Floor Statements

Will the gentlewoman yield?

Madam Speaker, if you want to demonize or scare people, you come down and yell and scream and raise your hand and you say things that they haven't looked into.

What I did was talk to people in my district and looked at their rates and said: Let's look at your taxes and kind of work them through.

I found that people in the lower-income rate in my district got relief. People in the middle-income rate got relief. This happened right across the board to everyone we kept talking to.

So I would say that, before you come down and yell and scream and try and scare people on something you might have heard from a talking head, actually work with your people. It works.

Madam Speaker, if this bill is enacted, it will result in economic growth across the country, especially in my home State of California. The lower rates for individuals, families, businesses, and the tax simplicity and certainty offered by this bill will provide net tax relief to the middle class and our country's job creators.

We expect this bill to create nearly 1 million jobs nationwide, and nearly 10 percent of those in California.

While the bill makes commendable strides toward a fair, simpler Tax Code, I am concerned about how the bill could impact some of my constituents as a result of the high level of income taxes imposed on them by our State government.

I would ask the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee if he can assure me that we continue our work and ensure the families in my district are protected from such unintended consequences and that they will be able to fully enjoy the benefits of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I, along with my good friend, Marcy Kaptur, reestablished the NASA Caucus.

Last week, I spoke about the 50th anniversary of my father's absolute airspeed record flight that happened on October 3, 1967. Two weeks ago was the 70th anniversary of the Air Force. On Saturday, we welcome the anniversary of supersonic flight.

For years, there was a thought that there was a barrier present to stop aircraft or inhibit flight controls. Many believed attempting to pass through this barrier would be fatal.

Well, on October 14, 1947, Captain Charles E. ``Chuck'' Yeager was dropped from a B-29 at about 45,000 feet and quickly accelerated through that invisible barrier we know as the speed of sound.

The first man to achieve Mach 1, we know that as something simple today, but for the last 70 years, it was because of one man that we get to do this.

General Yeager retired in 1975 as a brigadier general, after 34 years of flying, for the Army Air Corps and for the United States Air Force. What he achieved that day was something that many men didn't think would happen.

There were about two or three pilots at Muroc or the Army air field out at southern California that were trying to do it, but absolutely there was only one that did it. Captain Yeager, flying the Bell X-1, that he renamed Glamorous Glennis after his wife, was the man who achieved that.

I am proud to represent the men and women of Edwards Air Force Base with my good friend, Leader Kevin McCarthy. And I understand what they do on a daily basis from the F-35, to the F-22, to all of the aircraft that happen out there at Edwards, to all of the flying expertise that they have on a daily basis. I am very proud of them. I am proud of what Edwards Air Force Base means to the country, and I am proud of what they mean to the history of this Nation. But I am most proud of the men and women because on a daily basis they create history. For that, I am most proud.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman for his hard work and for his leadership, and I want to thank my partner in this, Congresswoman Murphy, for her cosponsoring of this bill and for her work on this important piece of legislation.

A 21st century military requires a 21st century acquisition process, one that is agile, efficient, and effective. I represent California's 25th District, and nowhere will you find a more exemplary place that demonstrates the important role that small businesses play in both our aerospace and defense industrial base.

I see firsthand the innovative effect small businesses make and how they can positively impact government functioning.

The Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer--SBIR and STTR--programs are critical to this impact. Now that these programs have been reauthorized until 2022, it is important that we continue to focus on spurring innovation.

That is why I introduced H.R. 2763, the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Improvements Act of 2017. My bill reinforces agency accountability by requiring the Small Business Administration to provide Congress with better information and reasonable, hard deadlines. It clarifies congressional intent of the previous authorization to ensure that taxpayers reap the benefits of SBIR and STTR programs by tying them to long-term projects at the DOD. It also allows participating agencies to establish a new, separate commercialization assistance pilot program and extends three popular pilot programs through FY 2022, when the full program will need a full reauthorization.

With the use of SBIR and STTR programs, we can increase small business participation in the defense and aerospace industry while tapping into the true potential their American innovative spirit represents.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 2763, the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Improvements Act.

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, October 10, I missed two votes to attend to constituent business in my district. Had I been present for the day's vote series, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 558, the passage of H.R. 1858, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4514 Williamson Trail in Liberty, Pennsylvania, as the ``Staff Sergeant Ryan Scott Ostrom Post Office''; and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 559, the passage of H.R. 2464, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 25 New Chardon Street Lobby in Boston, Massachusetts, as the ``John Fitzgerald Kennedy Post Office''.

Madam Speaker, I am truly blessed to represent a district in southern California that is the home of so many historic feats.

