Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today I offer my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the late Glenn R. Little, formerly of Hanover and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on the posthumous award of the Congressional Gold Medal for his service to the United States in the Civil Air Patrol during World War II.

Second Lieutenant Little was one of 120,000 men and women who joined the Civil Air Patrol during World War II. They helped to protect our Nation by warding off German U-boat attacks on American oil tankers bound for Allied nations. They also took to the skies to patrol America's borders, conduct search and rescue missions, and provide disaster relief. These brave and heroic citizen volunteers helped to preserve our Nation's freedom.

The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States Congress, and legislation was signed into law in May 2014 that honored members of the Civil Air Patrol. Lt. Little's career and accomplishments during the War recently were celebrated at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg. His granddaughter, Mrs. Barbara Heffner of Gettysburg, accepted the award on his behalf.

On behalf of Pennsylvania's Fourth Congressional District, I thank and commend Glenn R. Little for his bravery and selfless service to the United States of America

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the first week in May as Small Business Week in the United States and to applaud the contributions of the 1 million small-business owners from across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The entrepreneurs at the helm of these businesses take on great risk. As a former small-business owner myself, I fully understand that risk as well as the colossal responsibility associated with signing the front side of a paycheck.

Small business is the backbone of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, employing millions of people, roughly half of the private sector workforce in our Commonwealth. Their success is our success. We thank them for all they do to drive innovation forward and create and sustain careers of tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, today I honor my constituents, Michael and Tabitha Marquardt, on his upcoming retirement after more than 20 years of service with the United States Navy.

Michael's tireless dedication to duty, professionalism and sacrifice touched the lives of countless people and challenged all with whom he worked to be the best. His numerous commendations and awards, including the Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Navy Good Conduct Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and several others, are a testament to his courage, work ethic and character. His enduring legacy of service to our Nation truly is commendable.

Michael would be the first to admit, however, that his service at home and around the world--to include the Persian Gulf and Mexico-- would have been impossible without the sacrifice and service of his wife, Tabitha. Like thousands of other military spouses, her strength and perseverance played a critical role in our Nation's defense as she managed the family's affairs at home, which allowed Michael to focus on critical missions before him. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude for the service of our military families.

On behalf of Pennsylvania's Fourth Congressional District, I commend and congratulate Michael and Tabitha Marquardt upon his retirement and for their family's service to the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, today I honor my constituent, Thomas Kibler, for his retirement after 26 years in local law enforcement.

Mr. Kibler has served as a patrol officer and/or a criminal investigator with the Northern York County Regional Police, the North Middleton Township Police and finally with the Carroll Township Police. Mr. Kibler has earned numerous commendations and awards for his police work and also served our Nation honorably in the United States Army Reserve. He'll continue to serve our fellow citizens in a new role with the Pennsylvania Capitol Police.

Mr. Kibler's tireless dedication, professionalism and sacrifice touched the lives of countless people and challenged all with whom he served to be the best. His legacy of service to our community truly is admirable.

On behalf of Pennsylvania's Fourth Congressional District, I commend and congratulate Thomas Kibler on his retirement from local law enforcement and wish him Godspeed in his future adventures.

Mr. Speaker, today I honor my constituent, Eric Stiles, for earning a 2017 Governor's Victim Service Pathfinder Award, Pennsylvania's most prestigious award for a victim service professional or program.

Mr. Stiles is a sexual assault survivor who has devoted his career to advocacy and activism on behalf of others. At the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, Mr. Stiles has helped to develop best practices in sexual violence intervention and prevention. He's led efforts to support sexual violence victims at all stages of life. His colleagues rave about a man who they say ``. . . leads with passion and heart for the work, which only grows with his visionary ideas and creative outlets for engaging others,'' and who ``. . . has an uncanny knack for helping people to move and grow into a better version of themselves.''

As a member of the House Victims' Rights Caucus, and simply as a person who empathizes with and prays for the plight of sexual violence victims, I'm truly moved by Mr. Stiles' strength and compassion. His dedication has touched the lives of countless people and his legacy of service to others is exceptional.

Mr. Speaker, today I honor my constituent, the Reverend Michael L. Cooper-White, upon the occasion of his retirement as the 12th president of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, and more than 40 years of service to the Church.

