Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6602.

In recent years, our use of export controls to safeguard our national security has expanded greatly. However, these efforts have not come with a commensurate increase in the budget of the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security, or BIS, which is the U.S. Government entity leading export control efforts.

The Biden administration has vastly expanded controls against Russia and Belarus since the horrific invasion of Ukraine and has imposed unprecedented unilateral controls against China in the semi-conductor space.

This has resulted in a large increase in the license review and enforcement burden at BIS, which now processes nearly 40,000 licenses per year.

For our controls to be effective, I strongly believe that they need to be laser-focused on the highest priority cases where the national security concerns are most clear. At the moment, the Departments of State, Defense, Energy, or Commerce can individually block the approval or denial of a license by an interagency committee by escalating a decision if they don't agree with it.

This legislation will allow the chair of the operating committee to decide cases where the agencies are divided 2-2, which should mitigate the number of escalations that we see and result in a more streamlined and effective process.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative McCormick and Chairman McCaul for working with the minority to address our concerns. I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, to safeguard our national security in an ever-changing global landscape and to ensure that we are putting American workers and families first, our policies must be robust and effective, not counterproductive. If we want our export controls to work, we need to do a few things.

First and foremost, we need to make sure that we are blocking the transactions that pose a clear threat to our national security. This requires focusing on key chokepoints and specific technologies and not having blanket rules that will inundate the Bureau of Industry and Security with a review of items that are not problematic.

Second, we need to ensure that those controls are multilateral, so that the intended party isn't simply able to buy the same goods from other global suppliers or nations. Unilateral actions don't work, and they hurt American workers and families by ceding market share to foreign competitors resulting in job losses here at home.

Third, we need to ensure that the license review process is fast, effective, and that BIS has the resources and tools necessary to effectively implement and enforce controls.

So while I stand in support of Mr. McCormick's bill, I also urge the House to think seriously about increasing funding for BIS. I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I hereby remove my name as cosponsor of H. Res. 1068.

Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of Judge, the accelerant detection dog of the city of Allentown, Pennsylvania, fire department whom we knew as just Judge.

Today would have been his 15th birthday, but, sadly, he passed away just a few weeks ago of natural causes.

Judge came to the city fire department at about 1 year of age and had been specifically trained as an accelerant detection dog. He would sniff out accelerants such as gasoline, paint thinners, and those kinds of things that are rapidly flammable.

His work led to 16 convictions of arsonists leading to prison time. Because of his formidable reputation, arsons dropped by 60 percent in Allentown.

Judge spent all of his time, 24/7, with Fire Chief Lee Laubach and was a beloved member of the Laubach family, but first and foremost, he was a working dog.

We all miss Judge. May he rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to be joining the gentlewoman from El Paso, Texas, to address one of the most pressing issues facing our Nation: our broken immigration system.

I am from Pennsylvania. We are not a border State, but I hear an awful lot about what is happening at the southern border. I am deeply concerned about it, as are my constituents. It is something that we, this group of us who are speaking this evening, are committed to fixing.

For far too long, both parties have played political games with the crisis at our southern border rather than pursuing real solutions to restore order. That is why I am so proud to be a cosponsor of the Dignity Act, a bipartisan bill that would tackle the crisis at our border and reform that badly broken immigration system.

Let me tell you just a few things about what the Dignity Act would do.

Number one, and most pressing to many, many of my constituents, it addresses border security. It increases the hiring of CBP personnel. It provides funding for border infrastructure and equipment. It makes it a crime to transmit the location of law enforcement personnel at the border for the purpose of trying to defraud the immigration laws. It also requires employers to verify the immigration status of their employees using an E-Verify system.

All of those are things that we have been hearing about from the GOP for ages. This bill also provides a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers who came here as minors and have lived here for years in the shadows, unable to fulfill their lives, unable to become meaningful members of the workforce and to pay taxes.

These people, these Dreamers, need a pathway to citizenship. We have been talking about this for way too long. It gives good, law-abiding people an opportunity to pursue the American Dream, which, by the way, so many of our parents, grandparents, and ancestors pursued. That is what this country is all about.

There is absolutely no question about it: We need comprehensive immigration reform, and that means we have to bolster border security and ensure that law-abiding, tax-paying immigrants are treated with humanity and respect.

We need enhanced infrastructure and funding for our Border Patrol agents to help enforce our laws and keep dangerous drugs off of our streets. We also need to strengthen those pathways to citizenship, which, by the way, will help build our workforce in critical industries and will boost our American economy.

