Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, this is a Republican bill that we are trying to fix to keep the government open and not holding our Federal employees hostage.

I support this bill with qualifications that I know that in the 2020 fiscal year,

Democrats will put forward a humane bill that addresses many of these issues. We gave $1.37 billion for barriers, not the wall.

We are protecting the environment in my own State: the Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, the National Butterfly Center, the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, places where I have gone and people are pleading: Don't put fences there.

We brought down the number of ICE detention beds from 49,000-50,000 to 40,000, and, of course, we have provided, as I have indicated, and fought for facilities that deal with those children and women that are coming across: $415 million for enhanced medical support; transportation; food; clothing for migrants in detention, particularly children; and $30.5 million for family case management.

As my good friend said, we brought up the alternative detention from 82,000 to 100,000. As my good friend said, there is $400 million for VAWA. We are funding these programs because we understand how important they are.

Finally, of course, in the justice area, we have given money for Byrne grants; Community Oriented Policing Services, sexual assault kits and DNA, Second Chance Act programs, and we funded NASA.

But more importantly, Madam Speaker, I think we have made a very important point that should be made, and that is, as we work toward fiscal year 2020 appropriations, it is critical that we ensure that robust accountability of DHS, including limiting the agency's transfer authority and dramatically reducing the number of people who are held in detention, utilizing proven alternatives to detention, including community-based alternatives and parole for the vast majority of people who are held in detention who pose no public safety threat or risk.

ICE--we have to realize, there must be due process and justice. It is unfortunate that this administration's treatment of immigrants is unconscionable and inhumane. We can do better and we will do better.

But the final point of all of this today is, we stand on the floor to not hold our Federal employees hostage and to open the government. I will be going forward with the qualifications of working on a better bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.J. Res. 31, which makes the consolidated appropriations needed to fund the departments, agencies, and programs of the federal government through September 30, 2019, and hopefully brings to a merciful end the uncertainty and hardship cruelly inflicted upon federal employees, contractors, and the American people by the President's decision to shut down the government.

I thank Chairman Lowey, Ranking Member Granger, and their fellow House conferees for their work in reaching this bipartisan agreement.

Left to our own devices, House Democrats clearly could and would have made many different and better funding decisions but this agreement is the best deal attainable in the circumstances, and importantly, it responsibly funds the government for the remainder, while securing our border.

Madam Speaker, coming from a border state, I am very pleased that this legislation does not provide the President the billions of dollars he demanded for a wasteful, ineffective, and immoral concrete wall.

In fact, it rejects the President's demand for $5.7 billion for his wall and provides instead $1.375 billion for physical barriers with language specifying that new fencing is limited to currently deployed designs--ruling out the President's border wall proposal.

My constituents and other Texans will be gratified to learn that this legislation specifically prohibits construction on sensitive environmental areas such as the Bentsen-Rio State Park, the National Butterfly Center, the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge, La Lomita Historical Park, and the Lower Rio Grande Wildlife Refuge between Brownsville, TX, and the Gulf of Mexico.

I also strongly approve that the legislation provides a path to a reduction in ICE detention beds from 49,057 today to 40,520 at the end of the fiscal year, bringing the number of detention beds back to the level of average daily population funded in the FY18 omnibus bill.

This reduction in ICE detention beds, combined with Democratic control of the Appropriations Committee and new biannual inspections of detention facilities, will provide a check on the Trump Administration's out-of-control deportation policy that targets law- abiding families instead of focusing on deporting violent criminals;

The agreement before also provides funding a more humane immigration system with $415 million for enhanced medical support, transportation, food and clothing for migrants in detention, particularly children and families; $30.5 million for family case management; an expansion in Alternatives to Detention participants from 82,000 to 100,000; and a prohibition on ICE using information collected by HHS from sponsors of migrant children for removal and deportation purposes.

I also strongly support the new investments in national security provided in the legislation, including a new Coast Guard Polar Security Cutter, the first icebreaker in over 40 years; and an $884 million increase for the Transportation Security Administration.

In addition to the bipartisan compromise on Homeland Security, the legislation before us includes six other appropriations bills that reject the President's deep budget cuts and instead make bold investments in to fund the programs Americans depend on and need to move our nation forward.

For example, the agreement funds a 1.9 percent pay raise to federal workers that overrides the President's decision to deny these hardworking and dedicated public servants a pay raise.

The agreement provides $3.8 billion for the 2020 Census, an increase of $1 billion, to ensure a fair and accurate count.

The agreement provides more than $3 billion for state and local law enforcement to keep communities safe, including by addressing the opioid crisis, closing sexual assault kit backlogs and hiring more police officers.

Madam Speaker, all Members should celebrate the fact that the agreement provides more than $17 billion in funding for new infrastructure investments to improve our roads, bridges, highways, railways and mass transit.

Another reason why I strongly support the legislation before us is because it restores and increases investments in job-creating initiatives for economic and business development, including for minority and women-owned businesses, that the Trump Administration tried to eliminate or reduce drastically.

Madam Speaker, the bipartisan agreement before us rejects the Trump Administration's attacks on the environment by blocking the Administration's deep cuts to initiatives to protect clean water, clean air and public lands and it invests more than $9 billion in the EPA and Land and Water Conservation Fund.

The agreement reinforces and strengthens America's global leadership by rejecting the Trump Administration's radical cuts and securing $9.1 billion in security assistance for allies, including $3.03 billion for Israel, $5.7 billion for PEPFAR and $1.7 billion for the Food for Peace program.

Madam Speaker, I would like to draw particular attention to provisions in the consolidated appropriations conference report that are of special interest to my congressional district.

Customs and Border Protection: $1.375 billion, $4.325 billion less than the $5.7 billion the Trump administration requested, for approximately 55 miles of physical barrier along the southern border in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

$564 million for the installation of non-intrusive imaging equipment in the in-bound lanes of southwest border land ports of entry-- significantly increasing the percentage of cars and commercial cargo scanned for narcotics and other contraband.

$415 million for humanitarian relief specifically for medical care, transportation, food and cloth; for humanitarian improvements to the McAllen Central Processing Center; and for a new El Paso CBP processing facility.

$100 million for new border security technology.

$77 million for opioid equipment and staffing for use at international mail and express consignment facilities.

$59 million for 600 new CBP Officers and encourages CBP to use fee funding to hire up to 600 additional CBP officers for a total of 1,200 new officers.

Does not fund the Administration's request for joint detention facilities.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)--Provides an appropriated level for detention beds that establishes Congress's intent to reduce the daily population in ICE detention to approximately 40,520 by the end of the fiscal year, down from a current count of approximately 49,060.

Expands the Alternatives to Detention program from 82,000 to 100,000.

Provides $30.5 million for ATD family case management, which improves compliance with immigration court obligations by helping families' access community-based support for basic housing, healthcare, legal, and educational needs.

Provides $40 million for additional ICE staffing dedicated to overall ATD case management, particularly for asylum seekers.

Funds additional detention facility inspectors in the Office of Professional Oversight to bring the number of inspections up from once every three years to twice per year.

Provides funding to bring the number of detention facilities in compliance with PREA requirements from 86 percent to 97 percent.

Provides $7.4 million for additional attorneys and for courtroom expansion to assist in the backlog of immigration cases currently in the system.

$1.9 billion for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which focuses on a wide variety of investigations with a cross-border nexus, including those related to human trafficking, financial crimes and cyber investigations.