Rev. Cooper-White has served as President of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg since 2000, where he led efforts to: revise curriculum to strengthen an integrative approach to theological education; strengthen the seminary's fiscal health; and forge the pathway of the forthcoming consolidation with the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia to form the United Lutheran Seminary. Rev. Cooper-White also served in leadership positions with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Eastern Cluster of Lutheran Seminaries, the Washington Theological Consortium and myriad local boards. His ministry has spanned multiple continents and he's served the Church as pastor, teacher, author and engaged citizen.

Reverend Cooper-White's dedication has touched the lives of countless people and challenged all with whom he served to be the best. His legacy of service is commendable.

On behalf of Pennsylvania's Fourth Congressional District, I commend and congratulate Reverend Michael L. Cooper-White upon his retirement after many years of service to the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg and our community.

Mr. Speaker, today I honor my constituent, Diane Innerst, upon her upcoming retirement after 23 years as a Middle School Math Teacher for Harrisburg Academy.

In addition to her teaching duties, Mrs. Innerst served as mentor of the Math Counts Team for each of her 23 year at Harrisburg Academy. She worked with the student council and oversaw a myriad of events such as dances, bake sales, elections and fundraisers. Prior to her time with Harrisburg Academy, Mrs. Innerst taught in the public education system. Mrs. Innerst's family has served our Nation with distinction as her husband is a

former U.S. Marine and their two sons graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy.

Mrs. Innerst's dedication has touched the lives of many people and challenged all with whom she served to be the best. Her legacy of service is admirable.

On behalf of Pennsylvania's Fourth Congressional District, I commend and congratulate Diane Innerst upon her retirement after many years of service to Harrisburg Academy and our community.

Mr. Speaker, today I honor my constituent, John Eline, on his upcoming retirement upon 10 years of service with Adams County Emergency Services, and for his ongoing commitment to his community.

Mr. Eline served as Adams County's Director of Emergency Services and provided calm leadership, professionalism and a strong work ethic to a wide range of challenges, including implementation of a new digital emergency radio system and preparations for the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg in 2013. Mr. Eline is also very active in our community, volunteering with the Gettysburg Fire Department, previously serving 12 years on Gettysburg's Borough Council and more than two decades with Gettysburg Hospital.

Mr. Eline's dedication has touched the lives of many people and challenged all with whom he served to be the best. His legacy of service to his community is admirable.

On behalf of Pennsylvania's Fourth Congressional District, I commend and congratulate John Eline upon his retirement after many years of service to Adams County and our fellow citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 366) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Under Secretary for Management of the Department of Homeland Security to make certain improvements in managing the Department's vehicle fleet, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

I stand before you in support of H.R. 366, the DHS Stop Asset and Vehicle Excess, or DHS SAVE, Act of 2016.

In October of 2015, the DHS inspector general released a scathing report of the Federal Protective Service's management of their vehicle fleet, a report that reads like a laundry list of poor management decisions. The IG found that the FPS had more vehicles than officers, and officers were authorized to drive from home to work with government-owned vehicles and, actually, put more miles on the vehicles in driving from home and back to work than they did on the job, among many other things. Additionally, the report stated that the FPS was not in compliance with Federal and departmental compliance, which is why I introduced the DHS SAVE Act.

This bill improves the management of DHS' vehicle fleets by authorizing the Under Secretary for Management at the headquarters level to oversee the components' vehicle fleets, requires the components to evaluate their fleets on an ongoing basis, includes penalties for the mismanagement of component fleets, and requires the DHS to identify alternative methods for the management of component fleets. With the second largest civilian vehicle fleet in the Federal Government, the DHS simply must have stricter controls in place at the headquarters level in order to rein in rogue components.

As the new administration scrutinizes the DHS' operations, this bill will provide important authorities to root out waste, fraud, and abuse from the Department.

I urge all Members to join me in supporting this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague for her hard work on this bill and for her bipartisan spirit in getting it to the floor with me.

I, once again, urge my colleagues to support H.R. 366.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 347) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to provide for requirements relating to documentation for major acquisition programs, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

I rise in support of H.R. 347, the Department of Homeland Security Acquisition Documentation Integrity Act. This legislation requires the Department of Homeland Security to improve the management of its major purchases of systems to secure the border, better screen travelers, protect our shores, and other vital missions.

Too often, the DHS has failed to document what these programs will cost, when they will be complete, and what they actually will deliver. It is unacceptable to spend billions of taxpayer dollars and not document this very basic but important information. H.R. 347 will help our committee and congressional watchdogs hold the Department accountable and ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent in both an efficient and effective manner. Safeguarding Americans' hard-earned tax dollars is why our constituents sent us here in the first place.