I have heard from employers, HR managers, manufacturers, and all sorts of businesses in my community that face workforce shortages. They want us to find ways to expand opportunities for legal immigration.

Immigration reform is also a national security issue. Comprehensive immigration reform, as contemplated by the Dignity Act, would help us keep the drug dealers, terrorists, and other bad guys out.

The best way to get things done in Congress is something that we don't do nearly often enough. It is for Democrats and Republicans to work together. We know that. We all know that. We have seen it historically. As I said, we don't do nearly enough of that.

I am so proud that the Dignity Act has broad bipartisan support. I will continue to work to find ways that I can engage more of my friends across the aisle to support this commonsense immigration reform.

Let me be clear. Our country needs the Dignity Act. This bill would allow us to bring order back to the southern border. It would surge resources to help enforce our laws and to support border communities like El Paso and so many others.

It would help take back power from those who seek to abuse and overrun our asylum system. It would allow us to efficiently process those who are eligible for legal immigration and asylum.

We must bring the bipartisan Dignity Act to the floor for a vote. It is the only truly bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill. We need to pass it.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in leadership to put aside partisan politics and consider the best interests of the American people.

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Lorna Breen was a hero, a healthcare provider who put her life on the line to treat patients during the pandemic. Like countless other healthcare providers during that time, she struggled with her mental health and ultimately took her own life on April 26, 2020.

To honor her legacy and provide resources to support other physicians facing mental health crises, I was proud to introduce the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, and I was thrilled to watch President Biden sign it into law last Congress.

Now, the time has come for us to reaffirm our commitment to supporting our healthcare providers. Today, I introduced legislation to reauthorize this critical law, extending its funding through 2029. The work to bring mental health out of the shadows is far from over, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in supporting this legislation that will keep our healthcare providers safe.

I am grateful for the support of Representatives Kiggans and Dingell for joining me to introduce this bill, for the partnership with my colleagues in the Senate, and for the tireless advocacy of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation.

Mr. Speaker, being a mother to my two children, Clay and Adrienne, is the greatest privilege of my life and my greatest joy. I often refer to them as the best thing I have ever done, and they are my rocks.

When I hear from women who so badly want to have children, but struggle with their fertility, it really makes me sad.

According to the CDC, infertility affects one in five women in the United States. In fact, it affected me, but I

have seen firsthand how heartbreaking and expensive struggling to conceive can be. I firmly believe as lawmakers that it is our duty to support these families, not to restrict their access to reproductive healthcare.

Everyone deserves access to the full range of assisted reproductive technologies to help them start or grow their families, including treatments like in vitro fertilization, or IVF. That is why I am so proud to join Senator Tammy Duckworth today to introduce the Access to Family Building Act, which would codify the right to assisted reproduction technologies and ensure that no State law can infringe upon this right.

Mr. Speaker, I hope that we can all agree that we should support hopeful parents, and I call on my friends on both sides of the aisle to join me in bringing this legislation to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, as we are all aware, we are living in a digital age, where access to high-speed, reliable internet is a necessity. It is no longer a luxury. I have heard from so many constituents in urban and rural communities about the detrimental effect that slow, spotty, or a nonexistent internet connection has on them, whether it is trouble logging on for virtual school days, telehealth appointments, a job interview, or anything else.

The Affordable Connectivity Program has allowed millions of Americans, including one in seven households in my district, to access broadband internet and, with it, expand educational and economic opportunities, more easily access telehealth, and connect with loved ones.

With 22.5 million Americans depending on this program, you would think that Congress would be acting to protect the funding for the ACP, but you would be wrong, because extremists in the GOP leadership have refused to bring a bill forward to extend the funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program, which runs out at the end of April.

We must get this funding done. It is far too important to every American.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the previous question. Instead of focusing on policies that would make life better and easier for Americans, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are constantly wasting time on legislation to disrupt longstanding laws, to pass bills that would offshore American manufacturers, make it more difficult for workers to receive a fair shake, and prevent the Federal Government from holding big corporations accountable.

Rather than focusing on these issues, our time would be better spent ensuring that our seniors have access to the benefits that they have earned.

Social Security and Medicare are more than just important government programs, they are commitments made by one generation to the next.

