Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the AbilityOne program, which in the last several years has helped more than 48,000 Americans who are blind or who have significant disabilities gain skills and training that ultimately led to gainful employment.

The AbilityOne Program harnesses the purchasing power of the federal government to buy products and services from participating community- based nonprofit agencies that are dedicated to training and employing individuals with disabilities. This program affords Americans with significant disabilities opportunities to acquire job skills and training, receive good wages and benefits, and gain greater independence and quality of life. This program provides essential assistance to a segment of the population that has one of the highest levels of unemployment in our country.

I am proud to acknowledge the important work of Beacon Group in Tucson. Since 1952, Beacon has provided quality services by employing people with disabilities. Their services improve the quality of life, alleviate barriers to independence, and help Arizonans of all ages to reach their full potential. With the support of the AbilityOne Program, Beacon provides and serves over 2,100 people with disabilities each year, providing a variety of employment related programs. The direct impact of these services on the lives of Americans with disabilities cannot be overstated. For an individual with a significant disability who has never had the opportunity to work, be independent, participate in community life, or contribute to their society; the AbilityOne Program and agencies like Beacon are invaluable.

Mr. Speaker, for these reasons I strongly support the AbilityOne Program and Beacon Group. I also want to commend the dedication and commitment of Steve King, the President of Beacon and his staff. Their work helps people live fuller lives and become more active members of the society. I also commend each AbilityOne employee who works every day to improve their lives and make our country a better place to live.

Mr. Speaker, today I wish to recognize the first Douglas Youth Leadership Development Forum that will be held this week in Southern Arizona.

The theme of this forum is ``Speaking Truth to Power'' and it is being held in conjunction with national, state and local observations of Rural Health Day.

This forum will engage junior high school and high school students living in the Douglas area who are eager to gain leadership experience through volunteer initiatives tied to the improvement of health care in rural areas.

I hope that many young people in Cochise County and elsewhere in Southern Arizona will take this opportunity to participate in this very worthwhile endeavor.

During the forum, attendees will hear from established youth leaders. Also speaking will be long-time Douglas leaders who support the advancement of youth into leadership roles.

The Arizona Rural Health Association is sponsoring this important event. Other sponsors are the city of Douglas, Chiricahua Community Health Center, Cochise County Health Department, Cochise County Youth Health Coalition, Douglas Family Care, Douglas High School Health Occupation Students of American, Douglas High School Med Club, People's Choice Hospital, Southeast Arizona Area Health Education Center, Southeast Arizona Medical Center, Students Against Destructive Decisions, University of Arizona Center for Rural Health and the Voice of Douglas.

I am proud to recognize the first Douglas Youth Leadership Development Forum and encourage residents of my district to fully support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Art Almquist, theater teacher at Tucson High Magnet School, for being awarded one of People Magazine's 2013 Teachers of the Year awards, and the first of its Readers' Choice awards.

As stated in People Magazine, ``For the past 17 years, Almquist has been Tucson Magnet's drama teacher. He has built a cutting-edge theater program rarely seen on the high school level. For Almquist, known for staging productions on topics such as AIDS, environmental activism and immigration, theater offers a way to teach his students a variety of skills that go beyond acting. `He's influenced thousands of students to find the challenge, the love, and the joy of whatever career they pursue,' says former student Julian Martinez.' ''

I couldn't be prouder to have Mr. Almquist inspiring the students of Southern Arizona. It was the students who made this award possible, voting online thousands of times and encouraging others to join them to ensure Mr. Almquist would receive this honor.

Teaching may be the most important skill a person can share. As parents, coaches, educators, neighbors, friends and community leaders, we all are responsible for helping children learn. And if we teach correctly, we give the lifelong gift of continual learning. There is no ``finish line'' to education. Regardless of the formal process of elementary and higher levels of school, a great teacher endows the love of improvement that continues throughout our lives.

