Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I rise in support of H.R. 3284, ``Joint Counterterrorism Awareness Workshop Series Act of 2017.''

This bipartisan bill would formally authorize the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to hold counterterrorism workshops with state and local officials in order to address emerging terrorist threats and to enhance the ability of state and local jurisdictions to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks.

The coordination program under the measure would include:

1. Reviewing existing preparedness, response, and interdiction plans, policies, and procedures related to terrorist attacks of the participating jurisdictions and identifying gaps in such plans, operational capabilities, response resources, and authorities;

2. Identifying Federal, State, and local resources available to address the gaps identified;

3. Providing assistance, through training, exercises, and other means, to build or sustain, as appropriate, the capabilities to close such identified gaps;

4. Examining the roles and responsibilities of participating agencies and respective communities in the event of a terrorist attack;

5. Improving situational awareness and information sharing among all participating agencies in the event of a terrorist attack; and

6. Identifying and sharing best practices and lessons learned from each Workshop Series.

I would like to take the time to thank FEMA for their response to Hurricane Harvey and their efforts with Hurricane Irma.

Since Hurricane Harvey, 617,000 individuals have registered for assistance through FEMA with 13,585 interactions with survivors taking place. FEMA is an integral part of security for survivors of catastrophes. By providing these workshops, we will continue to provide security when our country is most vulnerable.

The bill would authorize $1 million a year from fiscal year 2018 through 2022 to establish the Joint Counterterrorism Awareness Workshop Series.

This workshop series is intended to help local jurisdictions prevent and respond to coordinated terrorist attacks.

This bill would authorize funding for five years instead of the one- year authorization in the committee-approved version and would modify FEMA's reporting requirements.

The series would provide training and other resources to close gaps in local counterterrorism preparedness plans, and to improve coordination among state and local agencies.

Participants would include state and local officials, law enforcement officers, first responders, public health personnel, and private-sector representatives.

The most chaotic times for first responders are in response to natural disasters, leaving little to no resources to respond to a potential terror attack.

Those who seek to do our nation harm can take advantage of the lack of available first responders trained to handle counterterrorism during a natural disaster, such as Hurricane Harvey and the flooding that took place in Houston.

During Hurricane Harvey, Texas first responders were facing double effort with both a hurricane and flood; preventing proper response to a homeland security event should it have happened.

It is important to include in their training, a resource for first responders to learn how to manage a terror threat during a catastrophic event such as Hurricane Harvey.

It is imperative to provide these resources to local law enforcement agencies in order to protect the United States when it is most vulnerable.

I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3284.

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I rise in support of H.R. 2427, Pathways to Improving Homeland Security At the Local Level Act.

This bipartisan bill would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002, to direct the Assistant Secretary for State and Local Law Enforcement to produce and disseminate an annual catalog on Department of Homeland Security training, publications, programs, and services for State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, and for other purposes.

The coordination program under the measure would include:

1. Producing an annual catalog that summarizes opportunities for training, publications, programs, and services available to State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies from the Department and from each component and office within the Department;

2. Making such catalog available to State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, including by posting the catalog on the website of the Department and cooperating with national organizations that represent such agencies;

3. Making such catalog available through the Homeland Security Information Network; and

4. Submitting such catalog to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate.

It is important to ensure our first responders and local law enforcement agencies are trained in homeland security programs, especially in times of natural disasters such as Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma.

During relief efforts after Hurricane Harvey and the widespread flooding in Houston, Sgt. Steve Perez of the Houston Police Department drowned after his patrol car got stuck on a flooded road. His death could have been prevented if first responders were given proper materials and training on how to manage crisis situations in rising flood water.

Currently, we fail to provide proper training for catastrophic flood events that would ensure greater safety of both citizens and first responders.

Programs and materials need to be created in order to train our responders in handling wide-spread flooding that simulate dangerous situations that could be encountered in their day-to-day life.

Over the past three years, Houston has experienced record-breaking flooding. If first responders were provided with proper tools and trainings in handling rescues in these conditions, we would see less of loss of life among both citizens and responders.

The most chaotic times for first responders are in response to natural disasters, and it is important to ensure that our nation is protected when we are the most vulnerable.

During Hurricane Harvey and the flooding that followed, if there were to have been a homeland security incident, Texas would have been left susceptible due to the chaos surrounding our first responders.

It is important to equip our first responders with every opportunity for training in homeland security to ensure that in times of natural disaster such as Hurricane Harvey and the flooding across Southeast Texas, they are prepared to handle any situation they may face, with the smallest amount of lives lost as possible.

The bill would produce an annual catalog with training opportunities and other services available to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, which I wish to ensure address catastrophic flood events.

The department's Office for State and Local Law Enforcement would have to publish the catalogs on the DHS website within 30 days of production and distribute them through the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN).

Sharing the catalog on the HSIN would allow the office to reach as many stakeholders as possible.

Through this catalog, local law enforcement agencies would be able to ensure their first responders are aware of training programs over counterterrorism and homeland security.

It is vital to provide these resources to local law enforcement agencies in order to ensure they are aware of opportunities for their first responders, so they are trained to protect the United States and its citizens when it is most vulnerable.

I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2427.

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I rise in support of H.R. 2470, Homeland Threat Assessment Act.

This bipartisan bill the Homeland Security Department (DHS) would conduct annual terrorist threat assessments for the next five years using information from DHS offices and fusion centers.

The assessment under this measure would include:

1. Empirical data assessing terrorist activities and incidents over time in the United States, including terrorist activities and incidents planned or supported by persons outside of the United States targeting the homeland;

2. An evaluation of current terrorist tactics, as well as ongoing and possible future changes in terrorist tactics;

3. An assessment of criminal activity encountered or observed by officers or employees of components in the field which is suspected of financing terrorist activity; and

4. Detailed information on all individuals denied entry to or removed from the United States as a result of material support provided to a foreign terrorist organization (as such term is used in section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189));

5. The efficacy and spread of foreign terrorist organization propaganda, messaging, or recruitment;

6. An assessment of threats, including cyber threats, to the homeland, including to critical infrastructure and Federal civilian networks;

7. An assessment of current and potential terrorism and criminal threats posed by individuals and organized groups seeking to unlawfully enter the United States; and

8. An assessment of threats to the transportation sector, including surface and aviation transportation systems.

During natural disasters such as Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma, the United States is vulnerable to terror attacks due to the lack of first responders available.

It is important to ensure our first responders and local law enforcement agencies are aware of the terror threats that would be reported in each assessment in order to provide continued support, especially during vulnerable situations such as Hurricane Harvey and the Southeast Texas floods.

The most chaotic times for first responders are in response to natural disasters and it is important to ensure that our nation is protected when we are the most susceptible.

During Hurricane Harvey and the flooding that followed, if there had been a homeland security incident, Texas would have been left vulnerable due to the chaos surrounding our first responders.

It is important to equip our first responders and local law enforcement agencies with these assessments in order to offer greater protection and heightened security during vulnerable situations such as natural disasters.

Additionally the assessment may incorporate relevant information and analysis from other agencies of the Federal Government, agencies of State and local governments (including law enforcement agencies), as well as

the private sector, disseminated in accordance with standard information sharing procedures and policies.

Fusion centers were established administratively after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to serve as focal points at the state and local levels to receive, analyze, and share threat-related information with the federal government and the private sector.

The assessments would have to utilize data collected from the field and could incorporate relevant information from other government agencies and the private sector.

During recovery efforts for incidents such as Hurricane Harvey, having terrorist threat assessments would be valuable in keeping vulnerable citizens secure.

I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2470.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2454-- Department of Homeland Security Data Framework Act of 2017, which is the first authorization bill for the Department of Homeland Security since its creation.

I thank Chairman McCaul and Ranking Member Thompson for working diligently to bring this suspension bill before the House of Representatives.

H.R. 2454 directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to:

develop a data framework to integrate existing DHS datasets and systems for access by authorized personnel in a manner consistent with relevant legal authorities and privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties policies and protections;

ensure that all information of a DHS office or component that falls within the scope of the information sharing environment, and any information or intelligence relevant to priority mission needs and capability requirements of the homeland security enterprise, is included; and

ensure that the framework is accessible to DHS employees who have an appropriate security clearance, who are assigned to perform a function that requires access, and who are trained in applicable standards for safeguarding and using such information.

The bill excludes information that could:

jeopardize the protection of sources, methods, or activities;

compromise a criminal or national security investigation;

be inconsistent with the other federal laws or regulations; or

be duplicative or not serve an operational purpose.

