Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to include in the Record a statement on behalf of my constituent, Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman. Rabbi Zoberman is the Founding Rabbi of Congregation Beth Chaverim in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Born in Chu, Kazakhstan (USSR) in 1945, he is the son of Polish Holocaust Survivors and spent his early childhood in Displaced Persons Camps in Austria and Germany before moving to Haifa, Israel in 1949.

The great and most colorful Joseph saga extends over four

Torah portions and thirteen Biblical chapters! How opportune

it is as we celebrate the miracle of Chanukah and the reading

of Joseph's awesome adventures, that the Jewish experience

has often been to find ourselves like Joseph, in the darkness

of the pit, without losing faith in the light of redemption

yet to emerge. As we kindle this season the Chanukah

menorah's sacred lights of eternal hope for a world

transformed through Sholom's gifts, we remember the 11 lost

shining lights targeted on Shabbat by the venom of the

precipitous rise of anti-Semitic darkness (Western

civilization's oldest disease) at the historic Tree of Life

Synagogue in Pittsburgh. It was the deadliest attack on Jews

on American soil. Indeed, an attack on what America, the

world's leading democracy, is all about. We should ponder

with somber soul-searching: How could an American perpetrate

such criminal carnage in sacred space and time? Lady Liberty

is shedding tears.

As a family member of the surviving remnant of European

Jewry, the committed atrocity is reminiscent of the

Holocaust. How tragically poignant that the Pittsburgh

massacre happened only days before observing the 80th

anniversary of Kristallnacht (November 9-10, 1938), the

Holocaust's precursor, when Synagogues and Jewish businesses

were set ablaze throughout Germany, 91 Jews were killed, and

30,000 Jews were sent to concentration camps. The Holocaust's

lessons should be taught on all education levels, even as we

continue to trust in the overriding goodness of the American

people. However, we should ever strengthen our democratic

institutions and not take them for granted!

In Pittsburgh, two worshippers and four heroic police

officers were wounded as well. In the precious honor of all

martyred victims, first respondents and our own, let us

pledge to spread more loving and enlightening light (the

violated synagogue also carries the name, Or L'simcha, namely

the delight of celebration) as we affirm that the radiant

lights of our fallen fellow Jews will not be driven out.

Their undying lights will continue through us and all fellow

Americans to turn blemishes into blessings and the evil

darkness of all forms of racist hatred into redeeming lights

of love. Let us engage in random acts of kindness, as well as

reach out to people at large! The four thousand year old

inspiring Menorah of Jewish life lit by the Maccabees of all

ages will not be extinguished! It was reassuring at the

moving gathering vigil organized by the United Jewish

Federation of Tidewater at the Sandler Family Campus and

Simon Family JCC in Virginia Beach, to have a large assembly

with interfaith and community leaders in attendance,

including Congressmen Scott Taylor and Bobby Scott.

Just like Joseph, the dreamer and interpreter of incredible

dreams (he should have kept some of them to himself!), the

Jewish people have believed that noble as well as disturbing

dreams have the potential and power to transform reality. In

the way of Joseph, who was not accepted by his own immature

and treacherous kin, begrudging his unique spirit and

grandiose ideas of a dreamy youngster whose father's

favoritism put him at risk, we have felt isolated throughout

much of history.

We have been rejected for insisting on living our own

authentic lives as a minority, yet willing to stand up to the

majority if necessary. Our faithfulness to the dictates of

our faith and conscience has been interpreted as a negative

reflection of aloofness rather than one of a proud choice.

Joseph, through his mind's genius and heart's compassion, was

able to save both his adopted empire of Egypt and his family

from small Canaan. In the process, he taught us that borders

and feelings need not be obstacles to a constructive response

to the urgent demands of life and death issues.

Joseph managed to transcend his personal insecurities and

apprehensions in order to accomplish the larger and lasting

goals of putting his substantial talents to the beneficial

use of society, rather than dwelling on past hurts and

injustices that could have crippled him and others. Thus, he

wisely chose the high road allowing him to become a great

Egyptian, while earning his status as a great Hebrew brother

and leader, whose early self-centered dreams turned into a

blessed reality for all concerned through maturity of

character wrought by trials and tribulations.

The ultimate challenge though of this mighty ruler, second

only to Pharaoh, as is often the human case, was to conquer

and control his own raging passions, which he had already

proven with tempting and aggressive Mrs. Potiphar, earning

him the Rabbis' honorific appellation ``Hatzadik'' (The

saintly one). He was able to repeat it with his brothers at

the pinnacle of his brilliant career with so much at stake

for himself and for them. What a moving moment of victory it

is for all concerned, when Joseph can no longer hold back his

tears, and eagerly desires to reveal his true identity to his

overwhelmed brothers, not quite realizing that they would

never recover from the shock of the encounter and/or from the

guilt that would continue to burden them.

Perhaps Joseph's favorable decision to reach out to them

was ultimately prompted by Judah's display of sincere love

for Brother Benjamin (Joseph's younger brother and Rachel was

their mother) as well as for father Jacob's well-being.

