Floor Statements

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

Mr. Chair, every day when I anticipate the Agriculture appropriations bill coming to the floor, I wake up with my usual admonition that this is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Today as we take up this Agriculture appropriations bill, it stretches my faith to say that this is a good day because I rise in very, very strong opposition to H.R. 4368.

As the ranking member of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, I am extremely disappointed to see this bill does not meet the needs of Americans who rely on this funding to ensure safe food and medicines, healthy and resilient farmlands, and strong rural infrastructure.

The programs contained in the Agriculture funding bill are important for all Americans, and they affect our country in so many ways.

These programs help Americans by helping American farmers produce the highest quality, safest, most abundant, and most economical food and fiber in the world through the assistance provided through the Farm Service Agency in almost every county in America.

They help future generations by funding conservation practices, which preserve our farmland and our national resources for years to come.

These programs are essential to those who live in rural areas and ensure quality of life through access to clean drinking water, electricity, telecommunication, broadband, sewer infrastructure, and housing.

They help feed every American, including our most vulnerable families, children, and seniors in difficult times.

They fund USDA meat and poultry inspectors and FDA inspectors of all other food products so that the food on Americans' tables is safe and nutritious. It funds the CFTC and the Farm Credit Administration, so this bill affects our financial space.

I cannot think of a funding subcommittee with as broad a reach as our bill has. A bill with such a broad reach deserves to have these programs adequately funded.

However, the bill passed in our full committee markup only provided $17.8 billion in funding, which takes us back to the 2007 funding level.

That is entirely inadequate for the needs of the American people, and it had no chance of being passed into law when it came out of committee.

Unfortunately, rather than moving in a more productive direction, the majority used a procedural gimmick to impose even greater cuts of 69 percent to the Food for Peace program and 14.2 percent to all other discretionary programs.

Instead of improving the bill, the Rules Committee made it even worse. In total, the cuts to the bill have reduced funding 41 percent lower than last year. The bill before us today will take us back to 2001 levels. That is totally irresponsible.

The bill will harm rural America by taking money from programs supporting rural communities such as it cuts $500 million from the Rural Energy for America Program, the REAP program, and it eliminates grants under the program, which will raise the energy costs for over 15,000 rural farmers and small businesses.

It takes $1 billion from rural electric cooperatives, 900 cooperatives that serve over 40 million people in 48 States.

It slashes $800 million from the WIC program, which drastically also cuts the cash value voucher benefit for fruit and vegetable purchases, affecting nearly 5 million hungry women and children.

It strips loan assistance needed by 100,000 economically distressed farmers, which could literally cost folks the family farm.

It cuts rural development programs by over 40 percent, which means thousands of rural families will no longer be able to get a loan to afford a home.

Hundreds of projects meant to provide clean water and wastewater systems will be eliminated, and thousands of families will not be able to turn on the tap and count on drinkable water.

It completely guts the Food for Peace international food aid program. It cuts the McGovern-Dole program by 14 percent, which will further exacerbate the global hunger and instability and the risk of conflicts abroad, which will weaken American security.

The bill also strips the Secretary, as you have heard, of discretionary use of the Commodity Credit Corporation funding.

The CCC is a tool authorized by law to benefit our farmers and the thousands of church and community food banks that it helps to fund.

No matter which party is in the White House, the only folks that suffer when any administration is not allowed to use the CCC at its discretion are our ag producers and American families.

Our farmers benefited tremendously under the Trump administration when Secretary of Agriculture Perdue used the CCC to give our farmers relief from the trade wars with China.

As I look at it, the path this bill has taken so far and the proposed amendments that we will see tonight would make it even worse.

I ask myself for any farmers that are watching tonight who are trying to do what is best for their land, for their businesses and their family, what will they see?

For people in rural communities facing the challenges of providing clean water, affordable housing, and dependable utilities, what will they see?

For those same communities trying to ensure that their law enforcement and first responders have the vehicles, the communications equipment, and the other resources they need to keep their rural communities safe, what will they see?

For struggling families trying to put food on the table for their children, what will they see?

Sadly, if those Americans are watching us tonight, what they will see is a majority which is focused on overriding medical science to take away a woman's freedom to control their own reproductive health choices, but not a majority focused on ensuring that those women and their children are able to afford food.

They will see a majority that is focused on an undefined so-called critical race theory while pushing this bill to jeopardize the safety of our food and our medicine, slowing down our supply chain, and ironically, making these things harder to get and more expensive to buy.

Make no mistake, the majority would have a person who is watching at home to believe that this bill fights against some undeserving citizens who don't need the help. The hard truth is that this bill is a nuclear bomb against the needs of every single American.

The majority wants the people to be distracted by their culture war while they cut the crucial programs that every American depends on for the safest, the highest quality of affordable food, fiber, and medicine in the world. It appears that tonight we will see more amendments from the majority that further push the bill in a terribly harmful direction.

It astonishes me that we are 4 days away from a government shutdown, yet we are not debating a bipartisan bill to keep the government open. Instead, we are debating an extreme messaging bill that does nothing to bring us closer to the bipartisan agreement we will need to eventually pass a 4-year government spending bill.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to craft a responsible bill that meets the needs of all Americans.

Mr. Chairman, I thank my personal staff, including Tynesha Boomer, and the subcommittee staff, including Martha Foley, Alex Swann, and Tyler Coe for their hard work on this bill. I thank the majority staff for their efforts. I pray that the majority Members of Congress and the majority of Congress will have an epiphany and deliver a much better work product to the American people by the end of this funding process.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee.

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

Mr. Chairman, let me just say that we are in this deficit situation largely because we don't collect the revenue from the people who owe taxes, the wealthy millionaires and billionaires that the Republican majority is protecting by not funding enough agents to collect the money for the Internal Revenue Service so that we can fund the government.

We wouldn't have the deficit that we have today were they willing to put sufficient agents on the job to be able to collect the money that is lawfully due. People should pay their taxes and they shouldn't protect those tax cheats.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Maine (Ms. Pingree), the ranking member of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, and a member of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), the ranking member of the Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, and a member of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and

Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Ohio.

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

Every time I hear Republicans talk, they are talking about the cost of everything going up. Assuming, which is not true, that the $6 billion is the same as the last year, they say over and over and over how much the cost of living has gone up, how much more it costs to buy groceries. That is what they talk about every single day when they are not talking about what they want to slash.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), the ranking member of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee and a hardworking member of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

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

I hope that the people who are watching tonight will take note of the fact that they don't have to take our word for it. The Congressional Budget Office has scored this bill, and they have

scored the manager's amendment. The gentleman says that the bill is $22 billion. After the amendments that they are going to be offering on this bill tonight, CBO has scored it at $15.1 billion. It is clearly not what he is representing. After the manager's amendment, which is the first amendment that we will be considering tonight, the CBO has scored this bill at $15.1 billion, which is a drastic cut to the needs of the American people.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Pocan), a member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Budzinski).

Mr. Chair, over the past two decades, our country and the agriculture industry have grown. Our population has grown, yet this bill initially withdrew funding for America's agriculture, as you have heard, back to 2006 funding levels with an allocation of $17.1 billion, which is nearly $8 billion below last year's enacted bill.

Sadly, we are here tonight with a bill that the majority made even worse this past weekend by gutting Congress' commitment to American farmers, producers, rural communities, and families to levels last seen in 2001. This bill keeps moving in the wrong direction.

Also, many of the amendments that we will be debating tonight, which lower this allocation much lower than the American people need, will be an attempt to circumvent the ongoing negotiations in the House authorizing committee, the Agriculture Committee, which is working so desperately to get our farmers, our rural communities, and our lenders in America our 2023 farm bill, which is the blueprint that our farmers and our stakeholders need to plan for agriculture in America going forward.

This will jeopardize the consensus that we hope to build and to pass for the 2023 farm bill.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to defeat this bill. Let's send it back to the committee, and let's begin to put together a better work product for the American people.

This bill is a disgrace. It really does not rise to the level that the American people deserve. We have to continue to keep our farmers and Americans in a position to consume and produce the highest quality, the safest, the most abundant food and fiber anywhere, and to have the safest medications and medical devices.

Mr. Chair, I urge us to defeat this. We need to do better, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of this amendment. This amendment includes 42 amendments--5 bipartisan, 17 Republican, 20 Democratic.

The agriculture funding bill has historically been a bipartisan bill, and we will need to channel that same cooperation if my colleagues want to pass appropriations bills into law.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for offering the amendments and his cooperation in having this bipartisan en bloc amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Vermont (Ms. Balint).

Mr. Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Perez).

Mr. Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez).

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

Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment. The amendment would cut funding for the Office of the Chief Economist by an additional 46 percent. That is almost half.

The Office of the Chief Economist provides advice and counsel to the Secretary on matters affecting the economy with respect to the Agriculture Department. This bill already guts funding for USDA. Any further cuts just make a bad bill worse.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to defeat this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, this is a bad amendment. It is bad for the country. It is bad for the USDA.

Mr. Chair, I urge defeat of this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, when you cut the energy assistance programs for our farmers and our rural communities, you raise the cost of their production. When you raise the cost of their production, you raise the cost of the products they produce to put on the shelves of the grocery stores. This is not a good thing, so I urge the defeat of this amendment, and I urge the defeat of this bill.

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

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment.

Mr. Chair, this amendment would cut funding for the Office of Civil Rights at USDA by an additional 19 percent. The bill already guts funding for USDA. Any further cuts would just make a bad bill worse.