Today, I would like to tell you about one of those feats that turned 50 years old today. October 3, 1967, is a date I will never forget, but it is probably a date I will never remember either because I was 9 months old.

On that date, a B-52 flew down the runway of Edwards Air Force Base with a small, white airplane tucked underneath her wing. A major who had thousands of hours in different platforms was the pilot of that airplane. He had been on several different programs and had been a test pilot for many years and was a graduate of the United States Air Force Test Pilot School. He was the pilot of that small, white aircraft.

The plan was simple on paper. It was to accelerate to 100,000 feet and achieve a Mach of 6.50. As the pilots at Edwards Air Force Base will also tell you, it is a profession that they go about, and they do this in a very professional manner. The terms were 100,000 feet and 6.50, the ending was 102,100 feet and 6.72--a new airspeed record.

The interesting thing about this is that the air speed record had been set on November 18, 1966, by the same pilot and broken just 10 months later. That flight has now stood for 50 years.

If that pilot was here today, he would say that it is a travesty that that air speed record has stood for 50 years. In fact, I was standing with him on the 30th anniversary and he said just those same words: Why are we stuck where we were in the sixties? Why haven't we continued to push forward?

I believe he was right and I believe he would be right today. I hope that I am not standing here on the 60th anniversary talking about the same issue.

The great men of that era did some phenomenal things. They pushed the limits. They knew that the sky was no limit and that it was actually just a boundary that we needed to push forward.

There were 12 pilots in the X-15 program. I grew up with many of them or their kids. There was General Rushworth, Neil Armstrong, Bob White, Joe Walker, Bill Dana, Joe Engle, Scott Crossfield, John McKay, Milton Thompson, and Forrest Petersen. Mike Adams lost his life in the X-15 program in November 1967--the only one to lose his life in that program.

The pilot of the October 3, 1967, flight was my father, Pete Knight. He flew the aircraft 16 times, setting the air speed record several times, breaking it, and then achieving 4,520 miles an hour on October 3, 1967, which still stands today.

I think the lesson is that we have got to keep pushing. Technology is not out there for no reason. It is out there for us to grab and continue to achieve. Those records are made to be broken. We must continue to push in aerospace and in every endeavor we encounter. That is what America does and that is what we do for all of mankind.

I think this record was a great achievement, and I can tell you one quick story. I knew of this record when I was a small kid because my father pulled that Machmeter out of the X-15 after he set the record. That Machmeter sat on our television for every year of my life, until he was on his death bed. He said: I want that Machmeter to go to the Smithsonian. Which is exactly where we sent it.

This was something that was an achievement by many engineers, pilots, mothership pilots, and chase pilots, but it is something that is now 50 years old, and we need to continue to push.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, I plan to withdraw my amendment, but before I do, Madam Chair, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert) to engage in a brief colloquy.

Madam Chair, I appreciate the strong support from a number of my colleagues in regards to an issue that is vitally important to California's 25th Congressional District.

Citizens of Santa Clarita, California, have fought for over two decades against a sand and gravel mine in their city, which is known for its ideal filming and tourism location just outside the city. Santa Clarita is known as Hollywood North. It is the third most populous city in Los Angeles County and proudly preserves 9,000 acres of open space for its residents and filming.

A sand and gravel mine at this particular location would have extreme negative impacts on local community life and its economy. The already congested highways in the area would see additional transport trucks 24 hours a day, and local industries would see downturns from dust and air pollution.

I thank Chairman Calvert for his support and look forward to working toward a permanent solution to this long overdue local issue.

I appreciate that very much.

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time, and I withdraw my amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment that would appropriate additional resources to CDBG funds, or the Community Development Block Grant program. Back home in California's 25th District, CDBG funds are awarded to numerous nonprofit organizations that do significant and far-reaching work for our constituents.

These resources reach citizens of the city of Santa Clarita through programs like Bridge to Home, domestic violence victim support centers, home rehabilitation services, and summer youth development programs.

In the Antelope Valley, CDBG funds address community needs through grants for street maintenance in low-income neighborhoods, emergency shelter for low-income people, and financing for the construction of Palmdale's senior center.

Mr. Chairman, it goes without saying that my constituents dramatically benefit from CDBG funds, and I am sure many of my colleagues here can attest to the same. That is why I was alarmed to see that the President's budget request completely defunded this program. I am thankful to Chairman Diaz-Balart and his staff for understanding the importance of this program and supporting it in the underlying bill.