$7.5 million for new HSI Victim Assistant Specialists and $44 million for new staffing to enhance opioid/fentanyl-related investigations and analyses.

No funding for additional enforcement and removal field personnel.

Coast Guard--12 billion total funding ($10.3 billion in discretionary funding) and provides for an additional 250 military personnel.

Transportation Security Agency (TSA)--$4.9 billion in net discretionary funding, an increase of $884 million above the request and $5 million above the FY 2018 enacted level.

Includes additional funding for computed tomography imaging systems and $40 million for airport explosive detection system reimbursement.

Fully funds the TSA Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response teams, staffing at exit lanes, as required by law, and the Law Enforcement Officer reimbursement program.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)--$16.6 billion in net discretionary funding, an increase of $5.5 billion above the request and $4.2 billion above the FY 2018 enacted level.

$12 billion for disaster relief to help States, communities and citizens respond to and recover from disasters, as well as cost effective mitigation to reduce the risk from future disasters.

$3.1 billion for grants to help States, communities, citizens, and nonprofit organizations, with every grant being at or above the FY 2018 level, including $277 million for training, exercises, and education for our Nation's first responders and emergency managers.

An additional $111 million above the request for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to address high priority cybersecurity and infrastructure protection vulnerabilities.

$10 million in direct funding for Citizenship and Integration grants, instead of relying on fee revenue to support the program.

$820 million to support cutting edge science and technology programs.

The bill includes the following provisions related to phisical barriers: continues language allowing only fencing designs in use as of 2017 and prohibits construction on sensitive environmental areas such as the Bentsen-Rio State Park, the National Butterfly Center, the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge, La Lomita Historical Park, and the Lower Rio Grande Wildlife Refuge between Brownsville, TX and the Gulf of Mexico.

The bill improves transparency by requiring ICE to make public information about the numbers and types of people in its custody, such as families; border apprehension detainees; interior enforcement detainees; and those who are in custody who have a positive credible fear claim.

Prohibits DHS from preventing a Member of Congress from entering any facility that is used to detain or otherwise house children and directs DHS to make no changes to the current operations and facility conditions in anticipation of a congressional oversight visit.

Prevents DHS from destroying any record related to potential sexual assault or abuse of any individual in DHS's custody.

Prohibits ICE from using information provided by the Office of Refugee Resettlement about sponsors or potential sponsors of unaccompanied children to arrest, detain, or remove those individuals, unless that information reveals the individual has a dangerous criminal background.

Prevents DHS from placing pregnant women in restraints who are in the custody of DHS, except in extraordinary circumstances. Provides oversight of ICE treatment of detainees, including protections for pregnant refugees, prohibiting destruction of detainee sexual assault records, and public reporting related to detainees in ICE custody.

$6.075 billion in discretionary funding for Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which is $100 million below the FY 2018 enacted level and $325 million above the President's budget request.

$73.477 billion for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which will fully fund the program in 2019.

$23.141 billion for Child Nutrition Programs, which will fully fund the program in 2019.

International Programs: $1.716 billion for Food for Peace and $210.255 million for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is funded at $3.08 billion in discretionary funding for the FDA, an increase of $269 million.

Census Bureau--$3.82 billion, an increase of more than $1 billion above FY 2018 and $20.9 million above the President's budget request, to enable the Bureau to effectively prepare for a thorough, accurate, and cost-effective 2020 Decennial Census.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) is funded at $3.37 billion, equal to the President's budget request.

Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program: $140 million, equal to the FY2018 enacted level. The President had proposed completely eliminating this program.

NOAA Climate Research: $159 million, an increase of $1 million above the FY2018 enacted level and $60.4 million above the President's budget request.

National Weather Service: $1 billion for operating expenses, an increase of $6.6 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $85.5 million above the President's budget request.

U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)--$30.9 billion overall for Department of Justice, which is more than $638 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $2.1 billion above the President's budget request.

Federal Bureau of Investigation--$9.6 billion, an increase of $177 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $653 million above the President's budget request.

United States Attorneys--$2.2 billion, an increase of $75 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $107 million above the President's budget request.

United States Marshals Service--$2.93 billion, an increase of $25 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $104 million above the President's budget request.

Drug Enforcement Administration--$2.3 billion, an increase of $77 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $80 million above the President's budget request.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)--$1.3 billion, an increase of $23 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and the same as the President's budget request.

Grants to State and Local Law Enforcement--$3.02 billion:

1. $423.5 million for Byrne JAG;

2. $303.5 million for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program;

3. $178 million to address sexual assault kit and other DNA evidence backlogs;

4. $87.5 million for Second Chance Act programs;

5. $347 million for grant programs to address the opioid crisis;

6. $100 million for the STOP School Violence Act;

7. $497.5 million for Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) programs; and

8. $75 million for grants to improve the NICS firearms background check system.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)--$21.5 billion, an increase of $763.9 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $1.6 billion above the President's budget request.

$1.93 billion for Earth science, an increase of $10 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $146.8 million above the President's budget request, to enable better scientific information about the Earth and its changing climate.

$725 million for aeronautics research, an increase of $40 million above FY 2018 and $91.1 million above the President's budget request, to continue efforts to make passenger air travel safer, more fuel efficient, less noisy, and more environmentally sustainable.

$110 million for NASA's STEM education efforts, an increase of $10 million above FY 2018, to enable NASA to inspire young people to pursue future careers in science. This amount includes funding increases for the Space Grant program, Minority University Research and Education Project, and Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCOR). The President had proposed eliminating funding for all of these.

$8.1 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF), an increase of $307.6 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $603 million above the President's budget request.

Legal Services Corporation is funded at $415 million, $5 million above the FY 2018 enacted level; the President had proposed completely eliminating this program, which helps provide legal assistance to underserved communities.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission--$379.5 million.

International Trade Commission (ITC)--$95 million to enable ITC to investigate unfair trade practices that harm American companies.

Crime Victims Fund is funded at $3.35 billion for victims and for victim services, including a Tribal set-aside of nearly $168 million for programs to assist Native American victims of crime.

Federal Defender Services--$1.15 billion, an increase of $71.7 million.

District of Columbia (DC)--$726 million for special payments to DC, an increase of $4.2 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $67.2 million above the President's budget request; the bill rejects the President's proposal

to eliminate the Tuition Assistance Grant (TAG) Program.

Office of Government Ethics (OGE) is funded at $17 million, a modest increase over both the President's budget request and the FY 2018 enacted level.

Small Business Administration (SBA) is funded at $715 million, which is $14.5 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $36.4 million above the President's budget request.

The cap on SBA's 7a loan program increases to $30 billion, which is $1 billion more than the current level and this amount includes $247.7 million for Entrepreneurial Development Programs (EDP), which is $55 million more than the President's budget request.

National Park Service is funded at $3.22 billion, an increase of $20 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $521 million above the President's budget request.

Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education is funded at $3.08 billion, an increase of $17 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $667 million above the President's budget request.

Land and Water Conservation Fund is appropriated $435 million, which is $10 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $435 million above the President's budget request.

Clean Water State Revolving Fund receives $1.7 billion, which is equal to the 2018 enacted level and $300 million above the President's budget request.

Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund is funded at $1.2 billion, which is equal to the 2018 enacted level and $300 million above the President's budget request.