The Office of Civil Rights at USDA is there for one purpose, and that is to make sure that every American has an equal opportunity to access the programs of USDA regardless of race, regardless of gender, regardless of national origin.

USDA over the past decades has been required to pay billions of dollars to folks who were stakeholders who were denied equal opportunities to access these programs. If we cut this, we will be hamstringing the ability of USDA to do the right thing. We want to stop this before it spreads. It has already done too much damage to access for minorities, for women, and for various ethnic minorities, so we must fund this office.

I urge my colleagues to reject this amendment. It is another amendment that does nothing to serve farmers, nothing to serve rural America, and it has no place in this bill. We should fund the USDA in a way that makes its programs accessible and available to every single American.

Mr. Chair, I urge that this amendment be rejected, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment. It will cut funding for the Natural Agricultural Statistics Service and the Census of Agriculture by an additional 8 percent.

This bill already cuts too much funding from USDA, and any further cuts, again, will make a bad bill worse.

The Office of National Agricultural Statistics Service and the Census of Agriculture serve very important functions.

The American people need to know--we need to know what we grow; we need to know who is producing what we grow; we need to know where it is grown; we need to know what the country will need.

This office provides very important data that informs us; it informs governmental entities; it informs our private sector; it informs the consumers. We don't need any more cuts here.

I urge Members to defeat this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition.

Mr. Chair, I rise in very strong opposition to this amendment.

Cutting funding for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture by an additional 17 percent is penny-wise and pound-foolish.

The bill already guts funding for USDA, but the NIFA, the National Institute for Food and Agriculture provides grants for research to our colleges and universities, and particularly the 1890s institutions that were created under the Second Morrill Act.

This is a very useful agency. It provides essential research, the tool that keeps American agriculture on the cutting edge. In America, we produce the safest, the highest quality of food and fiber anywhere in the industrialized world, and we do it because we fund research.

Our research is cutting edge. Why would we cut it by 17 percent? We need research like we never needed it before because of the climate challenges that we are facing. We have got challenges that we must overcome in order to continue to produce the food to feed the people in this country and around the world.

This research is essential, and we need to continue to fund it. We don't need this 17 percent cut.

I urge the defeat of this amendment. Let's defeat this amendment, and let's pass a useful bill that is responsible that meets the needs of the American people and the American producers.

Mr. Chair, I urge that this amendment be defeated, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chair, these amendments just go to undermine the ability of USDA to do what it is supposed to do for the American people.

This is another amendment that cuts funding, and if you keep cutting funding, you will totally make this agency unable to deliver on its promises to the American people.

Mr. Chair, it is a bad amendment. It is a cut that doesn't need to happen. I urge opposition, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment.

Cutting funding for the Natural Resources Conservation Service by an additional 8 percent will just, again, make it worse.

This is a very important agency. It provides very valuable services to our communities as well as to our farmers. You have a number of programs that are so vitally important.

They have the conservation innovation programs.

They have the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which helps farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners to integrate conservation into their working lands.

They have the grants that support the development of new tools and new approaches, practices and technologies to further our natural resources conservation on private lands.

They have the Conservation Stewardship Program, which builds on conservation efforts to strengthen the farmers' operations.

They have the Emergency Watershed Protection Program, which is a Federal emergency recovery program that helps local communities recover after natural disasters strike. Look at what we have endured over the past year, the past 2 years. Communities have been struck by floods, wildfires, and hurricanes.

We have problems, and the Watershed Rehabilitation Program is there. It needs to be fully funded, particularly this year with what we have experienced with climate change.

They have watershed and flood prevention programs, the wetland reserve easements. We have to help with this. We have to protect our forests and, of course, the forest programs and the grazing funds for our livestock.

This is just penny-wise and pound-foolish. We must protect the conservation programs because they protect our environment and our farmers and help them to be sustainable.

Mr. Chair, this is a bad amendment. I urge its rejection, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chair, this bill, our funding bill, funds rural America. We, as Members of Congress, ought to be committed to ensuring that people who live in rural communities are not disadvantaged simply because of their rural ZIP Code.

I urge us to defeat this amendment because affordable, decent housing is something that every American ought to have access to regardless of where he or she lives.

Of course, this funding for rural America is comparable to the same programs that urban Americans have access to. It provides support for families so that they can afford to have decent housing.

To cut this is to punish people who need help for decent housing and who happen to live in rural America. This is something we should not do.

Rural Americans should have the same opportunities to realize the American Dream as any other American anyplace they live.

Mr. Chair, I urge the defeat of this amendment. It is a bitter, nasty amendment that hurts people who need a hand up.

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

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment should be defeated. It will cut funding for the Rural Business-Cooperative Service by an additional 44 percent.

Agricultural cooperatives provide effective marketing and local supplies and services to their member-owners. Cooperatives bring electricity, eConnectivity, affordable housing, capital, financial services, telecommunications, healthcare, food, hardware, building supplies, and countless other goods and services for people who live in rural communities.

An example for electricity: There are 900 co-ops, electric membership cooperatives, that serve 42 million people in this country in 48 of the 50 States, and they cover 51 percent of the land area in the United States of America.

We need the Rural Business-Cooperative Service to help support these rural co-ops that help bring business and help marketing in our rural communities.

Agriculture is a very, very lucrative business, it happens in our rural communities for the most part, and we need this cooperative service and we need the support for it.

Mr. Chair, this is a bad amendment. It is penny-wise and pound- foolish, and I urge its defeat.

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

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition.

Mr. Chair, I certainly rise in opposition to this amendment. The amendment would reduce funding for the Foreign Agriculture Service, which reduces the services promoting United States agricultural exports, developing overseas markets, and increasing global food security.

This cut would directly harm American farmers because they would have less opportunities to market their commodities abroad. There is already a 14.15 percent cut from the House levels imposed by the majority in this bill, and these cuts would only further harm our American farmers.

Mr. Chair, I urge opposition to this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I think it is interesting to hear the discussion about a $2 trillion deficit when that was created by the tax cut that they passed in the last administration--$2 trillion because they cut the taxes and reduced the amount of revenue. Come on.

You balance the budget with revenues as well as with spending reductions. Let's be real here. This is just a subterfuge. We need to defeat this amendment and we need to move forward and try to produce an agriculture bill that really addresses the needs of the American people in 2023.

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

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment.

As a reminder, the bill already cuts the Food for Peace program by 69 percent from the level passed in the full committee. During a time of increased need and difficult decisions ahead for prioritizing funding from this program, this amendment would further cut Food for Peace. Additionally, today, we have already considered three other stand-alone amendments to cut the program.

I not only oppose this amendment due to its effects on people without food security across the globe, I also oppose it due to its effect on our farmers here at home. U.S. commodities are a key pillar of this program, and cutting funding would directly harm those farmers who produce these commodities that go to this program. There is an international aid shortfall of commodities, including millions of commodities that American farmers proudly produce, such as wheat, rice, corn, sorghum, lentils, beans, and peas.

This amendment shortchanges America's farmers as well as America's values, our Judeo-Christian values. I urge opposition to this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment. As I said in my opening statement, this bill already cuts the Agriculture funding bill back to a level last seen in 2001.

Apparently, those cuts are not enough because this amendment would cut 50 percent from the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. That is a 50 percent cut from funding supporting schoolchildren abroad.

This is a proven, successful program, a bipartisan program which takes concrete steps to ensure that the program activities continue after U.S. support is no longer provided. This money is not wasted. It is not indefinite for any one location. It is a sound investment to promote the health and education of schoolchildren, especially girls, in need around the globe.

We are 4 days away from a government shutdown, and instead of debating a bipartisan path forward, we are debating further cuts to programs that have broad, bipartisan support. I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote against this amendment.

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

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

Mr. Chair, I claim time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chair, I oppose this amendment. It is unnecessary and harmful.

While there is a global commodity shortage and conflict that fuels hunger around the world, this bill has already been cut by 14.15 percent. Further cuts will only cause further impacts to efforts to improve the food security and education of children around the world.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. Chair, I have extremely strong opposition to this amendment.

If there are not sufficient jobs for people in the State, who are we to take that State's judgment away?

The other side is always talking about States' rights. Well, these are not people that are living high on the hog. They are not people that have excess money.

I cannot and I will not support this amendment, nor will any of my Democratic colleagues. It is mean and it is cruel to ask people to do something that is not possible. If there aren't jobs, they can't be employed and they can't comply with this. The States should know better than we in Washington. If the State requests a waiver, which is a request, it is not a mandate, certainly the Department can examine it and determine whether or not there is sufficient cause to justify the waiver.

We shouldn't just sua sponte on our own decide that a State doesn't have sense enough to know what is going on within its borders.

We should not support this, and if it is included in the final conference agreement, I doubt my Democratic colleagues would provide the necessary votes for final passage, nor that the President would sign the bill.

I urge us to defeat this amendment. It really makes no sense, and it is mean, and it is cruel.

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

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. Chair, electric vehicles produce no carbon dioxide or other harmful emissions when driving, and they create a healthy environment for all Americans by reducing air pollution. Electric vehicles require less fluids and lubricants, which keeps our drinking water cleaner.

Why would anyone object to having cleaner air or cleaner water for our children and our grandchildren?

This amendment doesn't save the American taxpayer any money because it prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture from purchasing electric vehicles that will reduce fuel costs for the Department of Agriculture.

It is estimated that by 2035, most of the world's automakers will offer nothing but electric vehicles. While that is

12 years away, there is no reason to prohibit the Department of Agriculture from replacing retiring vehicles with electric vehicles to build our fleet for the future.

