Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Engel and Chairman Royce for their bipartisan cooperation in this committee, and I thank Representative Kinzinger for his leadership on promoting stability in the Middle East overall.

Mr. Speaker, I stand in support of the bipartisan H.R. 4591, the Preventing Destabilization of Iraq Act of 2018.

At the 2018 United Nations General Assembly, Iranian President Rouhani spoke against foreign interventions and impositions of ``alien wishes of the people of the region.'' Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif complained about countries that support ``nonstate actors who wreak havoc through terror.'' They both might want to look in the mirror.

In Iraq, Iranian-backed militias have committed human rights abuses for years, executing and beating civilians and looting homes. These same militias have taken roles in trying to influence Iraq's nascent political system.

In Iraq's recent elections, IRGC Commander Qasem Soleimani personally meddled in Iraq's political process by coercing Shiite parties with differing views to form a parliamentary majority, one that presumably would favor

Iran's agenda. This, of course, is only one example of Iranian activities across the Middle East.

In Syria, Iranian-backed militias have done their own share of murdering and looting. In Yemen, the Iranian-backed Houthis oppress their own people and fire ballistic missiles at civilians in Saudi Arabia. From Bahrain to Lebanon, Iran has played a destabilizing role.

H.R. 4591 would sanction any foreign person, not just Iranians, conducting significant destabilizing activities in Iraq.

Corruption is endemic and rampant in Iraq's political system. Iraq's long-term stability depends on a representative government that reflects the will of the people.

This bill requires our government to review the status of two of Tehran's proxies in Iran, HHN and AAH, and assess whether the State Department should designate them as foreign terrorist organizations.

By 2011, AAH claimed responsibility for thousands of attacks on U.S. and coalition forces, including the tragic 2007 attack on the Karbala provincial headquarters, which resulted in the execution of four Americans. The group is notorious for its use of explosively formed penetrators, the devastating IEDs that have killed and maimed far too many American troops and civilians.

HHN, a hybrid of fighters from AAH and Hezbollah Brigades of Iraq, played an active role against Americans during the Iraq war, and now in Syria's civil war, boasting of a unit in the Golan Heights targeting Israel.

These groups claim they exist to protect Iraqis, but as the evidence clearly demonstrates, they terrorize their countrymen and innocents across the region.

But these militias are not the only security threat in Iraq. Although the Islamic State has largely been driven from Iraq, the country still faces a myriad of economic and political challenges. Left unaddressed, Iraq could once again destabilize, creating a void for ISIS or other extremists to fill and, once again, throw the region into chaos and turmoil.

This summer, citizens of Basra, Iraq's second largest city, openly protested the corruption and mismanagement that has tainted their water supply and left their electrical grid in tatters. They directed some of their anger at the Iranian-backed militias that have enriched themselves while ordinary Iraqis suffered.

The Iraqi Government cannot provide the services its citizens so desperately need while so much power is controlled by the militias. We need to stand with and aid Iraqis that merely want to root out corruption and malign foreign interference in their internal affairs.

For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4591.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Hawaii and the gentleman from Colorado for recognizing me to support H.R. 6064, which will rename the Oyster Bay Wildlife Refuge as the Congressman Lester Wolff National Wildlife Refuge.

As Congressman Lamborn pointed out, Congressman Wolff is the oldest living former Member of Congress, and he will be celebrating his 100th birthday on January 4, 2019.

The Congressman, back in the 1960s, got into a big battle with a very well-known figure in New York in government and politics at the time, and really known throughout the Nation as the Power Broker, Robert Moses.

They wanted to build a bridge across the Long Island Sound from Connecticut to Oyster Bay, and Congressman Wolff, who was a freshman Congressman at the time, recognized the importance of preserving this important natural resource and created the Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It is one of the most important areas for natural refuge anywhere on the north shore of Long Island today and home to many types of waterfowl, such as black ducks; greater scaups; bufflehead, canvasback, and long-tail ducks; as well as great herons; and, now, osprey and red-tailed hawks.

This was a major battle when the environmental movement was very nascent at the time in the United States of America, and it took tremendous courage on the part of Congressman Wolff to stand up to Robert Moses at the time and the Governor of New York State, then- Governor Nelson Rockefeller, to preserve this important piece of property, as well as to block the bridge that would have gone across the Long Island Sound, an 8.5-mile bridge across the Long Island Sound from Connecticut to Long Island.