Indian Health Service is funded at $5.8 billion, an increase of $266 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $380 million above the President's budget request.

Smithsonian Institution is funded at $1.04 billion, equal to the FY 2018 enacted level and $86 million above the President's budget request.

$155 million for the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities (NEA/NEH), the President's budget proposal to eliminate the Agencies.

$5.1 billion for State Department Operations, which is $114 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $662 million above the President's budget request, and $6.1 billion for Embassy and Diplomatic Security, which is the same as the FY 2018 enacted level and $716 million above the President's budget request.

Security Assistance--$9.15 billion, including $3.3 billion for Israel, fully meeting U.S. commitments under the new Memorandum of Understanding.

Education and Cultural Exchanges--$701 million, which is $55 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $542 million above the President's budget request.

Contributions to International Organizations--$1.36 billion for assessed contributions to international organizations, which is $107 million less than the FY 2018 enacted level and $265 million above the President's budget request.

Contributions to International Peacekeeping--$1.55 billion, which is $169 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $355 million above the President's budget request.

President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)--$5.7 billion, which is $50 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $945 million above the President's budget request, including $1.35 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)--$1.37 billion in total funding for the operating expenses of USAID, which is $25 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $258 million above the President's budget request.

Global Health Programs--$3.1 billion, including $575 million for family planning programs, $302 million to fight tuberculosis, $145 million for nutrition programs, $755 million to combat malaria, and $290 million for GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.

Development Assistance--$3 billion for Development Assistance.

Economic Support Fund (ESF)--$3.7 billion in total funding for Economic Support Funds, which is $251 million less than the FY 2018 enacted level.

Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Assistance--$7.8 billion, which is $173 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $1.46 billion above the President's budget request.

International Disaster Assistance (IDA)--$4.4 billion, which is $100 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $828 million above the President's budget request.

Refugee Assistance--$3.4 billion, which is $73 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $632 million above the President's budget request.

Multilateral Assistance--$1.86 billion to meet U.S. commitments to multilateral organizations and international financial institutions, which is equal to the FY 2018 enacted level and $440 million above the President's budget request.

Peace Corps--$410 million, $500,000 above the FY 2018 enacted level and $14 million above the President's budget request.

Millennium Challenge Corporation--$905 million, which is equal to the FY 2018 enacted level and $105 million above the President's budget request.

Department of Transportation (DOT) $86.5 billion overall for DOT, including $9 billion for new transportation infrastructure. National Infrastructure Investments (TIGER or BUILD) is funded at $900 million, a decrease of $600 million below the FY 2018 enacted level and $900 million above the President's budget request. The funding will be allocated 5o percent to urban areas and 5o percent to rural areas.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)--$17.5 billion, which is $549 million below the FY 2018 enacted level and $1.3 billion above the President's budget request.

Airport Improvement Program grants receive an additional $500 million to accelerate infrastructure investments at airports.

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)--$49.3 billion, an increase of $1.8 billion above the FY 2018 enacted level and $3.5 billion above the President's budget request.

Highway Infrastructure Programs are funded at $3.3 billion for highway and bridge rehabilitation and construction as well as safety improvements at railroad grade crossings.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)--$966 million, an increase of $19 million above the FY2018 enacted level and $52 million above the President's budget request.

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)--$2.9 billion, which is $218 million below the FY 2018 enacted level and $1.9 billion above the President's budget request.

Amtrak is funded at $1.9 billion, equal to FY 2018 enacted level, and $670 million is provided for rail infrastructure improvements.

The Magnetic Levitation Program is funded at $10 million.

Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is funded at $13.4 billion, 2.3 billion above the President's budget request. Within this amount, Capital Investment Grants are funded at $2.6 billion, sufficient to fund all signed Full Funding Grant Agreements and continue work on projects in the development pipeline.

Transit Infrastructure Grants are funded at $700 million to improve and modernize transit infrastructure.

Maritime Administration (MARAD)--$1.1 billion, which is $419 million above the President's budget request; within this amount, the Maritime Security Program is funded at $300 million, funding is provided for the construction of a new schoolship, and $293 million is provided for port infrastructure development.

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)--$275 million, which is $21 million above the President's budget request.

$8 billion for new housing and public infrastructure.

Public and Indian Housing (PIH)--$31 billion, an increase of $6.4 billion above the President's budget request.

Tenant-Based Rental Assistance is funded at $20.3 billion, adequate to renew all existing vouchers.

Public Housing Capital Fund is funded at $2.8 billion and the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative is funded at $150 million-both programs will revitalize our nation's public housing stock.

A mobility voucher demonstration program is funded at $25 million.

Community Planning and Development (CPD)--$7.7 billion, an increase of $29 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $5 billion above the President's budget request.

Homeless Assistance Grants are funded at $2.6 billion.

Community Development Block Grants are funded at $3.4 billion.

The HOME program is funded at $1.3 billion.

Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS is funded at $393 million.

Housing Programs are funded $12.7 billion, an increase of $726 million above the President's budget request.

$61 million is for the renovation and construction of housing units for the elderly and $30 million is for new housing units for persons with disabilities.

Project-Based Rental Assistance is fully-funded at $11.7 billion.

Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity is funded at $65.3 million, equal to the FY 2018 enacted level and $3 million above the President's budget request.

Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes is slated to receive $279 million, an increase of $49 million above the FY 2018 enacted level and $134 million above the President's budget request.

Madam Speaker, the collateral damage caused by the Trump Shutdown was substantial, long lasting, and unnecessary because it could have been avoided had the President not reneged on his promise to sign the continuing resolution passed by the Senate unanimously on December 19, 2018.

Instead, the President callously shut down the government for 35 days, furloughing

800,000 civil servants and forcing nearly half that many to work without pay, which cost the national economy more than $11 billion in lost productivity and economic output.

Because the President broke his promise, frontline federal employees, including law enforcement and public safety personnel, worked without pay from December 22 through January 25, 2019.

The way these federal workers, many of whom risk their lives in the service of this country, were treated was shameful.

The shutdown forced some employees to look for new jobs or take on extra work, and the pressure was immense for employees and families with no other source of income.

Among those not receiving a pay check for their work were 3,200 Secret Service agents who risk their lives every single day to protect the President and his family.

In addition to the federal employees working without pay, hardworking federal employees at agencies like the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Agriculture, and NASA had been furloughed without pay, plunging them and their families into uncertainty.

Madam Speaker, shutting down the Government of the United States, or any portion thereof, is not an acceptable tactic or strategy for resolving differences regarding policy, funding levels, or governing philosophy.

It should never happen again.

Given the damage mercilessly inflicted on the American people and the economy by the Trump Shutdown, Congress has a fiduciary duty to the American people to ensure the continued, uninterrupted operations of the Government of the United States and its services.

And that begins with an overwhelming majority vote in support of H.J. Res. 31.

Madam Speaker, this bill that we came to have to fix as a Republican bill was a compromise, but it was a compromise with humanitarianism and passion and compassion.

This border security and funding bill that Democrats fixed did some good things. In particular, it raised the number to 100,000 alternative detention sites for women and children; it provided healthcare where there was no healthcare so that little children would not die at the border; and it prevented ICE from using data to deport people who are trying to pick up their children.

The good news is our Federal employees will not be held as hostages, and we have given them a 1.9 percent raise. As well, we provided for Food for Peace, for people who are struggling around the world, $1.7 billion.