I commend Ranking Member Watson Coleman for her leadership on this issue, and I ask all Members to join me in supporting this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I, once again, commend my good friend and

colleague from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson Coleman) on her hard work in offering this viable and meaningful solution.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 347.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately I was absent due to illness. However, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 24 and YEA on Roll Call No. 25.

``. . . the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by States, the representation from each State having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two-thirds of the States, and a majority of all the States shall be necessary to a choice.''

Mr. Speaker, today I offer my sincere thanks and congratulations to Lobar, Inc. on its upcoming 50th Anniversary on January 19, 2017.

Lobar, Inc. is one of Central Pennsylvania's largest construction services firms. Family owned, Lloyd and Barbara Eichelberger started Lobar, Inc. in 1967 and quickly built a reputation for reliability. Today, Lobar Inc. is a multi-million dollar business that offers construction services throughout Pennsylvania.

Lobar Inc. has earned a reputation for excellence in customer relations and quality of work. Their mission statement sums up perfectly the reason for their success: ``To provide superior construction services for our customers at fair prices and at the same time, have our customers enjoy working with Lobar, Inc. Our goal is to have our customers want Lobar, Inc. to do their construction work.''

On behalf of Pennsylvania's Fourth Congressional District, I thank and congratulate the employees of Lobar, Inc., both past and present, on their 50th Anniversary and wish them continued great success in the years to come.

I thank Mr. Loudermilk for putting this together this evening.

Mr. Speaker, I was thinking about the situation we are in, and it came to my mind that there is a reason that the legislature is supposed to make the laws. There is a reason that we have a debate and that we discuss all of the different facets, because what also came to mind is the fact that the folks who have been legalized by the President's unconstitutional action will now get a Social Security number. With that, it will allow them to qualify for the earned income tax credit. As well, many will qualify for the child tax credit. Now, the IRS Code, Mr. Speaker, allows taxes to be amended back 3 years, and these folks who have just now received their Social Security numbers will be able to receive this payment retroactively.

I ask you, Mr. Speaker: Where is the fairness in that? I mean, what is fair about an illegal amnesty bonus? a bonus for breaking the law? What is fair about an immigrant's standing in line, coming here legally, wading through the process, only to watch somebody come right around him into this Nation, getting a Social Security number and, not only that, getting paid for doing that?

What is fair about hardworking, tax-paying Americans knowing that they can't get a break on their taxes because that money has got to go to somebody who came here expressly to break the law? What is fair about all of the children of all of these hardworking, tax-paying Americans being saddled with debt for the rest of their futures and their children's futures and those of their children's children for the sake of an illegal amnesty bonus? It is a bonus for breaking the law. What is fair about that, Mr. Speaker?

Now it is in the Senate, and the Senate is saying: Well, maybe the House should send another bill. The House sent a bill. It is the will of the House. It is the Senate's turn. With all due respect, if you don't want to vote for the bill, we get that. Vote ``no.'' You can explain that to your constituents--you can explain that to your voters--but it is more important to you to pay somebody a bonus for coming here illegally. You can explain that.

The point is that they don't even want to have the vote. They are making sure there will be no vote. We are saying give this bill its chance; give it its day. If you have got a better idea, if you have got a different idea, that is great. That is wonderful. Let's see it. Pass your bill and send it over, and we will work together to pass something along.

I would say this to the leader of the Senate: It is time you make the rules, Mr. Leader. If now is not the time to change those rules in favor of the Constitution, when is the time? Instead of being concerned about 40-some years of tradition and of the way we run the Senate-- instead of being concerned about that--how about being concerned about hundreds of years in favor of the Constitution? When President Obama didn't like the rule, apparently, even though he said 20 times or so that he had to abide by the Constitution, he just changed it. He just disregarded it.

And when Harry Reid didn't like the rule--a couple hundreds years of votes in cloture and the nuclear rule in the Senate--he just changed it. Right?

We are not asking to change it all the time, but when it comes down to a constitutional crisis, when it comes down to a division of powers, do you want to stand up for a bonus for acting illegally, for breaking the law, or do you want to stand up for the Constitution?

If that is not the time to change the rules for the President's unconstitutional executive action, if that is not the time to change the rules, Mr. McConnell, when is the time? The time is now.