Earlier, Joseph learned of his brothers' remorse and fear

when being challenged by him, acknowledging their past

wrongdoing. Upon reconnecting to his family, he was able to

rejoin his roots and was thus ennobled and made whole. Joseph

could have abandoned his Hebrew background, protecting his

painfully acquired identity and status, but he knew that his

remarkable life's success had to carry a humbling message of

healing and gratitude.

Joseph appeals to us in his touching humaneness, which is

not lost when he becomes powerful, and his survivor's skills

of ascending from the pit to the palace inspire us, realizing

that it reflects the historic Jewish challenge to survive and

even thrive in a harsh reality. He is the prototype model of

the modern Jew, enlightening us about living in two worlds.

He was able to perceive God's guiding hand in his tumultuous

life, steeled and sensitized by adversity turned into

advantage. Joseph and those with the Maccabees' spirit have

taught us that to be a Jew is to somehow make a difference,

reducing darkness and rejoicing in the light's promise.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 5075, the Ashanti Alert Act, named for Ashanti Billie, who was tragically taken from this world too soon last September at the hands of a violent criminal. And so now we have undertaken this action with this bill, a bipartisan one, because this is not a partisan issue.

The United States does not currently have an alert system for missing adults. If a child or a senior citizen goes missing, law enforcement is authorized to broadcast alerts on major channels or radio stations, and participating citizens share alerts across social media platforms, bringing much-needed attention and resources to bear. But still, no such alert exists for missing adults ages 18 to 65.

History shows that programs like the AMBER Alert are successful and help save lives. In 2016 alone, there were 179 AMBER Alerts issued in the United States. Over 85 of those cases resulted in recovery, and 43 of them were the direct result of an AMBER Alert. These programs are proven to work, and with the Ashanti Alert, we can close the gap, better protect our family, friends, and neighbors, and save lives with a legacy given to us by Ashanti Billie's sacrifice.

Like other alert systems, the Ashanti Alert lets law enforcement use the tools at their disposal to broadcast information about missing adults on such things as TV, radio, and social media. It also sets a minimum standard for issuing alerts: one, the person suffers from a proven mental or physical disability; two, if law enforcement believes their physical safety is in danger; or three, if they believe their disappearance may not have been voluntary.

The Ashanti Alert also integrates with the Blue Alert Network instead of AMBER so that information about missing adults and children are kept separate. This ensures that law enforcement efforts are not duplicated, which could mean the difference between locating a person and saving them.

The Commonwealth of Virginia, has already taken steps to address this issue. Last April, the Governor signed a bill into law in honor of Ashanti that establishes a statewide alert system for missing adults. But in order to save lives, the search for missing adults cannot end at a State line.

Indeed, according to the FBI's National Crime Information Center, there are still over 55,000 missing adults in this country. This is a national challenge, and it most definitely demands a national response.

Mr. Speaker, Ashanti Billie was a beautiful, young Black woman with a beaming smile. She was a hard worker. She would wake up before sunrise and head to the naval base and start her job. At night, she attended culinary classes at the Virginia Beach Art Institute. She had hopes and dreams and aspirations, and she was passionate about life and brought that positive energy to everyone who met her.

Mr. Speaker, 1 year ago today, early in the morning, I met with local constituents, Kimberly Wimbush and Michael Muhammad; the Billie family--parents, Tony and Brandy; and Dyotha Sweat from the NAACP. Being military veterans themselves, the Billie family didn't understand how this could happen. They were confused and very much worried.

Their young daughter, Ashanti, was missing, abducted from the Little Creek naval base.

Mr. Speaker, I knew right then that fateful morning, in my gut and in my heart, that this family would soon receive some tragic news. I knew this family and these friends needed my help. My heart and my team's hearts were with them.

Mr. Speaker, there are no words, no wishes, or no whispers that can bring back or ease the Billie family burden. But make no mistake about it, no amount of darkness can ever keep out a bright light.

I may have met with a shaken family that day, but on this day, they sit before us today, in this Chamber, strong, determined, and ready to solidify Ashanti's legacy.

Today's vote on Ashanti's legacy will give law enforcement all across our great Nation a new tool to bring resources to bear to locate missing adults who may be in danger, and will, no doubt, save lives.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues' support.

Mr. Speaker, due to the anticipated impact of Hurricane Florence I will miss the votes.

Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 394; YEA on Roll Call No. 395; and YEA on Roll Call No. 396.

Mr. Speaker, due to the anticipated impact of Hurricane Florence I will miss the votes. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 397, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 398, and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 399.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the topic of this Special Order.

Madam Speaker, we are here tonight to speak about how, for far too long, Congress has passed continuing resolutions that have devastating effects on our military and national security apparatus. They have hurt our maintenance, readiness, training, and contracting, causing a cascading and negative effect in extending our deployment schedules, which hurt our strong military families, who are the very foundation of our force.

Indeed, Secretary Mattis said in January 2018:

As hard as the last 16 years have been, no enemy in the

field has done more to harm the readiness of the U.S.

military than the combined impact of the Budget Control

Act's defense spending cuts and operating under continuing

resolutions.

Madam Speaker, Congress has passed continuing resolutions for 9 out of the past 10 years.