DHS shall incorporate into such framework systems capabilities for auditing and ensuring the security of information.

Few can image how complex the federal government response to a Hurricane can be.

For example the need for information sharing is crucial to effect disaster response prior to, during and after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

U.S. cooperation with the European Commission, facilitated by the Department of State, allowed for rapid activation of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (EMS) over the Texas and Louisiana coasts affected by Category-4 Hurricane Harvey, the largest recorded rainstorms ever to hit the contiguous United States.

This service has provided local, state, and federal disaster managers with free, real-time, all-weather radar satellite images of the affected areas; we are grateful to our European partners, including the European Space Agency and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, for their assistance during this challenging time.

Since August 25, Europe's Copernicus EMS, at no cost to the United States, has generated up-to-date, satellite-based maps of the flood extent.

In combination with U.S. satellite data, these maps are critical tools for relief operations by U.S. federal, state, and local disaster responders.

First responders were in critical need of accurate information on persons who were trapped by Hurricane Harvey flood waters.

The statistics are staggering.

21 trillion gallons of rainfall fell in Texas and Louisiana in the first five days of the storm.

The estimated maximum sustained winds exceeded 130 miles per hour as the hurricane made landfall near Rockport, Texas on August 25.

A record 4,323 days, which is nearly 12 years, elapsed since a major hurricane (Category 3 or above) made landfall in the United States prior to Hurricane Harvey; the last Category 3 hurricane to hit the United States was Hurricane Wilma in 2005, the same year Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans.

The city of Cedar Bayou received 51.88 inches of rainfall, breaking the record for rainfall from a single storm in the continental United States; my city of Houston received more than 50 inches of rainfall.

More than 13,000 people have been rescued in the Houston area and more than 30,000 persons are expected to be forced out of their homes due to the storm.

More than 8,800 federal personnel were staff deployed to help respond to Hurricane Harvey, supplying approximately 2.9 million meals, 2.8 million liters of water, 37,000 tarps, and 130 generators.

In the first three days of the storm, more than 49,000 homes had suffered flood damage and more than 1,000 homes were completely destroyed in the storm.

And today, two weeks later, thousands of Texans are still without permanent and stable housing situations.

That is why the additional $7.4 billion in CDBG funding provided in the legislation is desperately needed.

Mr. Speaker, valiant emergency responders in my state worked to exhaustion, with an invaluable assist from citizen volunteers, to rescue their neighbors and save lives.

That is who Texans are and this is what we do.

We do not yet know the full cost in human lives exacted by Hurricane Harvey.

But what we do know is that the costs of recovery and reconstruction will far exceed any natural disaster in memory; best estimates place the cost in the range of $150-$200 billion.

Mr. Speaker, there is much more work to be done in my city of Houston, and across the areas affected by the terrible, awesome storm that will be forever known simply as Hurricane Harvey.

This same resource was put into use for Hurricane Irma to support response to that major storm.

This sharing of important satellite data is provided by the United States-European Commission Cooperation Arrangement on Earth Observation Data Related to the Copernicus Program.

The Department of State's Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs negotiated the data sharing agreement, which has been in effect since October 2015.

The arrangement reflects a shared U.S.-E.U. vision to pursue full, free, and open data policies for government Earth observation satellites, fostering greater scientific discovery and encouraging innovation in applications and value-added services for the benefit of society at large.

I offer the thanks and appreciation for our nation--its people-- especially the residents along the Gulf Coast including the residents of the 18th Congressional District in Houston and the surrounding communities for the support from our Allies in our nation's time of need.

The Suspension before the House will facilitate data sharing among law enforcement agencies in support the mission of the Department of Homeland Security to develop and maintain a unity of effort approach to security our nation from terrorist threats.

I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 2454.

Mr. Chair, thank you for this opportunity to discuss Amendment 108 to the ``CJS Appropriation Act of 2017''.

This amendment will save thousands of lives within our youth population by decreasing our federal prison funding of $7,070,248,000, available for the administration, operation and maintenance of Federal penal and correctional institutions. Of this amount, up to $20,000,000 is made available for the use of contract confinement.

My amendment seeks to reduce this account by a mere $10,000,000 for juvenile justice programs designed to reduce recidivism, gang violence and gun crime.

These juvenile justice programs help protect our most vulnerable children through treatment, education, training, and mentoring, not incarceration.

According to the Justice Policy Institute, locking up juveniles costs an average of $407.58 per person per day and $148,767 per person per year.

Even conservative coalitions like Freedom Works, American Conservative Union Foundation, Generation Opportunity, and Taxpayers Protection Alliance agreed that mass incarceration is extremely costly to taxpayers.

This amendment invests in our youth population at the front end with a greater return before the damage becomes irreversible at the back end.

This amendment supports programs that have shown consistent success in curtailing gang violence and gun crimes.

Research shows that violence among our youths is a health epidemic that must be addressed with appropriate measures beyond incarceration.

Therefore, we must support professionals that possess practical experience in epidemic control for violence prevention, and that show success working with the most vulnerable and at-risk youth population when addressing this health epidemic.

Within the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the following programs focus on violence prevention: Forum, Community Based Violence Prevention (CBVP), and Defending Childhood. The CBVP explicitly calls for and supports the health approach.

Hence, this amendment provides funding for organizations such as community-based violence prevention programs that statistically have shown much success.

For example, Cure Violence, a health-based organization that operates in, several cities and states, have shown great success in the intervention and prevention of violence in places like, Chicago, Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia and others. They have also shown great success in Puerto Rico.

Statistics show l00% reduction in homicide retaliation in Chicago, and a 41-73% drop in shootings in 5 of 8 communities; in Baltimore, up to 56% drop in killings; and 44% drop in shootings; in New York, 20% lower level of shootings; and in Philadelphia, reduction shooting rate was significantly larger than any reduction compared to non-program police districts.

Unlike incarceration cost of $407.58 per person per day and $148,767 per person per year, these alternative measures cost significantly less to serve a much larger population than what it cost to incarcerate one person, while reducing shootings and killings by 50%-70% in 15 of the most highly impacted large cities in the U.S. Hence, programs such as Cure Violence, Safe Streets and others show that alternative methods to incarceration are effective.

Both sides of the aisle agree that our juvenile justice system is in desperate need of repair. Incarceration at alarming numbers does not solve this problem.

Statistics show that incarceration does not serve as deterrence, nor does it keep our communities safe. Rather, it increases the likelihood for recidivism and thus, increases crime rates and mass incarceration.

For those who say juvenile justice is a state problem and not a federal problem because we don't have many youths in federal custody, I say even if there is but one juvenile in our prison system, we have one too many.

I saw many young faces during the horrific tragedy in Houston's vicious storm that claimed so many lives.

I do not ever want to see that look of despair and hopelessness again if we can do something to prevent that.

While some may say that juvenile justice is already funded, it is not enough. We need to address the epidemic taking place in our juvenile justice system and the crisis that follows thereafter--economic hardships, lack of education and inadequate job training.

For all the reasons stated above, I ask my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. Chair, thank you for this opportunity to speak in support of the Jackson Lee Amendment and to commend Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member McCollum for their leadership in shepherding this bill to the floor.

Among other agencies, this legislation funds the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park System, and the Smithsonian Institution.

Most Americans do not know that this bill also funds a very special program, the National Recreation and Preservation.

Mr. Chair, the Jackson Lee Amendment is simple but it sends a very important message from the Congress of the United States.

The Jackson Lee Amendment provides:

Sec.__. None of the funds made available by this Act for the ``DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR--NATIONAL PARK SERVICE--NATIONAL RECREATION AND PRESERVATION'' may be used in contravention of section 461 of title 16, United States Code.

And 16 U.S. Code Sec. 461 provides that:

It is declared that it is a national policy to preserve for public use historic sites, buildings, and objects of national significance for the inspiration and benefit of the people of the United States.

This is important, especially as it relates to National Heritage Areas (NHAs).

NHAs both preserve our national heritage and provide economic benefits to communities and regions through their commitment to heritage conservation and economic development.

Through public-private partnerships, NHA entities support historic preservation, natural resource conservation, recreation, heritage tourism, and educational projects.

Leveraging funds and long-term support for projects, NHA partnerships generate increased economic impact for regions in which they are located.

In 2012, a nationally respected consulting firm (Tripp Umbach) completed a comprehensive economic impact study of six NHA sites in the Northeast Region that also included an extrapolation of the economic benefit of all 49 NHA sites on the national economy.

The annual economic impact was estimated to be $12.9 billion.