Since my first term in Congress, I have worked tirelessly to protect these critical benefits, fighting back against extremist cuts that would gut our Nation's cornerstone economic security programs. The fight goes on because the GOP is still hell-bent on eliminating these programs.

Social Security and Medicare are overwhelmingly popular because they provide critically important benefits, not only to our seniors, but to other vulnerable Americans, as well.

My constituents and all Americans have paid into these programs, and they are counting on them for a dignified retirement and essential healthcare.

It is also critical that we work to ensure that the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have the resources that they need. Despite the fact that Social Security is by far the most popular and necessary program in our country, the Social Security Administration does not receive the funding that it desperately needs to support many of the most vulnerable in our community and across the Nation.

Mr. Speaker, ensuring that our seniors can receive the benefits they have earned should not be a partisan debate.

I hope that my Republican colleagues agree and that we can find bipartisan commonsense solutions to this pressing issue.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question so that we can focus on more pressing legislation, like funding our government and reaffirming our commitment to seniors and the more vulnerable members of our society, and reaffirming our commitment to Social Security and Medicare.

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that during this Special Order hour on Social Security, it is only Democratic Members of Congress who have volunteered to speak. Heck, this GOP-controlled Congress isn't getting anything else done, so why don't we take up Social Security 2100.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of Social Security 2100 and that I have been every single term that I have been here, because I believe that Social Security is a promise. You spend a lifetime working hard and paying into the system so that you can retire with some dignity and security. It is not just something that seniors depend on, it is something that they have earned.

They aren't getting rich on it. For most, it gives our seniors a bare-bones economic existence, but it is vital to

them. That is why I have made it my mission to protect and strengthen this critical program.

Protecting and strengthening Social Security means standing up to extremist proposals from the GOP, ones that have laid out cuts or privatization proposals that call for sunsetting the programs every 5 years and statements that suggest that we ``pull Social Security up by the roots and get rid of it.'' Outrageous.

The GOP is hell-bent on destroying the only economic security that is available to most of our retirees. That is why we need Social Security 2100. This bill would increase benefits across the board for Social Security beneficiaries and would improve the cost-of-living adjustment formula for keeping up with inflation.

Social Security 2100 would provide a tax cut for working- and middle- class beneficiaries; it would end the waiting period for receiving disability benefits; and it would provide caregiver credits for all of those who have had to take time out of their careers to care for a loved one, and so much more.

It is essential for millions of Americans. In my district, more than 166,800 people depend on Social Security, so I am never going to stop working to protect and strengthen this program.

Mr. Speaker, as ranking member of the Committee on Ethics, I rise in support of H. Res. 878, which seeks to expel George Santos from the House of Representatives.

One of our most basic obligations as Members of Congress is to adhere to the principle that public office is a public trust. As the Ethics Committee's report lays out in thorough detail, Mr. Santos has repeatedly, egregiously, and brazenly violated the public's trust. Mr. Santos is not a victim; he is a perpetrator of a massive fraud on his constituents and the American people.

In fewer than 9 months, and despite Mr. Santos' noncooperation and numerous attempts to mislead the committee, the Ethics Committee compiled a staggering factual record against him. My colleague, Chairman Guest, has already outlined all of the subpoenas and pages of documents and witnesses, and I am not going to go through that again.

Mr. Speaker, this achievement owes to the superb work of the committee's nonpartisan attorneys and investigative staff who I would like to sincerely thank for their efforts and dedicated service to the House. I just want to remind everyone that the Ethics Committee is the only committee in Congress that is completely bipartisan, an equal number of Democrats and Republicans, and this was a unanimous decision.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the co-chairs of this caucus for forming the Rural Health Caucus, something that is long overdue and very much needed.

Mr. Speaker, this Rural Health Month, I am thrilled to join my colleagues in the bipartisan Rural Health Caucus to advocate for quality, affordable healthcare in every community. Our neighbors living in rural areas face unique health challenges, a substantial one of those being medical personnel shortages.

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 26 percent of residents live in federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas, meaning that nearly one-third of Pennsylvanians live in an area without sufficient medical personnel.

I don't know the last time you went to Pennsylvania, but it is a big State. If you are in a part of the State that doesn't have a lot of healthcare professionals, you are looking at long drives before you can get to a doctor or hospital.

Preventive care is critical to overall health and well-being, and access to preventive care relies upon having an adequate number of medical professionals. Having an adequate number of medical professionals relies upon not being penalized for serving as a teaching hospital.

