Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, on Friday, July 12, 2019 I missed the following votes and was not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on Roll Call No. 459; ``no'' on Roll Call No. 460; ``yea'' on Roll Call No. 461; ``yea'' on Roll Call No. 462; ``no'' on Roll Call No. 463; ``no'' on Roll Call No. 464; ``no'' on Roll Call No. 465; ``no'' on Roll Call No. 466; ``no'' on Roll Call No. 467; ``no'' on Roll Call No. 468; ``no'' on Roll Call No. 469; ``no'' on Roll Call No. 470; ``no'' on Roll Call No. 471; ``yea'' on Roll Call No. 472; ``no'' on Roll Call No. 473; and ``yea'' on Roll Call No. 474.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman for yielding.

I just want to note at the start of this resolution for the first three pages I agree with everything. We have great quotes in here of our Founders and American Presidents who talk about the strength of this country that has come from immigrants and immigration, and I wholeheartedly concur.

As we get to page 4, though, I have significant disagreement. I would note that on page 4 on the whereas, it is noted that ``Trump's racist comments have legitimized fear and hatred of new Americans,'' and I just want to make a point to my friends across the aisl because in paragraph 2 you note that it is committed to keeping America open to those who lawfully seek refuge and asylum from violence and oppression. Lawfully seek refuge and asylum.

But I would note that, just recently, President Trump has said those who have sought asylum, had a hearing, and have a deportation order, you all are offended by that. You didn't include in your resolution those who had deportation orders issued, your opposition to them being removed. So you actually agree with us and President Trump that those who have lawful orders of deportation should be sent out of the country, just to cite your resolution.

But I want to note, Mr. Speaker, that I have looked closely at the chain of three tweets sent out by President Trump, and in those tweets I see nothing that references anybody's race, not a thing. I don't see anyone's name being referenced in the tweets.

But the President is referring to people--Congresswomen--who are anti-American. And lo and behold, everybody in this Chamber knows who he is talking about. Who are the anti-American Members of Congress? He didn't say their names. He did not say their race, but he commented on how they view America. And we all know who he was talking about.

I want immigrants to come to this country, but if you come to this country, shouldn't you love this country? We all come here and see imperfection, and we work every week trying to make our country better, but to say I wholeheartedly dislike the country, the fact that I am going to call the President an mf'er, good Lord, what has the institution become?

And then to come to this floor and chastise the President for a couple of tweets, when that is the language we use against him?

That is rich, Mr. Speaker, that that is the language that the left would use and then try to call out the President who didn't cite a race or he didn't cite a name.

I look at this, and I think we are all called to do better and be better. We

should make this country better. But when I look at some who say I believe that socialism is a purer form of government and a better economic economy over capitalism that has given us the freest, most generous, most prosperous country that has ever existed on the face of the Earth, and we want to trade this in for a system that has always failed?

I think you are going to see Republicans push back against that, and I think many Democrats will push back against that, and I think that is what this argument really comes down to.

And one other note, I look at some of my conservatives like Candace Owens, Diamond and Silk, Justice Thomas--

Madam Speaker, on Tuesday, July 9, 2019 I missed the following votes and was not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 431; YEA on Roll Call No. 432; and YEA on Roll Call No. 433.

Madam Speaker, I rise today regarding my vote on Roll Call No. 369. I unintentionally recorded my vote as NO, rather than YEA. My intention was to vote YEA on Roll Call No. 369.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the heroism of WWII veteran, Aaron Jacobson, who through his actions was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

Mr. Jacobson enlisted in the Army at the age of 32 and shipped off to fight against the evils of National Socialism in WWII. He landed on the beaches of Normandy and fought all the way through to the Battle of the Bulge, where he was awarded the second oak leaf cluster on his Purple Heart Award after his finger was severed by a German bullet.

Mr. Jacobson's military records were destroyed in a series of fires. One took place in 1973 at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. His was among the roughly 16-18 million records containing individual stories of American servicemen destroyed in that fire. The other fire tragically took his home and the life of his brother.

Aaron's family and friends spent tireless hours combing through records, newspaper articles, websites and their recollection of his personal stories to re-construct the events of that day. Although we do not have the exact wording of his citation, I would like to tell you what happened on the day that Mr. Jacobson earned his Distinguished Service Cross.

