Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I thank Chair Maloney and Ranking Member Comer for the great work they have done on this bill.

As the son of a postal worker, my mom; as the brother of two postal workers, my sisters Karen and Linda; and as a nephew and cousin to about at least a dozen more, especially Pat Morris, my favorite, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3076, the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022.

This landmark reform agreement will finally place our most trusted government institution on a path toward financial viability. It is the product of bipartisan collaboration and meaningful stakeholder input. It focuses solely on fundamental reform areas that have long been the subject of bipartisan and stakeholder consensus.

To that end, H.R. 3076 repeals the onerous mandate in current law requiring the Postal Service to prefund retiree health benefits years before it is necessary.

The agreement also integrates postal retiree health benefits with Medicare to ensure that all postal workers receive the benefits that they have already paid for, a total of more than $35 billion over the last 40 years.

Moreover, this legislation codifies our support for an integrated network through which nearly 650,000 dedicated clerks, mail handlers, letter carriers, supervisors, and postmasters process and deliver mail and packages to the American people at least 6 days a week, even amid a global pandemic.

I want to acknowledge the tireless contributions of our employee partners, especially the unions, in this effort, including President Fred Rolando of the National Association of Letter Carriers, Paul Hogrogian of the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, President Ronnie Stutts of the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association, and President Mark Dimondstein of the American Postal Workers Union.

I also want to recognize Kori Blalock Keller, Jim Sauber, Paul Swartz, Katie Maddocks, Brian Young, and Judy Beard, and the irreplaceable Bob Losi, my great pal and union brother, and all their staffs for their good work.

Again, I commend Chairwoman Maloney, Ranking Member Comer, Chairman Connolly, Representative Lawrence, and our dear departed friend Elijah Cummings, who put a lot of time in on this, for their great work.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support H.R. 3076.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Beacon Hill Village in Boston. It's an anniversary with significance for the whole Nation and they are to be congratulated on reaching this special milestone.

Madam Speaker, Beacon Hill Village was created by, and for, neighbors determined to continue to thrive and grow in the neighborhood they loved, as they aged. There was no ready model when they began. A core goal of Beacon Hill Village members was living active, independent, and healthy lives. There is not much choice about growing old, but there are choices about where and how to do so. The Village offers those choices to its members and so much more, including maintaining and enhancing quality of life, providing peace of mind, enabling purposeful lives, and helping to navigate the transitions of growing older.

From its start in 2002 Beacon Hill Village has spawned a movement that continues to spread across the U.S. and in other countries. Today there are 263 open and 70 developing Villages serving thousands of older adults from major cities to small, rural communities. These Villages are all across the nation--in 43 states and the District of Columbia--and In four countries abroad. While many Villages were formed through grass roots efforts led by a few passionate people, Villages have also grown from faith-based groups, social service partnerships, and through existing community service organizations.

Beacon Hill Village was the chief force behind the creation of the Village to Village Network which remains dedicated to helping communities everywhere design their own Villages reflecting local needs and using local resources. Local Villages connect members to a full range of practical support services to help with non-medical household tasks, services, programs and transportation. Villages also promote staying active by coordinating recreational, social, educational and cultural programs. These social activities minimize isolation and promote interaction amongst their peers.

Madam Speaker, I am convinced, that the best days of Beacon Hill Village, the Village-to-Village Network and the Villages of the Nation, are still ahead of them. Their message is simple, forceful and optimistic: aging should be Individual, and person-centered. Villages can help their members take responsibility for their own aging and make choices resulting in vibrant, purposeful lives lived on their own terms, in their own homes and communities. With this message the Villages are changing how elders experience aging and how our society perceives aging. Every American benefits from these changes. This community-based movement offers an economically efficient model for aging.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown a bright light on the power of Villages to deliver essential services, keep members engaged and connected safely, and provide critical information during a time of great stress and confusion. Seemingly overnight, VIiiages turned in- person events and activities into virtual programming, trained their members to use Zoom, and partnered with existing services and resources to ensure members had what they needed, especially during lockdown. Not only did Villages and their members thrive during the pandemic, they demonstrated the power of community.

By 2030, every Baby Boomer will be age 65 or older, which means that 1 out of every 5 U.S. citizens will be of retirement age. The numbers are even larger In many countries around the world. The Village model and the importance of community and choice offer valuable insights and solutions for this challenging phenomenon.