So this is a great, fitting tribute for a wonderful man who we hope will be able to enjoy his 100th birthday celebrating the naming of the Congressman Lester Wolff National Wildlife Refuge.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Tsongas and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for rising in support of this bill.

Yesterday, on September 11th, in small towns and large cities and country fields, Americans paused to remember September 11th. I think there are two goals to each of these ceremonies, including the ones I participated in.

First, is to remember all those who have suffered so much because of the September 11th attacks; and second, is to rededicate ourselves to the promise that is America.

Those who have suffered so much; those who were killed that day; the families that have been affected by it; and all those who responded and worked on that pile that was so huge. We saw the pictures on the front of the newspaper. I went there the day afterwards. The pile was massive. It looked like little ants, the firefighters and police officers and EMS personnel, that were crawling through the debris--it was so gigantic--and the acrid smell that was there.

And every day we hear about other first responders who are dying of cancer related to 9/11 illnesses. We can never forget those who suffered that day and the people who worked so hard for months after that.

And second, we need to rededicate ourselves to the promise of America that the terrorists tried to take away from us.

This bill is an example of Democrats and Republicans working together to try and commemorate these brave souls. We need to remember that those who have gone off to foreign lands and have died on our behalf, have done so for freedom and democracy.

Freedom and democracy is nothing more than politics and government, and our politics and government have become too small, too petty, and too cynical. These are big issues that are life-and-death issues and we need to raise up the conversation in this country.

This bill is an example of working together to provide money so that people will continue to go to these facilities to remember the suffering that has been visited upon us, and to rededicate ourselves to the promise of America.

Mr. Speaker, on August 14, it will be 6 months since the Parkland shootings. It has been 5 years since the Sandy Hook shootings. It has been 25 years since the Long Island Railroad massacre. And it has been 37 years since President Reagan was shot.

We need commonsense gun legislation in this country, legislation that the vast majority of Americans support, legislation to plug some of the holes in our commercial background checks.

The good news is that high school students and college students in my district are calling attention to this very important issue. I have been meeting with them throughout the year. They come to me and tell me what it is like when there is a fire alarm in their district.

When I was a kid and there was a fire alarm at school, we would be excited to go outside and see our friends and talk to people. Instead, when they hear a fire alarm, they figure out: Where can I hide? Where can I go if this turns out to be a catastrophe?

These students deserve our attention from this body, Democrats and Republicans working together to try to address this very real problem in our country. I am committed to doing it. I hope my colleagues will as well.

Mr. Speaker, 20 veterans commit suicide in the United States every day. This is not only a crisis; it is a national shame.

Today, June 27, is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day. We need to come together as Democrats and Republicans to help those suffering from PTSD.

Too many veterans suffering alone in the dark are not eligible for VA benefits, or are unable to navigate the VA bureaucracy.

I am proud to have introduced the bipartisan Mental Health Services for All Veterans Act, H.R. 2736, which would provide every member of the military mental health services, whether Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard, even if they were less-than-honorably discharged.

Mental health, PTSD, 20 suicides a day--this crisis in a community of heroes must be addressed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the illustrious public service career of former member of this body--Congressman Lester Wolff--who will soon be celebrating his 100th birthday.

In recognition of his monumental contributions to the preservation and protection of our environment, especially on Long Island's beautiful North Shore, I am proposing the renaming of the Oyster Bay National Wildlife

Refuge to the Congressman Lester Wolff National Wildlife Refuge.

These precious wetlands, at Congressman Lester Wolff's urging, were protected in 1968.

In 1967, the New York State Legislature--at the insistence of then Governor Nelson Rockefeller and master planner Robert Moses--authorized a bridge across the Long Island Sound.

Lester immediately saw that this bridge would despoil the pristine and precious resource of the Long Island Sound and soon found himself at the center of an enormous political fight.

Lester eventually won this fight and the Oyster Bay Wildlife Refuge was born. Lester's efforts in 1968 are an important part of our nation's environmental history.

I urge my colleagues to support the renaming to the Lester Wolff National Wildlife Refuge and I wish Lester a happy 100th year and many more.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the illustrious public service career of a former Member of this body, Congressman Lester Wolff, who will soon be celebrating his 100th birthday.