My amendment returns the total program funding to a level that is consistent with the FY 2017 enacted level, which will provide the funding stability our communities need to ensure these programs can continue to operate. I urge my colleagues to support this.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Mr. Connolly for his help and his partnership in the SECRET Act. Today, I rise in support of this straightforward bipartisan legislation, the SECRET Act, or Securely Expediting Clearances Through Reporting Transparency Act.

I am proud to say that this bill originated from concerns voiced by my constituents. California's 25th District serves as a hub for many national security programs, and by extension, requires a highly skilled, security-cleared industrial base and workforce. But this doesn't just affect southern California. This is a national issue and must be addressed now.

Many employers are either unable to recruit workers due to excessive backlog of security clearance investigations or are forced to place employees in unfulfilling positions while they wait unacceptable amounts of time for their investigations to be completed.

Mr. Speaker, we are fortunate to live in a country with selfless citizens who seek to serve our Nation in critical national security positions and work towards safety at home and abroad. We need these bright minds to solve incredibly difficult problems and develop the next generation of American-made technology. We should reward them for choosing to work toward something greater than themselves, not punish them with jobs they don't want just because our bureaucracies can't move fast enough.

I introduced the SECRET Act so Congress can do its job of oversight better. The transparency afforded in this bill will better inform us of how substantial the security clearance backlog is and how long it takes for investigations to be completed. Equipped with that information, we will hold the executive branch accountable and keep our country safe.

I thank Chairman Gowdy and his committee staff for the diligent work on this bill, and I urge my colleagues for their support.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, July 17, I missed three votes to attend to constituent business in my district. Had I been present for the day's vote series, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 379, the passage of H.R. 2210, to designate the community living center of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Butler Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, as the Sergeant Joseph George Kusick VA Community Living Center, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 380, the passage of H.J. Res. 92, granting the consent and approval of Congress for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State of Maryland, and the District of Columbia to amend the Washington Area Transit Regulation Compact; and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 381, the passage of H.J. Res. 76, granting the consent and approval of Congress for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State of Maryland, and the District of Columbia to a enter into a compact relating to the establishment of the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 23, the Gaining Responsibility on Water Act, or GROW Act, which I am a proud cosponsor.

This bill takes an important step in protecting the water security of Californians and the food supply integrity of the United States.

As all of my colleagues from California know, the recent Western drought nearly crippled our State's agriculture industry and compromised the standard of living for all our constituents by raising prices at the grocery stores throughout the country. Mr. Chairman, while we can't control the weather, we can take steps to mitigate its potentially harmful effects.

I always like it when people say: Can we just scrap the bill? Or can we start over? Or can we work together on that?

That is just code for: please stop talking about water; please stop bringing issues to the floor where we can fix something. And that is what we hear today quite frequently.

One of the most baffling facets of this story is the fact that there were readily available water sources that could have been utilized but were held up by outdated regulations and red tape. Although we have received some relief from the drought this year, it would be a disgrace for us as lawmakers not to learn from this ordeal.

Mr. Chairman, we are blessed to live in the most developed Nation in the world where Americans only notice the absence of basic necessities, as opposed to other nations where people are found wanting of them.

Unfortunately, due to the misguided policies of the past, that is the situation so many families and businesses find themselves in.

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank my friend Mr. Valadao for his continued leadership on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 23.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 2810, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018. This bill is the result of mindful deliberation and absolute dedication to our Nation's soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. I am proud to be standing here with fellow members of the Armed Services Committee and speak to the merits of this legislation.

In particular, the acquisition reforms in this bill will help get proven, advanced equipment in the hands of servicemembers faster and for a better price. This bill brings much-needed innovation to the way defense acquisition personnel spend taxpayer dollars and the way commercial businesses engage with the U.S. Government.

It prioritizes oversight of service contracts. This type of contract accounts for over 50 percent of DOD contract expenditures, which up to now was unclear and unanalyzed. It will help secure a better value for precious dollars spent through reforms in the contract auditing process.

The small-business industrial base is a critical part of DOD procurement. Our small businesses have a unique ability to strengthen our contracting process by driving innovation and competition in the marketplace. It is important that we create opportunities for these contractors and strengthen entrepreneurial development programs and help eliminate barriers of entry and diversify our industrial base.

Mr. Speaker, this is something that is near and dear to my heart. This is something that has affected our community. It happened less than 20 miles from my house, almost 100 years ago, and today I rise in remembrance of the Saint Francis Dam and the bill I sponsored, which would establish a national memorial to honor those in this terrible tragedy.

The Saint Francis Dam failed on March 12, 1928, in the San Francisquito Canyon. Nearly 13 billion gallons of water crashed down upon the surrounding areas and, ultimately, traveled 54 miles down to the Pacific Ocean. The brute force of this floodwater claimed 437 lives, leaving in its wake unspeakable heartbreak and catastrophically impacted communities.