We are all witnessing the impacts of climate change through drought and extreme weather events. Let's not prevent any steps that would help us address climate change.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to reject this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. Chair, I claim time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chair, I oppose this amendment. This amendment would prohibit funding for carrying out the recommendations of the interim report of the USDA Equity Commission.

The Equity Commission has made 32 initial recommendations on a range of topics such as environmental justice, increasing financial support for minority-serving institutions, and ensuring farmworkers have access to nutrition programs, among other topics.

These recommendations are a great first step toward addressing historic inequities and we should all support them.

Therefore, I urge my colleagues to reject this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chair, I rise to claim the time in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. Chair, setting aside whether this amendment is misplaced in the Agriculture appropriations bill, this amendment is simply bad policy.

We are still fighting the lingering effects of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic and attempts to cut funding for the World Health Organization would hamper work to monitor any new variants of COVID-19.

Moreover, the World Health Organization's work extends far beyond just responding to COVID. Cutting funds for the World Health Organization will affect efforts on other diseases and illnesses, including polio or the flu.

Efforts to disengage with the WHO through our bill are misguided and do nothing to address any concerns about accountability, transparency, or cost efficiency.

This is not a good amendment. I urge its defeat, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chair, I rise to claim the time in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. Chair, this amendment would prevent the closing of offices of the Farm Service Agency for any reason.

Although it mentions COVID-19, the prohibition amendment would not be limited to closures related to COVID.

The Crawford amendment is duplicative of the stronger, clearer proviso on page 25, lines 8 through 10 of the bill that is being considered where it says: Provided further that none of the funds available to the farm service agencies shall be used to close Farm Service Agency county offices.

Therefore, this amendment is unnecessary because it would create a restriction that the legislation already contains.

We don't know what the future of COVID or any future pandemic or disaster may hold, so we shouldn't impose such a broad restriction. This is duplicative.

Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

Madam Chair, the amendment prohibits the administration from finalizing any rules with significant economic impacts. The amendment adds to the pile of bad policy riders aimed at tying the administration's hands when it comes to carrying out the laws passed by Congress.

It will stop USDA, FDA, and CFTC from finalizing regulations that are designed to keep the food and drug supply safe, the environment healthy, and markets stable.

This amendment has little to do with an appropriations bill, and even less to do with supporting farmers or rural America.

While I can understand the gentlewoman's intentions, I must respectfully oppose the amendment and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Chair, I rise in opposition.

Madam Chair, I am a strong supporter of our Nation's dairy farmers in the southeast and in Georgia, but I must regretfully decline to support this amendment.

The Agricultural Marketing Service, from which the funds will be taken, is equally as important, and it supports farmers in all segments of agriculture.

The Initiative, which goes to entities only in four States got $80 million from the American Rescue Plan just 15 months ago. The offset from the Agricultural Marketing Service is one that many, many Members, certainly on my side, deeply value.

It does great work, particularly for our specialty crop producers, and it is already underfunded due to the manager's amendment.

Madam Chair, I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I ask my colleagues to vote ``no'' also.

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

Unfortunately, my great colleague is not conflating or confusing apples and

oranges, it is almonds and cheese curds. These moneys are designated to make sure that our dairy industry is intact. We either support small family farms or we do not. Money talks, and I will not finish the rest of that colloquialism.

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

Madam Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Madam Chair, USDA's climate hubs were created to promote robust and healthy agricultural production and natural resources under increasing climate variability and climate change.

Climate hubs develop and deliver science-based, region-specific information and technologies to USDA agencies and its partners, including Federal and State agencies, extensions, and Tribes to make our communities and our Nation more resilient to climate change.

They provide outreach and education to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners on the effects of climate change on their working lands.

We are all witnessing drought, extreme weather events, and changing growing seasons, so why would we want to prohibit aiding farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners understand and respond to climate change on their working lands? Why would we want to prohibit these 10 regional climate hubs from providing usable regional data and forecasts to underserved and vulnerable communities, Tribes, and individuals that can help their land be more productive?

This amendment does not save the American taxpayer money. In fact, it jeopardizes our food security, our economy, and the lives and livelihoods of many across the Nation. I urge my colleagues to reject this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Chair, I claim time in opposition.

Madam Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment.

The amendment targets a dedicated leader in nutrition for apparently doing her job as the law required. With all the challenges that we face in feeding our Nation, we should not obstruct the agency charged with carrying out our nutrition policies.

This House should hold its actions to the highest standards and not engage in attacks on individual officials in the executive branch.

Madam Chair, I urge the defeat of this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Madam Chair, this Workplace Safety Plan was developed according to the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Decisions regarding the safety of Federal workers and returning to work should be driven by science and the methodical recommendation of experts not by broad Congressional mandates.

Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to reject this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I claim the time in opposition to the gentlewoman's amendment.

The USDA Equity Commission was set up in 2022 to address the historic inequities in implementation of the programs by the Department of Agriculture.

The Department has a long and storied history of discrimination, as evidenced by the billions of dollars that it has had to pay out as a result of discriminatory policies over the years.

To quote directly from the USDA website regarding the commission: ``At USDA, we acknowledge we have not done enough to provide all farmers and ranchers an equal chance of success and prosperity. We are committed to changing that, actively working to build a USDA that ensures none of our customers are ignored or left behind.''

What is so threatening about that?

The bill already came out of committee bearing harmful policy riders restricting the administration's efforts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The continued assault on equity initiatives at USDA is not helping our farmers. This amendment is a distraction from the real issues that are facing our farmers, and it does nothing to move us closer to a bipartisan conference agreement, an agreement we know we must reach to pass these appropriations bills.

I urge my colleagues to reject this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Madam Chair, I am perplexed that anyone would not want to provide good-paying jobs that will help our Nation tackle the climate crisis and build a stronger country.

The goal of the Civilian Climate Corps is to put more than 20,000 young people on career pathways in the growing fields of clean energy, conservation, and climate resilience.

In launching this effort, President Biden is calling on Tribal, State, and local governments, labor unions, nonprofit service allies, the private sector, and philanthropy to collaborate with the Federal Government to build on current relationships and expand skills-based training partnerships to ensure that our workforce is ready to meet the climate crisis.

We have seen the devastation to coastal communities impacted by hurricanes and tropical storms. Why would we not want to train our youth to restore coastal wetlands that can protect communities from storm surges?

We know the damage and the loss that accompanies wildfires across our Nation, so why would we not want to train youth to manage forests, to improve health, and prevent catastrophic wildfires?

We know the power of skills-based training as a tool to expand pathways into good-paying jobs. Let's not deny our youth this opportunity, and let's not deny our country the resources for our future.

Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to reject this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Chair, I claim the time in opposition.

Madam Chair, I rise in extremely strong opposition to this amendment.

This amendment would take away all State waivers for able-bodied adults without dependents, the so-called ABAWDs. If employment is over 10 percent or there are not sufficient jobs for people in the State, again, who are we to take that State's judgment away?

If you think we will never experience these conditions again, think again. Neither you nor I can foresee the future. If these conditions do occur, what are the chances that these folks will find jobs?

I cannot and will not support this amendment, nor will any of my Democratic colleagues. If it is included in a final conference report, I doubt my Democratic colleagues will provide the necessary votes for final passage, nor will President Biden sign it into law.

It is a bad amendment. Let's vote it down.

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

Madam Chair, I claim time in opposition to the gentlewoman's amendment.

Madam Chair, this amendment prohibits funds from being used to carry out President Biden's climate change executive orders, specifically:

Executive Order No. 13990 relating to Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis;

Executive Order No. 14008, relating to Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad;

Section 6 of Executive Order No. 14013, relating to Rebuilding and Enhancing Programs to Resettle Refugees and Planning for the Impact of Climate Change on Migration;

Executive Order No. 14030, relating to Climate-Related Financial Risks;

Executive Order No. 14057, relating to Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability;

Executive Order No. 14082, relating to Implementation of the Energy and Infrastructure Provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022; and

Executive Order No. 14096, relating to Revitalizing Our Nation's Commitment to Environmental Justice for All.

Who could be against that? Oh, well.

The scientific consensus is clear, however, that we need to take significant steps to reduce carbon emissions moving forward while also working to mitigate the damage from climate change that we are already experiencing.

Extreme weather events and changing temperatures and weather patterns are extremely relevant to America's farmland. The Department of Agriculture should be at the forefront of ensuring that our farmers remain productive and successful on the global market in the years to come.

Tackling the climate crisis is an essential part of that work. Our farmers are on both the front line of dealing with the effects of climate change as well as taking steps to reduce carbon output and to promote sustainability.

This amendment being offered on both appropriations bills brought to the floor this week would hamstring our government's response to climate change.

This amendment is shortsighted and does nothing to help our farmers. In fact, it hurts our farmers.

Madam Chair, I urge the defeat of this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chair, I claim time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment. It targets a career civil servant for apparently doing their job as the law requires. This House should hold its actions to the highest standards, and attacks on the civil service have no place in this House.

This is a bad amendment. It sets a bad precedent. It is beyond our duties. It is ultra vires.

Mr. Chair, I urge the defeat of this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chair, I do rise in opposition to this misguided amendment.

The amendment would eliminate research funding into novel approaches to keeping livestock healthy.

Livestock disease costs hundreds of millions of dollars per year. Producers

lose revenue and consumers pay higher prices as a result.

An ongoing avian influenza outbreak has devastated poultry producers across the country, devastating that industry in many areas.

