on Roll Call No. 147; YEA on Roll Call No. 150; YEA on Roll Call No. 151; YEA on Roll Call No. 152; NAY on Roll Call No. 153; YEA on Roll Call No. 154; and NAY on Roll Call No. 155.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 137, as amended, which designates rooms H-315, H-316, H-317, H-318, H-319 in the U.S. Capitol as the Frederick Douglass Press Gallery.

We honor Frederick Douglass for his extraordinary contributions to this country. Born an enslaved person, he grew to be a prominent abolitionist, public intellectual, journalist, world-renowned orator, businessman, and statesman.

Frederick Douglass was a courageous advocate for equal rights who used his journalistic and oratorical skills to advance civil liberties for all his life.

It is fitting that we name the House Press Gallery after the first Black reporter allowed into the Capitol press galleries.

Mr. Speaker, I support passage of the resolution, as amended, and urge my colleagues to do the same. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time, and I am prepared to close.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I will also take this time to recognize Republican Staff Director of T&I, Jack Ruddy, who is leaving at the end of the week, after more than 6\1/2\ years of work on the committee and, of course, an additional 9 years directly with the chair.

During Jack's 3 years as staff director, 2\1/2\ of which I have been the ranking member of the committee, the T&I Committee has passed impactful, bipartisan bills that have moved the ball on a number of issues. From our work on the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 to the WRDA Act in 2024, which included the first reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration in more than 15 years, Jack has proven to be a trusted partner and effective negotiator.

Just to show you how much work he does do, one of the issues we had to settle on the FAA Reauthorization Act occurred when I was in my district on Whidbey Island, while Sam was on Midway Island in the middle of the Pacific--I don't even know which day it was on Midway at the time--but Jack helped facilitate the phone call that helped the chair and me resolve a sticky wicket issue that we had to get done to get the bill done. I appreciated Jack's help in making that happen.

Even when we disagreed, Jack was never disagreeable, and he worked to find common ground. We are actually sad to see Jack go. I know Jack will do well and we wish him great luck in his future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I support the resolution and encourage my colleagues to do the same.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support the Baby Changing on Board Act. This bill requires Amtrak to install baby changing stations in accessible bathrooms on new passenger rail cars and include clear signage indicating the availability of changing stations. This will ensure that parents with young children on Amtrak trains can use accessible, safe, and comfortable changing facilities.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support this legislation to create a safer, cleaner, and more accessible experience for parents and caregivers traveling with young children. I urge my colleagues to support the Baby Changing on Board Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Underwood), the prime sponsor of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support the Baby Changing on Board Act, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1182, the Compressed Gas Cylinder Safety and Oversight Improvements Act.

The bill requires the Secretary of Transportation to advance a rulemaking to make the standards for foreign manufacturers of compressed gas cylinders sold in the U.S. the same as standards for the domestic makers of these same cylinders.

Compressed gas cylinders are used every day in life for medical, auto, defense, oil and gas, residential, firefighting, and other purposes.

In January, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued a safety advisory notice regarding unsafe cylinders being sold online to consumers, shippers, and heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning folks. These were not manufactured to American or even United Nations standards and lacked certification markings.

Using these unsafe compressed gas cylinders could cause significant damage to property, physical injury, or even death. PHMSA determined that the unmarked empty cylinders being sold in the United States on major commercial websites are primarily manufactured by non-U.S. companies. This bill requires a consistent standard for both domestic and foreign manufacturers of compressed gas cylinders.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bipartisan bill and urge my colleagues to do the same. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I will close by saying that I support the Compressed Gas Cylinder Safety and Oversight Improvements Act. I encourage my colleagues to do the same, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1373, as amended, bipartisan legislation to promote additional transparency of board meetings of the Tennessee Valley Authority.

I thank Representatives Cohen and Burchett of Tennessee for their leadership on this bill and their tireless work to improve the TVA.

TVA is the Nation's largest government-owned wholesale power producer, supplying power to 10 million people across the States of Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky.

