Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of DREAMers.

When I was just a baby, my parents brought me to this country because they sought freedom, opportunity, and a better life for our family. As a parent now, I know how they must have felt because I, too, would do anything for my children, no matter the risk. That parental instinct to give our children better opportunities than we had is universal and powerful.

DREAMers were brought to this country as children by families who sought a better life. They were just kids and had no role in the decision to leave their native country, and they have done nothing wrong. They demonstrate one of our Nation's most basic promises: the American Dream is available to anyone who is willing to work for it.

The President's decision this week to end DACA will tear families apart. Worse yet, it punishes children who have done nothing to deserve punishment. It is immoral and wrong.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you bring the Dream Act to the floor so we can enact an enduring solution for the 800,000 aspiring Americans who would be hurt by the President's decision.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Intelligence Authorization Act.

Good intelligence safeguards our Nation from adversaries. It is used to support our Armed Forces, our diplomats, and our homeland security professionals.

The men and women of the U.S. intelligence community make enormous sacrifices on behalf of our country. While others seek the limelight, they shun publicity and self-promotion. They are silent warriors and quiet heroes.

I want to highlight section 609 of this legislation. It is a version of a bill that I authored called the Prevention and Oversight of Intelligence Sharing with Enemies Act, or the POISE Act.

I introduced the POISE Act in May after the President disclosed highly sensitive information to senior Russian officials during a White House meeting. This information had been entrusted to the U.S. by key allies.

Under Federal law, the executive branch is required to inform the congressional intelligence committees of U.S. intelligence activities. The POISE Act would specify that the executive branch must notify the committees when a member of the executive branch, including the President, intentionally or inadvertently discloses top-secret information to adversary foreign government.

It is dangerous for a U.S. official to share classified information with an adversary, especially outside of established intelligence channels. The adversary could use the information to harm the United States or its allies. Moreover, our partners might decide to stop sharing critical intelligence with us if they lose confidence in our capacity to keep it confidential.

The congressional notification requirement in the POISE Act would help deter inappropriate disclosures of classified information to adversaries. Once formally notified of the disclosure, Congress would be in a position to take any appropriate oversight action.

I am so pleased that the core of the POISE Act is contained in section 609. I want to thank Chairman Nunes and Ranking Member Schiff for including the provision in the bill, and I urge the bill's swift passage.

Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise to honor the life and legacy of Billy Manes. Billy passed away last week, far too soon, at the age of 45. He is survived by his husband, Anthony, and an entire community that admired him. With Billy's passing, Orlando lost an icon, and our nation lost a committed, passionate, and fierce advocate for equality.

In Billy's short time with us, he made an indelible impact on our city and our country. He was a prominent Orlando journalist and commentator, and the power of his words moved and amused central Florida. Billy broke barriers, becoming the first openly gay mayoral candidate in Orlando's history. After the tragic loss of his partner in 2012, Billy bravely told his story to the world, putting a human face on the pressing need for equal rights for same-sex couples.

Last year, when our Orlando family was reeling from the Pulse nightclub shooting, Billy gave voice to our city's grief. He relentlessly focused on the 49 beautiful lives we lost that night. Like them, Billy will never be forgotten.

If you ever had the privilege and the pleasure of meeting Billy, you couldn't escape his energy, his passion, and his endearing sense of humor.

Mr. Speaker, it is critical this hallowed chamber carry on the work that Billy so valiantly championed. Though we have so much progress to celebrate, too many of the inequities that Billy's work spotlighted remain.

May his memory inspire us to redouble our commitment to equality.

Mr. Speaker, the House is currently considering the minibus, which would fund certain Federal agencies in the next fiscal year.

As a former Pentagon aide, I have opposed efforts to politicize national security policymaking in Congress. That is why I introduced a bill to bar political operatives from serving on the National Security Council, and was proud when Steve Bannon was removed from the NSC.

The minibus provides robust funding for the Defense Department, the same funding that I proudly voted to authorize as a member of the Armed Services Committee. Sadly, House leadership has taken a strong bipartisan bill and contaminated it by adding a provision assigning $1.6 billion to construct a border wall.

This provision is opposed by public officials from both parties who actually live along the southwest border, and it will do nothing to keep my constituents in central Florida safe. The money could be better spent to expand an underfunded counterterrorism program that Orlando has been excluded from, or to enhance security at our air and seaports.

In short, this funding should be used to give the American people real security, not politically motivated gimmicks.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2056, my bipartisan bill to improve the Small Business Administration's Microloan program.

Small businesses are the backbone of our Nation's economy. In my home State of Florida, there are 2.4 million small businesses, which is 99.8 percent of all employers in the State. These businesses employ 3.2 million workers.