The economic activity supports approximately 148,000 jobs and generates $1.2 billion annually in Federal revenues from sources

such as employee compensation, proprietor income, indirect business tax, households, and corporations.

The study quantified the economic impacts of individual NHAs based upon a case study approach and found that the economic impact of the three National Historic Areas in Arizona, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania showed:

1. Essex National Heritage Area (MA) generates $153.8 million in economic impact, supports 1,832 jobs, and generates $14.3 million in tax revenue.

2. Oil Region National Heritage Area (PA) generates $21.2 million in economic impact, supports 314 jobs, and generates $1.5 million in tax revenue; and

3. Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area (AZ) $22.7 million in economic impact, supports 277 jobs, and generates $1.3 million in tax revenue.

Mr. Chair, as I said there are 49 NHA across the nation but, surprisingly, none in my state of Texas.

We hope to rectify this in the not too distant future.

Texas is the largest and second most populous state in the nation and has a unique story in American history with its diverse geographic landscape, natural resources, and population.

From Galveston's port, East Texas' farms and forestry, and the Buffalo Soldiers, Texas has a rich multi-cultured heritage and history.

To honor Texas' heritage, I will be working with my colleagues to establish the ``Emancipation Trail National Heritage Area Corridor'' that stretches across historically significant and landmark sites from Galveston to Houston and East Texas into Central Texas.

The Emancipation Trail National Heritage Area will be a corridor focusing on and highlighting the area's rich history and culturally significant events, places, and natural sites, as well as roadways, businesses, residential and farm districts that unite Texas' heritage from the first settlers to modern times.

Mr. Chair, as we approach the 51st anniversary of the passage of the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act, we want to preserve and unite the legacy stories of some of our state's most revered sites.

Currently underway in Houston is the revitalization of the historic Emancipation Park, a pivotal site in the state's social and cultural development and African American legacy.

The future Emancipation Park, when brought to fruition and designated as a part of the proposed Emancipation Trail National Heritage Corridor, represents a unique opportunity to tell a comprehensive story about the great State of Texas.

Of course, there is much work to do to bring this project to fruition, including necessary reclamation and restoration operations in areas adversely affected by Hurricane Harvey.

That is why H.R. 3686, the Hurricane Harvey Supplemental Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2017, which I introduced earlier this week allocates $800 million to the National Park Service Historic Preservation Fund.

To conclude, National Heritage Areas (NHAs) are both a good investment and national treasure providing economic benefits to communities and regions through their commitment to heritage conservation and economic development.

For all these reasons, Mr. Chair, I urge adoption of the Jackson Lee Amendment.

I thank Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member McCollum for their work in putting together this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, on this, the 16th anniversary of the attack launched against the United States on September 11, 2001, I rise to remember the victims of that horrific tragedy and those first- responders who risked, and in too many cases, sacrificed their lives to rescue the occupants of the besieged World Trade Center Towers.

The morning of September 11, 2001 is, and will always be, a day like no other. It is a day all living Americans will remember because not since Pearl Harbor had there been such a dastardly and deadly attack on American soil.

As I stand here today, my heart still grieves for those who perished on flights United Airlines 93, American Airlines 77, American Airlines 11, and United Airlines 175.

When the sun rose on the morning of September 11, none of us knew that it would end in an inferno in the magnificent World Trade Center Towers in New York City and the Pentagon and in the grassy fields of Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

I stand here remembering those who still suffer, whose hearts still ache over the loss of so many innocent and interrupted lives.

My prayer is that for those who lost a father, a mother, a husband, a wife, a child, or a friend will in the days and years ahead take comfort in the certain knowledge that they have gone on to claim the greatest prize, a place in the Lord's loving arms.

And down here on the ground, their memory will never die so long as any of the many of us who loved them lives.

Mr. Speaker, as hard as it is to believe, out of a tragedy so overwhelming and horrific, something good and great emerged in the aftermath of September 11.

On that day there were no Republicans or Democrats. There were no Northerners or Southerners or West or East Coasters.

We were not Red State or Blue State. We were all simply Americans.

On that day, we were united in our shock and anger and sadness. We were united in our resolve to defend our country and protect the freedoms that have made America the greatest country in the history of the world.

We lit candles, held hands, helped neighbors, and prayed for our country and its leaders.

A united America can never be defeated as Operation Enduring Freedom showed.

The brave and valiant armed forces of the United States swiftly toppled the Taliban and liberated Afghanistan.

As President George W. Bush announced to the American people and to the world: ``Whether the terrorists are brought to justice or justice is brought to the terrorists, justice will be done.''

And though he ran and hid for almost ten years, Osama bin Ladin could not hide forever and evade the long arm of American justice, which, under the leadership of President Barack Obama, caught up with him on May 2, 2011.

Mr. Speaker, Americans take care of their own. Americans cherish freedom. Americans cherish liberty. And Americans want peace.

Not just for themselves alone, but all persons in every corner of the globe.

Mr. Speaker, ensuring that America is safe and secure and protected from another attack on American soil is the least we owe to the heroic passengers on Flight 93 and to the brave firefighters of the FDNY and officers of the NYPD and the officers and civilians we lost in the Pentagon who gave faithful service to our nation.

I believe all Americans want their country to remain safe, free, and invulnerable to another cowardly attack like the one we witnessed sixteen years ago today.

We owe that much to the Americans who lost and gave their lives.

We owe it to them to ensure that their children and loved ones will never again experience such pain, suffering, and loss.

We can do this. We must do this. After all, we are Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the supplemental appropriations for disaster relief, and I

thank the appropriators and all of my colleagues. I reflect on the bipartisan meeting of our Texas delegation. We said we would not be divided and we would not be divided amongst our friends from Florida and those who may be in need with Hurricane Irma.

I do want to acknowledge that when we got up that Sunday morning and 12 inches had fallen at that time, part of the 50 inches of the most catastrophic storm on the Continental United States, Hurricane Harvey, we saw the lives of people disappear--some who died, some who were in shelters as these pictures depict. The road to recovery is going to be long.

I introduced a $174 billion hurricane appropriations bill to be able to address Hurricane Harvey. I am grateful for the $15.3 billion that gives us money for housing. That is the greatest need, along with the infrastructure, and if we can begin to expedite those dollars into our cities and counties, our mayors and county leaders will be grateful.

There are people who are homeless now, there are people whose homes are in despair, there are people who do not have insurance. The reason is because these individuals were flooded in a 500-year flood area and 1,000-year flood area. It is important to note at the same time, Mr. Speaker, that these individuals are elderly and disabled.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 601, which provides $15.3 billion in supplemental appropriations as the Congress's initial response to the massive damage inflicted on Southeast Texas and Louisiana by Hurricane Harvey and authorizes appropriations to continue funding for federal government operations through December 8, 2017.

The legislation also suspends the current $19.8 trillion limit on federal borrowing through December 8, 2017, which will enable the Treasury to continue to borrow money to pay bills, and set the new debt limit as the amount reflecting all outstanding U.S. debt as of December 9, 2017.

I also strongly support the legislation before us because it extends through December 8, 2017, FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which offers insurance policies to property owners in areas with significant flood risks.

The bill authorizes FEMA to borrow as much as $30.4 billion from the Treasury general fund if it does not collect sufficient revenue from premiums and surcharges to cover claims payments.

Without this extension, FEMA would not be able to issue new flood insurance policies after September 30, 2017, and its borrowing authority will be reduced to $1.5 billion.

That would be particularly devastating to many of the constituents I represent who have or will be seeking flood insurance policies under the FEMA Flood Insurance Program.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to commend the bipartisan leadership of both chambers for the speed with which the Hurricane Harvey relief package and the FY2018 Continuing Resolution was negotiated, drafted, and shepherded to the floor.

This bodes well for the major challenges that must be met and overcome if the victims of Hurricane Harvey are to recover from the storm's awful wrath and rebuild their decimated communities.

I thank Chairman Frelinghuysen and Ranking Member Lowey, and Speaker Ryan and Democratic Leader Pelosi, and their Senate counterparts because this initial Hurricane Harvey aid package sends a strong signal to the people of Texas and Louisiana that the American people stand in solidarity with them in their moment of heartbreak and anguish.

On Wednesday, September 6, 2017, the House approved $7.85 billion for relief efforts in Texas and Louisiana, consisting of $7.4 billion for the FEMA Disaster Recovery Fund (DRF) and $450 million for the SBA Disaster Loan program.

To this amount the Senate added $7.4 billion in funds to be distributed to states and communities through HUD's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.