This legislation requires TVA's board meetings to be open to the public when possible, which will increase transparency for the communities impacted by TVA's decisions.

Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 1373, as amended, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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

Mr. Speaker, in closing, Congress must ensure that TVA's operations are transparent.

I support H.R. 1373, as amended, and urge my colleagues to do the same.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1948, as amended, bipartisan legislation to assist the U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission, or IBWC, in carrying out its critical water- related missions.

This bill allows IBWC to accept contributed funds from other Federal and State agencies, giving the Commission the authority other Federal infrastructure agencies already have.

This authority will allow the IBWC to partner with other Federal agencies and non-Federal interests to carry out critical water-related projects, including projects for wastewater treatment, water conservation, and flood control. I support H.R. 1948, as amended, and urge my colleagues to do the same.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Peters).

Mr. Speaker, the IBWC plays a crucial role in addressing water needs across the U.S.-Mexico border. I support H.R. 1948, as amended, to ensure the IBWC has the authority necessary to carry out its critical work and urge my colleagues to support this bill, as well.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark Building Safety Month 2025 and to recognize the more than 60,000 members of the International Code Council (ICC) who have dedicated their livelihoods to ensuring public safety throughout the built environment.

Building Safety Month is sponsored by the International Code Council and its partners to remind the public of the professionals who ensure buildings are safe, resilient, affordable, efficient, and livable.

The Code Council brings together local, state, and federal government stakeholders, as well as those from the private sector to develop model codes and standards that protect the occupants of the buildings in which we live, work, and play. Those standards are then implemented year-round by building safety officials, the fire services, architects, engineers, builders, and other skilled tradespeople to ensure the safe construction and maintenance of buildings.

Building Safety Month is an annual celebration to remind the public of the critical role of local code officials--who ensure the safe, sustainable, and affordable buildings essential to prosperity.

In late 2020, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released its ``Building Codes Saves'' report, which found that implementing modern building codes could prevent $600 billion in disaster-related spending by 2060. FEMA further confirmed a prior report by the National Institute of Building Sciences that found that adopting modern codes provides $11 dollars in mitigation savings for every $1 dollar invested.

As the Ranking Member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee--responsible for oversight and authorization of FEMA--I have heard repeated testimony from expert witnesses on the increase in both the frequency and severity of natural disasters. Building codes and standards are critical to protecting the public from these disasters, including wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, snow and ice storms, and earthquakes.

As Americans rebuild after disasters, we recognize and thank those who implement and enforce building codes for protecting lives, property, and businesses, and ultimately ensuring our communities are resilient to future events.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in thanking International Code Council Board President David Spencer--a fellow Washingtonian--as well as ICC's Chief Executive Officer John Belcik, the International Code Council leadership, and ICC's Members and staff as they recognize Building Safety Month 2025.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 751 on the opening of the new Everett Union Hall.

The new union hall replaces a previous hall that was dedicated in 1996 and provided space for meetings, town halls, solidarity barbecues, celebrations and other union business.

While the old hall served IAM for nearly 30 years, the building was not suitable to meet the needs of the nearly 16,000 IAM members working at Boeing's Everett facility. In particular, the old hall did not have the capacity to support training for new and future aerospace workers. The new Everett Union Hall will house business representatives, support staff, classrooms, shops, labs and a full training area that will allow IAM to offer certification programs and training in conjunction with Boeing and other organizations.

One of the hardest things in high tech industries is finding a workforce that has the skills and training required to do the work.

This new hall will allow the union to provide hands-on training for generations of aerospace workers, allowing current workers to learn new skills and providing an opportunity for future aerospace workers to get the training they need to find family-wage aerospace manufacturing jobs.

This new union hall is not just a building--it is an investment that will benefit the entire region by building the workforce in Washington state and incentivizing aerospace businesses to keep their work in the region.

Congratulations to IAM, and I look forward to visiting the new hall.