I am proud to recognize Art Almquist of Tucson High Magnet School and all the people who work each day to help strengthen the education system in Southern Arizona. It is our duty to thank our teachers for their significant contributions to our community and ensuring a bright future for our children.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 584 I was unavoidably detained and missed this vote.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor United States Army Corporal Wong Suey Lee, a veteran who resides in my district of Southern Arizona. Mr. Speaker, it is with great respect and esteem that I request this body recognize Corporal Lee for his courageous service and tremendous bravery.

Corporal Lee is a veteran of the Korean War and saw firsthand the brutality of battle. He was one of more than 1 million heroic Americans who committed to support their nation in a time of war halfway around the world to face an unknown enemy in a strange land. Six months into his service with the U.S. Army, and nearly a year after the communist invasion of South Korea, Corporal Lee faced mortar and small arms fire to rally his platoon and continue the advance of his unit toward the Iron Triangle, a key communications and transportation hub in the Yonchon-Cheorwon area of the Korean peninsula.

Through testimonials by his fellow soldiers, a stirring picture has been painted of what transpired on June 3rd, 1951 and of Corporal Lee's fierce determination and grit. As point man for the lead platoon of the lead company of his assault battalion, Corporal Lee encountered a number of enemy positions, drawing heavy fire and killing an enemy soldier.

Having cleared enemy forces from two entrenched positions, taking fire from small arms and mortar rounds, Corporal Lee gallantly exposed himself to that fire and rallied his squad leaders to take on a third enemy position upon a nearby steep hill. Corporal Lee tended to the wounded around him, as the platoon took aim and neutralized the enemy on the small hill. He then scaled that hill, dodging grenades and coming face-to-face with enemy soldiers, killing three at point-blank range.

From the portrait laid out in the testimony of his many colleagues, it is clear that Corporal Lee was instrumental in keeping together his platoon and showed immense leadership in the face of incredible hardship. Indeed, two days later, Corporal Lee was severely wounded in battle and returned to the United States.

Everyone in this great nation owes Corporal Lee and his family a debt of gratitude for his selfless sacrifice. I call on my fellow colleagues and all Americans to rise today and thank Corporal Lee for helping to secure freedom for millions of people worldwide.

Mr. Speaker, I stand before you on this, the 16th day of the shutdown, with just hours remaining until our Nation defaults. The only way to end this crisis is for Members on both sides of the aisle to come together and take bipartisan action today. We need to do our job, and we must act responsibly. The Senate has a bipartisan plan, and we should take it up immediately.

At home and across the Nation, the people we represent are facing harsh consequences: from the couple being denied a loan for their first home, to the Head Start kids whose school doors are shut, to the businesses with lost sales because national parks are closed, to the Border Patrol agent who can't pay his mortgage because his full paycheck hasn't come.

Mr. Speaker, we must vote for commonsense solutions. We must end this shutdown. We must restore faith in the United States of America, and we must restore faith in this, the people's House.

Mr. Speaker, it is time for us to come together. This reckless government shutdown must end. Southern Arizonans and Americans all across our country are hurting, and our economy has been seriously harmed. The Senate is working on a bipartisan solution to reopen the government and to avoid putting America into default. I am very hopeful that we can find a reasonable and responsible plan and immediately bring it to the House floor for a vote.

Mr. Speaker, we must end this blame game. We must put the American people first. Let us come together and act responsibly now. Let this government shutdown end, and let us ensure that we pay our bills now. It is important, and the American people are calling on us to act, to act now.

Mr. Speaker, the safety and security of Southern Arizonans is my first priority. I represent 83 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, and the people who live near it are very seriously affected by criminal activities along that border.

Since the shutdown, our Border Patrol agents have faced uncertainty about their pay and the future of their mission. These brave men and women are our first line of defense in securing the homeland. They deserve our respect and support.

Last week, an agent's wife called my office about a decision her husband was forced to make, the decision between missing a loved one's funeral or attending it on furlough, putting his paycheck and his family at risk.

This reckless shutdown hurts the families of our agents who put their lives on the line every single day. This is wrong, Mr. Speaker, and we must end this irresponsible shutdown now and restore certainty to the Border Patrol for the safety and security of Southern Arizonans and our entire country.

I thank the gentleman.