Innovative research on methods to cost effectively protect livestock benefits both producers and consumers.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to defeat this misguided amendment and let USDA work to keep livestock healthy for producers and prices low for consumers.

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

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chair, I appreciate and share the gentleman's support for our meat and poultry producers. However, this is an amendment to permanent law that, with very rare exceptions, should not be in an appropriations bill. This issue should be considered in the context of the next farm bill.

Mr. Chair, I urge a ``no'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Who in the world knows what ``woke'' means? I think all of us should be awake to the dangers of overreach in this appropriations bill.

This amendment would prohibit funds for courses, books, or study guides on 17 topics related to inclusion, diversity, and supporting LGBT employees.

These topics include issues such as empathy, fostering an inclusive workplace, or becoming an ally to all.

I do not believe we should be spending our time here on the floor today debating ways that we can cut back on teaching empathy. Instead, what I think would serve our constituents the most would be a discussion on how we can better help American farmers remain competitive globally, help put food on the tables of those in need, and, yes, help foster an inclusive and welcoming workplace for all at the Department of Agriculture.

Mr. Chair, I urge opposition to this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

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

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chair, I claim time in opposition to this amendment.

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

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

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

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

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

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

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

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

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

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment. The National Farm to School Network supports the work of farmers, teachers, and community leaders.

The Racial Equity Learning Lab is a learning program regarding racial inequities in our food system. USDA's support from the program seeks to address racial equity in our farm to school system.

I would think that making sure that all schoolchildren have access to adequate meals would be an easy, bipartisan priority. I am disappointed by this amendment. I urge all Members to oppose it. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chair, I rise to claim the time in opposition to this amendment.

I oppose this amendment. Members of the LGBT community have historically faced higher rates of food insecurity.

USDA has taken steps to clarify that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity are prohibited in programs administered by USDA such as SNAP.

It is concerning to me that the Democratic amendment striking harmful policy riders was not put forward by the Rules Committee for the debate, while a large number of Republican amendments adding further policy riders were allowed to be considered.

These amendments have no chance of becoming law and only move us further from bipartisan conference agreement which can pass both chambers of Congress.

I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chair, I claim time in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. Chair, this amendment would prohibit USDA from implementing an executive order on tackling the climate crisis.

This year, our country has experienced more billion-dollar climate disasters than ever before in our history. In only the first 8 months of the year, 23 weather disasters devastated regions across the country, and in every case, the agricultural sector was harmed.

This summer, we witnessed catastrophic floods in the Northeast decimate farmers' crops. Extreme drought in the West continues to impact ranchers' ability to sustain their livestock. Tragically, we watched helplessly as the Maui wildfires ravaged thousands of acres of farmland and took nearly 100 human lives.

This amendment would block Federal efforts to help farmers develop climate-smart agricultural and forestry practices that are critical to combating the climate crisis. If we are to address the climate crisis, help farmers, and strengthen our economy, we cannot be hamstrung by funding limitations that deny that climate change is real.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Chair, I claim time in opposition to the amendment.

Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

The amendment would attempt to cut overall funding of the bill by an additional $717 million. Not only that but it would do so without specifying where the cuts would come from. This would effectively turn the decision from where the cuts would come from over to the executive branch, to the administration that the other side is so critical of, robbing Congress of its constitutionally mandated power of the purse, a violation of the separation of powers.

This is something that we should not include in any appropriations bill. The bill already guts funding for USDA, and any further cuts would just make a bad bill worse.

We should kill this amendment. We should enact a reasonable, responsible appropriations bill so that we can take care of the needs of the American people and make sure that the Department of Agriculture is adequately funded to serve the needs of the American people.

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

Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding citizen of Macon, Georgia--a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother; a dedicated volunteer; and distinguished servant leader in her community, Mrs. Carolyn Mullis Crayton. Mrs. Crayton was honored with the Distinguished Citizen Award by the Central Georgia Council of the Boy Scouts of America on August 24, 2023. The Awards Ceremony and Dinner was held at the Anderson Conference Center in Macon, Georgia.

Originally from North Carolina, Mrs. Crayton moved to Macon in the early 1970s where she quickly got involved in the community. An ardent advocate for city beautification, she founded the Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful Commission, which in 1974, partnered as an affiliate with Keep America Beautiful. Today, Mrs. Crayton serves on the Board of Directors of Keep America Beautiful, an organization she has been involved with for more than half a century. Similarly, the Keep Macon- Bibb Beautiful Commission remains a strong force in the local community.

Upon her first visit to Macon in 1970, Mrs. Crayton and her husband, Lee Crayton, fell in love with the city and saw its potential as a bastion of culture and beauty. Perhaps most notably, Mrs. Crayton was struck by the beauty of the Yoshino cherry trees that lined some of the local streets. Over the next decade, thousands of these beautiful trees were planted all over Macon, thanks to the generosity of Mr. William Fickling, Sr., an influential Macon resident and ``Father of Cherry Blossoms.''

In 1982, Mrs. Crayton capitalized on this pink horticultural phenomenon by organizing a weekend celebration to give thanks to Mr. Fickling on his birthday for his contributions to the city's beautification. This event would go on to be celebrated every year as the International Cherry Blossom Festival, a week-long festival with the noble theme of ``love, beauty, and international friendship.'' Additionally, as the Yoshino cherry tree is native to Japan, Mrs. Crayton formed close ties with Japanese leaders and every year honors their representatives at the festival, demonstrating the strong bond and values shared by both nations. Thanks to Mrs. Crayton, the International Cherry Blossom Festival is now a cherished institution throughout Middle Georgia, and I couldn't be more pleased with its success in bringing the community together.

Mrs. Crayton has had a positive impact on any project she has had the opportunity to work on. Over the years she has served on countless boards and community service activities to include: the International Festivals and Events Association; the Museum of Aviation Board of Directors, serving as the first female board chair; the Macon Rescue Mission; Middle Georgia State University Foundation Board of Trustees; the Vineville Garden Club; the Wesleyan Wood Garden Club; and serving under the past four governors as an at-large Board Member for the State of Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Truly, the state of Georgia is a better place thanks to Mrs. Crayton's hard work and dedication to her community.

It has often been said that ``Service is the rent that we pay for the space we occupy here on this earth.'' Mrs. Carolyn Crayton has paid her rent, continues to pay that rent, and has received numerous awards and recognitions for which she can be proud. She received the Lady Bird Johnson Award for her hard work and dedication to keeping her community's environment pristine and welcoming; the ``Woman of Distinction'' Award by the Middle Georgia Girl Scout Council; Georgia Festival Director of the Year and the Emerson Award from National Arbor Day Foundation. She has also received international awards for work and expertise, including the Queen Mother's Award (United Kingdom); the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold, and Silver Rays from the Japanese Foreign Ministry; and the Japanese American Appreciation Award.

Perhaps even more notable than the long list of accolades and awards Mrs. Crayton has earned over the years, is the fact that she inspired new generations of leadership and had several awards named after herself. These include the Carolyn Crayton Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful Commission Award; the Carolyn Crayton Cherry Blossom Festival Award; Keep Georgia Beautiful's Carolyn Crayton ``Woman of the Year'' and the Keep America Beautiful's Carolyn Crayton Award. Additionally, in 2020 the city of Macon named the park which serves as the grounds for the International Cherry Blossom Festival after Mrs. Crayton for her decades of service and ambassadorship for the city. Situated across the Ocmulgee River from the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park, Carolyn Crayton Park is one of Macon's most visited attractions thanks to the work Mrs. Crayton has done with the annual Cherry Blossom festival.

Mrs. Crayton has accomplished so much in her life, but none of it would have been possible without the grace of God and her late husband, Lee. Mr. and Mrs. Crayton raised two children--Douglas Crayton and Annette Crayton Mengert. They are the proud grandparents of four and have four great-grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues in the House of Representatives join my wife Vivian, and me, along with the 765,000 people of Georgia's Second Congressional District, in honoring and commending Mrs. Carolyn Mullis Crayton for her outstanding decades of service to the city of Macon, the people of Georgia, and humankind. May God continue to bless her and her family in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding musician, dedicated educator, committed community servant, and dear friend of longstanding, Ms. Jacqulyn Saunders. She will be honored at the Chancel Choir's 60th Anniversary Gospel Concert at First Missionary Baptist Church of Thomasville, Georgia, on Sunday, August 6th, 2023.

Jacqulyn Saunders has used her life's work to help others to reach their full potential through music, theater, and education. It has been said that ``Service is the rent that we pay for the space that we occupy here on this Earth.'' Ms. Saunders has paid her rent, and she has paid it well. Ms. Saunders graduated from Morris Brown College in 1973 with a B.A. degree in English. During her matriculation at Morris Brown, she was initiated into the sisterhood of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority Inc., which makes her a Golden Soror. She was also a member of the Morris Brown College Wolverine Marching Band.

Her love of knowledge and learning took her academic pursuits to the University of Georgia, Valdosta State College, (now University) Walden University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she received her M.S. in Counseling Education in 1988.

Ms. Saunders has had a long and storied career as an educator that began in 1973. She has served in many roles during her professional career to include, instructor of English and Social Studies, English Language and Literature instructor, instructor of English Communications, Career Advisor Coordinator/Career Advisor, Counselor/ Teacher, Upward Bound Counselor, Student Support Team and 504 Coordinator, 9th and 10th Grade Counselor and PK-5 Counselor. Her professional stops during her educational journey have included Brooks County Junior High School, Thomas County, Turn Around School, The University of Wisconsin, Thomas County Central High School, Thomas University, Thomasville High School, and J.K. Harper Elementary School. Ms. Saunders had a brief respite from her educational career from 1984- 86 where she served in several roles at National Savings and Trust Bank in Washington, D.C. But she quickly returned to her first love of education.