Mr. Speaker, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Democrats are for bills that invest in job- creating infrastructure. We are against jamming through fiscally reckless bills that rip healthcare away from 13 million Americans and take food assistance away from millions of families so that we can hand out tax breaks to billionaires.

Democrats want to continue historic funding for transportation infrastructure and stronger and healthier communities. Unfortunately, this reconciliation package leaves very little room for those investments--to make the needed safety investments for the entire air traffic control system, the safety investments that we need to tackle the highway safety crisis, and the investments that we need to meet the Coast Guard members' healthcare, housing, and childcare needs.

This bill causes immediate harm by yanking money from locally selected projects that our constituents in Republican and Democratic districts alike are counting on. For what? To help pay for the tax cuts for the richest Americans and largest corporations.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to a future where the Members of this body work together on priorities for transportation infrastructure, but this big, ugly bill ain't it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Linda McCarthy on her retirement from Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood and thank her for her many decades of service and dedication to the people of Northwest Washington.

Since 1977, Linda McCarthy has been an advocate for women's health at Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood, starting as a secretary and eventually rising to become the CEO for 21 years.

Under Linda McCarthy's leadership, Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood expanded access to exceptional and essential health and social services to many people in Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan counties.

It has been an honor and a privilege working with Linda, and I will continue to honor her work by supporting women's health care, reproductive rights and family planning services in Northwest Washington.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the christening of the USNS Billy Frank Jr.

Billy Frank Jr. was a proud member of the Nisqually Tribe and a dedicated leader on tribal treaty rights and environmental stewardship. He served as chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission for over 30 years, paved the way for the Boldt decision and was honored with numerous prestigious awards. In 2015, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation's highest civilian honor.

I am grateful to have worked with Billy on habitat restoration for salmon and steelhead. Washington state's tribes and environment are stronger because of Billy's decades of advocacy and leadership.

Billy was also a veteran of the Marine Corps and served during the Korean War. It is fitting that a Navy ship will now bear his name. The USNS Billy Frank Jr. will offer salvage, rescue, ocean-going towing and other support capabilities for U.S. Navy fleet operations, while also supporting missions such as oil spill response, humanitarian assistance, wide-area search and surveillance.

On this momentous occasion I send my congratulations to the Frank family and the Nisqually Tribe. I look forward to once again honoring Billy later this year when his statue will be unveiled to represent the state of Washington in the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1478, which would designate U.S. Highway 20 as the ``National Medal of Honor Highway.'' U.S. 20 is the longest road in the United States, passing through 12 States between Oregon and Massachusetts.

Currently, all 12 of these States have designations at the State level deeming U.S. Route 20 the Medal of Honor Highway. This bill would overlay a Federal designation.

Servicemembers are awarded the Medal of Honor for embodying the highest levels of bravery and valor. We owe a great debt of gratitude to every recipient of this award.

This bill is a way to honor all current and future recipients and help to ensure we remember their acts of heroism.

This legislation's House companion bill was already reported favorably by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee by unanimous consent.

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

Mr. Speaker, I will note that recipients of the Medal of Honor have performed great acts of bravery in service to the United States. This bill is one way to honor the servicemembers.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 3475, legislation that is sponsored by Senator Peters.

This bill would make technical corrections to the Commercial Driver's License Information System, or CDLIS, to ensure the system continues to function as intended.

CDLIS is a nationwide database that allows States to share information about commercial driver records. The system assures commercial drivers are properly vetted with a single license and a complete record, which is critical for the safety of our roads.

Absent this tool, commercial drivers could lose their license for safety violations in one State but then simply apply for a license in a different State.

This legislation ensures the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration can continue to partner with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators to access the database and records.

The Department of Transportation informed Congress that a technical revision to the law is needed to allow the system to continue to operate successfully. This legislation provides that correction and ensures that any fees collected go toward operating and maintaining the system.

Mr. Speaker, the Commercial Driver's License Information System is the backbone of a safe commercial driving industry. This bill would ensure the continued operation of this critical tool and protect other safety priorities, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024, the sixth consecutive bipartisan bill approved by Congress to address local water resources across the country.