Pass a bill. Whatever your bill is, have a vote, ``yes'' or ``no,'' send it to the House, and we will work it out. This legislation, this issue demands your attention. It demands a vote. It deserves a vote. The American people need to know. They deserve to know where their elected representatives in the Senate stand, not to just not vote on anything. They didn't send them there to just not vote. They sent them there to make a decision, ``yes'' or ``no.''

We get it. If you want to vote ``no,'' good for you. You explain that. If you want to vote ``yes,'' great. But have the vote. There is no reason to not change the rule if it gets us to a vote and upholds the Constitution. As a matter of fact, if it takes changing the rules to uphold the Constitution, this is one Representative of the Fourth District of Pennsylvania who thinks it is worth it.

With that, Mr. Speaker, again, I ask you: What is fair? What is fair about giving these bonuses to people who just received a Social Security card and who have been operating outside of the law for years? They receive their Social Security Card and they get a bonus.

You try that. Having worked here as a person who was born in this country,

you try to work under the table and then just apply and see if you will get a bonus from the IRS. Let me tell you what you get, Mr. Speaker. You will get a visit from the IRS, but it won't be for a bonus.

Think about fairness, Mr. Leader in the Senate. Change the rules. Let's move this bill forward.

Absolutely.

I want to also extend my appreciation to you for bringing up this important issue. I think this is going to kind of be a continuing conversation, at least for the next couple weeks, as we move forward into bringing this particular bill and the legislation to the floor.

With that, I was just thinking that in the last couple days I saw the President on TV, and he asked a question: What kind of country do we want to be?

I think you can think of that in a lot of different ways, but regarding the border, the President, while he says that, has preached over the years that he has made our Nation's border more secure than ever. I just remember last year when he was literally saying that, we saw tens of thousands of unaccompanied people coming across the border, and all of America was saying to themselves: What are you talking about? How can you say that?

The Border Patrol wasn't stopping these people. They were greeting these people and bringing them into the country. You are thinking, maybe that is a great thing, but we don't know who they are or what their intentions are, and you have no credibility, Mr. President, when you say that.

His statement is just supported by bloated statistics and a false sense of reality. I think most Americans understand that. As a matter of fact, the GAO recently found that only 44 percent of the southwest border was under operational control--44 percent. So 56 is just wide open apparently. Listen, that 44 percent, that is based on some best guess or some estimate because, believe it or not, they don't even keep the records.

Now, you know--you know as sure as you are watching this on TV or in the gallery or sitting at home thinking about it--that those Border Patrol agents and those sheriffs are keeping records of the things they do on a daily basis and a nightly basis, drove so many miles, picked up this many people coming across the border.

What happens to that information? Guess what, folks? They don't want us to have it. They don't want the GAO to have it because then we would know that our back door is wide open.

I mean, these gaps on the border lead to higher crime rates and unemployment for American citizens. It is really no more complicated than your own home. Sure, you love your neighbor to your left and your right and the people that adjoin your home to the north and to the south, but that doesn't mean that you leave your doors wide open for them to come in and go as they please at all hours of the day or night.

We want to be a country that is defined by who we are, and it requires protecting. If we are not going to define our country in those ways, why define it by having a border at all? That is what I think the President and many on the other side would propose, that we just abolish the borders. Well, guess what, folks? If we abolish the borders, we don't have any country at all.

I was thinking about another thing I heard recently. Over the last 6 years of the couple million jobs that were created in a downturn economy, almost all of them, statistically, were filled by people that weren't born in this country. Listen, it is great to have people come here and we need to have that policy, a smart policy, but our policy should be what works for America first, and securing our border and doing what works for America is the right thing to do. It is our duty. It is our oath.

Now, people say: Well, why is it so important?

Look at the crime rates. More than 40 percent of all criminal cases initiated by Federal prosecutors were in districts that border Mexico. Is anybody surprised? Do you think that that doesn't correlate to something? That means something, folks. I mean, the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, stated more than 3,000 homicides were committed by illegal immigrants in the last 6 years.

Now, are we a nation of laws or aren't we? If we are a nation of laws, what does it matter if you have a law that you are not going to enforce? Does it mean anything? The President has not executed the law for biometric exit. That is where we determine who you are, what you are doing here, and when you leave. Come legally, come across our border, but that is part of securing the border. But when it is time to go, it is time to go. If you want to stay, hey, that is great, but show up and let our government know that you are going to stay a little bit longer and what your purpose is. We don't want

you to stay if your purpose is for something other than what it should be.