A wonderful woman of God, Ms. Saunders served as church musician for Ochlocknee and Piney Grove Missionary Baptist Churches from 1959-69. From 1959 through the present, she has served as a church musician for Mercy Seat Christian and First Missionary Baptist Churches. She also has been a member of the acclaimed Georgia Mass Choir since 1981.

In addition, she has expanded her horizons in the performing arts by appearing in the 1996 movie, ``The Preacher's Wife,'' which starred Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston, and she also appeared in the Broadway play ``Why Do Good Girls Like Bad Boys?'' She has also broadened her horizons by traveling and participating in an international tour of France, England, Spain, and Italy.

Amidst all her other activities, she has always found time to give back to her community. Jacqulyn Saunders has paid her rent, and she has paid it well. Through her beloved Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., she has given her time, treasure, and talent to many community initiatives. Ms. Saunders founded the Lambda Xi Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and served as its Basileus from 1977 through 79 and 1992 through 93. She is an example of what can happen when one carries out God's purpose for her life.

Jacqulyn Saunders has exemplified a life of service to God using her many talents to touch the lives of countless souls fortunate enough to cross paths with her. She has done so much for so many for so long.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join my wife, Vivian, and me, along with the members of the Chancel Choir, First Missionary Baptist Church of Thomasville, Georgia, as well as the 765,000 people of the Second Congressional District, in honoring and commending Ms. Jacqulyn Saunders for her commitments to God, her community, and to humankind.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a dedicated husband, loving father, doting grandfather, astute entrepreneur, esteemed educator and friend of longstanding, South Georgia Technical College President Emeritus, Gary Lamar ``Sparky'' Reeves. Sadly, President Reeves transitioned this life from labor to reward on August 2, 2023. A funeral service celebrating his remarkable life was held at 2:00 pm on Sunday, August 6, 2023, at First Methodist Church in Americus, Georgia.

The genesis of Sparky Reeves' life began on March 27, 1949, as he was born to the union of Earl and Odessa Devereaux Reeves in Zebulon, Georgia. Born a fighter, as an infant, he defied the odds with the removal of an intestinal tumor at Egleston Hospital. His parents were told by doctors that he would not live to be four years old, but he did. Sparky, as he was named by his little league baseball coach because he reminded him of a spark plug, was a dedicated Boy Scout, ultimately becoming an Eagle Scout in 1964. He graduated from Robert Lee High School on May 30, 1967. Sparky then attended Georgia Southwestern College where he was active in intramural sports, was a member of the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity and was elected Archon of the Gamma Xi Chapter. Sparky graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration and obtained his Master's degree in 1973. A lifelong learner, Sparky also attended the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Dekalb College. The most significant experience of his life was during his college years when he met the love of his life, Patricia Allene Camp. They were married on August 8, 1971, and enjoyed 52 years of marriage. Today is the anniversary of that blessed union.

After graduation, Sparky worked as a salesman for Altair Homes. His professional career ascended when he came to South Georgia Technical College in 1973. He served as an instructor, supervisor, and Vice President of Economic Development prior to being named President in 2004. Sparky served as President from August 2004 through September, 2015. He had many accomplishments during his time as president to include: growing the college's foundation from $3.7 million to $8.2 million in assets; increasing the number of endowed scholarships from 8 to 22; increasing the scholarships from 52 to more than 150 and founding the President's Club which exceeded $1 million in annual gifts. The ultimate collaborator and facilitator, President Reeves established ``Two Great Choices'', an initiative that created a partnership between South Georgia Technical College, Georgia Southwestern State University, the City of Americus,

Sumter County, and local businesses. He and Allene established an endowed scholarship at the college, making him the first President to do so. He also served on the Technical College System of Georgia State Foundation Board following his retirement until 2022. Sparky was the first President in the Technical College System of Georgia to earn the title, ``President Emeritus.''

It has been said that ``Service is the rent that we pay for the space that we occupy here on this Earth.'' Sparky paid his rent, and he paid it well. Because of his lifetime of service to others, he received many awards and honors to include: The Americus Kiwanis Club Award; Americus-Sumter County Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year; Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen Award; Business Council of Georgia Achievement Award; Governor, South Georgia District Collegiate Civitan Club; GSW Aeolian Award; GSW Kaleidoscope Award; Outstanding Eagle Scout and Order of the Arrow; Outstanding Service Award and Inaugural Sparky Reeves Sumter Trustee Lifetime Achievement Award; President of GSW Civitan Club; Rotary Club Outstanding Citizen Award; Rotary Club ``Paul Harris Fellow''; Sam Walton Business Leader; and Technical College Foundation of Georgia Benefactor of the Year.

George Washington Carver once said that ``How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.'' This is how Sparky Reeves lived his life. He treated people the way they deserved to be treated and God blessed him beyond measure. Through many difficulties in his life from an intestinal tumor, quintuple heart bypass surgery, cardiac arrest, and leukemia, he never complained and always lived by the motto: ``Every Day is Special.''

Sparky accomplished much in his life but none of it would have been possible without the grace of God, the love and support of his beloved wife of 52 years Allene, and his three children, Kevin, Amanda, and Ryan.

On a personal note, Sparky was my friend. Over the years, he gave me wise counsel, for which I will be forever grateful. Likewise, during his life, Sparky did so much for so many for so long. He touched countless lives and because he did, the world is a better place.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife, and me, along with the more than 765,000 people of the Second Congressional District in extending our deepest condolences to the family of President Emeritus Gary Lamar ``Sparky'' Reeves, his friends and all who mourn his loss. May we all be consoled and comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize, a dedicated servant leader, seasoned business executive, faithful civil rights activist, great strategic thinker, loving husband, committed father, and friend of longstanding, Thomas (Tommy) Christopher Chatmon, Jr. Sadly, Tommy transitioned this life from labor to reward on July 22, 2023. A homegoing service celebrating his remarkable life will be held on Saturday, August 5, 2023, at The Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia.

Thomas (Tommy) Chistopher Chatmon, Jr was born in Albany, Georgia, on December 19, 1954, the third of 5 children to the late Thomas C. Chatmon, Sr., and Alma Chatmon. Raised in a God-fearing family, he became a member of Bethel AME Church, where he was a lifelong member and sang in the choir. His first fruits of education came as a student at the Hazard Laboratory School for Primary Education and St. Teresa's Catholic School in Albany. Tommy was also a product of the Dougherty County School System, graduating from Albany High School in 1972. Tommy made history while at Albany High School, becoming the marching band's first African American drum major. His love of music continued, and he delayed college after graduating with honors to travel with a band called Eden from 1968 to 1974.

In 1974, Tommy followed in his father's footsteps by attending our Alma Mater, Morehouse College. He graduated from Morehouse in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in political science. One of Tommy's proudest moments at Morehouse was when he was selected to serve as a U.S. Congressional Intern, in the office of United States Congresswoman Cardiss Hortense Collins.

After graduating from Morehouse, Tommy returned to his hometown roots in Albany to operate a family-owned business, Chatmon's Beauty Supply, Inc. He was a great strategic entrepreneur and as Chief Operating Officer for 17 years, he helped grow the family business to 10 retail locations in 4 different states.

Tommy's professional career also took him to work as the District Manager for the Georgia Census Bureau in 1980. In 1984, he was the Campaign Manager for Standup Strain's bid for Dougherty County Sheriff. Tommy cemented his bonafides during this time as a deeply respected political figure and social activist, once again following in the footsteps of his father; who had been active in the Albany Civil Rights Movement.

In 1998, when leaders in Albany decided to revitalize the city's downtown area by forming Albany Tomorrow, Inc., Tommy was selected to serve as its Executive Director. Forever a visionary and forward thinker, he was able to bring people and projects together for downtown to include the Hilton Garden Inn, The Flint River Aquarium, The Ray Charles Plaza, Turtle Grove Park, SKATE Park, The Albany Law Enforcement Center and Police Headquarters, Department of Human Resources Administrative Building, The Central Square, The Science Discovery Children's Museum, parking garages for the downtown business district, and The Dougherty County School Board Administrative Building. Tommy's proudest moment as the Executive Director was the groundbreaking of the Albany Civil Rights Institute, which tells the story of Albany's prominent role in the modern-day Civil Rights Movement. As his good friend Glenn Singfield put it, ``There wouldn't be an Albany today without Albany Tomorrow, and there wouldn't have been an Albany Tomorrow without Tommy Chatmon.''

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, ``Faith is sometimes taking the first step without seeing the full staircase.'' In 2007, Thomas took a step on faith with the lessons he learned in his stint with Albany Tomorrow carrying his creative talents to Orlando, Florida, where the mayor appointed him as Executive Director of the Downtown Development Board/Community Redevelopment Agency. In this role, Tommy oversaw economic development for the Community Redevelopment Agency. He played a crucial role in achieving some of downtown Orlando's premier development in retail and business recruitment, marketing and special events programming, and housing development within the Community Redevelopment Area to include:

The Amway Center, The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Sun Rail, Chase,' Plaza, Church Street Plaza, Citi Tower, Creative Village, 55 West, and many more.