Madam Speaker, in recognition of the positive impact that the village movement has had on the experience of aging, I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating Beacon Hill Village on its 20th anniversary and saluting all villages throughout the Nation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate the players, coaches and administration of the Cohasset High School football team. On December 1, 2021, the Cohasset High School Skippers won the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Division VII Super Bowl, earning them the title, State Champions.

Cohasset High School has a long tradition of excellence in high school football. This is the school's second state championship in the past seven years.

Cohasset High School's 2021 team finished the season by winning ten consecutive games, after starting the season 0-2. The win streak included four hard-fought victories in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Tournament.

This championship playoff run included a 26-13 home victory over the Mayflower League Champion Nantucket Whalers, a 21-7 road victory over the previously undefeated Cape Ann League Champion Hamilton-Wenham Generals, a 14-8 neutral site victory over the Mashpee Falcons, and culminated with a 27-12 Super Bowl victory over the previously undefeated Suburban League Champion Wahconah Warriors.

Madam Speaker, the young men on this football team conducted themselves in such a way as to bring honor, pride, and recognition to the Town of Cohasset. They represent what is truly best about high school student athletes. Today it is my honor to join the families, friends and residents of Cohasset, Massachusetts, to congratulate the 2021 Cohasset High School football team on their impressive achievement.

Players: Jamie Smith, Liam Appleton, Thomas Hansen, Will Henle, Jack Mullaly, Henry Burke, Mick Dockray, John Shannon, James Appleton, Jack Cullinan, Ryan Lynch, Owen Rigby, Danny McGinty, Will Baker, Grayson Corbett, Sam Ellinger, Charlie Grudinskas, Josh Burke, Charlie Donovan, Blaine Basile, Luke Willmott, Carter Wimberly, Kyle Wakefield, Luke Moore, Declan Lee, Michael Donahue, Lucas Najjar, Henry Dionisio, Levi O'Duggan, Ben Henry, Christian Steinmetz, Simon Frank, Nick Henry, Charlie McKeen, Robbie Norton, Teddy Fox, Ryan Stevens, Michael Hession, Noah Simone, John Higgins, Christopher Comerford, Lincoln Pattison, Charlie Sebastyen, Jackie Lyons, Henry Richard, Santiago Talavera-Rubio, Jr., Ben Joyce, Brendan Cingari, Martin Rigby, Jay Fox, Ben Weissensee, Nanbeel Bonifon, Will Norgeot, Will McLoughlin, Sam Larsen. Managers: Bridget Mahoney, Mia Froio, Audrey Ryan. Administration: Superintendent Patrick Sullivan, Principal Brian Scott, Athletic Director Steve Rotondi, Head Coach Pete Afanasiw, Assistant Coaches Brian Pattison, Phil Mahoney, John Maher, Danny Tangherlini, Jake Cuneo.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of the Town of Norwood, Massachusetts, and in recognition of its 150th ``birthday'' celebration.

What is now the Town of Norwood began as a cluster of small mills and farms in the southernmost district of the Town of Dedham, Massachusetts, which was founded in 1636. The district quickly evolved into a self-contained village, and, as early as 1717, its residents sought to create their own place of worship. They established a parish--known as the ``Second Parish'' or ``South Parish''--in 1728, with Reverend Thomas Balch becoming its first resident pastor in 1736.

Although the village was a distinct community, it remained part of Dedham for more than a century. It finally separated from its mother town amid heated education and taxation disputes, and it was incorporated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as the Town of Norwood in 1872.

At the turn of the twentieth century, the efforts of George Willett-- a magnate and Progressive Reformer--led to a new town charter, which was approved by voters in 1914. With this new charter, Norwood became the first town in New England and only the twelfth in the nation to adopt the ``Town Manager'' form of government, placing the day-to-day business of the community in the hands of a management professional.

Much has happened since then, but the core of Norwood's community remains unchanged. Religious institutions, civic committees, recreational facilities, and volunteer associations provide the means for all Norwood residents to thrive in the twenty-first century. So, Madam Speaker, it is my distinct honor to take the floor of the House today to recognize the Town of Norwood, Massachusetts, as it prepares to celebrate its 150th ``birthday''--the anniversary of its incorporation as the Town of Norwood in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of en bloc amendments #2 and #3 which include three of my amendments that will improve transparency in our overseas contingency contracts, make our sanctions regimes more effective, and strengthen our ability to combat illicit financing networks.