The Congress has spoken, as a matter of fact, eight times passed a law requiring an exit system at all our ports; yet the executive branch, the one who executes the laws, has decided that is not important. They are just not going to do it.

Folks, this puts us at a huge disadvantage. It makes us unsafe. We are not secure in our homes. We don't have the peace of mind of knowing that we are safe in our homes. We don't have the peace of mind of knowing that the people coming across the border are being screened for maybe diseases or criminal activity.

There is a cost to that. There is a cost in lives. There is a financial cost to that in caring for people that get diseases that we have long eradicated in America that now come across the border unchecked because our border is wide open. That is why it is important to secure the border.

It is important. Congress has spoken. Congress, the representative of the American people, has spoken eight times on this issue, and the President has just said: I can't be bothered. He designates Federal lands, and our own agents can't be on these Federal lands and do their job.

I mean, who thinks that controlling the border and securing the border means being 50 miles off the border? I guarantee you, if you are in the combat zone securing your perimeter, your border--and the gentlelady knows what I am talking about because she has been there herself, as I have been there--you secure your perimeter and you watch your perimeter right on it, not just set up a little fence or draw a line in the sand and then head to the tent and hope nobody crosses it. That doesn't work there, and it doesn't work here. Yet that is what we are doing, and we are espousing it as though it was some kind of policy that is coherent and is realistic. It is not.

Our agents want to do their jobs. They are excited to do the job, they are committed to do the job, and our Federal Government literally is standing in the way and saying: Absolutely, you can't do the job.

We can get some assistance from our State and local, our National Guard, too. I have served on that mission as well. There is a lot of opportunity there to divide the duties and the resources and make this work that is cost effective. There is a lot of expertise from a military standpoint that can be used legally to help secure our borders, but, here again, the President can't be bothered. Mr. Speaker, it is unconscionable.

We need to keep track of these individuals with radical views. If the President had enacted the biometric requirements that have been required by the United States Congress eight times, maybe the Tsarnaev brothers wouldn't have had the ability to come to Boston and blow up people during the marathon. But we will never know because they just come and go as they darn well please to our country, and we don't ask anything. How is that securing the country? How is that good for America?

Mr. Speaker, thanks again to the gentlelady for hosting this. This is an incredibly important subject that we need to be discussing, and it is great that we have some time on the House floor to discuss this.

I hope what this does is it kind of gets the people that are watching this to say: Huh, maybe there is something to this. Maybe I should call my Representative. What does he or she think? How would he or she vote on such a border bill? Is there something missing in the bill, and is there some reason they wouldn't support the bill, and what is that? What would I like, as an American, to see about my border? Should we be letting anybody that darn well pleases come across the border unchecked to come into my community and do whatever they would, take my job, harm my family, or do I want something more as an American? Where does my Representative stand?

I think it is a great opportunity to call your Representative, write your Representative, email, talk to his staff and say: What does my Representative think of this?

So I appreciate the opportunity. I appreciate your leadership. I know, I have been to where you live.

Yes.

I have flown on the Arizona border down there. I have crossed the border in Nogales, and I have been privileged to be there. America is not where it needs to be on this. The Congress is, but we need to pass a bill, and we need the President to execute it.

I thank you very much for the opportunity.

We want to make sure that we get all the information out about this. As I said, the GAO's best estimate, I think, is about 56 percent of the border is not secured.

Another thing to mention about this bill is that we are looking for 100 percent. Now, we understand, just like law enforcement, they don't catch every criminal, and sometimes prisoners escape from prison, but we expect the warden to secure the prison, and the plan is to keep everybody in prison in prison.

But with this bill we expect 100 percent, and it is important to note that the other side would have us diminish that standard.

Right now, GAO is saying that 50 percent of the border is unmonitored and not secured. We actually have people in this Congress saying let's lessen the standard that we have currently right now, and the best we can get is 50-some percent.

I don't know who in their life plans to fail, doesn't plan to exceed and do the maximum. Whether it is showing up for work on time or anything you endeavor in, nobody shoots for below the bar. You shoot for the best. Yet in this endeavor, we have people literally in this Congress who are saying let's actually do less than we can do-- actually, let's do less than we are doing right now. So that seems to fly in the face of what every single American, regardless of your positions on other things, feels about securing the border.