I will say, Madam Speaker, that I am encouraged, skeptical, and hopeful that Congress will move toward regular order this year and forego a continuing resolution for the defense of this Nation later this year: encouraged, because the Senate has expressed they will take up defense appropriations and move it to the floor for the first time in years; skeptical, because I am a realist, and they will attach another bill to it, which will make it tougher to get passed; hopeful, because I am an optimist. We all know it is the right thing to do, and we are pushing to make it happen.

Madam Speaker, I have the great honor of representing the district with more military and veterans than anywhere in the Nation. If anything is going on in the world, our men and women are there on the front lines, fighting for families, fighting for friends, fighting for freedom.

We, in Congress, owe them better. We must do better. We must get our acts together and lead with the courage and the spirit of our Nation, and the courage and spirit of those men and women in uniform who stand watch for us every single day.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter).

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California, who is also a combat marine. I won't hold it against him. He is a marine, and we are appreciative of him being here and of his time in Iraq and Afghanistan in defending what we hold dear.

He is a leader on military and defense issues and national security issues here in Congress, so we truly appreciate his service then and now.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Hartzler).

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Missouri, who is a strong, principled, conservative voice on the House Armed Services Committee and a huge supporter of our military and national security apparatus. I thank the gentlewoman for her service here and, of course, to our military, and for her good work.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman).

Madam Speaker, I would certainly like to thank the gentleman, Congressman, general, and marine--marine nonetheless--for his fantastic service to this great Nation, both then and now, as a colleague, as a fellow veteran, and as a neighbor in the Cannon building on the south end there. I thank the gentleman for his service and his steadfast support of our military men and women.

Madam Speaker, the regular use, as you have heard, of continuing resolutions impacts commanders at all levels. You have heard about more training deaths than combat deaths. I have to tell you at the service and major command levels, commanders are not allowed to start new programs, increase rates of production, or begin new military construction projects. As you move to lower echelons of command, it forces leaders into making risk determinations related to readiness and training.

Consider, Madam Speaker, Oceana Naval Base. You heard the gentlewoman from Missouri talk about parts and maintenance and half of the Navy airplanes not being able to fly. Oceana Naval Base, which resides in my district, if it were a country, it would be the seventh largest airforce in the world.

The Air Force Combat Command is also in my district. Flying hours for many of these units have been far below the needed hours for units prepping for combat deployments.

As you heard, many of the aircraft are grounded because of maintenance and not being able to get to parts. It has taken years and will take years to recover. We are certainly not there yet.

Air National Guardsmen who volunteer at the beginning of the year are only able to have orders cut for the duration of the continuing resolution if it happens. This sometimes reduces the level of their benefits, such as their basic housing allowance. They are eligible to receive less than that because the orders get broken into separate pieces.

This really affects the ones at the lower rank, the enlisted, like what I was, those who may have military families. Again, hurting our military families which is the strong basis of structure for a strong force.

Let me give you another example. While returning from a deployment, approximately 90 airmen had unanticipated changes in their itinerary which caused additional expenses to be incurred. Since these expenses were not authorized prior to the new fiscal year, these members were not reimbursed for more than 60 days after their return. Some of the unpaid expenses ranged from just a few dollars to $7,000 for one young airman.

Imagine, Madam Speaker, if you are a young airman, E-3, E-4, and you have a family, $7,000 is a lot of money. It could be the difference between paying the mortgage and keeping the lights on back home, contributing to the stress of our military families.

In the weekend of January 20, 2018, there was a scheduled training weekend. The expiration of the continuing resolution caused a last- minute cancelation of an event impacting 950 airmen. Fifty of the airmen who traveled out of Langley Air Force base, also in my district, before the order was given to cancel were immediately sent home without accomplishing any training events. They may never be able to get that training back as they prepare to go to combat for this Nation.

There are some other negative impacts that we don't hear about often. The Virginia National Guard is second contributing to the war effort amongst other guard units around the country. The Reserve components make up 47 percent of our Nation's operational forces, yet they are required to cease operations during a continuing resolution while Active Duty counterparts continue training. Forty-seven percent, Madam Speaker, of our operational forces have to shut down during continuing resolutions.

Let me read a couple things that I got from the Virginia National Guard.

During the most recent shutdown that happened, 3 days, was inaccurately reported in many media outlets as having minimal impact, to the contrary Virginia National Guard faced the following: They had last-minute notification of inactive duty training for 2,211 personnel, resulting in the absence of anticipated monthly income, which equated to 4 days of Active Duty pay.

Notifications to more than 630 full-time soldiers and airmen that their potential employment would be temporarily terminated were sent out. That affects retention. $28,000 worth of contract actions were canceled, and a projected $7,500 in subsequent loss as a result of these cancelations.

Missed training opportunities. During the most recent shutdown, the National Guard lost training opportunities totaled $7.7 million, affecting expected income for 58,000 soldiers and airmen and 37,000 Federal technicians.

Aside from those losses, that contributes to mission and morale impacts. Again, the Virginia National Guard is second in the Nation contributing to the war efforts, and the Reserve components make up 47 percent of the Nation's operational forces.