In my central Florida district, we have a vibrant community of entrepreneurs, and they tell me the number one challenge they face is access to capital. As someone who counseled entrepreneurs and businesses in the private sector before I came to Congress, I know how difficult it can be to obtain the capital you need to start and grow a small business. That is why this bill to improve SBA's Microloan program is so important.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Chabot and Ranking Member Velazquez for helping to advance this bill through the Small Business Committee, where the bill received unanimous support. I also thank the Administrator of the SBA, Linda McMahon, and her senior staff for working with my office to make modest changes to the bill after it was introduced.

These changes should better position the bill to move through Congress and then to be signed into law by the President.

The Microloan program is one of several lending programs administered by the SBA. Its goal is to help small-dollar borrowers who want to start or grow their business. Under this program, the SBA makes loans to nonprofit organizations known as intermediaries. These intermediaries, in turn, make short-term loans up to $50,000 to small businesses and nonprofit childcare centers. Recipients of microloans use these funds to finance their operations and to acquire supplies and equipment.

The Microloan program seeks, in particular, to assist small business owners with little or no credit history, women and minority businessowners, and aspiring and existing entrepreneurs who may not qualify for traditional bank loans or even for the larger loan guarantee programs that the SBA administers.

In fiscal year 2016, intermediaries provided over $60 million in loans to small firms around the country, creating or retaining nearly 18,000 jobs in the process. While the loans may not be large, they can mean the difference between a small business starting up and succeeding or struggling and shuttering.

Despite the relative success of the Microloan program, it must be modernized. My bill would improve the program in two respects. First, the bill would increase the total amount an intermediary can borrow from the SBA from $5 million to $6 million. This will allow intermediaries to make more small-dollar loans to more small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Second, the bill would enable intermediaries to use a larger percentage of the technical assistance grants they receive from the SBA in order to help small business owners and entrepreneurs navigate the microloan applications process.

Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill, which will assist and empower more small businesses.

Mr. Chair, I thank my colleagues for including my amendment in this en bloc package.

My amendment will authorize Procurement Technical Assistance Centers to assist small business owners in pursuing funding opportunities during all phases of the SBIR and STTR programs.

These Federal programs enable small businesses to perform research and development that advances the national interests and has the potential for commercialization.

My central Florida district is primed to benefit from these programs since it is home to a large and growing number of small firms that harness the power of technology, produce innovative products for customers in the public and private sector, and, in the process, create well-paying jobs and generate broad-based economic growth.

Mr. Chairman, I am proud to co-lead this bipartisan amendment. It would strike section 541 of the bill, a provision that would make it nearly impossible for graduates of the military service academies to play professional football, basketball, or any other sport.

I serve on the Board of Visitors at West Point, and I believe section 541 will be detrimental to recruitment and morale at the service academies, could undermine efforts to bridge the military-civilian divide through the use of sports ambassadors, and could compromise the effectiveness of our officer corps.

If our amendment is successful, the policy governing the circumstances under which graduates can play professional sports will be the guidance issued by Secretary Mattis earlier this year. Pursuant to Secretary Mattis' guidance, an academy graduate must complete 2 years of active commissioned service before he or she can seek approval to pursue a professional sports opportunity.

Section 541 goes far beyond this existing guidance, requiring a graduate to serve 5 years on Active Duty before pursuing a professional sports opportunity. This is the functional equivalent of prohibiting a graduate from playing professional sports altogether.

Section 541 applies retroactively to current academy student athletes, not just prospectively to future athletes, which strikes me as unfair. Moreover, it removes the flexibility and discretion built into Secretary Mattis' guidance, replacing it with a one-size-fits-all policy that allows for no exceptions. Before Congress takes such drastic action, we should carefully weigh the arguments for and against such action. That process has not taken place.

I ask my colleagues to support this amendment and to allow Secretary Mattis' guidance to remain in effect until such time as we can examine this issue more fully.

Mr. Speaker, today, I will become the first House Democrat in Congress to introduce a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. My bill will prohibit the Federal Government from spending more than it receives except in the case of war or recession.

Democrats and Republicans may not always agree on the best way to balance the budget, but we all care about our country and our children, and both are at risk unless we rein in our unsustainable deficits and debt.

In 45 of the last 50 years, the Federal Government spent more than it received. The Federal debt has ballooned to over $14 trillion. That is 77 percent of GDP, a figure that is expected to reach 150 percent in 30 years if we do not change course.

Just as every family is expected to balance their budget, so, too, should the Federal Government. This is about taking responsibility and making tough decisions, exactly what our constituents elected us to do.