First of all, I want to thank Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Lowey, Mr. Young, and Mr. Visclosky for taking up this critical legislation and for moving it so quickly to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, over the weekend, our Nation lost five patriots in Afghanistan. We need to remember who they were:

First Lieutenant Jennifer Moreno, U.S. Army;

Sergeant Joseph Peters, U.S. Army;

Sergeant Patrick Hawkins, U.S. Army;

Private First Class Cody Patterson, U.S. Army;

Lance Corporal Jeremiah Collins, U.S. Marine Corps.

Thirty-six hours after they were killed, their families were notified that our government would not pay death benefits because of the government shutdown.

When I heard about this yesterday morning, I simply could not believe it was true. I asked my staff to look into the matter and find out if it could possibly be true. Unfortunately, they confirmed that indeed we had denied these benefits. We took immediate action, and along with a bipartisan group of Members representing the districts where these fallen heroes lived, we moved forward and introduced this legislation.

As has been said, the bill will provide funding to pay survivor benefits and cover the funeral costs for these military families and all servicemembers who may give the ultimate sacrifice during this shutdown of our government services.

God forbid that any other family should be put in this situation again. It is absolutely abhorrent that we would leave our military families without assistance when they are at their most vulnerable time of trying to deal with their loss and grief.

General Leave

I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to say the denial of this benefit is absolutely outrageous, and it is a disgrace. We've broken our fundamental promise to fallen heroes, and we must fix it. This bill will do just that.

We must also ensure that it never happens again. That's why, later today, I will be introducing a bill that makes sure we never forsake our fallen servicemembers or any member of our uniformed services ever again under these circumstances.

I am very pleased that we came together today in a bipartisan fashion. I thank my colleagues for coming together and for putting their differences aside in order to honor these commitments to those who have fallen and in order to take care of their families in this time of need. I hope we will see a unanimous vote in approving this bill.

Mr. Speaker, this weekend, our Nation lost five brave servicemembers in Afghanistan. Shortly after they were killed, their families were notified that our government would not pay their survivor benefits due to the shutdown. This is disgraceful and an outrage.

These servicemembers gave their lives in defense of our country. When they stepped up to defend our Nation, we promised that they and their families would be cared for. Now, due to the shutdown, we have broken and abandoned that sacred commitment.

Today, I am introducing the Fallen Heroes and Families Assistance Act, which will ensure that the promises we made to our fallen servicemembers are fulfilled. I urge its immediate consideration by the House. We must honor our commitments to our fallen heroes and their families.

Mr. Speaker, while Congress recessed this weekend, I stayed here in Washington to work with my colleagues to end this shutdown. I talked with southern Arizonans to hear from them about the shutdown and how it's impacting their families. Mr. Speaker, I can tell you that the people I talked with don't care who is to blame. They want us to reopen their government.

On behalf of my constituents in southern Arizona, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up the Senate amendment to the continuing appropriations resolution, H.J. Res. 59. We must come together, and we must put the American people first. We cannot allow this stalemate to continue for one more day.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up the Senate amendment to the continuing appropriations resolution, H.J. Res. 59. Enough is enough. We must get our people back to work and bring services to the people of this country. Enough is enough.

Madam Speaker, enough is enough. We must end this reckless government shutdown.

I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up the Senate amendment to the continuing appropriations resolution, H.J. Res. 59.

We must end this blame game. We must come together and put the American people first. Enough is enough.

Madam Speaker, our servicemembers and our veterans have done their duty and they have stood steadfast in defense of our Nation. They deserve more than our thanks----

Mr. Speaker, our service members and our veterans have done their duty, they have stood steadfast in defense of our nation.

They deserve more than our thanks, more than our tribute, they deserve our support.

They deserve the compensation, health care, educational opportunities, and employment assistance that they have earned.

That's why I rise in support of funding for our service members and veterans by ending this government shutdown.

On behalf of the over eighty thousand veterans in my district, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up the Senate Amendment to the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, H.J. Res. 59.

Let's end the shutdown and honor our commitment to our veterans and their sacrifices for this country.