These CDBG funds can be used for disaster relief, long-term recovery, infrastructure restoration, housing, and economic revitalization.

FEMA's DRF funding is mostly allocated for three programs:

1. Public Assistance Program, which helps communities cover the costs of repairing and replacing public buildings, infrastructure, and utilities, as well as emergency costs for debris removal and other needs;

2. Individual Assistance Program, which provides funding for temporary housing, property repairs, medical treatment, moving costs, and other needs; and

3. Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which offers funding to reduce damages from future disasters.

Typically, FEMA covers 75 percent of the costs for DRF-funded projects so I am very pleased that the President agreed that in the unprecedented circumstances of this case, a higher reimbursement level was warranted and acceded to my request that FEMA be authorized and directed to reimburse Harris County and other affected local governments 90% for debris removal, including direct Federal assistance; and 100% percent for emergency protective measures for 30 days from the start of the incident period and at 90% thereafter.

Mr. Speaker, it is not an exaggeration to regard as unprecedented the damage wrought on Southeast Texas by Hurricane Harvey beginning 14 days ago, on August 25, 2017, when it made landfall for the first time in the state of Texas, just north of the city of Corpus Christi.

Before it was finished, Hurricane Harvey dropped 21 trillion gallons of rainfall on Texas and Louisiana, most of it on the Houston Metroplex.

To put in perspective the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey, the volume of water that fell on Houston and other affected areas of Texas and Louisiana could fill more than 24,000 Astrodomes or supply the water for the raging Niagara Falls for 15 days.

Whole sections of Houston, Beaumont, Bayou City, Port Arthur, and other cities were underwater for days.

Hurricane Harvey was a 1,000 year storm that has to date claimed the lives of at least 30 persons, including a 34-year veteran of the Houston Police Department and a family of six who perished in Greens Bayou while trying to evacuate their flooded home and community.

It also claimed the life of a Dreamer, Alonso Guillen, a young Houstonian who came to Texas from Mexico as a teenager, and who died when his boat capsized while he was rescuing survivors of the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey.

Neither Houston nor any city in the nation has ever experienced flooding of the magnitude caused by Hurricane Harvey.

The statistics are staggering.

21 trillion gallons of rainfall fell in Texas and Louisiana in the first five days of the storm.

The estimated maximum sustained winds exceeded 130 miles per hour as the hurricane made landfall near Rockport, Texas on August 25.

A record 4,323 days, which is nearly 12 years, elapsed since a major hurricane (Category 3 or above) made landfall in the United States prior to Hurricane Harvey; the last Category 3 hurricane to hit the United States was Hurricane Wilma in 2005, the same year Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans.

The city of Cedar Bayou received 51.88 inches of rainfall, breaking the record for rainfall from a single storm in the continental United States; my city of Houston received more than 50 inches of rainfall.

More than 13,000 people have been rescued in the Houston area and more than 30,000 persons are expected to be forced out of their homes due to the storm.

More than 8,800 federal personnel were staff deployed to help respond to Hurricane Harvey, supplying approximately 2.9 million meals, 2.8 million liters of water, 37,000 tarps, and 130 generators.

In the first three days of the storm, more than 49,000 homes that had suffered flood damage and more than 1,000 homes were completely destroyed in the storm.

And today, two weeks later, thousands of Texans are still without permanent and stable housing situations.

That is why the additional $7.4 billion in CDBG funding provided in the legislation is desperately needed.

Mr. Speaker, valiant emergency responders in my state worked to exhaustion, with an invaluable assist from citizen volunteers, to rescue their neighbors and save lives.

That is who Texans are and this is what we do.

We do not yet know the full cost in human lives exacted by Hurricane Harvey.

But what we do know is that the costs of recovery and reconstruction will far exceed any natural disaster in memory; best estimates place the cost in the range of $150-$200 billion.

Mr. Speaker, there is much more work to be done in my city of Houston, and across the areas affected by the terrible, awesome storm that will be forever known simply as Hurricane Harvey.

That is why I strongly support the legislation pending before us appropriating $15.3 billion as the initial response of the Congress to the damage caused by an epic storm.

I must emphasize that what we are considering here is the initial response because much more funding will be needed for Houston--the nation's fourth largest city--and Southeast Texas to recover and rebuild.

And it is also why I have introduced, joined by more than 40 House colleagues, H.R. 3686, the Hurricane Sandy Supplemental Appropriations Act, which, when passed by Congress and signed into law, would provide $174 billion in aid to assist the areas affected by

Hurricane Harvey recover, rebuild, and restore their communities to their previous greatness.

I urge all Members to join me in support of H.R. 601 and to commit to providing our fellow Americans in Texas and Louisiana all of the help and support they need to restore their communities to their previous greatness.

Mr. Chair, I rise to express my strong and unwavering support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) and unyielding opposition to the President's decision, announced by the Attorney General, to rescind a policy that liberated 800,000 young persons--124,000 of them in Texas--from the shadows of life, welcomed them into the mainstream, and encouraged them to realize their potential and achieve the American Dream.

At the heart of the Trump Administration's cruel, and heartless, and misguided decision to rescind DACA is the specious claim that President Obama lacked the constitutional and statutory authority to take executive actions to implement the DACA policy.

That is why I offered an amendment to Division C of Rules Committee Print 115-31 that would prohibit the Administration from using appropriated funds to implement its decision to rescind DACA.

Specifically, that Jackson Lee Amendment provided the following section at the end of Division E of the bill:

SEC.___. None of the funds made available in this Act may be used to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Memorandum of September 5, 2017, from the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security pertaining to ``Rescission of the June 15, 2012 Memorandum Entitled ``Exercising Prosecutorial Discretion with Respect to Individuals Who Came to the United States as Children.''

Regrettably, this Jackson Lee Amendment was not made in order by the Rules Committee.

There was no need for the President to make any decision about DACA right now; there was pending no real deadline, no actual court case, no legal requirement.

Florida is bracing for the impact of Hurricane Irma and Houston is still struggling to recover and rebuild in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, one of the most catastrophic weather events in the nation's history.

And in my congressional district, we are mourning the loss of the heroic DREAMER, Alonso Guillen, who came to the U.S. from Mexico as a child, and died here his boat capsized while he was rescuing survivors of the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey in the Houston area.

The President and Attorney General should have focused on the crisis at hand and not created another one because of a made up deadline.

There is no heart in ending DACA and leaving the fate of 800,000 young persons in limbo and at the mercy of a Republican Congress that has passed no major legislation and has no guarantee that the President would even sign a bill if they do.

Republicans in Congress need to bring H.R. 3440, the Dream Act of 2017, to the floor right now and vote for it so it can pass both houses of Congress with a veto-proof majority.

Mr. Chair, now let me briefly discuss why the executive actions taken by President Obama are reasonable, responsible, and within his constitutional authority.

Pursuant to Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution, the President, the nation's Chief Executive, ``shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.''

In addition to establishing the President's obligation to execute the law, the Supreme Court has consistently interpreted the ``Take Care'' Clause as ensuring presidential control over those who execute and enforce the law and the authority to decide how best to enforce the laws. See, e.g., Arizona v. United States; Bowsher v. Synar; Buckley v. Valeo; Printz v. United States; Free Enterprise Fund v. PCAOB.

Every law enforcement agency, including the agencies that enforce immigration laws, has ``prosecutorial discretion''--the inherent power to decide whom to investigate, arrest, detain, charge, and prosecute.

Thus, enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), properly may exercise their discretion to devise and implement policies specific to the laws they are charged with enforcing, the population they serve, and the problems they face so that they can prioritize our nation's resources to meet mission critical enforcement goals.

Mr. Chair, deferred action has been utilized in our nation for decades by Administrations headed by presidents of both parties without controversy or challenge.

In fact, as far back as 1976, INS and DHS leaders have issued at least 11 different memoranda providing guidance on the use of similar forms of prosecutorial discretion.

Executive authority to take action is thus ``fairly wide,'' and the federal government's discretion is extremely ``broad'' as the Supreme Court held in the recent case of Arizona v. United States, 132 S. Ct. 2492, 2499

(2012), an opinion written Justice Kennedy and joined by Chief Justice Roberts:

``Congress has specified which aliens may be removed from the United States and the procedures for doing so. Aliens may be removed if they were inadmissible at the time of entry, have been convicted of certain crimes, or meet other criteria set by federal law. Removal is a civil, not criminal, matter. A principal feature of the removal system is the broad discretion exercised by immigration officials. Federal officials, as an initial matter, must decide whether it makes sense to pursue removal at all. If removal proceedings commence, aliens may seek asylum and other discretionary relief allowing them to remain in the country or at least to leave without formal removal.'' (emphasis added) (citations omitted).