A balanced budget amendment will compel Congress to walk the walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. I hope my colleagues on both sides of aisle will support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, 10 days ago, Puerto Rico held a vote on its future political status. Although the ballot was not preapproved by the U.S. Department of Justice as envisioned by a 2014 Federal law, the ballot was fair. It included Puerto Rico's three valid options: statehood, nationhood, and the current territory status. Each option was accurately described.

In our democracy, only those who cast ballots are counted, and those who voted in Puerto Rico overwhelmingly chose statehood. It is now up to Puerto Rico's elected officials, especially its Governor and Delegate in Congress, to determine how best to move forward. They can count on my full support.

As I see it, in the wake of this vote, the question is not whether but, rather, when Puerto Rico will become a State. After 119 years, it is well past time for the U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico to have the same rights and responsibilities as their fellow citizens living in Florida and in other States.

Puerto Rico has made countless contributions to this Nation for generations. It has earned its own star on the American flag.

Mr. Speaker, one year ago this week, 49 beautiful, innocent lives were stolen from us and countless others were forever changed as a result of the tragedy at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando.

The losses were staggering. The act shocking. And the stories heartbreaking.

It was a tragedy that did not represent the Orlando I know, a vibrant city that prides itself on its love, inclusion and hospitality.

Orlando is not a perfect city, but it is a great city. In the aftermath of this tragedy, our city was tested, but it was never broken.

Everyone in Orlando from courageous police officers and first responders to compassionate medical professionals and complete strangers, came together in our darkest hour. Ordinary citizens did extraordinary things. We proved we were Orlando strong and Orlando united.

That's why Monday--Orlando United Day--and everything it represents, is so important for Orlando, and our nation.

I stood alongside thousands of people at the Pulse memorial in Orlando on Monday morning.

The memory of that event is still vivid, but the love and unity within our city has never been stronger.

I remember the first time I visited those sacred grounds after that tragic night. I was overcome with emotion by the outpouring of love written onto walls, within picture frames, and in notes tied to flowers. I came across a simple message written in chalk with a heart drawn around it: ``Keep Dancing.''

We owe it to the victims and their families to keep dancing, and to do everything within our power to prevent tragedies like this from happening again.

That's why Congress must lead. We must continue to work together, Democrats and Republicans, to protect our communities from these horrific acts.

Hope that things can and will change should drive our efforts. While 49 voices were forever silenced here one year ago, hope, as Harvey Milk once said, hope will never be silent.

We must honor the lives and legacies of the Pulse victims by putting aside that which divides us and rededicating ourselves to treating one another with love and respect.

Today, let's remember 49 beautiful lives that were lost one year ago. Their names and faces must inspire us to be better people, and a better nation.

May God bless the memories of the Pulse victims and their families, and may we all keep dancing.

Mr. Speaker, the President recently disclosed highly sensitive information to Russian officials, information that had been entrusted to the United States by an ally. This incident has generated concern among national security professionals.

Under current law, the President must keep the congressional intelligence committees informed of U.S. intelligence activities. Building on this general mandate, I am filing a bill that would require the President to notify the intelligence committees when a U.S. official, including the President, intentionally or inadvertently discloses top-secret information to a nation that sponsors terrorism or, like Russia, is subject to U.S. sanctions.

My bill would deter unjustified disclosure of sensitive information to adversaries. It would also give the congressional intelligence committees an opportunity to examine the rationale for the disclosure, to assess any fallout, and to take appropriate action.

My bill would simply provide Congress with the same information that was made available to other nations. I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, it is National Police Week, and I rise to honor law enforcement officials who protect our communities. I also pay tribute to the thousands of men and women who have died in the line of duty. There are few jobs more important or more perilous than that of a police officer.

Since I took office in January, there have been at least four incidents in or near my central Florida district where a police office was shot. In one of those cases, an officer, Orlando Police Lieutenant Debra Clayton, lost her life.

Because they run towards danger, police officers face unimaginable challenges. Last June, an armed attacker entered the Pulse nightclub in Orlando and opened fire, killing 49 people. Showing no regard for their own safety, Orlando officers charged into the club, eventually bringing that long, dark night to an end.

Mr. Speaker, despite the risks, they put on their uniforms every day. So to all the brave officers around this country, I say: Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, today I will introduce two bills to enhance our Nation's security and make the American people safer.

Of all the security challenges that the United States confronts, the most

serious threat, arguably, stems from North Korea, under its dangerous and unpredictable dictator. North Korea, which has the fourth largest military in the world, continues to make progress on its nuclear and ballistic missiles programs in violation of international sanctions.