In recognition of his monumental contributions to the preservation and protection of our environment, especially on Long Island's beautiful North Shore, I am proposing the renaming of the Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge to the Congressman Lester Wolff National Wildlife Refuge.

These precious wetlands, at Congressman Lester Wolff's urging, were protected in 1968. In 1967, the New York state legislature had, at the insistence of then-Governor Nelson Rockefeller and master planner Robert Moses, authorized a bridge across the Long Island Sound.

Lester immediately saw this bridge would spoil the pristine and precious resource of the Long Island Sound, and soon found himself at the center of an enormous political fight. Lester won, and the Oyster Bay Wildlife Refuge was born.

Lester's efforts in 1968 are an important part of our Nation's environmental history. I urge my colleagues to support the renaming to the Lester Wolff National Wildlife Refuge, and I wish Lester a happy 100th year and many more.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the United States Merchant Marine Academy, located in Kings Point, in my Congressional district, for 75 years of dedicated service to our country.

Acta Non Verba--the school's motto--Acta Non Verba, that's deeds not words, something we all need to strive for.

The midshipmen and graduates of the Academy have exemplified this school's motto by faithfully serving the United States in times of war and peace and for that we are eternally grateful.

Since its founding in 1943, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy has developed a rich history of military and maritime service. It's the only service academy whose students engage in combat during times of war.

In fact, 142 of its students gave their lives on behalf of our country during World War II. In 1974, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy became the first service academy to admit women.

After the 9-11 terrorist attacks, staff and midshipmen evacuated civilians from Lower

Manhattan and transport first responders and supplies to Ground Zero.

Midshipmen are the backbone of our nation's maritime industry and they serve as members of the Armed Services as well.

As a member of the Board of Visitors, I am proud of United States Merchant Marine Academy's rich history and the sacrifices its students and graduates have made for our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the United States Merchant Marine Academy, located in Kings Point in my congressional district, for 75 years of dedicated service to our country.

``Acta non verba,'' the school's motto, means ``deeds, not words,'' something we all need to strive for. The midshipmen and graduates of the Academy have exemplified the school's motto by faithfully serving the United States in times of war and peace, and for that we are all eternally grateful.

Since its founding in 1943, the United States Merchant Marine Academy has developed a rich history of military and maritime service. It is the only service academy whose students engage in combat during times of war. In fact, 142 of its students gave their lives on behalf of our country during World War II.

In 1974, the United States Merchant Marine Academy became the first service academy to admit women.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, staff and midshipmen evacuated civilians from lower Manhattan and transported first responders and supplies to Ground Zero.

Midshipmen are the backbone of our Nation's maritime industry, and they serve as members of the Armed Services as well.

As a member of the Board of Visitors, I am proud of the United States Merchant Marine Academy, their rich history, and the sacrifices its students and graduates have made for our great Nation.

Mr. Speaker, today marks the 350th anniversary of the founding of my hometown, Glen Cove, New York, on May 24, 1668. Earlier this year, we also celebrated the 100th anniversary of Glen Cove's designation as a city.

I love Glen Cove. I served as the city's mayor from 1994 to 2001. My father, Joseph, an Italian immigrant and an American success story, was the first Suozzi to serve as mayor from 1956 to 1960.

My uncle, Vincent, also known as Jimmy Suozzi, was the second. He served from 1973 to 1979 and again from 1984 to 1987. The most recent Suozzi to serve as mayor, my cousin Ralph served from 2006 to 2013.

In fact, in the 100 years since Glen Cove became a city, a Suozzi has served as mayor for 32 years. We Suozzis have devoted a great deal of our lives to serving the city we love, and we have been repaid with the satisfaction of knowing our friends, neighbors, and family will continue to strive to work to ensure our best days are still yet to come.

Glen Cove was the first industrial center of Long Island. The Carpenter, Simkin, and Cole families purchased over 2,000 acres of waterfront property overlooking Hempstead Harbor and the Long Island Sound from the Native American Matinecock Tribe.

There they built a lumber mill and a gristmill powered by the fresh water of Glen Cove Creek.