The Court's decision in Arizona v. United States, also strongly suggests that the executive branch's discretion in matters of deportation may be exercised on an individual basis, or it may be used to protect entire classes of individuals such as ``[u]nauthorized workers trying to support their families'' or immigrants who originate from countries torn apart by internal conflicts:

``Discretion in the enforcement of immigration law embraces immediate human concerns. Unauthorized workers trying to support their families, for example, likely pose less danger than alien smugglers or aliens who commit a serious crime. The equities of an individual case may turn on many factors, including whether the alien has children born in the United States, long ties to the community, or a record of distinguished military service.

Some discretionary decisions involve policy choices that bear on this Nation's international relations. Returning an alien to his own country may be deemed inappropriate even where he has committed a removable offense or fails to meet the criteria for admission. The foreign state may be mired in civil war, complicit in political persecution, or enduring conditions that create a real risk that the alien or his family will be harmed upon return.

The dynamic nature of relations with other countries requires the Executive Branch to ensure that enforcement policies are consistent with this Nation's foreign policy with respect to these and other realities.''

Exercising thoughtful discretion in the enforcement of the nation's immigration law saves scarce taxpayer funds, optimizes limited resources, and produces results that are more humane and consistent with America's reputation as the most compassionate nation on earth.

Mr. Chair, a DREAMER (an undocumented student) seeking to earn her college degree and aspiring to attend medical school to better herself and her new community is not a threat to the nation's security.

Law abiding but unauthorized immigrants doing honest work to support their families pose far less danger to society than human traffickers, drug smugglers, or those who have committed a serious crime.

President Obama was correct in concluding that exercising his discretion regarding the implementation of DACA enhances the safety of all members of the public, serves national security interests, and furthers the public interest in keeping families together.

Mr. Chair, according to numerous studies conducted by the Congressional Budget Office, Social Security Administration, and Council of Economic Advisors, the DACA generates substantial economic benefits to our nation.

For example, unfreezing DAPA and expanded DACA is estimated to increase GDP by $230 billion and create an average of 28,814 jobs per year over the next 10 years.

That is a lot of jobs!

Mr. Chair, in exercising his broad discretion in the area of removal proceedings, President Obama acted responsibly and reasonably in determining the circumstances in which it makes sense to pursue removal and when it does not.

In exercising this broad discretion, President Obama did nothing was novel or unprecedented.

Let me cite a just a few examples of executive action taken by American presidents, both Republican and Democratic, on issues affecting immigrants over the past 35 years:

1. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan used executive action in 1987 to allow 200,000 Nicaraguans facing deportation to apply for relief from expulsion and work authorization.

2. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter exercised parole authority to allow Cubans to enter the U.S., and about 123,000 ``Mariel Cubans'' were paroled into the U.S. by 1981.

3. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush issued an executive order that granted Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) to certain nationals of the People's Republic of China who were in the United States.

4. In 1992, the Bush administration granted DED to certain nationals of El Salvador.

5. In 1997, President Bill Clinton issued an executive order granting DED to certain Haitians who had arrived in the United States before Dec. 31, 1995.

6. In 2010, the Obama Administration began a policy of granting parole to the spouses, parents, and children of military members.

Mr. Chair, because of President Obama's leadership and visionary executive action, 124,000 undocumented immigrants in my home state of Texas have received deferred action.

91 percent of these immigrants are employed or in school and contribute $6.3 billion annually to the Texas economy and $460.3 billion to the national economy.

Mr. Chair, let me note that DACA was and is a welcome development but not a substitute for undertaking the comprehensive reform and modernization of the nation's immigration laws supported by the American people.

Only Congress can do that.

America's borders are dynamic, with constantly evolving security challenges.

Border security must be undertaken in a manner that allows actors to use pragmatism and common sense.

Comprehensive immigration reform is desperately needed to ensure that Lady Liberty's lamp remains the symbol of a land that welcomes immigrants to a community of immigrants and does so in a manner that secures our borders and protects our homeland.

Instead of wasting time scapegoating DREAMERS, we should instead seize the opportunity to pass legislation that secures our borders, preserves America's character as the most open and welcoming country in the history of the world, and will yield hundreds of billions of dollars in economic growth.

Mr. Chair, thank you for this opportunity to speak in support of my amendment to Division A of H.R. 3354, the ``Interior and Environment Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2018.''

Let me also thank Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member McCollum for their leadership in shepherding this bill to the floor.

Among other agencies, this legislation funds the Smithsonian Institution, which operates our national museums, including the Air and Space Museum; the Museum of African Art; the Museum of the American Indian; and the National Portrait Gallery.

The Smithsonian also operates another national treasure: the National Zoo.

Mr. Chair, my amendment is simple but it sends a very important message from the Congress of the United States.

The Jackson Lee Amendment simply provides that:

``Sec.___. None of the funds made available in this Act may be used to limit outreach programs administered by the Smithsonian Institution.''

This amendment is identical to an amendment I offered to the Interior and Environment Appropriations Act for FY2008 (H.R. 2822) that was approved by voice vote on July 7, 2016.

Mr. Chair, the Smithsonian's outreach programs bring Smithsonian scholars in art, history and science out of ``the nation's attic'' and into their own backyard.

Each year, millions of Americans visit the Smithsonian in Washington,

I want to quickly thank the gentlewoman from the great State of Minnesota, thank the gentleman from California, and just very quickly say that I come with my amendments, but I also come just to acknowledge the pending storm in Florida and Hurricane Harvey because our arts communities were underwater, and they are still underwater.

I offered amendments that deal with preservation of heritage areas, urban reforestation, and the Smithsonian outreach. I thank my colleagues for putting it in the en bloc.

But as I do so, I want to take note of, again, all of the debris and be able to say that, in the course of hurricanes, historic entities are impacted.

We are looking to establish an emancipation trail, and one of my most important amendments is to ensure that there is national policy to preserve, for public use, historic sites, buildings, and objects of national significance for the inspiration and benefit of people of the United States.

My community is looking for that emancipation trail, but it starts from Galveston. We have not yet been able to assess whether any of those historic markers and places were destroyed by Hurricane Harvey. So the funding for the Interior Department and the aspects that come under the Interior Department, the jurisdictional issue is very important to us because we will have to look to see if our historic entities have been preserved.

In the midst of debris and danger that our constituents face, this is equally important, and it is equally important to restore the symphony, to restore the ballet and our theater, all of them underwater in my congressional district.

I hope, as we move forward, H.R. 3686, Hurricane Harvey supplemental appropriation that we have filed that will embrace all of these issues, will be considered.

I thank my colleagues for those amendments. And, again, in the course of a storm, the history of people is jeopardized, and my amendments deal with preserving the history of our people. Maybe, as we come out of this, we will create the emancipation trail that is part of my amendment.

I thank the Speaker, and I thank the gentlewoman from New York. Having known the devastation of hurricanes just a couple of years ago, I thank her, and along with her as the ranking minority member, the chairman as well, both coming from the region where they faced the same devastation.

We come together united. We come bipartisan. We come as friends. As I said at the NRG shelter just a few days ago, we have hope. We have hope. We are grateful that we are beginning the process of recovery with the over $7 billion now being allotted for disaster recovery, $450 million of that being for small businesses. The need is great.

Twelve days ago, on August 25, Hurricane Harvey hit this coast, and it hit Texas in a very hard way. To put in perspective the devastation brought by Hurricane Harvey, the volume of water that fell on Houston and other affected areas of Texas and Louisiana could fill more than 24,000 Astrodomes. Hurricane Harvey was a thousand-year storm. It claimed many, many lives. Twenty-one trillion gallons of rainfall fell in Texas. Sustained winds exceeded 130 miles an hour.

I cannot thank, enough, those who gathered and helped, from the local officials, from Mayor Sylvester Turner and Judge Emmett, to Mayor Aaron in Humble, to Mayor Diaz in Jacinto City--cities in my congressional district--to the many volunteers, the Cajun Navy. And might I thank the Texas National Guard--they were standing up--the Marines, the Navy, and, of course, the Army. We traveled with them. I thank the Military Museum of Armed Forces that traveled with me to give out food. We are still in need.

Thousands of people without apartments who have been evicted have been told to go. As I walked the streets of Humble, Texas, in my district, piles and piles and piles of rubbish, people's homes and possessions, even though they had their family and lives, all of their possessions out on the front.