Regular biennial consideration of WRDA, as we call it, is a proud bipartisan tradition of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. It provides predictability to local sponsors and the Army Corps of Engineers in carrying out projects to improve the Nation's ports, harbors, and inland navigation systems and to protect communities from flood and storm risks.

These are locally driven projects that will create good-paying jobs for hardworking women and men by strengthening our global competitiveness and supply chains and ensuring the resilience of communities for decades to come.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chair Graves, Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chair Rouzer, and their staff for their partnership, insight, and collaboration in developing this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I also thank our Senate counterparts, Chair Carper and Ranking Member Capito, for their support in shepherding this bill over the finish line.

I specifically recognize Ranking Member Napolitano for her leadership on this WRDA, as well as the four previous WRDA bills. She has left her mark on this committee with her decades of visionary work to address the future water supply and drought resiliency needs of communities throughout the United States.

This final bill rightfully acknowledges her career as the ``Queen of Water'' by naming the section that encourages the corps to maximize opportunities for water supply, water conservation, and drought resiliency at its projects as the Grace F. Napolitano Priority for Water Supply, Water Conservation, and Drought Resiliency Act of 2024.

WRDA 2024 authorizes the construction of projects in 21 pending reports of the chief of engineers. It also provides over $5 billion in new and modified environmental infrastructure authorities to address local water and wastewater needs.

This bill also authorizes over 200 new feasibility studies for future water resources development projects, as well as modifies multiple existing projects to reflect current local needs.

Mr. Speaker, WRDA 2024 makes the Corps of Engineers Tribal Partnership Program permanent and expands initiatives to assist Tribal partners while also making projects more financially accessible to all communities.

It also provides communities with tools needed to face the threats posed by climate change, from enhancing drought resilience to combating harmful algal blooms and supporting flood control projects.

WRDA 2024 supports economic growth by investing in projects that create jobs, grow local economies, boost economic competitiveness, and strengthen supply chains in the United States.

Ships are getting bigger, and our ports need to get deeper to maintain America's competitive edge. Increased Federal investment in harbor-deepening projects will strengthen our supply chains and ensure that our ports and harbors can accommodate the world's largest ships.

Further, the WRDA legislation we are considering also includes provisions related to economic development and public buildings.

The bill authorizes activities for the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration, or EDA, for the next 5 years. Congress is giving EDA clear direction about our priorities, which include clarifying EDA's responsibilities in disaster recovery efforts led by FEMA, adjusting the Federal and non-Federal cost-share levels, and prioritizing investments in critical infrastructure, workforce, innovation, entrepreneurship, economic recovery resiliency, and manufacturing.

The bill also includes provisions designed to improve the efficacy and accountability of the General Services Administration, or GSA, by improving the process for disposing of underutilized Federal buildings and making GSA's process for updating design and engineering requirements transparent.

This bill further gives States and local governments access to an additional $1.8 billion in contract authority that can be applied to critical transportation projects from amounts previously authorized under the TIFIA loan program.

This bill equitably redistributes these funds according to the highway formula, including a 10 percent set-

aside for transportation alternatives, ensuring communities of all sizes in every State are guaranteed access to this funding.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself a moment here to thank Grace Napolitano for her service to this country, to this House, and to the continual work on the Water Resources Development Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Sykes).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

During this Congress, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has passed multiple comprehensive and bipartisan bills, including the FAA reauthorization. WRDA 2024 and other titles of this bill show we are finishing the Congress strong with a continued commitment from this committee to invest in our Nation's infrastructure and to grow our economy in regions across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chair Graves, Chair Rouzer, Chair Perry, Ranking Member Napolitano, and Ranking Member Titus for their partnership and dedication to navigating this comprehensive bipartisan and bicameral bill to final passage.

I also thank the Democratic staff, who worked very hard on this legislation: Ryan Seiger, Alexa Williams, Logan Ferree, Ann Jacobs, Jackie Schmitz, and Michael Bauman.

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