On September 21, 1944, somewhere in the Parroy Forest of France, the 313th Infantry Regiment, of the 79th Infantry Division, in which Private First Class Aaron Jacobson was serving, was mopping up a battlefield that had just been cleared. Suddenly, machine gun fire split the air and his men hit the ground. PFC Jacobson, without regard to his own life, low crawled towards a position from which he could flank the machine gun nest. As he approached the nest, he realized his rifle was full of mud and wouldn't fire. Undeterred, he fixed his bayonet and stabbed the rear guard of the nest. Using the firearm captured from the German solider he had just killed, he neutralized the remaining three Germans in the machine gun nest. PFC Aaron Jacobson's heroic actions that day saved many American lives, and we as a nation owe him a great debt of gratitude.

Madam Speaker, on Thursday, May 16, 2019 I missed the following vote and was not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 211. On Friday, May 17, 2019 I missed the following votes and was not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 215; YEA on Roll Call No. 216; and NAY on Roll Call 217.

Madam Speaker, I'd like to congratulate my friend Trig Solberg of T.A.

Solberg Company, Inc, for being honored as an independent grocer that has demonstrated superior entrepreneurial skills in his community. Just a few weeks ago, Trig was presented with the National Grocers Association's prestigious ``Thomas K. Zaucha Entrepreneurial Excellence Award.'' Since Trig's grocery career began with a small single grocery store 1971 in Land O' Lakes, Wisconsin, he has had an incredible reputation for focusing on families, customer service, and supporting the surrounding community. Today, Trig has grown the family company to include eight supermarket locations and dozens of other business establishments employing more than 1,200 people. I recently toured one of his grocery stores and I can attest that Trig is admired by staff, colleagues, and industry peers for his dedication to his community and commitment to excellence. Congratulations again to Trig Solberg for receiving this award honoring his entrepreneurship and dedication to his community.

Madam Speaker, I proudly rise today to honor Duana Bremer, Director of Salvation Army's St. Croix and Polk County Wisconsin programs.

Duana has dedicated her life to serving the most vulnerable among us. I have seen the incredible work she does day in and day out, serving families in our community by showing them the path to personal growth and sustainability. Her commitment and experience makes her an invaluable asset to our work as legislators. Duana testified before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance on May 17, 2018 at a hearing titled, ``An Overview of Homelessness in America,'' in which she provided valuable insight into what the homeless experience is like for those living in rural areas such as Wisconsin.

With the help of Duana, the Family Self-Sufficiency Act and the Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration Act have been signed into law. Both of these pieces of legislation will help break the multi- generational cycle of poverty in our communities.

It's easy to see the value of Duana's leadership in the fight against homelessness. All you need to do is talk to her team around her. The staff and volunteers at Grace Place describe her as, ``a fantastic leader and a champion for those in need. Her efforts to secure funding and bring programs into rural communities that will help the most vulnerable are truly inspiring. She never gives up and her tireless efforts are an inspiration.''

Duana truly is an inspiration. And on behalf of the residents of Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District, I would like to thank Duana Bremer, for her selfless commitment to families in need.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Glen Moberg, a great man and staple of the greater Wausau area. Glen is the award-winning news bureau director for Wisconsin Public Radio in Wausau. I have known Glen since I first ran for office, and Mr. Speaker, whether you're conservative, liberal, or moderate, Glen Moberg asks tough questions but also fair questions. It's easy to see Glen's character not only in his desire to keep the Wausau area informed, but also in his commitment to serve others. Glen has served on the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin, the Center for Visual Arts in Wausau, and the Marathon County Literacy Council. Glen is a great guy who always has a smile on his face, Mr. Speaker. And for all those reasons I am heartbroken. He was recently diagnosed with inoperable stomach cancer. My wife Rachel, our eight children, and I are praying for Glen and the Moberg family, and hope that the Lord comforts them as he bravely takes on this battle. He is a role model for aspiring journalists across Wisconsin and across the nation, and central Wisconsin is lucky to have had Glen as an anchor of the community.

Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise today to honor the Wisconsin Lao Veterans of America, Inc. (WLVA), an organization founded in 1991 to serve the Lao Veteran community in Wisconsin by advancing the opportunities and recognition for those who fought in the CIA's secret war in Laos.