This is a time for us to rise without obstacles. This is a time for us to ensure that all people can be protected. I would like to highlight the DREAMer that died, Alonso Guillen, who came all the way from Lufkin, Texas, just be able to save those who he saw were in need. We need to be able to ensure that he is not discriminated against or my constituents in certain parts of my district who are afraid to seek help simply because they are unstatused.

My friends, I know we can find a pathway forward. I know that we can find a pathway to reauthorize DACA and to do it as soon as possible in tribute to Alonso Guillen, who died with friends when he brought his boat, of his own accord, to be able to come and save those.

Let me tell you what we need. We need housing resources. We need to ensure that we have housing resources to make sure that the people who were evicted can make sure that they have a way to have a home. We need small business resources.

I want to thank the gentlewoman for her time, and I know that we will be working together and making a difference for those who were impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

My prayers for those who are impacted by Hurricane Irma.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3672, which provides $7.85 billion in supplemental appropriations as the Congress's initial response to the massive damaged inflicted on Southeast Texas and Louisiana by Hurricane Harvey.

The speed with which the bipartisan leadership drafted and shepherded this legislation to the floor bodes well for the major challenges that must be met and overcome if Congress if the victims of Hurricane Harvey are to recover from the storm's awful wrath and rebuild their decimated communities.

I thank Chairman Frelinghuysen and Ranking Member Lowey, and Speaker Ryan and Democratic Leader Pelosi, for bringing this initial supplemental funding bill to the floor in a timely manner and which lets the people of Texas and Louisiana know that the American people stand in solidarity with them in their moment of heartbreak and anguish.

Mr. Speaker, just 12 days, on August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall for the first time in the state of Texas, just north of the city of Corpus Christi.

Before it was finished, Hurricane Harvey dropped 21 trillion gallons of rainfall on Texas and Louisiana, most of it on the Houston Metroplex.

To put in perspective the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey, the volume of water that fell on Houston and other affected areas of Texas and Louisiana could fill more than 24,000 Astrodomes or supply the water for the raging Niagara Falls for 15 days.

Whole sections of Houston, Beaumont, Bayou City, Port Arthur, and other cities were underwater for days.

Hurricane Harvey was a 1,000 year storm that has to date claimed the lives of at least 30 persons, including a 34-year veteran of the Houston Police Department and a family of six who perished in Greens Bayou while trying to evacuate their flooded home and community.

It also claimed the life of a Dreamer, Alonso Guillen, a young Houstonian who came to Texas from Mexico as a teenager, and who died when his boat capsized while he was rescuing survivors of the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey.

Neither Houston nor any city in the nation has ever experienced flooding of the magnitude caused by Hurricane Harvey.

The statistics are staggering.

21 trillion gallons of rainfall fell in Texas and Louisiana in the first five days of the storm.

The estimated maximum sustained winds exceeded 130 miles per hour as the hurricane made landfall near Rockport, Texas on August 25.

A record 4,323 days, which is nearly 12 years, elapsed since a major hurricane (Category 3 or above) made landfall in the United States prior to Hurricane Harvey; the last Category 3 hurricane to hit the United States was Hurricane Wilma in 2005, the same year Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans.

The city of Cedar Bayou received 51.88 inches of rainfall, breaking the record for rainfall from a single storm in the continental United States; my city of Houston received more than 5o inches of rainfall.

More than 13,000 people have been rescued in the Houston area and more than

30,000 persons are expected to be forced out of their homes due to the storm.

More than 8,800 federal personnel were staff deployed to help respond to Hurricane Harvey, supplying approximately 2.9 million meals, 2.8 million liters of water, 37,000 tarps, and 130 generators.

In the first three days of the storm, more than 49,000 homes that had suffered flood damage and more than 1,000 homes were completely destroyed in the storm.

Mr. Speaker, valiant emergency responders are overextended and citizen rescues have become a critical source of assistance in saving lives.

Local authorities closed major freeways, airports, and schools.

Emergency shelters are filled to capacity and efforts to rescue residents continue around the clock.

The anticipated cost of removing debris is expected to dwarf the $70 million spent by Houston removing debris after Hurricane Ike in 2008.

We do not yet know the full cost in human lives exacted by Hurricane Harvey.

But what we do know is that the costs of recovery and reconstruction will far exceed any natural disaster in memory; best estimates place the cost in the range of $150-$200 billion.

Mr. Speaker, there is much work to be done in my city of Houston, and across the areas affected by the terrible, awesome storm that will be forever known simply as Hurricane Harvey.

That is why I strongly support the legislation pending before us appropriating $7.85 billion as the initial response of the Congress to the damage caused by an epic storm.

I must emphasize that what we are considering here is the initial response because much more funding will be needed for Houston--the nation's fourth largest city--and Southeast Texas to recover and rebuild.

For that reason, I urge all Members to join me in support of H.R. 3672 and to commit to providing our fellow Americans in Texas and Louisiana all of the help and support they need to restore their communities to their previous greatness.

Mr. Speaker, to the distinguished gentlewoman, I come now to just stand on behalf of our delegation to be able to say, as I said earlier, I acknowledge the pain of Sandy.

But I now come to make sure that we all understand that this first crunch is only the beginning. We are going to put in legislation that asks for $180 billion, recognizing the hard work of appropriators, and letting you know that people's lives, as we walk through the debris that is in front of every house--it is painful. It is long lasting.

So I just wanted to come to give my thanks and to ask: Will you please stand with me for the long journey that is going to be needed for the infrastructure we build; new dams that are 30 years old; and housing issues that will not end today; and the massive eviction of people in apartments? Not cruelly, I hope, but they are getting eviction notices with no place to go.

Mr. Speaker, so I ask that we as Americans join for the long haul, the long destiny, with prayers for all.

I thank Mrs. Lowey for yielding to me so that we can talk about the long haul.

God bless America.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 3440, the DREAM Act, to protect Deyanira, a DACA recipient, who is in my State, who is majoring in neuroscience at the University of Texas at Austin.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for his leadership, and the manager of this appropriations process.

I cannot start a discussion of my particular amendment, very briefly--and I thank my colleagues for the amendment being included in the en bloc--without again mentioning the devastation in the Gulf Coast region and the need that we have on all aspects of recovery, and will look forward to an effective investment for the long haul.

My amendment contributes to that aspect, and that is that the amendment makes a modest $500,000 increase to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Research and Education Activities account. The intent of the amendment is to enable the NIFA to increase funding by $500,000 to 1890 institutions, which are HBCU land grant colleges, to support education, research, and scholarship at HBCUs.

The amendment is paid for by an offset of $944,000 in the chief information officer account. The offset is budget neutral and reduces outlays by $1 million, according to the CBO.

This particular amendment supports the work of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture by making a modest increase that will help our land grant colleges. It will help our land grant colleges in the context of them contributing, one, to a better understanding of food deserts, better understanding of expanding opportunities for research, economic analysis, extension in higher education, and it also will be supportive of colleges that, in many instances, are impacted by natural disasters. The HBCUs have been leaders in agricultural research.

Some of the colleges that I am speaking of will be major contributors in the concept of expanded food access for many of our communities.

Mr. Chair, I want to thank the gentleman for extending the time to me. The amendment is a good amendment and it would benefit rural, suburban, and urban areas by maximizing the potential for farming activity in those areas where green space is limited or land is underused. Again, the combination of agricultural fighting against food deserts, which many of my constituents are facing now after Hurricane Harvey, is an important extended impact that I think will be helpful as we go forward.

I thank my colleagues for their support of the Jackson Lee amendment No. 13.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I am reading a headline that says that experts say it could take Houston years to fully recover from Hurricane Harvey.

This is not because my local leaders, mayors, county judges, and Governors are not working as hard as they can, but it is the most significant, singular, and devastating costly flood in the continental United States history.

Certainly, we are praying that Hurricane Irma detours away from those places that it has not yet hit. We certainly pray for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the other Caribbean islands, and certainly our friends in Florida and up the East Coast. But right now we have that unlikely and unappreciated position of having the most devastating flood.

So my amendment has to do with State and local funds being part of designing their own reconstruction, their own projects, their own capital projects. Specifically, my amendment says that none of the funds made available by this act under the heading Federal Transit Administration--Transit Formula Grants may be used in contravention of section 5309 of title 49, United States Code.

The identical amendment was offered in the Jackson Lee amendment to H.R. 2577 and received a positive voice vote.

In particular, this amendment affirms the importance to the Nation of projects that create economic development, particularly in the transportation area.