As a member of the Judiciary Committee, we provided $423 million for the Byrne Grant; $178 million to address sexual assault kits and other DNA; $100 million for STOP School Violence; $497 million, Madam Speaker, for the Violence Against Women Act; and $75 million for gun control, or at least the checks for background.

Madam Speaker, this is a humanitarian bill, and I ask my colleagues to recognize it.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts and the gentleman from California for their leadership on this matter. They have discussed this over the months, and I have been pleased to join them in this effort.

Madam Speaker, U.S. bombs are bombing school buses of 40 children. U.S. bombs are bombing those in Yemen who are innocent citizens. The violence through bombing has been facilitated with U.S. resources. This is a demand that is without parallel of its necessity.

The question is whether we are engaged without the authorization of the United States Congress, whether we have declared war against Yemen. If the answer is no, then this resolution is appropriate.

Yemen is the poorest or one of the poorest countries in the world. This resolution clearly says that we should stop the hostilities against the Houthi forces. More importantly, we should stop being used by the Saudi forces.

By the way, having gone to Yemen, I know that at least a decade ago, Saudi closed its doors to the Yemen young men, who could find no work in Yemen because of its poverty, to go into Saudi to work there. Without that opportunity, all we ceded was poverty and violence. Now, because of the conflict, we have been bombing Yemen citizens for many years.

This is a constructive resolution. It does not violate the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force. It is one that says that we must take our forces and impact out of Yemen.

Let me also say that I know that we will discuss this further, but I do want to add that it is crucial to take note that we have an agreement on border security and funding the different agencies, so that we do not hold our Federal employees hostage and we don't shut the government.

This resolution, coming back to this resolution dealing with directing the removal of Armed Forces from Yemen, is constructive work of the Democratic Caucus and Democratic Members. We hope our Republican Members will join us in doing the right thing in removing the impact of the United States forces in Yemen.

Stop bombing children.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of H.J. Res. 37, which directs the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress.

The passage of H.J. Res. 37 would mark the first time in the 45 years since the enactment of the War Powers Act that the House of Representatives successfully invoked the statute's removal mechanism to compel the Executive Branch to remove American troops from harm's way.

I support this resolution because, Congress has the sole power to declare war under Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the United States Constitution.

Mr. Chair, Congress has not declared war with respect to, or provided a specific statutory authorization for, the conflict between military forces led by Saudi Arabia, including forces from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Senegal, and Sudan (the Saudi-led coalition), against the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, in the Republic of Yemen.

Since March 2015, members of the United States Armed Forces have been introduced into hostilities between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis, including providing to the Saudi-led coalition aerial targeting assistance, intelligence sharing, and mid-flight aerial refueling.

The United States has established a Joint Combined Planning Cell with Saudi Arabia, in which members of the United States Armed Forces assist in aerial targeting and help to coordinate military and intelligence activities.

Mr. Chair, the conflict between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis constitutes, within the meaning of Section 4(a) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1543(a)), either hostilities or a situation where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances into which United States Armed Forces have been introduced.

Section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1544(c)) states that, ``at any time that United States Armed Forces are engaged in hostilities outside the territory of the United States, its possessions and territories without a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization, such forces shall be removed by the President if the Congress so directs''.

Most importantly, no specific statutory authorization for the use of United States Armed Forces with respect to the conflict between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis in Yemen has been enacted.

Also, no provision of law explicitly authorizes the provision of targeting assistance or of midair refueling services to warplanes of Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates that are engaged in such conflict.

For this reason, the resolution directs that the President remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities in or affecting the Republic of Yemen, except United States Armed Forces engaged in operations directed at al-Qaeda or associated forces, by not later than the date that is 30 days after the date of the enactment.

The resolution makes clear that the term ``hostilities'' includes in- flight refueling, non-United States aircraft conducting missions as part of the ongoing civil war in Yemen.

Mr. Chair, Yemen is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world right now.

The Yemen crisis began in the Arab Spring of 2011, when an uprising forced the country's long-time authoritarian president, Ali Abdullah

Saleh, to hand over power to his deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.

Since 2015, Saudis Arabia has launched an estimated 18,000 air strikes on Yemen, attacking hospitals, schools, water treatment plants, funerals, markets and even farms.

The Saudis also imposed a blockade on food, fuel and medicine from freely entering the country in what can only be described as a deliberate effort to starve the civilian population into submission.

More than 14 million Yemenis are steps away from starvation and at least 85,000 children under the age of five have perished from war- related hunger and disease.

The United States has supported the Saudi-led air campaign with mid- air refueling support, intelligence and targeting assistance, and other support.

Yemen is experiencing the world's worst famine in 100 years, with 12 million to 13 million innocent civilians at risk of dying from the lack of food within months.

Mr. Chair, too many lives hang in the balance to allow American involvement in Yemen war to continue.

I ask all members to join me in supporting H.J. Res. 37.

Mr. Speaker, we have spent a very long day in the Judiciary Committee working on legislation to respond to the American people's cry for universal background checks, but I rise as well, in the backdrop of that legislation, to stand for the victims of gun violence.

I think it is important to note that America has 329 million people- plus here in the United States, and it is growing every day. But we have 393 million guns here in this country. We have lost, in this past year, almost 40,000 people to gun violence.

I believe it is important, in a bipartisan way, that, when we are here in the people's House, we act on behalf of the American people. They want fair, simple universal background checks, which I hope will be on this floor very soon.

Let me close by giving my deepest sympathy to the family, friends, and staff of Walter Jones. I viewed him as a great American, a great public servant, and one of great principle. I know that Walter, in his life and now in his passing, will wish for this Nation peace and dignity for all of those men and women who serve in the United States military.

May he rest in peace.

Madam Speaker, I rise to mourn the passing and commemorate the remarkable life of Congressman John David Dingell, Jr. of Michigan, who passed away on February 7, 2019 at the age of 92.

John Dingell was one of the towering figures in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives and of our nation.

John Dingell served this House and this nation with integrity, grace, intellect, and legislative mastery for nearly six decades; in fact his retirement at the end of the 114th Congress brought an end to the longest tenure of service in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives at 59 years and 21 days of service, a record that is unlikely to be duplicated or surpassed.

John Dingell was present at the creation and played a major role in shaping virtually every landmark piece of legislation of the last half century, including the legislation creating the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act, Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Social Security Amendments of 1965 which created Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act to name just a few.

As Chairman of the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee for sixteen years, John Dingell shepherded through to passage the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act, among other pieces of legislation.

And for more than a half century, John Dingell honored the memory and passion of his father and congressional predecessor--John D. Dingell, Sr.--in introducing at the beginning of each new Congress legislation providing for universal healthcare.

His persistence was rewarded in 1965 when he was chosen to preside as Speaker Pro Tempore on the day the House passed the legislation creating Medicare and Medicaid.

Madam Speaker, John Dingell's service to this institution began in 1938 when he became a House page at 11 and he was in the chamber on December 8, 1941, when President Franklin Roosevelt announced that a state of war existed between the United States and Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

A member of the Greatest Generation, John Dingell enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II where he rose to the rank of Second Lieutenant.

After the war, John Dingell went on to earn his undergraduate degree in chemistry and law degree from Georgetown University in 1949 and 1952, respectively.