Since 2006, North Korea has tested a nuclear device five times. The main goal of North Korea's nuclear weapons program is to develop a warhead small enough to be mounted on a ballistic missile. Unfortunately, North Korea has also shown substantial, even startling, progress in its missile programs.

Since 2014, North Korea has conducted nearly 50 test launches of ballistic missiles. North Korea is an imminent threat to our allies South Korea and Japan and the nearly 80,000 U.S. troops serving those two countries. And as its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles programs advance, North Korea poses a rising threat to the United States homeland itself.

The U.S. policy approach to North Korea must be comprehensive and carefully calibrated. Miscalculation could result in armed conflict, possibly involving the use of nuclear weapons, and cause catastrophic loss of life. To be effective, U.S. strategy must be informed by the best possible intelligence on North Korea's intentions and capabilities.

North Korea is a difficult intelligence target. It is a secretive society where dissent is severely punished. This makes the recruitment of human resources inside the country very challenging, and moreover, high-level defectors from North Korea with intelligence about the regime are rare.

My first bill would require the Director of National Intelligence to create a North Korea-focused integration cell consisting of experts who would streamline, synthesize, and synchronize intelligence on North Korea so that U.S. policymakers have the best possible information upon which to base decisions.

The cell would seek to ensure that the U.S. Government is collecting intelligence on North Korea's nuclear weapons programs, missile programs, weapon sales, and other activities that violate U.N. sanctions. The cell would also work to make certain that this intelligence is efficiently disseminated to the appropriate national security policymakers so that it can inform decisionmaking.

While my first bill is specific to North Korea, my second bill seeks to safeguard Americans by promoting security and stability in the Asia Pacific region more broadly. This region encompasses about 40 countries containing over 60 percent of the world's population, including many of our top import and export partners. The region offers the United States economic opportunities, but also presents security challenges. Indeed, some senior American officials often describe the Asia Pacific as the most consequential region for the future of our country.

Historically, under Presidents of both parties, the U.S. has maintained a strong military and diplomatic presence in the region to reassure allies and deter adversaries. The core of U.S. strategy has been close cooperation with our regional partners. These partnerships are an essential component of our effort to confront aggression by North Korea, judiciously manage the rise of China, dismantle terrorist networks, ensure freedom of navigation in international waters, guarantee the free flow of commerce, respond to humanitarian emergencies, and promote respect for the rule of law.

These partnerships, built on mutual trust, are not self-sustaining. They require U.S. leadership, energy, and resources. To deepen cooperation, my bill would create a commission of U.S. security officials and their counterparts from willing regional partner nations. The commission would aim to increase military readiness, strengthen counterterrorism operations, enhance maritime security, bolster cybersecurity, and improve intelligence coordination.

The commission would send a clear signal to allies and adversaries alike that the U.S. commitment to the Asia Pacific region is intensive and enduring.

I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will support these two bills, which are aimed at addressing the immediate threat posed by North Korea, and strengthening our security alliances with key regional partners.

Mr. Speaker, on April 4, 2017, I was unavoidably absent from the House chamber due to a family medical emergency. Due to these unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to vote on six legislative measures on the floor.

Had I been present and voting, I would have voted as follows:

1) Nay on Roll Call No. 211: H. Res. 241, On Order the Previous Question, Providing for consideration of H.R. 1304, the Self-Insurance Protection Act

2) Nay on Roll Call No. 212, H. Res. 241, On Agreeing to the Resolution, Providing for consideration of H.R. 1304, the Self- Insurance Protection Act

3) Nay on Roll Call No. 213, H. Res. 240, On Ordering the Previous Question, Providing for consideration of H.R. 1343, the Encouraging Employee Ownership Act of 2017

4) Nay on Roll Call No. 214, H. Res. 240, On Agreeing to the Resolution, Providing for consideration of H.R. 1343, the Encouraging Employee Ownership Act of 2017

5) Aye on Roll Call No. 215, H.R. 1343, On Motion to Recommit with Instructions, the Encouraging Employee Ownership Act of 2017

6) Aye on Roll Call No. 216, H.R. 1343, On Passage, the Encouraging Employee Ownership Act of 2017

Mr. Speaker, on February 1, I introduced legislation to prohibit individuals whose primary role is political, like Steve Bannon, from serving on the National Security Council or its main subgroup, the Principals Committee. The bill has obtained 183 cosponsors and received significant public support. The majority of the American people clearly believe that our national security policymaking process should not be contaminated by partisan politics.

Today, the Trump administration responded to this message, removing Mr. Bannon from the NSC and the Principals Committee. I am incredibly proud of this development, which is clearly in the interest of our Nation's security.

Today is a victory for democracy because it proves that the people, when they speak up and speak out, can change policy for the better.