Pursuant to section 5309 of title 49, the Secretary of Transportation may make grants under this section to State and local governments.

I yield to the gentleman from Florida.

The chairman is very kind. Let me thank the chairman and the ranking member of the subcommittee. If I might just take one moment and I will conclude taking your gracious offer.

First, I would like to acknowledge that this amendment is supported by the trade unions, the TTD. I thank them very much for their support.

Mr. Chairman, I include in the Record the article about our rebuilding.

[From the Washington Post, Aug. 28, 2017]

Nation's Fourth-Largest City Struggles to Get Moving Again After Harvey

(By Ashley Halsey III, Michael Laris, Martine Powers and Luz Lazo)

Cleanup and flooding in Texas continue in wake of Hurricane

Harvey.

Under the threat of more rain and flooding this week, the

regional hub that is Houston faced the daunting prospect of

clearing mud-swept roadways, opening two of the nation's

busiest airports and resuming operations at the country's

second-busiest port.

Many streets remained impassable, with water more than

waist-high. Those highways not flooded too often led to

others that were. And officials said it was too soon to say

when the transit system would resume operations.

Houston is a city that for the past eight years led the

nation in growth, and although transit was considered to have

its place, the city's backbone is the oil industry, which

relies heavily on new highways to get around town. When the

city spread out into Harris County--which has 6.5 million

people to the city's 2 million--the connections were

roadways. The state maintains more than 1,200 miles of them,

including four interstates, three of which crisscross the

downtown area.

Even though the worst of the storm appeared to be over,

transportation officials continued to urge people to stay off

the roads. ``We're expecting more rain,'' Houston Fire Chief

Samuel Pena said.

``The roads are dangerous. Stay off the roads.''

Once the water clears, it may take weeks or months before

roads are fully ready for travel, said Dave Newcomb, a senior

research engineer at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.

He said the primary concern will be local streets and

roadways, not the freeway system.

``The freeways are probably going to be okay,'' Newcomb

said. ``They're built with lots of support underneath them.

They're built for heavy loads and adverse conditions.''

But local roads built on rain-saturated soil may be left in

a weakened state, he said, taking a month or two before they

stabilize. Bridges that had swift-moving floodwaters around

them must be checked for scouring around their supports, he

said.

The sheer scale of the immediate recovery is daunting.

``It is really difficult because we're so spread out and

highway-dependent,'' said Kyle Shelton, director of strategic

partnerships at the Kinder Institute, an urban-research think

tank at Houston's Rice University. ``We just have so many

streets and so many roads and so much other infrastructure to

make sure is okay and bring back online. That's going to take

weeks and months.''

Houston's two big airports--George Bush Intercontinental

Airport and the William P. Hobby Airport--will begin to see

traffic on their runways even as the rest of the region

struggles to find its footing. Officials said Hobby will

remain closed until Wednesday; Bush until Thursday.

The magnitude of the backup to the national aviation system

caused when Houston shuts down was evident Monday: 772

flights had been set to depart from the two airports,

carrying close to 94,000 passengers. The two airports had a

record 1.9 million passengers pass through security last

month.

``You may not even be heading to Houston and still run into

this,'' said Anne McDermott of Farecompare.com. She said that

late Sunday a flight to Dallas landed in Memphis because so

many--Houston-bound flights had been diverted to Dallas.

``It's going to continue to be a fluid situation.''

The Houston Metro's bus system, three light-rail lines and

paratransit services were shut down Monday, with no word on

when they would resume service. In a statement, Metro

officials said they will monitor the situation to determine

when it would be safe to resume service.

If history is precedent, it may be a while before those

buses are back on the road. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005,

it took weeks to restore bus service in New Orleans--partly

because of the condition of flooded roadways, but also

because hundreds of buses were underwater after the storm.

With the city's bus fleet unusable, the Federal Emergency

Management Agency had to scramble to bring in more than a

thousand private coaches to help with evacuation efforts.

The Houston Metro tried to prevent a similar outcome for

this storm, parking more than 100 buses in the HOV lane on an

elevated section of Interstate 59.

``This is a city that was built, in large part, in defiance

of nature,'' said Christof Spieler, an urban planner who is

on the board of Metro.

``Basically, developers just treated this as a big empty

canvas and just spread out across it. We tend to sort of

ignore the natural underpinnings of the city. When this

amount of rain falls, suddenly that natural geography

reasserts itself.''

And in the long run, Houston--like the rest of the

country--has to wrestle with how to become more resilient in

an era when weather hazards are increasing. Over the past

three years, there have been three floods that have ``all

been labeled unprecedented,'' Shelton said. While freeways

and many local streets have major sections that are

underwater, many other areas are not submerged, depending on

their elevation and how much rain there was in that

particular place.

``Houston is used to flooding. We're not used to anything

on the scale of what just happened,'' Spieler said.

Rapid development over the past two decades--and the

sprawling networks of accompanying roadways, subdivisions and

parking lots have left Houston especially susceptible to

major flooding, said Samuel Brody, a Texas A&M University

urban planning professor who leads the Center for Texas

Beaches and Shores.

Such surfaces leave little return path for floodwaters to

go into the ground or drainage channels.

``You've got a smearing of pavement all over a flood-prone

region,'' he said. ``You're putting more impervious surfaces

over a large area that is dominated by flood-prone, low-lying

landscapes, so when it rains, there's all this impervious

surface. It increases the volume and velocity of water going

into the bayous which Houston uses as their primary drain

system.''

Between 1996 and 2011, as development boomed, the

percentage of impervious surfaces in Houston grew by 25

percent, Brody said, citing a report he led that examined the

effect of development on flood damage in the Gulf of Mexico

region. And although the extreme rainfall totals from Harvey

probably would have caused flooding no matter what, Brody

said the presence of pavement increases the amount of damage

on the ground.

The 25-mile-long complex of docks and warehouses that make

up the Port of Houston planned to remain closed Tuesday.

Kurt Nagle, chief executive of the American Association of

Port Authorities, said that early indications show there is

``light to moderate'' infrastructure damage along the Houston

Ship Channel 150 business facilities that generate $617

billion in economic activity per year. At least three vessels

originally headed for Houston have been diverted to New

Orleans, and more may be detoured in coming days from Houston

and other affected ports in Galveston, Victoria, Beaumont,

Port Lavaca and others.

The continuing severe weather may have further effects on

the ports in the region, Nagle said. But even once things

clear up, significant work will need to be done before

shipping channels in the area can reopen. The Coast Guard

will need to perform surveys of the area to determine whether

buoys and navigation aids have been moved or lost, and the

Army Corps of Engineers will need to perform a channel

assessment to ensure that no debris is blocking the shipping

channels under the surface.

Benny Rousselle witnessed the ravages of water during

Katrina from his perch as president of Plaquemines Parish,

south of New Orleans. The priorities for leaders in Houston

are clear, for now: help those who are stranded.

``The pressure is on the local elected officials to get

this community up and running as quick as possible, so they

can come home and help with the recovery,'' said Rousselle,

who is now on the parish council. ``But you cannot do that

until you have enough utilities and roadways cleared so they

can come in,'' Rousselle said.

Mr. Chairman, I just want to conclude by making this point to Mr. Diaz-Balart, and it is that local entities should have the right to direct funds where they believe they are most important, particularly for transportation projects.

As they do so with Federal dollars, let me also add my support for Davis-Bacon. It is, in essence, completely opposite with what was represented. It is a civil rights bill for all people.

I ask my colleagues to join me in making sure the State and local governments get Federal funds. And as we move forward to restore Houston and Harris County and all of the Gulf region, this will be a very important amendment to make sure that we can direct our own destiny with Federal funds. The Secretary of Transportation has that authority to give to us to be able to do so.

Mr. Chairman, I ask for support of the Jackson Lee amendment.

Mr. Chair, let me thank Subcommittee Chairman Diaz-Balart and Ranking Member Price for their leadership on this important legislation and for the opportunity to explain my amendment.

The Jackson Lee Amendment adds at the end of the bill the following new section providing that:

Sec.__. None of the funds made available by this Act under the heading ``Federal Transit Administration--Transit Formula Grants'' may be used in contravention of section 5309 of title 49, United States Code.

This amendment is identical to the Jackson Lee Amendment to H.R. 2577, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act for FY2016 adopted by the House on June 8, 2016 by voice vote.

In particular, the Jackson Lee affirms the importance to the nation of projects that create economic development, particularly in the transportation area.

Pursuant to section 5309 of title 49, the Secretary of Transportation may make grants under this section to State and local government the authority to assist in financing capital projects, small startup projects, including the acquisition of real property.