My first amendment, #252, reauthorizes the Commission on Wartime Contracting which will engage in vital oversight of our contracting and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, Iraq and other areas where we conduct contingency operations.

This Commission has a proven track record of helping us reduce waste and fraud in overseas operations contracting. Indeed, in its prior iteration, from 2008 to 2011, the Commission found between $31 billion and $60 billion in U.S. taxpayer funds that were lost due to contract waste, fraud, and abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now that the U.S. has withdrawn from Afghanistan after 20 years, and as we prepare to end our combat mission in Iraq by the end of this year--after 19 years of war--it would be irresponsible not to examine what came of the hundreds of billions in contract dollars spent during these operations.

Amendment #253 comprises the language of two vital bills. The first is the Combating Illicit Finance Through Public-Private Partnerships Act, which would expand the mandate of the interagency supervisory team convened by the Department of the Treasury to examine strategies to improve public-private partnerships to counter illicit finance by including sanctions evasion and other illicit financial activities. The amendment also contains the provisions of the Strengthening Awareness of Sanctions Act, which would establish within the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) a voluntary public-private information sharing partnership among law enforcement agencies, national security agencies, financial institutions, and OFAC, which will allow for a more effective administration and enforcement to better administer and enforce economic and trade sanctions.

This illicit finance amendment will ensure that the sanctions we impose are able to successfully cut off the funding that allow bad actors to continue to carry out terror attacks, traffic in drugs, humans, and weapons, pose threats to the U.S. and our allies, and cause instability around the world.

Finally, amendment #254 directs the President to re-establish the Afghanistan Threat Finance Cell. This interagency effort would bring together law enforcement, military, and financial intelligence resources to identify, target, disrupt, and dismantle illicit financial networks.

Like the Commission on Wartime Contracting, the Afghanistan Threat Finance Cell has also proven itself as an effective body: not long after its establishment in 2008, it was the first organization to reveal an interdependent web of links between corrupt Afghan officials, criminals, drug traffickers, and insurgents. Thanks to the efforts of the Threat Finance Cell, the Executive Branch took action to pursue broad efforts to address and combat Afghan corruption.

While the Afghanistan Threat Finance Cell ended in 2014, this effort remains just as important, especially now that the U.S. no longer has an in-country military presence. The renewed Cell will serve a critical role in tracking and disrupting the use of threat finance by insurgent groups and other illicit actors, while augmenting the oversight work of regional financial investigative units. Only by eliminating the sources of funding can we effectively take on the terrorists, drug traffickers, and other criminal elements that continue to feed into the corruption and instability in Afghanistan.

Inclusion of these amendments will strengthen congressional oversight and government transparency, as well as bolster the effectiveness of our sanctions, and provide vital tools with which to combat fraud, waste, and corruption.

I would like to thank Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Rogers for including these three amendments in the two en bloc amendments. I would urge all Members to support the passage of these en blocs.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of En Bloc 3, which includes my amendment to the Labor-HHS-Education Division of H.R. 4502, the minibus Appropriations Act.

My amendment will provide an additional $2 million to the Health Centers Program within the Department of Health and Human Services. This funding will provide increased assistance to our community health centers which serve as a lifeline to many of the most vulnerable members of our community, and have been hit especially hard during the pandemic.

Today there are around 1,400 health centers in over 14,000 urban and rural communities, across the U.S. serving 30 million patients in every state and territory. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic they provided vital comprehensive, quality health services--including, primary and preventive care, behavioral health, dental care, pharmacy, and vision care--to vulnerable and underserved communities. In recent years, they have been expanding their services to include mental health and treatment of substance use disorder.

Throughout the pandemic crisis, community health centers have stepped up to help their communities by providing essential testing, contact tracing, education, and vaccinations. And they have done so while continuing to meet the ongoing health care needs of their patients. However, these vital health care providers, who already operate on very tight budgets with thin margins, were stretched even thinner in the last eighteen months. At a time when they needed all hands on deck, community health centers around the country had to cut hours, reduce services, and lay off or furlough employees. Some even had to shut down temporarily.