Madam Speaker, we have to do better for our military apparatus. I just want to reiterate to you that I have the great honor of representing the district with more military and veterans than any congressional district in the Nation. If there is anything going on in the world, if Mother Freedom needs to be defended anywhere in the world, then our men and women are there on the front-lines fighting for family, for friends, and for freedom.

We in Congress and the Senate owe them better, and we have to do better. We have to get our acts together. We have to lead with the courage and the spirit that they have. We can make it happen, and we should push and push until we got it done.

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

Mr. Speaker, due to a meeting at the White House, I missed the following votes. Had I been present, I would have voted Yea on Roll Call No. 291; Yea on Roll Call No. 292; and Yea on Roll Call No. 293.

Mr. Speaker, as a result of my state's primary being held on 6/12/18, I missed the below votes.

Had I been present, I would have voted Yea on Roll Call No. 258; Yea on Roll Call No. 259; and Yea on Roll Call No. 260

Mr. Speaker, ``For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at

the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.'' These are the words that begin every Medal of Honor citation, our Nation's highest and most prestigious military decoration.

They are uncommon but not as uncommon as the actions and sacrifice detailed in the narrative summaries of those awards.

Of the estimated 50 million Americans who have worn a military uniform, 3,440 have received the Medal of Honor.

The criteria for the award are profound, clear, and always deadly; indeed, almost all recipients sacrificing their lives to earn them.

Their service is memorialized at military installations throughout the world. You can read of their bravery on walls, monuments, and headstones. Buildings, streets, ships, and forward-operating bases bear their names in an attempt to honor, to inspire, and to remember.

If you wear a uniform, you walk in the dark shadows of heroes every day.

Today, Mr. Speaker, there are 71 living recipients. Tomorrow, there will be 72.

Mr. Speaker, in the early morning hours of March 4, 2002, a helicopter attempted a landing on a mountain peak high in the Arma Mountain range of southeastern Afghanistan.

The mission was reconnaissance. But, Mr. Speaker, war has no regard for the plans of men. War is violent. War is chaotic. War is unforgiving. And as the helicopter touched down, it was engulfed in a hail of lead and rocket-propelled grenades.

The helicopter escaped, but one man remained: Chief Petty Officer SEAL Neil Roberts. He was alone. He was isolated, and he was surrounded.

In a letter to his family, Roberts would write, ``All the times spent in the company of my teammates were when I felt closest to the men I had the privilege to work with. I loved being a SEAL. If I die doing something for the teams, then I died doing what made me happy. Very few people have the luxury of that.''

Mr. Speaker, men and women join the military for many reasons, but they do not join with a desire to die. There will always be moments of uncertainty and fear and hesitation, moments when fear turns the thoughts to your own safety, well-being, and survival.

Every service issues a uniform. None of them issue courage. In those moments, where beliefs and resolve are tested, leadership illuminates the path.

On March 4, 2002, Master Chief Special Warfare Operator SEAL Retired Britt Slabinski chose to lead. He led his men back into the fight, into overwhelming odds and superior enemy fire. There would be no element of surprise. There would be no tactical advantage, and despite the odds and despite the risk, he chose to lead.

They assaulted trenches and bunkers and hardened machine gun nests. They took the fight to the enemy until it reached the brink of their own destruction. They did not run. They did not hide. They fought.

Mr. Speaker, bravery is not motivated by fear, rage, hate, or the desire for awards or recognition. Bravery is motivated by love: love for an ideal, love for a country, and love for a teammate.

Bravery is not a certainty; it is a choice.

Master Chief Slabinski and his men chose to be brave. His actions, his personal courage, and his leadership are an example, not just to every sailor, soldier, marine, and airman, but to every American.

His citation has earned its place among the other heroes who have received the Medal of Honor. Its ownership, its meaning, and its promise belong not just on the walls of every military installation but on the walls of every home in America.

Master Chief Slabinski's actions serve as a beacon, as a reminder of who we can become, of what we can accomplish when we, instead of running away, rise up and challenge our darkest fears, our worst enemies, or overwhelming odds.

Mr. Speaker, long live the brotherhood.

Mr. Speaker, this week is National Police Week, which encompasses many events and brings thousands of survivors, supporters, and law enforcement officers to our Nation's Capital. Today is Peace Officers Memorial Day.

Mr. Speaker, I am not naive to the fact that my words today don't hold a candle to the witness or the words we can no longer hear of the valiant men and women who sacrificed it all for our communities. However, we must honor them not simply for them, but for us, for our very society's structure is built on a foundation of rule of law. We must continue to strengthen it and inspire our descendants for generations to come to rise up and serve in uniform. There is nothing small about the big task it takes to keep the peace, protect the people, and uphold that thin blue line.

Mr. Speaker, today I also rise in support of H. Res. 285, to express the deep desire of this Congress to mend any rift, to build any bridge, and to teach any lesson between law enforcement and the communities that they serve.

Whether Black, Brown, White, gay, straight, rich, or poor, our country's courageous law enforcement officers are a rare breed of man or woman who run to the sound of danger. They are part of the very fabric of this Nation. Indeed, without their and their family's sacrifices, our society would most certainly be torn apart with the darkest of our human impulses.