After law school John Dingell returned to his hometown of Detroit where he worked as a Wayne County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney before winning the special election in 1955 on to fill the unexpired term of the congressional seat that had been held by his late father since 1933.

John Dingell was elected to a full term in 1956 and reelected to each of the succeeding 28 Congresses.

Madam Speaker, as we mourn the passing of our friend and colleague, we also celebrate a remarkable life of honorable and extraordinary service to our nation.

As he reminded us in his farewell message published after his passing, his work was not done alone, and the fight to make ours a more perfect union requires the work of Democrats as well as Republicans, who put country over party.

And, of course, John Dingell was forever grateful for the love of his life, his wife Deborah--who would be his partner the last forty years of his life and carries on the proud Dingell family tradition of representing southeast Michigan in the United States Congress.

I ask the House to observe a moment of silence in memory of the Honorable John David Dingell, Jr., of Michigan.

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a great American and a distinguished member of this House, the Honorable Walter B. Jones, Jr.

The Honorable Walter B. Jones, died on Sunday, February 10, 2019 after a long illness.

In addition to being a beloved and highly respected member of the House, Walter Jones was also a small business owner and a veteran of the National Guard.

His presence will be greatly missed and we all mourn his loss and extend our sincerest condolences to his family and friends.

Walter Beaman Jones, Jr. was born February 10, 1943 in Farmville, North Carolina to Walter B. and Doris Long Jones, where he was raised.

Madam Speaker, Walter Jones attended Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia and graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor of Arts from Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College) in Wilson, North Carolina.

Shortly after graduation Walter Jones joined the North Carolina National Guard while also working as an executive with his family's business supply company.

In 1982, Walter Jones, the son of Congressman Walter B. Jones, Sr., was first elected as a Democrat to the North Carolina House of Representatives.

After serving five successful terms and being known for his advocacy of campaign finance reform and lobbying reform, in 1994, Walter Jones sought and won a seat in the United States House of Representatives representing the Third Congressional District of North Carolina.

Walter Jones was a dedicated and tireless advocate for his community and always put the interests of his district before the interests of his party.

In Congress, Walter Jones was an effective and powerful voice for those serving on active duty as well as veterans.

In 2000, Walter Jones fought to help clear the names of two Marine pilots wrongly blamed for the deadly crash of a V-22 Osprey.

In 2016, the Navy issued a clarification about the cause of the fatal crash.

Anyone who met Walter Jones knew of his tenacity and abiding love for the military.

Walter Jones fought against the corrosive influence of money in politics for much of his career.

As co-chair of the Campaign Finance Reform Caucus, Walter Jones pushed for reforms to lessen the impact and role of large campaign contributions and called for the repeal of the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United, v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310 (2010), which opened the floodgates for dark money and super PACs, and he advocated for public financing of election campaigns.

During his quarter century of service in Congress he served on the Committee on Armed Services as well as its Subcommittees on Tactical Air and Land Forces and on Military Personnel.

Madam Speaker, a dear colleague has fallen but he will not be forgotten.

We are all saddened by the passing of the Honorable Walter B. Jones, Jr. but we are happy to have served with him and our prayers and condolences are with his family and loved ones.

Madam Speaker, Walter B. Jones, Jr. was a faithful public servant, a great legislator, and a good man, who will be missed by all who knew and loved him.

I ask the House to observe a moment of silence in memory of the Honorable Walter Beaman Jones, Jr., of North Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, the clarity that I would like to offer is that none of us should tolerate any shutdown of the government or ever holding our Federal workers hostage to policy debates, and that is for my colleagues and friends on the other side of the aisle and for this administration.

But I think in all fairness, the clarity on the question of detention beds is to make sure that the criminals are detained and to make sure that women and children, like little 9-month-old Roger, have alternative housing. That is the debate. But that debate can go on and go on beyond holding the government hostage and our workers hostage.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to introduce the fact that I am establishing the Congressional Children's Caucus, as we have done every year since I have been here. Our focus is for better quality of life for children, not only in this Nation but around the world. One of the priorities will be hunger amongst children here in the United States and around the world.

It is noteworthy that children do go to bed hungry here in the United States, and it is important that we support the food nutrition programs and the lunch, breakfast, and dinner programs in our public schools.

We must ensure that this Nation protects its children.

Mr. Speaker, let me say that the gentleman from New York is doing an excellent job. He has translated the great leadership of the New York legislature and brought it here to the House. We thank the gentleman for his service.

I have been affected by the gentleman from Georgia's comments. We have been on this floor together, and I know that we have a heart of service. As well--coming from Georgia, coming from Texas--we know veterans and we certainly know Active-Duty persons as well.

So I rise to support the policy underpinnings of this legislation that has been so well articulated by the gentleman from New York.

And it is important to note, just as background: When this government was wrongly shut down, we lost $11 billion, $3 billion that we will never see again and $8 billion that we may see again. But, in the course of that, all of us interacted with our veterans, many of them devastated because some of them were in positions that caused them to be furloughed. That means they were not getting a paycheck.

Some of them, of course, are disabled veterans or veterans who are engaged in the veterans' health system.

And we know that these veterans have pride. So this bill is an authorizing bill that affirms that pride, that allows veterans--many of them young veterans, having been in the Afghanistan war, having been in the Iraq war, having been in Syria--many of them young with young children, that they can go to get their medical care--that is well needed--by now having childcare during their medical care visits.

And I am glad the gentleman from New York made it clear over and over again that this is an authorizing bill. There is no need for paygo. There is no need for the offset. That will be handled. This is a policy point.

This is Democrats, hopefully joined by Republicans, to affirm our commitment to the service of veterans. But, as I do that, maybe the gentleman from Georgia would join me in reconsidering the new tax cuts by the GOP, which would cost $3.8 trillion to the deficit this second round and create $3.2 trillion in the Federal deficit over a decade.

Maybe my good friend will join me and indicate that our veterans are more important, that services to our families are more important, and, therefore, let's reconsider this deficit-busting GOP tax bill.

But as relates to this policy, I am grateful to the leadership of the Veterans' Affairs Committee. I thank the gentleman from New York in the Rules Committee for bringing forward this thoughtful, smart veterans bill. Remember, you have been hearing us talk about smart border security, and we are working on that right now to keep the government open, but this is a smart bill.

I have a veterans hospital in my area, formerly in my district, and I know how important Medicare is.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the rule, and I rise to support the underlying legislation, which is authorizing legislation to help veterans have childcare when they go to get their medical care.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 494) to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to reauthorize the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant program, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include

extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, this is a very special bill to my heart and to my constituents and to the many, many advocates dealing with the reformation of the juvenile justice system and the importance of such.

I would like to take note of many of them, but, in particular, the National Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Council and Coalition that represent decades of work all over the Nation, organizations that recognize that the best place for our young juveniles that have had some encounter with the system is not in a detention-like jail.

I hope that as we move forward on criminal justice reform and juvenile justice reform that we can reform the places and the attitudes toward juveniles who run awry of the system all over the Nation.

This bill is named for Tiffany May Joslyn, a champion for criminal justice reform, who formerly served as deputy chief counsel of the Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations Subcommittee, and whose life tragically was cut short on March 5, 2016, in a car accident, which sadly also claimed the life of her brother Derrick. She was just 33 years old.

Her family loved her. Her family still remembers how much she talked about her work on the House Judiciary Committee and the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations that I served on at that time as the ranking member.