Originally named Musketa Cove, which means ``a place of rushes'' in the Matinecock language, Musketa Cove went on to become one of the top four ports for smuggling on Long Island, as no one wanted to pay the English taxes on brandy, rum, and wine.

The area grew with professional craftsmen, weavers, carpenters, wool spinners, tailors, millers, and shipbuilders. Corn farming developed in the surrounding area.

A second major industry began in the early 1800s when Dr. Thomas Garvie discovered massive clay deposits and began to mine and ship the clay to potteries in New York City and elsewhere on Long Island. Dr. Garvie also began a daily steamship operation between Glen Cove and New York City that began to attract residents looking to escape the city's sweltering summer heat.

Tourism-minded residents started to worry that the name Musketa Cove

sounded too much like mosquito cove, and, in 1834, they changed the name to Glen Cove. It worked. By the mid-1850s tourism was booming with daily steamship operations, leading to the development of six major hotels, taverns, and boarding houses.

A new industry emerged. The Duryea Starch factory took advantage of the fresh water, the gristmills, and the plentiful corn and became one of the world's largest starch factories. In fact, in 1878, Duryea won the Paris Gold Medal for the best starch in the world. Industry flourished, tourism flourished, and Glen Cove began to attract more attention.

In the early 1900s, some of the wealthiest families in the world made Glen Cove their home. J. P. Morgan, the wealthy financier, who bailed out the U.S. Government; F. W. Woolworth, the founder of the original five-and-dime department store, whose marketing began the commercialization of Christmas gift giving; and the Pratt family, who amassed their fortune by controlling the kerosene market and, ultimately, merging with John D. Rockefeller to form Standard Oil, all built their massive summer estates in Glen Cove, leading to the moniker of the ``Gold Coast.''

Between the industries that flourished on the waterfront and the Town & Country magazine rated Gold Coast estates, Glen Cove with its vibrant downtown of merchants was booming. Immigrants from all over the world and America flocked to the area to work at the starch factory, or the Ladew Leatherworks that tanned hides to be used for industrial belts. Immigrants like my grandfather and father from Italy, and others from Ireland, Poland, Germany, and elsewhere, worked not only in the factories, but in the gardens, kitchens, pantries, and garages of the Gold Coast estates. African Americans from the South migrated to the area and found work, many as experts training and caring for thoroughbreds and polo ponies.

Around 1917, Glen Cove residents, who saw the economic vibrancy from the estates, the factories, and the vibrant downtown, populated by Jewish, Italian, and English merchants, no longer wished to share their plentiful property and sales tax dollars with the town of Oyster Bay, under whose jurisdiction Glen Cove existed as a village. Community leaders worked with the State legislature and the Governor to break off and become Long Island's first city.

Glen Cove has traveled a long journey. Its population exploded, as did much of Long Island, with veterans returning from World War II.

Its industrial vibrancy, which went on to include Li Tungsten, a munitions factory; Mattiace Petrochemical; Columbia Ribbon and Carbon; Powers Chemco; Konica; and Photocircuits, a circuit board manufacturer, all left behind a negative environmental legacy that the City has now cleaned up as it moves forward to a new age of development and waterfront revitalization.

With hundreds of acres of publically-owned nature preserves, three public beaches, golf courses, a fishing pier, and multiple ballfields and parks, Glen Cove has been restored to a waterfront community with a short commute to Manhattan that once attracted some of the wealthiest families in the world.

Unlike much of Long Island, that is either all rich or all poor, or all Black or all White, or all this or all that, Glen Cove remains a diverse community with the wealthiest of the wealthy and a large supply of low-income housing that is anchored by a solid middle class. It is home to over 60 ethnicities: two Catholic churches, two Baptist churches, two Jewish synagogues. It also has houses of worship for African Methodist Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians, and Evangelicals. The Presbyterian church is one of the most beautiful architectural marvels of the City. Glen Cove is also home to a Russian Orthodox church, a Sikh gurdwara, Jehovah's Witnesses, and several Latino churches.