It is unbelievable to me that this is a problem that Pennsylvania rural hospitals are facing. That is why I

partnered with Representative Meuser to introduce the bipartisan Fairness for Rural Teaching Hospitals Act.

This bill would allow rural hospitals, including St. Luke's Hospital Easton Campus in my district, and St. Luke's Miners Memorial Hospital, a stone's throw away, to receive fair reimbursements from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

This legislation is critical for allowing our rural hospitals to attract, train, and retain talented healthcare professionals to our communities.

I firmly believe that access to high-quality, affordable healthcare should not depend on your ZIP Code, and this bill is a step toward making that a reality.

I am so proud to join my colleagues in the bipartisan Rural Health Caucus to find ways to ensure that Americans in every corner of our Nation have access to the care and resources they deserve. I will keep up the work until that mission is fulfilled.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the life and legacy of Mr. Bert Winzer of Emmaus, Pennsylvania.

During World War II, Mr. Winzer served with distinction in the legendary Army 1st Special Service Force.

When a German artillery attack sent shrapnel within an inch of his heart, he overcame his wounds and returned to the battlefield a mere 10 days later. His grit and courageousness followed him to the Battle of the Bulge where he held off the German advance during the Siege of Bastogne.

For his heroism, Mr. Winzer was awarded a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, and a Congressional Gold Medal, the civilian honor awarded by Congress.

After the war, Mr. Winzer spent more than 30 years working in the automobile industry, including at our own Mack Trucks.

He was an active member in his church community and volunteered his time at local schools to share his experiences of the war.

Mr. Winzer passed away last month at the age of 101 in the care of his family. Let us remember Mr. Winzer for his remarkable legacy and impact on his community and this country. Let us thank all of our veterans this Veterans Day.

Mr. Speaker, this week, horrific anti-Semitic flyers were distributed across my district in Pennsylvania. I heard from friends and neighbors who found flyers in their front yards or in their driveways. These hateful flyers were found in some cases by children.

I am not going to show nor repeat the flyers' disgusting words because that is what those who spread hate want, for people to amplify their insidious message, one that is on the rise as the Anti-Defamation League records year-to-year increases in anti-Semitism.

I am a proud Jewish American, but anti-Semitism isn't just a threat to those of us who are Jewish. It is a threat to all of us because anti-Semitism, like other forms of bigotry that spread lies and stock hatred, is an existential threat to our values as Americans.

It takes all of us, drawing strength and community from one another, to stand up to those who want to divide us. Let's keep standing together so that, united as neighbors, we can root out the anti- Semitism and hate that endangers our fundamental American values.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate one of my constituents, Easton's own Okezue Bell.

A Moravian Academy graduate, Okezue is making a mark not just on Pennsylvania's Seventh District, my district, but on our entire country and our world.

Okezue created ``WeArm,'' a prosthetic limb for below-the-elbow amputees that has reached more than 4,000 people. He founded an award- winning app called Fidutam that offers microloans to unbanked, low- infrastructure communities. He was a United Nations youth delegate for climate justice, environmental sustainability, and education, working on educational initiatives for underprivileged students across the globe.

He somehow still has the time to be a standout violinist and tennis championship winner.

I was honored to celebrate his graduation with him this past weekend, and I cannot wait to see what he does next because his intelligence, curiosity, and dedication to making the world a better place represent the best that this country has to offer.

Mr. Speaker, when I was running to serve in this place back in 2018, I distinctly remember a telephone call that I got from a sitting Member of Congress right before the July Fourth holiday. He said to me: ``Are you ready to take a job where holidays may not be holidays anymore?''

I thought about it, and I said, ``Yes, I am.''

Well, here we are. We are on the eve of Memorial Day weekend and let me just let the American public know that when we finished votes this morning, the Republicans rushed off the floor to fly home without getting this job done.

The reasonable people are the ones who are still here, and they are all Democrats sitting on this side of the room.

Where are the rest of the grownups?

Many of my colleagues across the aisle seem unable to grasp the gravity of defaulting on our debt. Paying our bills is not something we should have to negotiate. It is a necessity of governing.

A default will cause an economic catastrophe. For Pennsylvania's Seventh Congressional District, default means 7,600 jobs killed, 105,000 families with Social Security payments in jeopardy, 282,000 people with Medicare, Medicaid, or VA health coverage at risk.

Mr. Speaker, it is time to stop playing games and protect working families from financial ruin.