So passage of this bill last Congress in this body was both bitter and sweet, but I would understand that Tiffany, in the place where she is, would have been proud as she championed these causes fearlessly. This moment is for both her and for all of the millions of young people that will be helped by this bill.

We worked very hard on this bill, and it is a bipartisan bill. It has, I believe, those who have an interest in doing the very best for our Nation and for our young people.

The Tiffany Joslyn bill will help stem the epidemic of juveniles within the criminal justice system by reauthorizing the juvenile justice system and the juvenile accountability block grant program and providing funding to State and local governments for the creation of antibullying and antigang prevention programs and intervention.

It is clearly important to recognize that it is only us that can begin to reframe the old-fashioned attitudes about ``lock'em up.'' We know that there was a period of time, Mr. Speaker, when it was a shift so that schools and the education system were saying: Get the bad apples out of your classroom, not even into the principal's office or not even into the auditorium for detention.

They leaped from the classroom into the hands of law enforcement officers who then, as we have seen some of the untoward actions, had to wrestle them down or there was emotional encounters, but they went downtown, as many of us would say, to the county jail or to the detention center.

We hope that we will provide other tools to be able to intervene on behaviors by way of providing resources to some of our well-documented groups and organizations and new ones that have creative ways of intervening in a juvenile's life. How many of us have heard the story of how a pilot, a lawyer, a doctor started out their life, and then how they wound up as being contributing citizens because someone intervened. This bill is about intervention.

In addition to reauthorizing the juvenile justice programs, the Tiffany Joslyn Juvenile Accountability Block Grant, and the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act clarifies how to address the occurrences of bullying through developmentally appropriate intervention and prevention techniques, which center on evidence-based models and best practices.

Best practices bring people together, because it doesn't matter whether you are Republican or Democrat, it brings people together, and that is best practices that rely on schools and communities rather than the involvement from law enforcement and the justice system.

What we want is to put a big red stop sign in front of the life of every juvenile that might be awry with the system, and procedures and rules to be able to find an alternative way.

H.R. 494 is designed to help both the victims and perpetrators of bullying. Research studies have shown that approximately 25 percent of school bullies will be convicted of a criminal offense in their adult years. Let's put a stop sign there. Let's not have that happen.

We also recognize that cyberbullying has become an epidemic, particularly for young people. Their life is centered around technology. Many times they are in their home, bedroom, et cetera, only with technology, and they use that in a way--because their brains are not matured until 25 and over, they use it in a way that they don't fully comprehend how vicious, how devastating this could be to the receiver of that information, how exposing that could be to the receiver of that information.

Let's get in their lives. Let's use this legislation to do so.

It also includes provisions for gang prevention programs which will help guide our children toward socially beneficial paths. If we want our children to learn, we must be able to maintain a safe and healthy school environment.

Bullying is a massive issue in our Nation's schools. Over the years, I have worked with young children as young as 10 or 12. Some of them have organized their own antibullying organizations, looking to us to affirm them, and I hope in this legislation we will have the opportunity to do so. If we want our children to learn, that is what we must do.

The National Center for Educational Studies shows that 14 percent of 12- to 18-year-olds surveyed reported being victims of direct or indirect bullying. One out of four kids is bullied. Cyberbullying is in the midst of that. That is why I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

I also urge them to consider that we may have short memories on some things, but I am sure many of us can go back and remember that middle school, that early age leading up to 18 and then going off, some to college and some on, at some point, to work. We remember that indecisive moment. We remember wanting to have friends and wanting to be liked. And then we remember the alternative of those who might take advantage of that.

With that in mind, here we are with an opportunity to deal with best practices and to help our young people in the best way possible.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support the ``Tiffany Joslyn Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Reauthorization and the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act'', which we passed in the last Congress, here in the House.

This bill is named for Tiffany May Joslyn, a champion for criminal justice reform, who served as Deputy Chief Counsel of the Crime Subcommittee and whose life tragically was cut short on March 5, 2016, in a car accident, which sadly also claimed the life of her brother, Derrick. She was just 33 years old.

So passage of this bill last Congress in this body, was both bitter and sweet. Tiffany would have been proud, as she championed these causes fearlessly. This moment is for both her and for all the millions of young people that will be helped by this bill.

The Tiffany Joslyn bill will help stem the epidemic of juveniles within the criminal justice system by reauthorizing the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant program (JABG) and providing funding to state and local governments for the creation of bullying and gang prevention programs.

It also includes provisions for gang prevention programs, which will help guide our children towards socially beneficial paths.

If we want our children to learn, we must be able to maintain a safe and healthy school environment. Bullying is a massive issue in our nation's schools.

The National Center for Educational Studies reports show that 14 percent of 12- to 18-year-olds surveyed, reported being victims of direct or indirect bullying. One out of 4 kids is bullied.

This is why I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

It will authorize such appropriations as may be necessary, which is anticipated to be at least $30 million per year.

In addition to reauthorizing juvenile justice programs, the Tiffany Joselyn Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Reauthorization and

the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act clarifies how to address the occurrences of bullying through developmentally appropriate intervention and prevention techniques, which center on evidence-based models and best practices that rely on schools and communities rather than involvement from law enforcement and the justice system.

H.R. 494 is designed to help both the victims and perpetrators of bullying. Research studies have shown that approximately 25 percent of school bullies will be convicted of a criminal offense in their adult years.

Bullying is not just in a schoolyard anymore; it is a crisis that's taking over our nation. Gone are the days that children can come home and seek solace and escape from their bullies; technological advances have made it easy for young people to be tormented on social networks at any time from any place.

They are never out of harm's reach. This needs to end. Americans children should be protected, and no child should be persecuted for exercising their American right to be themselves.

It is time for us to come to a conclusive solution to America's bullying crisis so that we may keep all of our children safe.

My bill, H.R. 494, provides the solution that we need.

This is why I support this bill and ask my colleagues to do the same.

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

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

Let me, first of all, thank the ranking member for his kind support of this legislation. I think we have been together long enough to know how important this kind of work is; and a tribute to his father, who certainly probably ran across a few juveniles in the course of his work as a law enforcement officer. So I thank the gentleman so very much.

I want to thank the chairman of the committee, Mr. Nadler, for his support of this legislation and continued work in this area.

Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson), the chair on the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.

Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman.

We are inquiring, and I am just going to say it publicly. We were about to engage the ranking member, but we are inquiring to be sure that the bill is complete. Its language was, ``and Anti-Bullying and Intervention Act.'' That is what the bill has carried over a period of time, so I was trying to get a ruling about that addition to the title.

That is clearly what we are trying to do. If I might engage the gentleman in a dialogue: it reads, ``the Tiffany Joslyn Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Program Reauthorization Act,'' and it has always read, over the years, ``and Anti-Bullying and Intervention Act.'' It is in my text here, ``and the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act.''

We are awaiting a ruling, and may have to--but I at least want to get it on the Record. You see what I am saying?

And that is the name that has been carried over the years that we have had----

I believe so.

Mr. Speaker, if I might, I assume I can proceed.

First of all, I want to thank the ranking member for his courtesies, and thank the committees for their courtesies.

I would not desire to not move forward H.R. 494. So any motion for amending at this time, I would like unanimous consent to withdraw and to emphasize what the bill is in my debate.

I seek to not withdraw H.R. 494, just any request for editing the legislation.

I yield to the gentleman.