This section further supports capacity improvements, including double tracking, and it specifically relates to work that deals with projects on approved transportation plans.

That is key; section 5309 of title 49 grants to State and local governments the authority to undertake capital projects, which means that when local governments propose their projects, the Secretary has the authority to go forward on them.

It is instructive to consider what some of the nation's leading transportation and economic development organization have to say about the importance and economic impact of investments in local light rail capital projects.

It is well documented that nothing enhances the competitiveness of a nation in this increasingly globalized economy, that investments in transportation infrastructure capital projects.

Whether it is the seaways, dams, highways, or tollways, and whether it involves other modes of transportation, transportation projects are major engines driving the economy.

And it is important for the local community to be the drivers of that.

Metropolitan regions will not be able to maintain its economic vitality without the ability to create and preserve infrastructure that supports the movement of people and goods throughout our country.

The Jackson Lee Amendment clearly speaks to the global aspect of the Secretary of Transportation having the ability to work with our local and State governments.

Houston is the fourth most populous city in the country; but unlike other large cities, we

have struggled to have an effective mass transit system.

Over many decades Houston's mass transit policy was to build more highways with more lanes to carry more drivers to and from work.

The city of Houston has changed course and is now pursuing Mass transit options that include light rail.

This decision to invest in light rail was and is strongly supported by Houstonians by their votes in a 2003 referendum and by their increased usage of light rail service made possible in part by transportation appropriations bills.

Specifically, Harris County voters passed a massive referendum proposal that was to set the stage for transit for the next 20 years.

It included a first stage of four light rail lines, to be complete by 2012, and a master plan for a 65-mile system, to be complete by 2025.

An April 2014 report by the Houston METRO on weekly ridership states that 44,267 used Houston's light rail service, which represented a 6,096 or 16% increase in ridership from April of the previous year.

This increase in light rail usage outpaced ridership of other forms of mass transit in the city of Houston: metro bus had a 2.3% increase over April 2013; metro bus-local had a 1.3% increase over April 2013; and Metro bus-Park and ride had a 8.o% increase over April 2013.

In a story published February 5, 2013, the Houston Chronicle reported on the congestion Houston drivers face under daily commute to and from work.

According to the Chronicle article, in 2011 Houston commuters continue to enjoy some of the worst traffic delays in the country, and Houston area drivers wasted more than two days a year, on average, in traffic congestion, costing them each $1,090 in lost time and fuel.

Today, those figures have increased to 3.5 days a year wasted in traffic congestion, costing them each $1,850 in lost time and fuel.

To put it in simpler and starker terms: A driver in Houston could see 154 movies this year or purchase 21 tickets to a home Texans game with the money wasted because of poorly maintained or traffic-clogged roads.

Expanded light rail is critical to Houston's plan to meet its transportation and environmental challenges, ease its traffic congestion, and improve its air quality.

Places most likely to see immediate benefit from light rail in Houston are the 50,000 students that attend the University of Houston and Texas Southern University.

Funds made available under this deal should be available to support local government decisions of the Houston Metropolitan transit Authority and the city of Houston to expand rail service.

When we put our minds to it, we can get things done.

In Houston, we built a port 50 miles from the ocean, created the world's greatest medical center in the middle of open prairie, and convinced the federal government to base its astronauts in a hurricane zone 870 miles from the launch pad.

Each of those achievements shares a common element: elected officials have advocated, built public support, and brought the agencies together.

Members of Congress should respect the decisions of state and local governments when it comes to deciding how they will spend funding made available for public transportation under this appropriations bill.

I ask my colleagues to again support the Jackson Lee Amendment and affirm the authority of the Secretary of Transportation to work with local governments to develop local transit projects that will relieve traffic congestion, efficiently move people and goods, create jobs and maintain America's status as the leading economy in the world.

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

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman from California, and I thank the manager of this bill, Judge Carter from Texas, for including my amendment in the en bloc amendment. Let me explain it very simply.

My amendment would help facilitate the Secretary of Homeland Security from being limited in their discretion for the utilization and enhancement of the use of Federal air marshals on inbound international flights considered to be high risk by the Department of Homeland Security.

My amendment ensures that the Federal Air Marshal Service effectively uses its funds to deploy personnel on inbound flights that are considered high risk by the Department of Homeland Security and that there is no limit on that ability.

I believe that Federal air marshals are the last line of defense in some instances in defending the cockpit and aircraft cabin against terrorist attacks. We know that airlines, airplanes, aviation still remains a very attractive target, as evidenced over the years, by terrorists.

As the former chairwoman of the Transportation Security Committee, I have worked over the years and sponsored legislation to ensure we had enough air marshals who receive all the requisite training to effectively secure aircraft.

Let me say that all of our individuals are important to the Department of Homeland Security. I ask my colleagues to support this amendment. I thank my colleagues for putting it in the en bloc, and I ask for its support.

Mr. Chair, let me thank Subcommittee Chairman Carter and Ranking Member Roybal-Allard for their leadership on this important legislation and for the opportunity to explain my amendment.

Thank you for this opportunity to explain my amendment, which simply prohibits any funds in the Homeland Appropriations Act from being used to limit the discretion of the Secretary of Homeland Security to enhance the use of Federal air marshals on inbound international flights considered to be high risk by the Department of Homeland Security.

My amendment ensures that the Federal Air Marshal Service effectively uses its funds to deploy personnel on inbound flights that are considered high risk by the Department of Homeland Security and that there is no limitation on that ability.

I believe that Federal Air Marshals are the last line of defense in defending the cockpit and aircraft cabin against terrorist attack.

As the former Chair and a current member of Homeland Security Transportation Security Subcommittee, I have worked over the years and sponsored legislation to ensure that we have enough air marshals and that they receive all the requisite training to effectively secure aircraft.

To best protect our Nation from terroristic threat it is of extreme importance that we use the necessary funds to support the use of Federal Air Marshalls on inbound international flights.

Make no mistake--the threat to our aviation system from aircraft inbound to the United States from foreign airports is serious and dangerous.

Following the capture and killing of Osama Bin Laden, intelligence was gathered that suggests that Al Qaeda still has an interest in attacking the U.S., likely through transportation modes.

This fact, coupled with the numerous suspicious activities even on domestic aircraft where passengers were attempting to open cabin doors in flight or otherwise disrupt flights, is of concern.

While my amendment deals with the threat on inbound aircraft to the U.S., its ultimate impact will be to ensure that air marshals are assigned to the highest-risk flights.

It simply prohibits funds from being used to limit the discretion Secretary of Homeland Security to enhance air marshal coverage on inbound high-risk flights in accordance with the Department's risk model.

The terroristic threats are ever changing and we must allow the Secretary of Homeland Security to make the necessary adjustments to protect the American people.

This is not a funding issue or people issue, rather a security issue and this amendment is budget neutral.

Let me thank those who at the Department of Homeland Security and its component agencies for their service, including my friends at the Transportation Security Administration.

Let me thank all Federal Air Marshals for their service to our nation.

I ask my colleagues to support Jackson Lee Amendment No. 89.

Mr. Speaker, to all of my colleagues and the American people, thanks so much for the outpouring of love from volunteers, first responders, and so many rescuers that came to Hurricane Harvey.

Let me thank my mayor, Mayor Turner; the county judge, Judge Emmett; all of the commissioners and council members. Let me thank, most of all, our first responders and all of those who sacrificed their lives; some who died, an officer who died. Let me thank the Marines, the Navy, the Army, and the Texas National Guard. Let me thank the people who suffered through and are still suffering through this disaster, the most significant historic natural disaster in the history of the United States.

They are needing food and shelter still. They are needing the help of this great Congress. They are needing love and prayers, and I am prayerful that we will go together, walking together, and providing the money that these victims need.

Let me give you a sad story. As I left Houston today, announcements were coming to those in apartments: You are evicted, with no place to go.

Yes, the apartments were destroyed, but there is no place to go. We need a continuing effort to be able to help them. We need the EPA to inspect the various chemical plants, and we need FEMA to be staffed more, and to be able to address some of the funding needs that we have.

The debris is unbelievable; maybe $200-plus billion, but all I can say is that the lives were lost, but we are still prayerful.

To the Saldivar family who lost four children in a drowning: My prayers are with you.

We continue to lift them up, and work as Americans to make sure they are whole.

God bless the people in the southeast where Irma might come.

Mr. Speaker, I conclude by simply saying: Please don't let the DACA young people be thrown out in this devastating time. They, too, need to be embraced.