It has been said that ``service is the rent that we pay for the space that we occupy here on this earth.'' Tommy Chatmon paid his rent, and he paid it well. He gave his time, talent, and treasure to numerous social and civil organizations, serving as Chair of Homeless Service Network of Central Florida Board, and the Starter Studio Board, The International Downtown Association (IDA), Nap Ford Community School, MyRegion.ORG, WMFW Community Advisory Board, and the Central Florida Urban League Board.

Tommy has been honored for his dedicated Community service to include Orlando's ``10 Businessmen to Watch'' and Orlando Magazine's ``50 Most Powerful People'', Georgia Trend Magazine's 100 Most Influential Georgians, Martin Luther King Celebration Leadership Award, and the Leadership Albany Outstanding Alumni Award.

Tommy accomplished much in his life, but none of it would have been possible without the grace of God, the love and support of his elementary school sweetheart, his beloved wife Brenetta, and his three children, Yvonne, Brittany, and Cory.

On a personal note, Tommy was my friend, my Morehouse brother, and longtime supporter. Over the years, he gave me wise counsel, for which I will be forever grateful. Likewise, during his life, Tommy did so much for so many for so long. He touched countless lives, and because he did, the world is a better place.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife Vivian and me, along with the 765,000 people of the 2nd Congressional District, in extending our deepest condolences to the family of Mr. Thomas Christopher Chatmon, Jr., his family, friends, and all who mourn his loss. May we all be consoled and comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding musician, dedicated educator, committed community servant, and dear friend of longstanding, Ms. Jacqueline Saunders. She will be honored at the Chancel Choir's 60th Anniversary Gospel Concert at First Missionary Baptist Church of Thomasville, Georgia on Sunday, August 6, 2023.

Jacqueline Saunders has used her life's work to help others to reach their full potential through music, theatre, and education. It has been said that ``Service is the rent that we pay for the space that we occupy here on this earth.'' Ms. Saunders has paid her rent, and she has paid it well. Ms. Saunders graduated from Morris Brown College in 1973 with a B.A. Degree in English. During her matriculation at Morris Brown, she was initiated into the sisterhood of Alpha Kappa Kappa Sorority Inc., which makes her a Golden Soror. She was also a member of the Morris Brown College Wolverine Marching Band.

Her love of knowledge and learning took her academic pursuits to the University of Georgia, Valdosta State College (Now University), Walden University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she received her M.S. in Counseling Education in 1988.

Ms. Saunders has had a long and storied career as an educator that began in 1973. She has served in many roles during her professional career to include, Instructor of English and Social Studies, English Language and Literature Instructor, Instructor of English Communications, Career Advisor Coordinator/Career Adviser, Counselor/ Teacher, Upward Bound Counselor, Student Support Team and 504 Coordinator, 9th and 10th Grade Counselor and PK-5 Counselor. Her professional stops during her educational journey have included Brooks County Junior High School, Thomas County, Turn Around School, The University of Wisconsin, Thomas County Central High School, Thomas University, Thomasville High School, and J.K. Harper Elementary School. Ms. Saunders had a brief respite from her educational career from 1984 to 86 where she served in several roles at National Savings and Trust Bank in Washington, D.C. but she quickly returned to her first love of education.

A wonderful woman of God, Ms. Saunders served as Church Musician for Ochlocknee and Piney Grove Missionary Baptist Churches from 1959-69. From 1959 through the present, she has served as a Church musician for Mercy Seat Christian and First Missionary Baptist Churches. She also has been a member of the acclaimed Georgia Mass Choir since 1981.

In addition, she has expanded her horizons in the performing arts by appearing in the 1996 movie, ``The Preacher's Wife,'' which starred Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston, and she also appeared in the Broadway play ``Why Do Good Girls Like Bad Boys?'' She has also broadened her horizons by traveling and participating in an international tour of France, England, Spain, and Italy.

Amidst all her other activities, she has always found time to give back to her community. ``It has been said that service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy on this earth.'' Jacqueline Saunders has paid her rent, and she has paid it well! Through her beloved Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., she has given her time, treasure, and talent to many community initiatives. Ms. Saunders founded the Lambda Xi Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and served as its Basileus from 1977 to 79 and 1992 to 93. She is an example of what can happen when 1 carries out God's purpose for her life.

Jacqueline Saunders has exemplified a life of service to God using her many talents to touch the lives of countless souls fortunate enough to cross paths with her. She has done so much for so many for so long.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join my wife Vivian, and I, along with the members of the Chancel Choir, First Missionary Baptist Church of Thomasville, Georgia, as well as the 765,000 people of the Second Congressional District, in honoring and commending Ms. Jacqueline Sanders for her commitments to God, her community, and to humankind.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding mentor, dedicated servant leader, faithful servant of God and dear friend of longstanding, the Reverend Dr. Gregory A. Sutton. Dr. Sutton was honored for his 53 years of faithful service at Jackson Memorial Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday, July 16, 2023, at 10:30 am.

Dr. Sutton was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He was raised among great educators, philosophers, and theologians. Dr. Sutton was always concerned about the welfare of others and used his voice to speak out on pressing issues of the day. He began to preach the Gospel at the young age of 16. This would lay the foundation for his ministry and his destiny--the boy, the preacher, the man and the visionary.

Dr. Sutton began preaching the Gospel while he was still in high school and accepted the calling to pastor a growing church called Jackson Memorial at the age of 18, where he has labored for 53 years. Through his leadership, the church has continued to expand its membership and physical footprint. Dr. Sutton has seen the expansion of the church's membership to over 6,000 members and he has overseen the construction of two new edifices for the church. Dr. Sutton's ministry is indeed a global ministry and reaches people where they are across the world.

The scripture tells us in Proverbs that ``Where there is no vision the people perish . . . .'' Dr. Sutton is indeed a visionary and has used his ministry to reach people beyond the church walls. He has dedicated himself to the awareness, protection, and spiritual development of youth. Dr. Sutton was the originator of the phrase, ``Stop the Violence, Save the Youth.'' Cementing his commitment to young people and their spiritual futures, Pastor Sutton was the first pastor in the Atlanta area to open his church to students for prayer before school. He also reaches out and incorporates the needs of his elderly parishioners in his ministry. Dr. Sutton has a complete ministry that attempts to reach many different groups for Christ to include those that are in prison, the homebound, the homeless, the low income and the disenfranchised. He uses his weekly television broadcast, ``Now Is The Time,'' to reach those who would not otherwise be reachable.

Dr. George Washington Carver once said that ``How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young; compassionate with the aged; sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong, because someday in your life you will have been all of these.'' Dr. Sutton is acutely aware that for the Kingdom of God to be manifested in this world, it is imperative that people from all walks of life be brought into the fold and be made to feel that they matter and that Jesus Loves them. Dr. Sutton's ministry is truly a Matthew 25 ministry.

Even amid his various ministerial duties, Dr. Sutton finds time to serve his community at large. It has been said that ``Service is the rent that we pay for the space that we occupy here on this earth.'' Dr. Sutton has paid his rent and he has paid it well. He serves on the board of directors of many social and civic organizations to include the Board of Ministers of Morehouse College.

Reverend Dr. Gregory Sutton has achieved much in life, but none of it would have been possible without the grace of God and the love and support of his wife, First Lady Gail Sutton; his children, Theresa, Tony, Keisha and LaQuay; his three grandchildren and other family members.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join my wife, Vivian, and me, along with the people of Georgia and this nation in honoring and commending the Reverend Dr. Gregory A. Sutton for 53 years of dedicated service to his God, Jackson Memorial Baptist Church and humankind. Moreover, we pray God's continued blessings upon him, his ministry, and his family in the weeks, months, and years ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding mentor, dedicated servant leader, faithful servant of God and dear friend of longstanding, the Reverend Dr. Gregory A. Sutton. Dr. Sutton will be honored for his 53 years of faithful service at Jackson Memorial Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday, July 16, 2023, at 10:30 am.

Dr. Sutton was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He was raised among great educators, philosophers, and theologians. Dr. Sutton was always concerned about the welfare of others and used his voice to speak out on pressing issues of the day. He began to preach the Gospel at the young age of 16. This would lay the blueprint for his ministry and his destiny--the boy, the preacher, the man, and the visionary.

Dr. Sutton began preaching the Gospel while he was still in high school and accepted the calling to preach a growing church called Jackson Memorial at the age of 18, where he has pastored for 53 years. Through his leadership, the church has continued to expand its membership and physical footprint. Dr. Sutton has seen the expansion of the church's membership to over 6,000 members and he has overseen the construction of 2 new edifices for the church. Dr. Sutton's ministry is indeed a global ministry and reaches people where they are across the world.

The scripture tells us in Proverbs, ``that the people perish where there is no vision.'' Dr. Sutton is indeed a visionary and has used his ministry to reach people beyond the church walls. He has dedicated himself to the awareness, protection, and spiritual development of youth. Dr. Sutton was the originator of the phrase, ``Stop the Violence, Save the Youth.'' Cementing his commitment to young people and their spiritual futures, Pastor Sutton was the first pastor in the Atlanta area to open his church for prayer for students before school. He also reaches out and incorporates the needs of his elderly parishioners in his ministry. Dr. Sutton has a complete ministry that attempts to reach many different groups for Christ to include those that are in prison, the homebound, the homeless, the low income and the disenfranchised. He uses his Weekly Television Broadcast, ``Now is the Time,'' to reach those who would not otherwise be reachable.

Dr. George Washington Carver once said that ``How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young; compassionate with the aged; sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong, because someday in your life you will have been all of these.'' Dr. Sutton is acutely aware that for the Kingdom of God to be manifested in this world, it is imperative that people from all walks of life be brought into the fold and be made to feel that they matter and that Jesus Loves them. Dr. Sutton's ministry is truly a Matthew 25 type of ministry.