As we continue to work our way through to the other side of the pandemic, community health centers still need our support to care for our vulnerable and underserved Americans. Thanks to the efforts of the Congress and the support of the President, our health centers have been given some of the assistance they need in order to do so. Fortunately, the American Rescue Plan provided over $6.1 billion in funding to 1,377 health centers around the country. In my state of Massachusetts, 37 community health centers have received over $146 million to help them continue their work.

I was pleased to see the substantial increase that the Appropriations Committee provided to health centers in this spending bill, and again, I appreciate the Committee's acceptance of my amendment which will help our community health centers to continue to provide quality, comprehensive health care to millions of Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this En Bloc amendment and the underlying bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of the Eliminate Barriers to Innovation Act. It has been 12 years since the cryptocurrency bitcoin was first introduced. Since then, digital assets have proliferated around the world. By one estimate, there are more than 4,000 cryptocurrencies and other digital tokens in use today.

While we haven't yet encountered a large-scale crisis, the lack of clarity in cryptocurrency regulation has become a real barrier in developing a framework to optimize the potential benefits of this technology.

U.S. financial regulations historically have been developed in response to financial disasters. We had the creation of the FDIC, which followed over 1,000 bank failures during the Depression. Similarly, the development of the CFPB occurred after the 2008 financial crisis.

This bill, H.R. 1602, is an opportunity for Congress and our regulators to act proactively toward financial innovation rather than to address gaps in our regulatory framework after the fact. Digital assets have the potential to make transactions more efficient, improve the raising of capital for small businesses, and increase inclusion across our financial system. However, the rapid rise of this technology has

created some concerns and questions about consumer protection and about how to ensure that we gain the benefits of this innovation while mitigating potential risks.

This bill, H.R. 1602, will create critical collaboration between the SEC, the CFTC, and Congress on the topic of digital assets. It will bring our regulators, small businesses, fintech companies, and investor protection groups to the same table to discuss cybersecurity investor protections and the creation of inclusive and transparent markets. In short, our hope is that this bill will help get the regulatory framework of digital assets right before a crisis occurs.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member, Mr. McHenry, for working on this bill and also Chairwoman Waters for her support.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Ed ``Butch'' and Jean Shifflett, two wonderful and generous Americans from my home neighborhood of South Boston.

Butch and Jean have been model citizens and engaged members of our South Boston community for decades. Butch, a Vietnam veteran, together with his wife Jean, have been loving caretakers of St. Monica's Church, where they have welcomed those seeking a sacred place of beauty and peace. Their hospitality has made it possible for St. Monica's Church to serve as a home for the recovery community, providing a safe gathering space for those seeking freedom from addiction as well as anchoring the food pantry, where they have provided a safety net for those struggling with hunger during these difficult times.

Day or night, Butch and Jean have never failed to answer the call when a family in need has reached out for help. And they have offered more than just practical help and assistance: they have offered respect and warm goodwill, affirming the dignity of all.

Butch and Jean have never sought recognition for their service to others. But on January 24, 2021, we expressed our love and gratitude for the hope and healing they have brought to our community by naming the lower hall of the church where they have carried out their ministry in their honor.

Madam Speaker, it is my distinct honor to take the floor of the House today to thank Ed ``Butch'' and Jean Shifflett for their decades of service to St. Monica's Church and to the families of South Boston.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Washington for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 335, legislation to allow President Biden to appoint General Lloyd J. Austin, III, as our next Secretary of Defense. Throughout my tenure on the National Security Subcommittee, I have had the personal opportunity to meet with and interact with General Austin on numerous occasions in the field during the course of several of our oversight investigations.

Beginning in the early stages of Operation Enduring Freedom, we met in Kabul, Afghanistan, during his deployment as commander of Combined Joint Task Force 180. I dealt with General Austin again in the midst of Operation Iraqi Freedom as well as during Operation New Dawn. We also met in Baghdad during his multiple deployments as commander of the Multinational Corps and commander of United States Forces-Iraq.

And I have personally received multiple intelligence briefings from General Austin in his capacity as commander of U.S. Central Command. By the way, he was the first African American to lead that critically important combat command.

Throughout the congressional investigations into the progress of U.S. military diplomatic and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and other regional conflicts, General Austin has never failed to provide us with direct access to the battlefield and the straight and honest and hard facts as he saw them on the ground.