Their higher purpose and profession has been invaded by politics. Sure, there are bad apples who must be weeded out with accountability for an imperfect system. During this Police Week, let us come together, like we do in unity of our prayer and of our pledge to this great Nation.

H. Res. 285 encourages us to do better as a society. Law enforcement officers could always work harder on putting themselves in the shoes of skeptical people in the community to understand why there is fear, why some see the law as opposition rather than the same team, and why they may see, in their lives, that upholding the law is a curse rather than a blessing. And, my fellow Americans, we must do better.

We in the neighborhoods have to try to look through the eyes of law enforcement men and women who seek to protect us, help them understand where we are coming from, educate ourselves on the law, and show more respect for it. We must create more bonds, build more trust, and teach more communication, not blow up the very relationships that matter for ourselves, for our safety, and for our security.

H. Res. 285 states that the U.S. Government should place more weight between the creation of police and community alliances that are designed to enhance and improve the causes of communication and collaboration between the members of both groups.

Mr. Speaker, I know there is much concern and divide in our country right now on this topic, but we can choose to move in that dangerous direction as a nation divided into our respective camps. We can follow in the footsteps of other parts of the world and some of our own episodes in the past, with both sides contributing to people fearing for their safety and causing unnecessary injuries or even death, or we can realize that we are all on the same side and have civil conversations and express our concerns and questions without the stain of ugliness that has been far too common.

Never should one feel scared of those in uniform because of the color of their skin, the style of their clothes, or what side of town they come from, and never should one of the 99.9 percent of law enforcement officers in good standing be subjected to disrespect, noncooperation, or unnecessary fear for their own lives. Let us start and always believe that all of us support the rule of law and that each of us truly cares about our causes, our community, and our country.

H. Res. 285 acknowledges the great work that law enforcement officers do to keep their communities safe, and it pushes for an increase of dialogue surrounding legitimate concerns within the community and, in turn, our country.

Mr. Speaker, we have faced difficult times in our past and there will be difficult times in our future, but I believe in the resiliency of this Nation. I believe our checks and balances realign over time and are lasting. Most of all, I believe in our people, that, ultimately, the push and pull of freedom under the rule of law and debate and democracy are what strengthens us, our culture, and our society.

Let us choose to engage as one team. Let us always be calm, for calm is contagious. It will help us better serve each other and understand each other. In doing so, we shall rise together as one nation under God.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan resolution, H. Res. 285.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to include in the Record remarks on behalf of my constituent, Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman. Rabbi Zoberman is the Founding Rabbi of Congregation Beth Chaverim in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Born in Chu, Kazakhstan (USSR) in 1945, he is the son of Polish Holocaust Survivors.

``What a joyful milestone the 70th anniversary celebration

of the world's only Jewish State and only democracy in the

Middle East is, shouldering the 4,000 year old loaded legacy

of a restored Jewish people to full dignity! The historic

return into sovereign Jewish statehood of an ancient people

deprived of its homeland for 2,000 years of a trying

experience that almost upended it in the Holocaust should be

applauded by the entire human family. No other people

exercised such a comeback. The Jewish people have proved its

authentic bond with its birthplace the Land of Israel, which

has served as the daily focus of its prayerful supplications

and soulful aspirations. It has never abandoned its prophetic

promise that Israel was destined to survive and thrive that

it may continue to bless humanity.

A narrow stretch of land along the Eastern Mediterranean

Sea is saturated with the Biblical Book of Book's undying

memories of a covenanted Jewish people determined to turn

human passion into heartfelt compassion and life's wilderness

into an oasis of love. The miraculous ingathering of the

exiles from the earth's four corners, including close to a

million Jewish refugees from Arab lands, a revitalized Hebrew

language and flourishing culture, creating an amazing start-

up nation from most humble beginnings, while fatefully and

successfully tested in costly wars--are all testimony to the

unyielding power of the human spirit to turn adversity into

advantage, pain into promise and violence into vision.

Wherever disaster strikes on the globe, whether man-made or

natural, you find Israelis on challenging humanitarian

missions, at times first on the scene. This was showcased

last February when Israelis assisted with trauma counselling

(sadly Israel has much experience in this field) following

the shooting of 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High

School in Parkland, Florida; and reached out when an

earthquake hit Papua, New Guinea. A Jewish state is bound to

reaffirm the thundering call of its prophets, philosophers

and poets, anchored in its 1948 Declaration of Independence,

to establish a model society for all its citizens, narrowing

economic and social gaps, rejoicing in Jewish religious

pluralism, and protecting the disadvantaged as well as

endangered refugees.

Israel is a model of heroic courage and uplifting audacity

in the face of stubborn non-acceptance, with finally Egypt,

the largest Arab country, and Jordan breaking the circle of

enmity. It is ever ready to embrace all its Arab neighbors

and particularly the Palestinians in the peace of Shalom and

Salaam to jointly transform shared pain into wellsprings of

creative hope for future generations, thus fulfilling

Israel's fondest prayer. In resolving the 150 year old tragic

conflict with the Palestinians, Israeli security more than

ideology should be paramount, though the two may overlap. The

Zionist enterprise regarded realistic compromise with the

recalcitrant Arabs as essential while guarding against

untenable messianism.