Even amid his various ministerial duties, Dr. Sutton finds time to serve his community at large. It has been said that ``Service is the rent that we pay for the space that we occupy here on this earth.'' Dr. Sutton has paid his rent and he has paid it well. He serves on the board of directors of many social and civic organizations to include the Board of Ministers of Morehouse College.

Reverend Dr. Gregory Sutton has achieved much in life, but none of it would have been possible without the grace of God and the love and support of this wife, First Lady Gail Sutton; his children, Theresa, Tony, Keisha, and

LaQuay; his 3 grandchildren and other family members.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join my wife, Vivian, and I; along with the more than 765,000 people of Georgia's Second Congressional District in honoring and commending the Reverend Dr. Gregory A. Sutton for 53 years of dedicated service to his God, Jackson Memorial Baptist Church and humankind. Moreover, we pray God's continued blessings upon him, his ministry, and his family in the weeks, months, and years ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a devoted wife, dedicated mother, and outstanding public servant, Mrs. Julia Andrews. An event celebrating her 95th birthday was held on Saturday, June 17, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.

Mrs. Andrews is a native of Dougherty County, Georgia and she has given her life's work in service to her country. She dedicated 34 years working to support America's national security as a civilian employee at the Albany Marine Corps Logistics Base. While she was providing outstanding service at the base, she did not do so alone; when Mrs. Andrews began her tenure in 1954, she joined her husband, Goliath Andrews, in service there who began his own 35-year career at the Albany Marine Corps Logistics Base in 1952. Truly, Mr. and Mrs. Andrews exemplified patriotism and a sense of service to which all Americans aspire.

It has been said that ``Service is the rent that we pay for the space that we occupy here on this earth.'' Mrs. Answers has paid her rent and she has paid it well. Her commitment to service is evident both in her career and in her retirement when she continued to seek out ways to serve her community and her country. A lifetime voting Democrat, Mrs. Andrews has been an endearing and familiar face to the residents of Dougherty County during election season. Year after year, Mrs. Andrews happily served as an election volunteer, working to help the citizens of Dougherty County successfully execute their civic duty. While exercising that civic duty, Mrs. Andrews' fellow citizens enjoyed and benefited from her warmth, kindness, and zeal. Undoubtedly, those qualities of hers have touched the lives of many whom she has volunteered to assist and has strengthened our democracy in a multitude of quiet but powerful and important ways.

Mrs. Andrews is a woman after God's own heart. She is a member of the Greater Third Kiokee Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. She has been and continues to be a stalwart of that Church, having become a member 82 years ago in 1941. The model of Christian virtue that she demonstrates by the way she lives her life has surely touched the lives of so many people and has been an inspiration to generations of fellow members of the Greater Third Kiokee Baptist Church. She truly embodies the words of Acts 9:36: ``She was abounding in good deeds and acts of charity.''

Mrs. Andrews has accomplished many things in her life, but none of these would have been possible without her faith, the love and support of her husband, Goliath Andrews, and their 4 children, Vincent Andrews, Cynthia Buckley, Janice Thomas, and the late Larry Andrews.

Mrs. Andrews is the proud matriarch of a loving and growing family that now spans

across several generations. Many members of that family lovingly came to Arlington, Virginia on June 17, 2023, to celebrate her. I have no doubt that they would not have missed the chance to celebrate her for the world.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife, Vivian, and I along with the more than 765,000 people of the Second Congressional District in extending our sincerest appreciation and best wishes to Mrs. Julia Andrews on her 95th Birthday and for her phenomenal service to God and Humankind. May God continue to bless her and her family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of a dedicated husband, loving father, humble public servant, and friend of longstanding, the Honorable Charles Hobby Stripling, Sr. Sadly, Hobby transitioned this life on July 3, 2023. A homegoing service celebrating the life of this remarkable man was held at 10:00 a.m. on July 7, 2023, at the Vienna United Methodist Church in Vienna, Georgia.

Charles Hobby Stripling was born on August 30, 1932, in Turner County, Georgia to the union of Maggie Thelma Hobby Stripling and Jodie Lee Stripling. Hobby graduated from Cordele High School in 1948 at the age of 16 and married his sweetheart, Joanne Duncan. They were married for 58 years until her passing in 2006 and were the parents of 2 sons, Charles Hobby Stripling, Jr. and Robby Stripling. Hobby was blessed to find love for a second time and in 2011 he married Ann Gambrell. They shared 12 wonderful years together and created a blended family to include Tonya Gambrell Thompson, Torri Gambrell Zeigler and Greg Gambrell. Together the Stripling and Gambrell children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other kin merged into a loving family unit which Hobby cherished with great pride.

During his life, Hobby held various jobs until he returned to Vienna, Georgia in 1962 to open the Vienna Red & White Super Market with James and Elsi Pass. He later opened Zippy Food Store, the first convenience store in Vienna, Georgia, which he operated for many years. This gave him the opportunity to interact with his neighbors, empathize with their challenges and spark a career of public service to ensure positive change for his neighbors, friends and family.

It has been said that ``Service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy on this earth.'' Hobby paid his rent and paid it well. He served as Mayor of Vienna, Georgia for 24 years; President of the Georgia Municipal Association; and campaign manager for former Atlanta Georgia Mayor, Congressman and UN Ambassador, Andrew Young in his run for Georgia Governor. He was pivotal in my successful 1992 congressional campaign and in 1993, when the time came for me to hire a District Director, Hobby was a perfect fit. His leadership, compassion, patience, fidelity, advice, and friendship were the manifestations of love in action. He served the people of the 2nd Congressional District and me well for 10 years, then went on to serve as the District Director for Congressman Jim Marshall for 7 years and in 2008 was appointed by President Barack Obama to be Georgia State Director of the Farm Service Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Hobby Stripling accomplished much in his life, but none of it would have been possible without the grace of God, the love and support of his beloved wives, Joanne and Ann, his blended extended family and the many souls that inspired and motivated him to serve. He touched countless lives in a positive way and because he did, the world is a better place.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join my wife, Vivian, and me, along with the 765,000 people of the 2nd Congressional District in honoring the life and service of the Honorable Charles Hobby Stripling, Sr. and in extending our deepest condolences to his family, friends and all those who mourn his loss. May we all be consoled and comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a dedicated husband, loving father, extraordinary funeral practitioner, humble community servant and friend of longstanding, Mr. William Maxwell ``Billy'' Carroll. Sadly, Billy transitioned this life from labor to reward on June 18, 2023. A home going service celebrating his remarkable life was held on Sunday, June 25, 2023, at the Saint Mary Missionary Baptist Church in Baconton, Georgia.

William Maxwell Carroll was born in Camilla, Georgia on October 6, 1936, to the union of the late Horace Carroll of Atlanta, Georgia and Thelma Jester Carroll White of Albany, Georgia. He received his early fruits of knowledge in the public-school systems of Atlanta, Camilla and Moultrie, Georgia. Following high school, Billy matriculated at the Agricultural and Technical College of Greensboro, North Carolina where he majored in Business Administration. He then attended Atlanta College of Mortuary Science and upon completion returned to his hometown roots in Camilla to operate a family-owned business.

A licensed funeral director and embalmer, Billy used his stewardship of the Robert Jester Mortuary to serve and comfort thousands of families during their times of bereavement. He and the entire staff did whatever it took to support the needs of those who entrusted Robert Jester Mortuary with the care of their dearly departed loved ones. He was a longtime member of the Georgia Funeral Services Practitioners Association, Inc. where he served as President from 1982 to 1984. He was chosen 4th District Mortician of the Year in 1972 and selected as Mortician of the year in 1988 by Alpha Gamma Chapter of Epsilon Nu Delta Mortuary Fraternity, Inc.

It has been said that ``Service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy on this earth.'' Billy Carroll paid his rent, and he paid it well! He gave his time, talent and treasure to numerous social and civic organizations to include City of Camilla Zoning Board; Mitchell County Hospital Endowment Board; Camilla Chamber of Commerce; Kiwanis Club of Mitchell County; NAACP; and Boys and Girls Club; to name a few. He was appointed by Gov. George Busbee to serve on the Georgia State Commission on Indian Affairs and by Gov. Joe Frank Harris to serve on the Governor's Education Review Commission. He

was politically astute, active, a trail blazer and was the first African American to run for City Commissioner in Camilla, Georgia. He received the Living History Award in 2009, the Great Man Award in 2017 and was honored by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Georgia Department of Public Safety and was nominated by the African American Funeral Services Museum for the Hall of Fame.

A faithful man of God, Billy was an active member of Saint Peter AME Church where he was both a Steward and Trustee.

Billy accomplished much in his life, but none of it would have been possible without the grace of God, the love and support of his beloved wife, Naomi, and his two children, William Carroll, Jr., and Vinai Carroll English.

On a personal note, Billy was my friend and longtime supporter. Over the years he gave me wise and sage counsel, for which l will be forever grateful. Likewise, during his life he did so much for so many for so long. He touched countless lives and because he did, the world is a better place.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join my wife, Vivian, and me, along with the 765,000 people of the 2nd Congressional District in honoring the life and service of Mr. William Maxwell ``Billy'' Carroll and in extending our deepest condolences to Mr. Carroll's family, friends and all who mourn his loss. May they all be consoled and comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks and months ahead.