Many movies, television shows, and commercials have been filmed in Glen Cove, including Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest, starring Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint; and Sabrina, starring Audrey Hepburn, William Holden, and Humphrey Bogart. In fact, as mayor, I met Harrison Ford while filming the remake of Sabrina with Julia Ormond and Greg Kinnear. I met Michael Douglas while filming A Perfect Murder, and told him how his dad, Kirk Douglas, had filmed A Lovely Way to Die in the 1960s in Glen Cove. A former Pratt estate, now the Webb Institute of Naval Architecture, was stately Wayne Manor in Batman Forever. A host of other movies, such as Annie Hall, Hair, Eyes Wide Shut, and one obscure favorite, A New Leaf, were all filmed in Glen Cove as well.

Famous historical figures called Glen Cove home. Bobby Kennedy resided in Glen Cove when he ran for United States Senator of New York. Jackie Kennedy called West Island home after the President had been shot.

The first female congresswoman from New York was Ruth Baker Pratt. Baseball legends, including Roy Campanella, Whitey Ford and, more recently, Yoenis Cespedes of the New York Mets. Billy Joel spent a short time in Glen Cove. And Ashanti grew up in Glen Cove--I attended her sweet 16 birthday party--while many other artists record here regularly at Cove City Sound Studios.

And Sergeant Major Dan Daly, a marine, is one of only 19 men in U.S. history, in our entire Nation, to have received the Medal of Honor, twice.

Many of the old estates have been repurposed, including Killenworth, a former Pratt estate that served as the home of the Soviet Ambassador of the United Nations, and still serves the Russian Ambassador. Nikita Khrushchev visited the estate after pounding his shoe on the lectern at the United Nations back in the 1960s. Welwyn, another former Pratt estate, is a 200-acre nature preserve and serves as the Nassau County Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center.

Not every Glen Cover has a boldface name, but every Glen Cove resident contributes in their own unique way to the community: the first responders, the business owners, and the volunteers; the elected officials, city employees, the coaches, and the moms and dads; the teachers, preachers, and the gadflies that show up at the city council meetings; the world-class restauranteurs and bakers, the multigenerational shop owners, and the too many to mention fraternal and service organizations. Glen Cove is alive and will continue long after these words are forgotten.

As I said, I love Glen Cove and Glen Cove is why I love America. It has diversity. It has history. And it has wonderful people.

Glen Cove has offered opportunity to so many families, including mine. It is what makes America great.

E pluribus unum, ``out of many one.''

Glen Cove has every type of ethnicity, religion, and income group. It enjoys low crime, low unemployment, and a robust community life. It works and it will continue to work.

Happy anniversary and congratulations to my friends and neighbors. God bless our warm city with the cool sound, and God bless the United States of America.

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

Mr. Speaker, last year, I welcomed three welders-- Christopher Donahue, Andrew Labeck and Moises Fernandez--into my Washington, D.C. office. They were smart, articulate, and passionate about their work.

These welders had access to job training and critical tools to give them a chance to earn and thrive. And our nation needs more of them. Sixty percent of Americans do not attend college. We need more post- secondary school education, such as apprenticeship programs and vocational schools for the next generation that chooses not to attend college but is willing to work hard to have the skills to live the American Dream.

The collective story of Christopher, Andrew and Moises tells us a great deal about what can work in the American economy. Their story also shines a bright light on how to build an economy that gives everyone a chance to earn a share of the American Dream.

Christopher, Andrew and Moises' story inspired me to write in the Wall Street Journal about their success and about how to put people to work in America.

Therefore, I include in the Record, those words, that inspiration.

[The Wall Street Journal, May 14, 2017]

When the Welders Came to Capitol Hill

(By Tom Suozzi)

I'm sitting in my Capitol Hill office a few weeks ago,

meeting with three well-dressed, well-spoken young men who

earn salaries in the high five and low six figures. You see

the type a lot in Washington, but these guys are different.

They're not lobbyists. They don't represent Wall Street or

any Fortune 500 companies. They're welders.

America needs more of them and what they represent: good

jobs at good wages. Last month I held a roundtable with

suppliers in the aeronautic and defense industries, who told

me they cannot find enough computer machinists. It sounds

like an intimidating job, but according to these companies,

trade schools and community colleges teach the specific

skills needed.

Census data show that in 2015 there were 105 million full-

time jobs in the U.S., about 59 million of which paid less

than $50,000 a year. That's not enough to raise a family and

achieve the American dream. Most people who work these jobs

responded to President Trump's message of antiglobalization

and ``America First.'' Many workers without college degrees

have played by the rules but still feel left behind.