With adverse demography in mind, Israel's major concern is

to remain both Jewish and democratic. The Palestinians, who

have been abused as pawns by their Arab brethren, need yet be

educated by courageous leaders to give up their destructive

and improbable dream of replacing Israel, and not be

financially rewarded for brutal terrorism which postpones

peace. Gaza's ruling Hamas would do better spending outside

funds to help their impoverished people whom they use as

human shields, rather than waste it on rockets and tunnels

aimed at Israel. We recall the disturbing collaboration with

Hitler of the Palestinian Grand Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini.

Israel is the only country whose very existence is being

questioned, with signs of radicalization in its sizable Arab

Israeli community. Terrorizing and nuclear ambitious Iran,

which denies the Holocaust, and its Lebanese and Palestinian

proxies are near Israel's borders. The United Nations falsely

singles Israel out for constant rebuke while sheltering

culprit regimes which violate basic human rights. The United

States through indefatigable Ambassador Nikki Haley stands

tall with Israel, its true ally and trusted friend in the

shrinking community of democracies. However, the Iranian

Shiite menace to both Israel and the Arab Sunni world has

opened a venue of opportunity exemplified in Saudi Arabia

allowing Air India to use its territory to fly to Tel Aviv,

Israel which is also a first for India's airlines!

President Trump Jerusalem Declaration (what an anniversary

gift!) that Jerusalem is indeed Israel's rightful capital

will resonate in long Jewish memory where friends and foes

are never forgotten. President Donald Trump's proud act of

conscience finally lends a superpower's support for Israel's

indisputable glorious links to both earthly and

heavenly Jerusalem that is being denied by the West's

tenacious enemies. How moving that the American Embassy is

relocated from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Israel's capital, on

May 14, 2018, exactly 70 years following Jewish independence.

It is a poignant reminder that President Harry Truman was the

first world leader to recognize the new state, only eleven

minutes following Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion's

delivering the Declaration of Independence of a redeemed

people. It was Jewish history's greatest hour after the

Holocaust's lowest mark. Venomous anti-Semitism is on an

alarming resurgence in the United States and particularly in

Europe, home of the Holocaust. Poland regrettably attempts

through a new punitive law to distance itself from the

painful truth that there were far more Poles who collaborated

in the merciless destruction of Jewish lives than those

righteous Poles who sacrificially rose up to protect their

assaulted Jewish neighbors, including my own family, who had

lived in their midst for a thousand years!

The Syrian tragedy weighs heavily on Israel whose people

emerged from the Holocaust, with both Jews and Syrians

abandoned by a callous world. The gassing with impunity of

innocent Syrian civilians, including children, so close to

Israel as Syria's civil war is into its seventh year, is most

revolting. Israel reaching out to medically save over four

thousand Syrians is praiseworthy. I concur with Rabbi Israel

Lau asking Israel to even do more for Syria's suffering

people. He is Israel's former chief rabbi, currently chairman

of Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust World Center Council and

the youngest survivor at age eight of the Buchenwald

Concentration Camp. Much is demanded though not all can be

expected from a now powerful but still vulnerable people

enduring the unfathomable and facing a complex Middle East

scenario. President Trump's order to send fifty-nine Tomahawk

missiles toward a Syrian air base was appreciated. The most

recent airstrikes by the U.S., U.K. and France at Syria's

illegal chemical weapons operation in light of the Syrian

lethal chemical attack in Douma, is encouraging. How could

Russia be complicit in Bashar's genocidal machine when losing

over twenty million Russians under Nazi Germany? The presence

of the USS Bush Carrier homeported in Norfolk, Virginia which

I witnessed, on July 4, 2017 in Haifa, Israel, following the

bombing of ISIS targets in Syria, was reassuring.

May Israel's significant anniversary of a tumultuous

homecoming usher in renewed hope that its founders' inspiring

naivete of being welcomed and appreciated for their

pioneering efforts in a problematic region, yet bear good

fruit for all.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the lives of Lieutenant Commander James Brice Johnson and Lieutenant Caleb Nathaniel King, who gave the ultimate sacrifice during a training exercise last week as their Virginia Beach-based squadron was training off the coast of Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Congressman Curbelo for organizing this moment and all the help from the great people of the 26th District of Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I am not naive to the fact that my words today don't hold a candle to the pain, the grieving, the questioning, and perhaps some anger from the families, friends, and teammates, how they may be feeling.

But today we are here with you, we pray with you, Victoria and Rain, Darrell and Robin, Mary, Charles and Kathryn, and we feel your pain. However, we must honor them. We must speak out as a grateful nation for the sacrifice these valiant men and their loved ones made for us, for freedom.

They died in the full strength and vigor of their youth, and they represent the profound power of our country and its unbroken line of patriots who understand the risks, but time and time again step forward to serve a cause greater than themselves. They are part of the very fabric of our land, and they inspire not only us, but our descendants for generations to come.

Indeed, there is nothing small about the big task it takes to defend freedom, peace, and our way of life. And this may be equally dangerous during training, peace, or war.

But in this heartache, there is hope. We are better because they have lived.