That is my desire at this time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. Does the gentleman?

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

So I will close at this time asking for support of this legislation. But as I do so, I cannot help but thank--I think we have had----

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

I thank the gentleman from Georgia for engaging in the colloquy on this important issue, and I think we have created a record that indicates that this bill is the Tiffany Joslyn Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Program Reauthorization Act, and it does cover bullying prevention and intervention, and we will move forward with that understanding and recognize the importance of those elements of the bill.

I want to just take a moment in my closing to acknowledge again the National Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Coalition and to indicate their support for a bill that has gone unfunded now for 6 years, and to indicate in their letter that H.R. 494 updates the JABG to reflect current research and practices; incentivizes States to use graduated sanctions and incentives grounded in positive youth development; enhanced antibullying measures, gang prevention programs, and additional youth violence prevention and intervention services. It also updates the JABG to include evidence-based practices such as trauma-informed practices and mental healthcare.

I am excited about this legislation. And I close by saying bullying is not just a schoolyard action anymore; it is a crisis that is taking over our Nation.

Gone are the days that children can come home and seek solace and escape from their bullies. Technological advances have made it easy for young people to be tormented on social networks at any time from any place. They are never out of harm's reach.

This needs to end. American children should be protected, and no child should be persecuted for existing or exercising their American right to just be themselves. It is time for us to come to a conclusive solution to America's bullying crisis so that we may keep all of our children safe. I think we are on the right path by passing H.R. 494 and moving it to the Senate. That is why I support this bill and ask my colleagues to do the same.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California for her leadership, and I thank

both the ranking member and the full committee chair. And I thank Mr. Deutch from Florida, for it looks like, in this instance, Florida and Texas and many other States certainly are--how should I say it?--in coalition with the number of veterans that we have and the stories that we have heard about fraudulent activities as it relates to our veterans.

I would think that all veterans want to do after battling on behalf of this Nation and securing this Nation is to come home to a safe and secure community and people who welcome them and treat them with the dignity that they deserve. Unfortunately, because veterans have resources through their veterans benefits, they are targeted by those who have no goodwill, but evil intent.

Currently, there are approximately 21 million veterans of the United States Armed Forces living in our country. It is estimated that about 30 percent of all Vietnam veterans have had post-traumatic stress disorder, and up to 20 percent of veterans serving in more recent conflicts in the Middle East are estimated to suffer from PTSD in a given year.

Given the extreme sacrifice of our veterans and the hardships many of them continue to face after their military service, it is our duty, to the best of our ability, to have an appropriate measure of compensation for them, particularly for those in need.

For instance, we provide disability payments to those with service- connected disabilities, pensions for veterans with limited income, education and training under the GI Bill, and various life insurance benefits.

Over 71,000 veterans live in my congressional district.

H.R. 450 provides law enforcement with another tool to bring to justice those who knowingly defraud a veteran of their benefits or engage in fraud in connection with obtaining veterans benefits.

Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, there are many of them. 476,515 veterans are living with PTSD and need their benefits.

Mr. Speaker, how many have come to us in our offices and indicated that, through a telemarketing scheme, they have given up their benefits or they have taken their benefits to invest or buy something that either is never seen or doesn't help them, and never is their money returning back to them.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida in particular for being sensitive enough to listen to his constituents. In listening to my constituents and solving cases in our offices, there are cases that come into our offices where veterans have had their benefits taken away or they wind up homeless because resources are taken away and they don't have the necessary resources.

This is a good, good step to acknowledge their service and how important they are; to stop those who think that they are easy prey from defrauding our veterans; and to make the right kind of legal traps, if you will, that law enforcement can place, not for veterans who have served us, but for those who wish to defraud them.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the gentleman from Florida and ask my colleagues to support H.R. 450, the Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act of 2019.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 450, the ``Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act of 2017,'' which provides an additional tool to deter, detect, and punish fraudulent activity against veterans.

The Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act of 2017 would make it unlawful to knowingly execute, or attempt to execute, any scheme or artifice to defraud an individual of veterans' benefits, or in connection with obtaining veterans benefits.

We honor our veterans' service and their sacrifices; it is important that we protect veterans from fraud and ensure the integrity of the system of benefits we provide for them.

Currently, there are approximately 21 million veterans of the United States Armed Forces living in our country.

It is estimated that about 30 percent of all Vietnam veterans have had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and up to 20 percent of veterans serving in more recent conflicts in the Middle East are estimated to suffer from PTSD in a given year.

Given the extreme sacrifice by our veterans and the hardships many of them continue to face after their military service, it is our duty to provide, to the best of our ability, an appropriate measure of compensation for them--particularly for those in need.

For instance, we provide disability payments to those with service- connected disabilities, pensions for veterans with limited incomes, education and training under the GI Bill, and various life insurance benefits.

Over 71,749 veterans reside in my 18th Congressional District and one of my top priorities is to fight for their benefits and to fight for the rights of our most patriotic Americans.

H.R. 450 provides law enforcement with another tool to bring to justice those who knowingly defraud a veteran of their benefits or engage in fraud in connection with obtaining veterans' benefits.

Mr. Speaker, 476,515 veterans are living with PTSD and need their benefits to obtain needed care for their disorder; it is criminal that some are left untreated.

Those who defraud veterans and the system of veterans' benefits harm the victims and diminish resources needed to pay the claims and fund the programs that are needed to help those who have served their country.

I urge all Members to join me in voting to pass H.R. 450.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman very much, and I acknowledge the words of the

ranking member of the full committee and acknowledge the work of the chairman, Mr. Nadler, of the committee.

I am glad that these bills that we have just debated and one coming up that I know is Mr. Collins' bill dealing with the fees to provide resources to those who file lawsuits, justified lawsuits, and have no recourse, these bills are coming out of the Judiciary Committee in a bipartisan manner.

This is a very important statement that we are making with the new majority and working with the minority on very important issues.

This is an issue that has claimed our attention for decades, the fact that we are working every day to improve and, as Mr. Collins has just indicated, to never to have to talk about sex trafficking, human trafficking again. If we can eliminate this scourge, I think all of us will find peace.

Just a few years ago, as the ranking member on the Homeland Security Committee, we did the first human trafficking hearing with then- Chairman McCaul and Ranking Member Thompson in Houston, Texas, to listen to many who claimed and documented that Houston, Texas, was the epicenter of human trafficking in that region, in the Nation.

It is not something that we are proud of, but we are proud of the advocates who work without ceasing with law enforcement to put, again, a red stop sign in front of this travesty.

So I acknowledge the work that has been done by many of my colleagues, the work that has been done by Congresswoman Wagner and many others who gathered.

That hearing was the first in history in that community, and the first field hearing that was addressing that question. It was quite a few years ago.

But I want to acknowledge from my hometown Jackie Aluotto, who has found and saved lives of victims of human trafficking in our own community; Kathryn Griffin, who, likewise, has been at the forefront of stopping human trafficking, and particularly of young children sex trafficking, and has been a refuge for many who have suffered; Constable Alan Rosen; Constable May Walker; Sheriff Gonzalez; Mayor Sylvester Turner, who has an outstanding program in the city of Houston.

So I rise to support H.R. 507 for several reasons, not the least of which being how much it will impact the local community and the work that is being done. This measure will strengthen the effectiveness of the 2017 act in various ways, which I am very proud to have supported.