His assessment proved to be critical to our oversight mission and the development of legislation concerning U.S. defense, national security, and counterterrorism policies.

He always demonstrated a maximum respect for the constitutional oversight role of the United States Congress and clearly held the highest regard for the civilian leadership of the Department of Defense.

Mr. Speaker, General Austin is especially qualified and deserving of a congressional exemption that will allow President Biden his appointment as Secretary of Defense. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support H.R. 335.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the en bloc amendment that includes my amendment to reestablish the Commission on Wartime Contracting.

As the chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, I can say with great confidence that the Commission on Wartime Contracting has been a solid and a reliable partner in congressional oversight of military spending.

From 2008 to 2011, the Commission on Wartime Contracting held 25 hearings and issued 8 reports on critical oversight on issues including contingency contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan and embassy security in those countries.

The bottom line is that the Commission on Wartime Contracting found tens of billions of dollars in waste, fraud, and abuse, and recommended ways to improve our overseas contingency contracting process.

Despite the Commission's mandate having ended in 2011, today we continue to expend billions of reconstruction dollars overseas with little assurance that taxpayers or our sons and daughters in uniform are getting the full benefit of those expenditures. In fact, in many cases, we know that they are not. As the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction recently noted, many of our projects there are of questionable value or are at serious risk of failure and require continued, sustained oversight.

Reauthorization of the Commission on Wartime Contracting will provide additional oversight to help us avoid the wasteful mistakes of the past.

In closing, I thank Chairman Smith, Ranking Member Thornberry, and the gentlewoman from Oklahoma (Ms. Kendra S. Horn) for supporting my amendment.

Madam Chair, I rise in support of the en bloc which includes my amendment providing an additional $1 million to the medical services account, to be directed towards public-private partnerships to help address veteran suicide prevention; PTSD and TBI treatment; and substance use disorders.

Madam Chair, taking care of our veterans means taking care of both their physical and mental well-being. Tragically, we are losing veterans at a rate of around 20 a day to suicide, many of whom are also dealing with PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, and/or substance use disorder.

While the VA is doing tremendous work to reach out to our veterans, the need is still great so we must use every tool available to help them. Through this public-private partnership program the VA will work with research universities, teaching hospitals and other community entities to reach more of our veterans so they can get the help and care they need.

I thank the committee for including my amendment in the en bloc and would urge my colleagues to support it and the underlying bill.

Madam Chair, I want to thank Chairwoman Waters for her great work on this bill. She has been a true champion on behalf of consumers during her time in Congress.

This chart shows the decrease in enforcement actions which have plummeted by 75 percent under the Office of Management and Budget Director Mulvaney. Bear in mind that corruption and abuse of consumers has not gone away. This is a time period when Wells Fargo--a perfect example--robbed their customers, opened up fake accounts to basically take the proceeds, used their--this is when customers went to Wells Fargo, gave them all their information, Wells Fargo used their Social Security numbers and data to open up fake accounts, so they could charge their own customers--flat-out theft--and they had to fire 5,300 employees. That doesn't happen by accident. That is a business model that is built on abusing the consumer.

That is why the CFPB is necessary, and that is why we need to pass this bill today. I support the chairwoman's efforts in this regard.

A dramatic decline is evident, from 54 cases in the Obama administration to 11 this year. The sheriff has basically left the street. There is no more cop on the beat now with respect to protecting the consumer.

Madam Chair, I thank the chairwoman for giving me this time to point out the need for the Consumers First Act, a great bill.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to rise in support of H.R. 5, Mr. Cicilline's bill, the Equality Act.

I rise today as a Christian. Mr. Speaker, this bill will extend the legal protections provided by the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution as well as the Civil Rights Act against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

And may I say that it is about time.

This groundbreaking legislation specifically bans wrongful, hurtful discrimination in housing, employment, education, and other business and government sectors based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Individuals from the LGBTQ community are our fellow Americans. Many of them are Christians. They are our brothers and sisters. And it is, indeed, shameful that it has taken this very long to provide them with equal protection under the law.

The Declaration of Independence is, again, a guide. It is instructive as it reminds us: ``We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.''

In closing, none of that can happen without equal treatment under the law.

``All'' means all. ``Equal'' means equal. Let's vote for equality.