Globalization and technology rendered their stable, good-

paying jobs obsolete.

Policy experts, economists and politicians (including me)

have pushed college education as the solution. We've argued

the more you learn, the more you earn. Yet minting more

college graduates in the STEM subjects--science, technology,

engineering and math--is only half the story. The other half

ought to be creating jobs that can be filled by graduates of

high schools, trade schools, community colleges and union

apprenticeships.

The welders in my office seemed almost sheepish when I

asked how they came to the trade. The common theme was that

they didn't do well in school. I'll tell you what I told

them: They're amazing. At 22, 29 and 32 they are making more

than many graduates of college or even law school. They take

the work that's offered, even if it means leaving home at

4:30 a.m. and driving an hour and half. They like their jobs

and are good at them.

The policy debates in Washington--over the corporate tax,

the income tax, regulatory reform, infrastructure spending--

should be centered on creating positions like these.

Republicans and Democrats should pledge to work together to

create and fill, by 2020, five million new jobs that pay at

least $80,000 a year.

Americans don't need corporate-tax reform simply because

companies need more money to buy back stock or increase

dividends. They don't need income-tax ``simplification'' only

because the wealthy want bigger paychecks. They don't need

regulatory reform because workers and consumers have too many

protections. And they don't need a massive infrastructure

plan only because America's roads, bridges, sewers, water

lines and mass transit systems are in disrepair.

Americans need these things because they will create jobs

at home and rebuild the middle class. My welder buddies are

losing faith. So are those computer machinists, and millions

more like them. You can meet them at any church, bar or ball

field. They have a lot to teach Washington, if only it will

listen.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding this time to me.

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased that my bipartisan amendment has been included in this en bloc package.

There is a major problem in our country that Americans want us to address. It is a bipartisan issue related to contamination related from defense-related activities, and I want to thank

the chairman of the committee for his assistance in working on this, as well as my colleagues, Congressman Cook and Congresswoman Hanabusa, for their work in helping to get this done.

Military bases and munitions storage depots and armament manufacturing facilities have left behind a multibillion-dollar legacy of required environmental cleanup.

Under my amendment, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and the Environment will be required to brief the Committee on Armed Services on initiatives being pursued to accelerate environmental restoration efforts.

In my district alone, there is a site that was contaminated by a Grumman in conjunction with the United States Navy. It was discovered over 40 years ago. It has contaminated groundwater, which is the sole source of drinking water on Long Island.

There are people that are trying to get these things cleaned up, but there is so much bureaucracy, so much red tape, so much finger- pointing, that we need to send a clear message from Congress that we need the executive branch to work together with us to accelerate this cleanup.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment will help get that done.

Mr. Speaker, Russia has been working to undermine our democracy, as well as democracies throughout Europe, including Central and Eastern Europe.

Unfortunately, too many Americans and elected officials have been distracted from Russia's secret operations because of the pitched, partisan battle regarding Putin's involvement in the 2016 Presidential race.

The bottom line is this: Democrats and Republicans can't lose focus on Russia's worldwide treachery due to our hyperpartisanship here at home.

Instead, Democrats and Republicans in Congress must work together to expose Russia's worldwide plan to subvert democracy. We must face the reality that Russia is a strategic competitor of the United States that is using nontraditional, nonmilitary weapons in a hybrid warfare to undermine democracies in countries that are ill-equipped to combat their malign efforts.

Instead of focusing on Russia's activities during the 2016 election, I have introduced a bipartisan bill, the Russia Anti-Corruption Act, with 13 Republicans and 10 Democratic cosponsors, to expose and thwart Putin and his cronies' illicit activities in Eastern Europe and Europe as a whole.

Whether bribing politicians, cyber attacks, manipulating social media networks, buying media outlets to promote propaganda, or purchasing power plants to control energy supplies to gain leverage over unstable governments, we must define, document, and

disrupt the corruption flowing from Moscow, which imperils the democratic foundations of our U.S. allies.

Our legislation would establish within the State Department an office of anticorruption relating to illicit Russian financial activities in Europe which would analyze Russia's financial meddling in strategic European sectors, including real estate, energy, media, and infrastructure.