This organization has been instrumental in helping the Hmong-Lao veterans to adjust to life in the United States, and has shaped their experience here in Wisconsin through assistance in assimilation, recognition, and societal advancement.

WLVA was founded in 1991 by General Vang Pao, who was the commander of the ``Secret Army'' which was conscripted by the CIA to fight against the People's Army of Vietnam. He was the only ethnic Hmong to be elevated to the position of General in the Royal Lao Army.

Currently, Captain Nao Shoua Xiong of Wausau, WI leads the WLVA as their president, and has been at the forefront of assisting the Hmong community in all aspects of life in Wisconsin.

On behalf of the residents of Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District, I would like to thank the Wisconsin Lao Veterans of America for their service to our country and our community.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding and for his great work as the chairman of the Financial Services Committee and on flood insurance reform.

There are a lot of things we could talk about today in regard to flood insurance:

We could talk about the fact that repetitive loss properties make up 2 percent of all the policies but account for 25 percent of all of the claims.

We could talk about the fact that the NFIP is $30 billion in debt, and that is after last year when we forgave $16 billion in debt. Again, we forgave $16 billion. We are still $25 billion in debt and actually racked up $10 billion of new debt in this program over the last year.

I have got to tell you I am frustrated. We passed a bipartisan bill in this Chamber. We actively and aggressively negotiated it. This is a big issue for families back home, for constituents of our Members. We have listened to them. We heard them. We modified, we tweaked a bill, and we passed it--and the Senate won't take it up.

Mr. Hensarling and I have worked across the aisle with Members not just in the Democratic Party, but also in the Senate. I have come to the opinion that there are very powerful players in this Chamber and in the Chamber next door that don't want anything done with flood insurance.

It is a sick and broken program that goes deeper and deeper in debt, that incentivizes people to build in dangerous places. And they say: No, no, no. We don't want any reform. Let's march on with a program that doesn't work.

I listened to all the conservatives in this Chamber. They throw out: Who is more conservative? Who is less?

You have some really great conservatives who absolutely refuse to deal with a program that is burning billions of dollars in our Federal budget.

My question is: Why don't we start looking out not just for the Federal budget, but also have a program that will work for our people?

We were willing to make one offer of reform for a long-term extension. We said: Let's let the private market work. Let's let the private sector come in and take up some of the policies that are paying more than what the market would bear, let people get a lower rate and reduce the risk to the Federal taxpayer.

And guess what. No one said yes. We couldn't get a ``yes'' from the opposition to flood insurance reform.

I guess I thought conservatives wanted a free market. They like markets to work. In flood insurance, the NFIP, the Federal program, is the only program in town. We are saying: Let it open. Let the private sector come in.

That is the one thing it would have taken for a long-term extension, and the answer to that from the conservatives and some of the liberals was no.

I think that is a sad shame. I think we owe better to our constituents, and we owe better to the Federal debt and deficit on a program that doesn't work.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the chairman's leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and remember the three beautiful Girl Scouts, and one loving mother, of Troop 3055, who tragically lost their lives on November 3, 2018. On that Saturday morning, Autumn Helgeson, Jayna Kelley, Haylee Hickle, and Sara Schneider were volunteering their time to pick up trash on the side of the road as a service to their community, when they were fatally struck by a hit and run driver. Though my words can never reverse the awful heartbreak that their families have suffered, I hope that by speaking today we can pay tribute to these girls, who at the time of their death were simply trying to make their community a better place.

Today, we pray for the families, friends, and Troop of these girls, and for Madalyn Zwiefelhofer, who was sent to the hospital in critical condition as a result of the accident. Please know that the entire community stands with all of the families during this difficult time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Arkansas for his support in coming down and managing our time.

Mr. Speaker, this is a bill that is bipartisan in a time where I don't think we see a lot of bipartisanship. I think the reason you see Democrats and Republicans coming together and, actually, the House and the Senate coming together on this bill is because, if you live in the northern part of the United States in the Great Lakes and West, you understand that the wolves are a huge problem. That is why you have seen Democratic Senators from this region, Democratic Congressmen from this region, and Republicans standing together to say: Hey, listen, we have to manage these wolves.

If you live in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., it is not a problem. If you live in Madison, Wisconsin, it is not really a problem. You can make the argument that the pretty little puppy of the wolf, it is so pretty and beautiful and we have to protect it. Well, we did protect it. We put it on the endangered species list.