Mr. Speaker, one of the cardinal rules of negotiation is never to negotiate when you have a gun pointed at your head. The rationale is self-evident. One of the parties--namely, the party which is staring down the barrel of the gun--is more than likely going to either get the short end of the deal or, worse, end up dead.

In the case of the debt limit negotiations currently underway between President Biden and Speaker McCarthy, the risk isn't just that one of the parties will be unhappy with an agreement. If the United States defaults on the federal debt for the first time in the nation's history, it will risk a devastating wound to financial markets at home and around the world, push our country into a recession, erase 7.8 million jobs, and wipe out as much as $10 trillion in household wealth.

The crisis, of course, is a manufactured one. The national debt has increased under every presidential administration since Herbert Hoover. According to the U.S. Department of Treasury, Congress has acted 78 separate times to permanently raise, temporarily extend, or revise the definition of the debt limit--49 times under Republican presidents and 29 times under Democratic presidents.

Republicans aren't interested in getting our fiscal house in order. They don't want to address entitlement programs, which are the big drivers of projected spending growth. They don't want to touch raising revenues or cuts to military spending.

Instead, Republicans are aiming their weapon at nondefense discretionary spending. They want to slash funding for our nation's schools, our national parks, our farmers, and our police officers. Nondefense discretionary spending only accounts for 15 percent of the $6.3 trillion the government is expected to spend this year.

Republicans even want to take money away from health care for our nation's veterans. Their Default on America Act would underfund programs that help our veterans exposed to bum pits by $20 billion.

America must pay its bills as it has always done. At a time when America is facing many challenges at home and abroad--from inflation to competition with China to the ongoing war in Ukraine--we must ensure that our word is trusted. In the end, we must do what is right and raise the debt ceiling without any conditions and especially without a gun pointed at our heads.

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the United Nations for declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets. As the Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Appropriations Committee, I know first-hand the importance of finding a nutritional staple that has the potential of addressing both climate change and food insecurity in the near future.

This ancient crop is a staple of food in India, where it is often used in porridges and as rice substitutes, or as flour to make flatbreads and other baked goods.

Millets are known for being rich in dietary fiber as well as in potassium and protein. In fact, regular consumption of millets can reduce the risk of diabetes and obesity, improve cholesterol levels, and lower the risk of heart disease.

Millets also can be grown on lands poor in soil quality and lacking in irrigation, which make them invaluable in addressing food insecurity across the globe. They use 70 percent less water than rice; grow in half the time of wheat; and need 40 percent less energy in processing. They are so hardy that they can even withstand temperatures up to 50 degrees Celsius.

India has been a leader in the production, consumption, and promotion of millets. In fact, India is the largest producer of millets and one of the world's biggest exporters of this traditional staple of Indian cooking.

Not that long ago, the consumption of millets in India waned as wheat and rice took precedence. Now it is making a comeback as people in India and across the world recognize its nutritional and environmental value.

Again, I want to thank the United Nations and the Government of India for taking up this important issue.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a loving husband, dedicated father, doting grandfather, seasoned executive, benevolent public servant and dear family friend of long standing to my wife, Vivian, and me--Charles Edward Clark, Sr. Sadly, Charles transitioned from this life on March 27, 2023. On April 17, 2023, a memorial service celebrating his remarkable life was held at 11:00 a.m. in Columbus, Georgia at St. Luke United Methodist Church.

Charles Clark was born in Vienna, Georgia on August 26, 1939, to the union of Elbert and Elzada Clark. The oldest son of 11 children, his early education was in the Dooly County, Georgia School System. He went on to matriculate at Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University) in Atlanta where he became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and earned a B.A. Degree in Business Administration in 1962. He proudly served his country in the United States Army during the Vietnam Era, rising to the rank of Corporal before receiving his Honorable Discharge.

Charles returned to Atlanta and went to work at the Urban League, beginning what would become a long and extraordinary career in government and community service. At the Urban League, he met the love of his life, Lillian ``Bunky'' McClung, daughter of former Columbus Mayor Pro Tem, A.J. and Mrs. Helen McClung. They were married in 1966 and to this blessed union were born two children: Charles ``Chuck'' Clark, Jr. and Candace Clark (Trinchieri).

Charles believed in education and demanded excellence from himself at every stage of his professional career. Hence, while working full time at the Urban League, he earned his law degree from the Woodrow Wilson College of Law in Atlanta in 1971. He began federal executive employment at the Office of Economic Opportunity regional office in Atlanta, moved to the Social Security Administration, then went on to earn a Master's Degree in Public Administration in 1973 from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. He then returned to Atlanta to be Regional Director for Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA) and simultaneously earned a Master's in Organizational Psychology and Administration in 1976 from West Georgia College in Carrolton, Georgia.

Also in 1976, when his wife, Bunky, went to Washington, D.C. as part of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Transition Team, Charles became Special Assistant to Veterans Affairs Administrator and future U.S. Senator Max Cleland. He served in several positions in the VA, to include: Assistant Administrator, Office of Personnel and Labor Relations; Assistant for the Office of Human Goals; and Special Assistant to the Deputy Chief Medical Director. Charles later served as Associate Medical Director at VA Medical Centers in Reno, Nevada, San Francisco and Palo Alto, California. Because of his exceptional service, Charles received The Meritorious Executive Presidential Rank Award from the Department in 1995.

Upon retirement from the VA, Charles and Bunky moved back to Bunky's hometown of Columbus, Georgia where he served as Senior Vice President of Columbus Regional Healthcare System, Vice President of Columbus Regional Medical Foundation and Executive Director of Junior Achievement. In addition, Charles was active in community service, volunteering his time in several charitable organizations and was an active member of Saint Luke United Methodist Church.

In 2015, Charles was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. He used this challenge as an opportunity, becoming a staunch supporter of the Alzheimer's Association of Columbus and he led ``The Annual Walk to End Alzheimer's'' before moving to Sherman Oaks, California to live with his daughter, Candace, and her family.

It has been said that: ``Service is the rent we pay for the space we 'occupy on this earth''. Charles Clark paid his rent and paid it well. He gave his time, talents and treasure to so many social and civic organizations. George Washington Carver once said: ``How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because some day you will have been all of these''. Charles Clark lived those words.

On a personal note, Charles was my friend. He was my supporter. He even served as my extraordinary campaign manager in 2008. He accomplished so much in his life. But, none of this would have been possible without the grace of God and the love and support of his wife of 57 years, Bunky; his children, Chuck and Candace; and a host of friends and family who will miss him dearly.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join my wife, Vivian, and me, along with the more than 765,000 people of the 2nd Congressional District of Georgia in honoring the life and legacy of Mr. Charles Edward Clark, Sr. and in extending our deepest sympathies to his family, friends, and all who mourn his loss. We pray that they will be consoled and comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a dedicated man of God, a selfless humanitarian, and a humble servant, Minister Alfie A. Jelks. Minister Jelks was honored at his annual event, The Soul of My Footprint Brunch Gala on April 15, 2023, in Columbus, Georgia.

The journey of Minister Alfie Jelks began with his birth on April 14, 1968, in Tuskegee, Alabama. Minister Jelks is a proud product of the Muscogee County School System, graduating from Kendrick High School in 1986. An avid learner, Minister Jelks also earned an Associate of Science Degree in 1995 from the Chattahoochee Community College. He also received a B.S. Degree in Theology from Troy University in 2005 and a Master of Divinity Degree in 2015 from Great Plains Baptist Divinity School. Building on his love of God and his country, Minister Jelks received his commission as a United States Army Reserve Chaplain in 2009.

In 2000, Minister Jelks began his humanitarian journey to Jinga, Uganda with and only one credit card and no personal ties to anyone there. From this initiative, The Soul of My Footprint was born. The Primary purpose of this initiative is the dissemination of provisional supplies of medicine, clothing, and basic care items for the people of Jinga, Uganda. Another mission of this wonderful organization is to provide scholarships to high school seniors who are philanthropic and plan to major in the fields of science, social services, education, theology, or non-profit work. Minister Jelks was moved by his faith to begin this ministry. His commitment to humankind has been based on Matthew 25 when Jesus said that He wanted to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit those that were in prison as the center of His ministry. Minister Jelks made subsequent trips to Uganda in 2001, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022. Through his continuous effort and labor of love, the Soul of My Footprint Hospital in conjunction with Cook Dental Care will open in the fall of 2023. Because of his gift of collaboration with many different organizations in Columbus, Georgia, over one thousand pairs of shoes have been donated to the people of Jinga.

As a man who is proud of his heritage, Minister Jelks opened Alfie's African Treasures, selling rare and unique African Artifacts and Greek Fraternal Paraphernalia. Always seeking ways to educate youth about their heritage, Minister Jelks established ``Alfie's African Treasures Annual Cultural Show.''

Minister Jelks has created many partnerships in the furtherance of his mission of cultural enhancement to include The Muscogee County School System, The Boys and Girls Clubs, Big Brother-Big Sisters of Columbus, The Wellness Center, Columbus State University African Student Organization, The Black History Museum, and The Anne Elizabeth Shepherd Home.

It has been said that, ``The true person of success is not the person that climbs the ladder of this life with two hands but climbs the ladder of this life with one hand and reaches back with the other.'' Minister Alfie Jelks has dedicated his life to the uplift of others by climbing the ladder of this life with ``one hand and reaching back with the other.''

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife, Vivian and me, along with the 765,000 people of the 2nd Congressional District, in honoring Minister Alfie Jelks for his lifetime of service to God, his community and humankind. May God continue to rain down his richest blessings on this remarkable ministry. To God Be the Glory.