The Saint Francis Dam disaster was America's worst civil engineering failure of the 20th century. While the failure ultimately informed future dam construction and the development of new safety standards, these lessons were learned at a steep price. Many of the dams that were built after this were built because of the Saint Francis Dam issues, and they were built at a much different level.

This bill takes a small but significant step in memorializing the men, women, and children who lost their lives in this tragedy. Those individuals represent a solemn part of current-day Santa Clarita Valley's heritage, and I am humbled by this honor to commemorate their memory.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his support of this bill, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and the ranking member for their leadership on all veteran issues.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 1162, the No Hero Left Untreated Act. I rise today to stand with our Nation's veterans for whom the trauma from the battlefield does not always appear. Whether it is PTS, TBI, MST, chronic pain, or opioid drugs addiction, the pilot program established by this bill would provide an innovative individualized treatment for all-too-common diagnoses that our veterans face today.

Using a suite of FDA-approved medical tools, the magnetic EEG/EKG- guided resonance therapy, or MeRT, is a nonpharmaceutical and noninvasive procedure that has already shown great promise. This bill requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish the pilot program, treat 50 veterans using MeRT at two different VA locations, and then come back with a report at the end of that.

Already at the Brain Treatment Center in California, 98 percent of veterans in recent trials have experienced at least a 10-point change in their military PTSD checklist, or PCL-M, which ranges from 17 to 80.

The Active-Duty military has already begun clinical trials using the MeRT procedure at Tinker Air Force Base, concluding that ``transcranial MeRT is a promising adjuvant treatment modality to help veterans suffering from PTSD.'' In fact, after 4 weeks of active treatment, MeRT reduced the average PCL-M score from 66 to 37.

U.S. Special Operations Command has also funded their own trials using the Brain Treatment Center's treatment modality and is conducting research at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida and Naval Special Warfare Command in my home State of California.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters of support for H.R. 1162 from AMVETS, the Veterans Health Council, the Association of the United States Navy, Veterans Advantage, The Patriot Project, Lines for Life, the National Foundation for Women Legislators, the PsychArmor Institute, STEADFAST Leadership, and the WestCare Foundation.

Mr. Speaker, in a time when the Defense Department maintains technological superiority over our adversaries in combat, our Veterans Affairs Department must continue to push the technological limit to treating our selfless servicemembers once their duty is done.

I am optimistic that this pilot program for our veteran population will be the first of many that improves our ability to heal wounded veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I will leave my colleagues with one last quote. As the AMVETS' executive director stated in his letter of support for this bill: ``It is imperative that we, as a nation, look at new ways to help those who have stood up and walked the walk, and suffer the consequences day after day.''

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to a terrible and almost uniformly fatal form of pediatric cancer, Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, or DIPG.

DIPG is a tumor, located in the brain stem, that almost exclusively affects children and for which no treatment exists.

As any parent knows, there is no worse feeling in the world than learning your child has been diagnosed with something fatal and there is nothing they can do about it.

Today, May 17, is a special day for advocates who are working hard around the world to raise awareness for resources and research to combat the disease.

Earlier this year, two research groups, from Northwestern University and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, published separate studies with groundbreaking insights into the genetic mutation that occurs in 80 percent of DIPG cases. The next set of research will test therapeutic strategies to treat the mutation.

Congresswoman Jackie Speier and I introduced H. Res. 69, to formally recognize DIPG Awareness Day in the House of Representatives.

I'd like to thank Congresswoman Speier and the 18 other Members who are helping promote DIPG awareness, the researchers who are investigating cures and treatments, and the families and friends of DIPG victims who are working to search for a cure.

Mr. Speaker, I come to you, not just as a Representative from my district today but someone who served for 18 years as a Los Angeles police officer on the streets, someone who has been in uniform, at attention, at several police officer and deputy funerals as tears were rolling down my face, and looking side to side and seeing the same of my brothers and sisters in law enforcement.

I am sure that everyone who speaks today will have a story, a horrible story that affected their community. On October 5 of last year, one such story happened in our community. Sergeant Steve Owen was basically executed. He was shot from a far distance, and then the killer came up and put four more shots into him at close range to make sure that he was dead.

These are the types of things that we are seeing in our communities across this country at an alarmingly high rate over the last few years.

I think that the Thin Blue Line Act is one more of those types of issues that we can do to protect our first responders, our police officers, our firefighters, to give these people justice, to give their families justice, so I urge you to support the Thin Blue Line Act.