Like a lot of government programs, this one worked. We have protected them and allowed them to recover. We have three times as many gray wolves as was projected to be necessary to take them off the endangered species list.

We are coming to a hunting season in Wisconsin right now, so a lot of Wisconsinites put on their blaze orange and get their guns, and they go out to the woods and hunt deer.

Mr. Speaker, I have never seen a picture of Barack Obama in blaze orange and with his rifle going out to hunt deer. He is not a great outdoorsman, I don't think, but Barack Obama's administration was the one that first took the gray wolf off the endangered species list. And Donald Trump, too, agrees. Donald Trump and Barack Obama agreeing on an issue? They do on gray wolves.

You can say: I love the gray wolf. Protect it.

Does anybody like Bambi? Does anyone like Little Bear? Does anyone like your little pet--dogs? cats? cattle?

In our communities, here is a picture of one of our gray wolves. It is hard to tell on this picture, but that is a bear, and the bear is dead, by the way, because the wolf killed it.

Here is a picture from one of my farmers that shows one of his cattle that was attacked by a gray wolf. So what we are saying here is why can't we come together, acknowledge the success of a program, that the gray wolf has recovered, and then acknowledge that we should allow our States then to manage the gray wolf?

Some States might say: I want to allow the population to continue to grow. Other States might say: We want to manage it. So if you live in California, you might say: In California, we have a small population. We are going to let that little population thrive and grow. But if you live in Wisconsin, especially northern Wisconsin, you might say: It is necessary for us to actually manage this population because it is good for the environment; it is good for the wolves; it is good for the cattle. It is actually really good for our deer population.

So I think this just makes common sense.

And, by the way, some have come out and said--as I talked about on the floor, I am kind of a PETA guy. I want to protect animals. Well, protecting animals is allowing our States to successfully manage the wolf population, because if you do, you not only protect the wolf, but you protect the deer; you protect the cattle, the dogs, and the bear. Everyone gets protected when you have a balance to the ecosystem.

We are out of balance right now, and, frankly, I believe that our States are far more in tune in understanding the ecosystem of their State than bureaucrats in Washington. So I would far rather empower Wisconsin; and my good friend, Collin Peterson from Minnesota, let Minnesota manage those populations because they understand the ecosystem better.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to join Barack Obama and join Donald Trump and join a few Members of Congress from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Washington--and Senators as well--to allow us to successfully manage the gray wolf population which allows for a healthier ecosystem.

Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise today to honor the Wisconsin Lao Veterans of America, Inc. (WLVA), an organization founded in 1991 to serve the Lao Veteran community in Wisconsin by advancing the opportunities and recognition for those who fought in the CIA's secret war in Laos.

This organization has been instrumental in helping the Hmong-Lao veterans to adjust to life in the United States, and has shaped their experience here in Wisconsin through assistance in assimilation, recognition, and societal advancement.

WLVA was founded in 1991 by General Yang Pao, who was the commander of the ``Secret Army'' which was conscripted by the CIA to fight against the People's Army of Vietnam. He was the only ethnic Hmong to be elevated to the position of General in the Royal Lao Army.

Currently, Captain Nao Shoua Xiong of Wausau, WI leads the WLVA as their president, and has been at the forefront of assisting the Hmong community in all aspects of life in Wisconsin.

On behalf of the residents of Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District, I would like to thank the Wisconsin Lao Veterans of America for their service to our country and our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate and honor the life and service of Sergeant Colin George Drake from New Richmond, Wisconsin.

As a member of the U.S. Army, Sergeant Drake embodied the best qualities of all Americans. He was loyal to his country, respected by his battalion, and loved by his family and community. Sergeant Drake committed his life to help others. He enlisted in the United States Army as a Behavioral Health Technician and voluntarily served on two consecutive deployments to Kuwait in 2012 and 2013 as a member of the 785th Medical Detachment, Combat Operational Stress Control, in Madison. Sergeant Drake faithfully served his country until his death on June 1, 2018.

Sergeant Drake's exemplary service will always be remembered. His family, his home State of Wisconsin, and his country are eternally grateful for his sacrifice. It is my honor to pay tribute to him and I urge my colleagues to join me today in honoring the life of Sergeant Colin Drake for the sacrifice he made for this country and for our freedom.