On behalf of a grateful Congress, community, and country, we give thanks and our sincerest condolences to the men and women of the fighting Blacklions from Squadron 213, to the friends and to the families of Lieutenant Commander Johnson and Lieutenant King.

Rest easy now, boys.

Mr. Speaker, I now request the House observe a moment of silence in honor of Lieutenant Commander Johnson and Lieutenant King.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the College of William & Mary's founding by British royal charter 325 years ago on February 8, 1693.

As our Nation's second oldest college, William & Mary has been coined the ``Alma Mater of the Nation.'' From George Washington to Thomas Jefferson to many of my contemporaries in Congress, William & Mary has played an important role in shaping our Nation and its leaders.

I am proud to say that that tradition continues today. For the last 325 years, William & Mary has been the place where the world's greatest minds come to study. The college is consistently ranked among our Nation's most elite public universities and delivers an education that is rated among the highest in value for its graduates.

Many of William & Mary's accomplishments would not have been possible without the leadership of President Reveley. On June 30, he will retire from William & Mary after 27 years of service to the college, the Commonwealth, and the Nation. I want to congratulate President Reveley for a job well done and wish him a happy retirement.

Mr. Speaker, January is National Mentoring Month. Never underestimate the big impact that you can make with a little contribution of your time, wisdom, and attention.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak on the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America organization. The Big Brothers Big Sisters of America movement began in 1904. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America currently operates throughout the U.S. and in 12 countries across the world.

Children joining Big Brothers Big Sisters of America are carefully placed in a one-on-one relationship with an older volunteer in a key stage in their development. These children are less likely to engage in such behaviors, such as drug use, other illegal activities, or social dysfunction.

One such big brother, Andrew Jones, signed up for the program. Years ago, he met a young 12-year-old. This boy was from a low-income, single-parent household. His mother worked a lot of overtime at a local hospital. Misguided, the boy was already on probation at 12 years old, hanging around the wrong crowd, and headed in the wrong direction.

Mr. Speaker, Andrew would take the boy to the English Grill restaurant for a weekly $2.22 breakfast: two eggs, two

pancakes, and two sausages. He would teach the boy everything from having a napkin on his lap at the dinner table to stock options.

For years to come, Andrew would attend hundreds of sporting events for the boy, show him the value of reading, reinforce manners, and build his self-confidence.

Andrew would be the only person the boy would talk to if he lost a wrestling match. He would be the first person the boy would call for advice. Mr. Speaker, he would be the first person the boy would call from a tent hospital after being injured as a soldier in the deserts of Iraq.

Mr. Speaker, that little boy is me.

We can all seek out mentors in our own lives and we can all be mentors for others. We are all in this together. Never underestimate the big impact that you can make with a little contribution of your time, wisdom, and attention.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a statement on behalf of my constituent, Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman. Rabbi Zoberman is the Founding Rabbi of Congregation Beth Chaverim in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Born in Chu, Kazakhstan (USSR) in 1945, he is the son of Polish Holocaust Survivors.

The Trump Jerusalem Declaration is the first recognition by

a U.S. President since the 1948 establishment of the Jewish

State of Israel, with President Truman's support, that

Jerusalem is indeed its rightful, not only de-facto, capital.

How ironic and telling that both President Truman and Trump

were opposed by their State Department when taking their

critical moves. The United Sates, the world's only superpower

and Israel's major ally, reached out to the world's only

sovereign Jewish state to assure its questioned authentic

narrative at a time of fateful crossroads in the Middle East

and beyond.

Israel has the anomaly of being powerful yet vulnerable

given its limited geography and sworn enemies. If Israel's

Jerusalem narrative were false, it might unravel its bond

with the entire Land of Israel. No wonder that both the

Israeli government ruling coalition and opposition have

applauded President Trump's forthright action. The Trump

Declaration is flexible enough concerning actual arrangements

yet to be made by the Israelis and Palestinians. In a so far

moribund and stagnant Peace Process, Trump's reshuffling of

the cards and providing a ``reality check,'' particularly to

the Palestinians, will hopefully gather fruitful momentum.

Israel knows that its Palestinian problem is not going away,

threatening its Jewish and Democratic character. The

Palestinians may finally realize that time is not necessarily

on their side.

Israel's past Prime-Ministers Barak and Olmert offered

generous concessions that were nonetheless rebuffed by the

Palestinians whose expectations are always higher. The late

Prime-Minister Sharon's painful return of Gaza with a

flourishing Israeli community has been rewarded with Hamas

and Islamic Jihad rockets and terror tunnels. Arab leaders

have historically paid lip-service to their Palestinian

brethren, while Israel absorbed close to a million Jewish

refugees from Arab lands. The Sunni Arab world is currently

preoccupied with a nuclear ambitious and aggressive Shia Iran

whose menacing presence is growing close to Israel's borders.

Israel, characterized by Iran as ``little Satan'' and the

United States as ``big Satan,'' is a credible partner in

counteracting Iran's worrisome posture.