The 2017 act directed the Attorney General to study issues related to human trafficking in response to trafficking concerning services and benefits for victims, criminal justice, domestic sex trafficking of children, and interagency coordination and training.

For example, H.R. 507 increases the personal safety of victim service providers who may face intimidation or retaliation for their activities. While many of us may not realize, sometimes these providers within the context of the law, may have one or two of these individuals at their own homes, or have secreted them somewhere, so they are in the eye of the storm.

As I indicated, we had the first human trafficking hearing of any committee in Houston, Texas, several years ago under the auspices of the Homeland Security Committee.

I am proud of the facts that came out, giving the local people the opportunity to talk about the difficulties and challenges that they face trying to stop the scourge of human trafficking, particularly with young people.

Our committee determined this very point, that the safety of these victims should be our number one concern. Innocent people who have been turned into human trafficking products by the heinous traffickers deserve our protection. As such, this training and funding is critical to ensure that human trafficking victims are treated as victims and afforded justice, respect, and dignity.

Second, H.R. 507 ensures that law enforcement officers and prosecutors make every attempt to determine whether an individual is a victim of human trafficking before arresting the individual for or charging the individual with an offense that is a direct result of victimization of that individual.

This will ensure that law enforcement officers do not add trauma and pain to the victims that have already endured an enormous amount of suffering.

Let me remind my colleagues, that human trafficking, even beyond the scourge of drugs, is a product that can be used or is used over and over again. How devastating, how deadly, how heinous it is that these individuals can be used in human trafficking, sex trafficking, and the acts that they may be called upon to do over and over again.

As a result, H.R. 507 will ensure that most effective practices are standardized so that sex trafficking victims are ultimately protected and treated with respect at all times.

Lastly, the legislation ensures the effective prosecution of traffickers and individuals. For these reasons, I would say that this would be a bill that all of us support. Let's put up more than a stop sign and fight human trafficking and sex trafficking.

Support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 507, which directs the Attorney General to study issues relating to human trafficking, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, it is of the upmost importance that we pass this important legislation and uphold the ideals of this country by protecting human trafficking victims.

This bill is intended to improve the implementation of the Putting Trafficking Victims First Act of 2017.

The 2017 act directed the Attorney General to study issues relating to human trafficking in response to trafficking concerning services and benefits for victims, criminal justice, domestic sex trafficking of children, and interagency coordination and training.

I support H.R. 507 for several reasons. This measure will strengthen the effectiveness of the 2017 act in various ways, which I was proud to support.

For example, H.R. 507 increases the personal safety of victim service providers, who may face intimidation or retaliation for their activities.

We had the first human trafficking hearing of any committee in Houston, Texas, several years ago under the auspices of the Homeland Security Committee.

Our committee determined this very point: that the safety of these victims should be our number one concern.

Innocent people who have been turned into human traffic products by the heinous traffickers deserve our protection.

As such, this training and funding is critical to ensure that human trafficking victims are treated as victims and afforded justice, respect, and dignity.

Second, H.R. 507 ensures that law enforcement officers and prosecutors make every attempt to determine whether an individual is a victim of human trafficking before arresting the individual for, or charging the individual with, an offense that is a direct result of the victimization of the individual.

This will ensure that law enforcement officers do not add trauma and pain to the victims that have already endured an enormous amount of suffering.

As a result, H.R. 507 will help ensure the most effective practices are standardized so that sex trafficking victims are ultimately protected and treated with respect at all times.

Lastly, the legislation ensures the effective prosecution of traffickers and individuals who patronize or solicit children for sex and facilitate access for child victims of commercial sex trafficking to the services and protections afforded to other victims of sexual violence.

H.R. 507 identifies a broad range of important initiatives that States should undertake that would provide meaningful assistance to these victims: increasing victims' personal safety, ensuring the correct treatment of human trafficking victims by law enforcement and, ensuring the effective prosecution of all traffickers.

Each of these initiatives should help ensure that these victims are not revictimized and help enable them to be guided back to a normalized life.

Mr. Speaker, for all of these reasons, I am pleased to support this bill.

This legislation is all about pointing out, finding, saving the victims, making sure they get treatment, and making sure that human trafficking is identified.

I am also pleased that this measure, maintains the commitment to maintaining a report on State safe harbor laws.

As we all know, safe harbors play a critical role in preventing youth, forced into the sex trade, from being revictimized again and stigmatized a second time by the criminal justice system, almost similar to the little girl who was looking for love.

Instead, she got victimized and turned into a human trafficking product.

H.R. 507 also fosters better collaboration among the Federal, State, and local law enforcement in the fight against sex trafficking and encourages States to adopt protections for trafficking victims by providing rehabilitation and recovery services for victims of human trafficking.

Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to support this measure and, as well, to be reminded of all those children who will be helped and saved.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 752 ``Open Book Equal Access to Justice Act'' which will amend titles 5 and 28, United States Code, to require the maintenance of databases on awards of fees

and other expenses to prevailing parties in certain administrative proceedings and court cases to which the United States is a party, and for other purposes.

In 1980, Congress passed the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) as a means to help individuals, retirees, veterans, and small businesses recover attorney's fees and costs associated with suing the federal government.

Congress intended the EAJA to remove a barrier to justice for those with limited access to the resources it takes to sue the federal government.

Payments of EAJA attorney's fees come from the budget of the agency who action gave rise to the claim.

While the original EAJA legislation included a requirement to track payments and report to Congress annually, Congress and the agencies halted tracking and reporting of payments made through EAJA in 1995.

Without any direction to track payments, most agencies simply do not do it and Congress and taxpayers are unable to exercise oversight over these funds.

H.R. 752 reinstates the tracking and reporting requirements of the original EAJA legislation by requiring the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) to develop an online, searchable database to facilitate public and Congressional oversight over the program.

This will allow public access to information on the amount of attorney's fees being paid under EAJA, to whom the taxpayers' money is being paid, and from which agencies.

The Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act helps ensure that agencies are operating under the public eye and that taxpayer dollars are being spent effectively and properly.

Allowing plaintiffs to recoup legal costs when they sue the federal government for reparations they deserve is only fair.

Many Americans do not have the resources to take on our sprawling bureaucracy, but EAJA gave them the power to do that by removing a barrier to justice for those with limited access to resources.

Since the original reporting requirements were halted by Congress, there is no information on payments made under the law.

Tracking and reporting payments will help preserve the integrity of this law and help Congress make sure it is working effectively for the people it was intended to help.

I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for H.R. 752.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Clerk be directed to make the change in the engrossment of H.R. 494 that I placed at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this afternoon to recognize and acknowledge gun victims in America.

This week in the Judiciary Committee, we held an important hearing on beginning the first steps toward real commonsense gun safety legislation.

In listening to witnesses from law enforcement, victims and near- victims, representatives from the health profession, and, yes, those who advocated for the Second Amendment, I would argue that, in this tribute to gun victims, recognizing the pain of their families and those lives lost, that no one is challenging the Second Amendment.

But with 100 persons a day dying by gun violence in the United States, it is without question that we must move quickly on universal background checks; we must move quickly on making bump stocks illegal; we must move quickly on the question of assault weapons; we must move quickly on closing loopholes and straw purchases; and we must work with the mental health community to ensure that we address that very sensitive question to help people who are disturbed and challenged.

Mr. Speaker, I honor those who have lost their lives, and I honor them by our action.