Mr. Chairman, I believe I have a couple of amendments at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment would extend by 1 year the deadline by which States may apply for Federal grant assistance to set up State-based health insurance markets, moving the deadline from December 31, 2022, to December 31, 2023.

My amendment would also extend by 1 year the corresponding date by which the exchanges must be self-sustaining, from January 1, 2024, to January 1, 2025.

Currently, 11 States and the District of Columbia have such health insurance exchanges. However, no health exchanges have been established since the ACA's original deadline of 2015.

While I do support H.R. 987's language which provides an additional 2-year window for States to establish their own insurance exchanges, given the complexity of the current debate with the possibility of single-payer healthcare out there and also Medicare for All, it is my hope and expectation that, by extending these application periods from 2 to 3 years, more States will have the opportunity to weigh those outstanding options and explore the option to establish their own State-based exchanges.

It was reported recently that the Governor of New Jersey, for example, has announced that his State would seek to establish its own State-based healthcare exchange for 2021. It is quite possible that other States that may have held off in setting up similar exchange marketplaces and are contemplating those other possibilities could also be reconsidering setting up an exchange, and that is the reason for my amendment. I believe that ensuring that States have the time to consider and plan for setting up such an exchange is the right thing to do.

I would note that my amendment does not seek additional funding during that time period, so it will not increase the cost. It simply gives States additional time.

I urge my colleagues to support my amendment as well as the underlying bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I think I have said enough. It is a technical amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. Chairman, my amendment directs the Government Accountability Office to prepare a cost-benefit analysis of the establishment of a State-sponsored public health insurance option for States that may want to offer public options in their State's health insurance exchanges.

A State-run public option would allow individual States to offer very basic, low-cost insurance plans without the high cost of commercial advertising and other overhead costs that can sometimes add as much as 30 percent to the cost of some health insurance plans, or perhaps States could optimize the use of community health centers that we all love so much. Once these low-cost public option plans are on the market, private insurance companies would be forced to compete with that lower price by offering similar low-cost plans.

State-sponsored public options could help address the lack of competition that is driving up the cost of healthcare in many States where one or two insurance companies are allowed to dominate the market due to the fact that the Affordable Care Act currently exempts insurance companies from antitrust laws.

While State-run public options were a feature in the original version, the House version of the ACA, which I supported, Senate action deleted that from the final versions of the ACA which eventually passed and which I opposed.

I believe that the information that the study will provide will be an important resource for States in regions looking to offer more healthcare options to their residents.

Mr. Chairman, one of the loudest messages that came out of the last mid-term election was that, 9 years after the passage of the ACA, the American people still want us to fix their broken healthcare system.

For many people, the Affordable Care Act is not affordable. But I believe it is fixable. Many fervent supporters of the ACA are also disappointed with the lack of success in reaching the goals of the ACA so that they are now supporting efforts to repeal the ACA in favor of single-payer or Medicare for All proposals.

I believe there are some significant changes that could be made to the ACA to make it work. This study will be a simple way to provide our States with guidance that can help them determine whether a public option may be right for them.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support both this amendment and the underlying bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Andris ``Andy'' Jon Silins, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to working carpenters, their families and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and to commend him for over fifty years of dedicated service to his community.

The son of Olga Silins and Rudolfs Silins, immigrants from Riga, Latvia, Andy was born on January 12, 1947, and immigrated with his parents and older sister to the United States and lived in Jamaica Plain.

Andy attended Roslindale High School and graduated in 1965. Subsequent to his graduation, Andy enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served his country honorably in the Vietnam War. Ultimately, Andy graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Upon completion of his distinguished service to our country, Andy joined Carpenters Local 67 in 1968. In 1979, he was elected General Agent and Executive Secretary of the Boston District Council of Carpenters, and President in 1989. In 1995, Andy was elected to the position of General Secretary--Treasurer of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC) and served in that position until his retirement on April 1, 2019. He continues to serve the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a board member of the Massachusetts Housing Authority. He is also one of the founders of First Trade Union Savings Bank, in Boston, where he later served as Chairman of the Board.

Andy has had the good fortune to be married to his wife, Diane for 37 years. He is the proud father of his son, Jake, and the master of his beloved German Shepherd, Sami.

Madam Speaker, it is my distinct honor to thank Andris ``Andy'' Jon Silins for his remarkable service and dedication to the working carpenters and their families and all workers in the Commonwealth and across the United States of America.