How is it that the Arabs in general and the Palestinians in

particular ``have never missed an opportunity to miss an

opportunity,'' to quote the late Abba Eban, Israel's eloquent

Foreign Minister and statesman. They unwisely rejected United

Nations 181 Partition Resolution of November 29, 1947, whose

70th anniversary was just celebrated by the Jewish people and

still protested by Palestinians blind to history's

opportunities and facts. The Palestinian leaders have been

lacking the courage to confront their bitterly divided people

with historical truth and reality that the Jewish state is

deeply rooted, longer than anyone else, in its ancestral

homeland. The Holocaust, unfortunately, is not a figment of

Zionist imagination as some Palestinian, Arab and Iranian

leaders claim. Jordan lost East Jerusalem and the West Bank

in the 1967 Six-Day-War, after King Hussein was warned not to

attack Israel.

An active movement to delegitimize Israel, perceiving it as

a European colonial invader, is emboldened by the numerical

and material influence of the 57 Muslim nation-states,

including 22 Arab countries, represented in the United

Nations U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley should be hailed as a

heroic voice of steadfast support for Israel, with President

Trump's indispensable encouragement, in that deaf institution

betraying its foundational promise. Coupled with hypocritical

Europe's fading guilt for the monumental Holocaust, there is

a preposterous charge that the Israeli-Jewish saga has no

historical leg to stand on with Jerusalem ever a Muslim

entity and the Temple Mount including the Western Wall/Noble

Sanctuary void of vital Jewish as well as Christian memories.

Totally disregarded are a great Biblical heritage, unbroken

Jewish presence, millennial prayers and efforts to fully

return to the physical and spiritual birthplace of ``Zion and

Jerusalem.''

It is a non-starter for peaceful coexistence to reject

Jewish peoplehood represented in the Jewish state. Israel has

turned into a collective target, being demonized and

dehumanized with never-dying anti-Semitism, Western

civilization's oldest disease that Israel's rebirth sought to

cure. Given that Israel is perhaps the only nation whose very

existence is being challenged and living in a hostile

environment, it is a wonder that Israel created a robust

democracy protecting human rights in a region abhorring them,

rejecting progressive ideas.

Rather than the Palestinians despairing, a two-state

creative solution is within reach with joint arrangements in

Jerusalem, however with a de-militarized Palestinian state

friendly to both Israel and Jordan. A future confederation

involving Israel, Jordan, and Palestine is not farfetched.

Surely both sides can find in their separate and even

conflicting narratives meeting points and common agendas for

an assured bright future, for both peoples are destined to

forever be neighbors. Palestinian education sans honoring its

terrorists and ceasing hatred for Israel and Jews is urgently

needed. Even Egypt and Jordan who signed peace treaties with

Israel have neglected to teach their populations basic facts

concerning Israel, and to welcome its eager friendship. In

this sacred season of the lights of Chanukah and Christmas we

remember that both Jews and Christians are at risk in the

Middle East. Jerusalem and the hills of Judea and Samaria,

once the setting for inspiring prophecies, have ironically

and tragically been deprived of Shalom's divine gifts of

genuine peace.

The British Foreign Secretary Lord Balfour Declaration on

November 2, 1917 which empowered the Zionist movement with

international clout is significantly reinforced by President

Trump Jerusalem Declaration on December 6, 2017. President

Trump is now enshrined too in Jewish history. He also is the

first sitting U.S. President to pay a visit at the Western

Wall, Judaism's holiest site. Both declarations allow for

compromise by both sides whose century old rivalry may yet

turn into a mutually rewarding source of healing.

Mr. Speaker, in Thomas Friedman's latest book, he gives this anecdote that I believe helps to define the world that we live in today. He says that in 1999, the world's strongest supercomputer was the size of a tennis court, and the power to power that supercomputer could power the equivalent of 800 homes. Fast forward to 2005 or 2006, and that same computing power was found in the Sony PlayStation.

Think about that for a second. Each one of us has the same computing power of the world's strongest nation-state just 20 years ago. If we don't see how that affects business, national security, public policy, or education, then we are already behind.

Throughout its history, America has faced struggles that define a generation. Economic depressions, world wars, dying industries, and new technologies have changed the way that we view and respond to the new period. For this digital native generation growing up now, and for the foreseeable future, the first challenge for them will be education.

Now, education and lifelong learning are not only requirements in this changed world, they are the difference between failure or success, hopelessness or optimism, pessimism or ambition. Our children are and will grow up in a fast world, faster than ours, very different, and a blurring reality between the physical and virtual worlds. We need a revolution in the way that we educate our Nation.

By 2020, there will be 1 million more computing jobs than graduates. This gap represents $500 billion that our children will never see because they were never taught, and that gap is only growing, and it is growing larger. Right now, only one out of four schools in America teaches computer science. Low-income and rural students have even less access.

Now, you don't have to be able to view the future to see the writing on the wall. As the education gap widens, the American Dream shrinks. We as Members of Congress have a duty and responsibility to reject that path for our country and help and lead to chart a new course for our American future. Ninety percent of parents want computer science taught in their kids' schools. This resolution today calls for exactly that.

I am grateful for the support of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, Representatives Lipinski, Fleischmann, and Kilmer, as we stand together to help bring computer

science education to classrooms across America.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for and support this important measure, H. Con. Res. 95.