The office will collaborate with the Treasury Department to train U.S. diplomats to work with foreign partners to uncover and prosecute illegal Russian financial activity. This office will also work with our NATO allies to elevate anticorruption operations as part of NATO's readiness action plan.

Oligarchs connected to Vladimir Putin are malevolent allies in the Russian President's hybrid warfare scheme. They flood Europe with dirty money, bribing politicians and purchasing key assets to subvert democracy. The Panama Papers found a trail of $2 billion that leads back to the Russian President. Such money has gone to support fringe political parties in France, Germany, Austria, and elsewhere.

Well-funded Russian media outlets also play a key role in this hybrid warfare. They spread lies and weaken faith in European governments. Our allies in Central and Eastern Europe have accused Russia of a campaign of bribery meant to undermine the transatlantic alliance.

All of this, of course, complements Russia's more overt tactics, from its military aggression in the Ukraine to its campaign of assassinations on European soil. As Putin and his cronies work to discredit open societies, the dark and dangerous sphere of Moscow's influence grows and grows and grows. That is how democracies can die.

Mr. Speaker, this is not about President Trump, and it is not about Democrats versus Republicans. Members of Congress must work together to find solutions to the very serious threats posed by Russia the world over.

I now yield to my friend and colleague, Mr. French Hill, the original cosponsor of the Russia Anti-Corruption Act and a real leader on this critical issue.

Mr. Chair, last year was the safest on record for commercial air travel, and the United States has one of the safest systems in the world.

However, last Tuesday's emergency landing by Southwest Airlines Flight 1380--and the tragic death of a passenger--Jennifer Riordan--is a call to action when it comes to assuring airline and passenger safety.

Tuesday's incident on Southwest Flight 1380 was caused when the aircraft's left engine suddenly exploded mid-flight.

Metal weakness or ``metal fatigue'' was found in the left jet engine that failed during the flight of Southwest 1380.

This issue is one of the reasons I have introduced an amendment to H.R. 4, the Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act.

The FAA needs to understand the full scope of any and all dangers connected to metal fatigue.

My amendment instructs the FAA Administrator to produce a report on airline and passenger safety within 180 days of House passage.

More specifically, my amendment instructs the FAA to study the issue of metal fatigue as well as the age and over-all use of U.S. commercial aircraft.

Additionally, Mr. Chairman, I imagine many in this room have seen the 60 Minutes report on Allegiant Air.

The report exposed numerous safety problems at Allegiant Air, a low- cost carrier that is more than three times as likely to have in-flight mechanical emergencies than any other major airline.

I'm deeply concerned about the issues at Allegiant.

I also worry about reports that the FAA has shied away from punishing airlines that cut corners with regards to passenger safety. That's just flat-out unacceptable.

Finally, Congress needs to be concerned about the practice of offshoring U.S. aircraft maintenance to foreign repair stations.

Today, approximately 24 percent of total heavy aircraft maintenance is offshored to repair facilities in other countries, more than triple the share offshored in 2003.

This offshoring has cost hardworking Americans thousands of aircraft maintenance jobs.

This practice has also raised real concerns regarding the level of U.S. oversight on offshored maintenance work.

Safety and security regulatory gaps persist, creating a double standard for domestic maintenance workers and workers overseas.

A dangerous double standard that could result in an airline-- passenger tragedy.

That's why my amendment also instructs the FAA to review policies regarding maintenance performed by contractors.

Overall, our mission is simple, clear and all-important:

To empower the FAA to root out any problems in the hopes of preventing any further tragedies.

Madam Speaker, I am here to welcome Father Elias to the Chamber. He is from my hometown of the city of Glen Cove.

Father Elias, as was mentioned, is a canon regular of St. Augustine from Klosterneuburg, Austria, and he and three of his colleagues from Klosterneuburg have been assigned to my parish, St. Rocco's, and our neighboring parish of St. Patrick's since 2011.

He is joined here today by his parents as well as his brother, who is also a priest, Father Richard from Annandale, Virginia.

I just wanted to say that we are so honored to have him here today. He has made such a dramatic difference in our community, along with his colleagues, Father Daniel, Father Ambrose, and Father Gabriel; and a great difference in my family's life as well.

We are so grateful to you for your service to our community and to your faith, and to our faith, and for making such a difference in our lives.