Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 2606) to amend the Act of August 4, 1947 (commonly known as the Stigler Act), with respect to restrictions applicable to Indians of the Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

I rise today in support of the Senate amendments to H.R. 2606. This bill would amend the 1947 Stigler Act to remove the Indian blood quantum requirement for certain land to be maintained in restricted fee status for any member of the Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma.

Under H.R. 2606, restricted fee land currently owned by members of the Five Tribes would remain in restricted status regardless of the blood quantum of the owners.

H.R. 2606 passed the House on September 12, 2018, by voice vote. A clarifying amendment was adopted before being passed by the Senate on December 13, 2018.

I thank the sponsor of the legislation, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), for his work on this bill.

I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the gentleman from Arizona on an inspiring and eloquent speech on a subject that has nothing to do with the bill at hand.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), the author of this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I have no doubt the issues raised by the gentleman will be addressed in the future. In the meantime, this bill addresses an important matter to the Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma, and I would ask for its adoption.

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

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6652) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain facilities, easements, and rights-of-way to the Kennewick Irrigation District, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6652, authored by my colleague from Washington (Mr. Newhouse), authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to transfer the ownership of certain water infrastructure resources from the Bureau of Reclamation to the Kennewick Irrigation District, which already operates and maintains the facilities.

Now, to be clear, this is not a giveaway of taxpayer-owned property. The district has a long-term contract with Reclamation to repay the capital costs of construction, with the payment to be completed by the time of the transfer.

This legislation is about supporting local water infrastructure. The transfer will allow the district to more efficiently manage water supplies, while giving the local community the ability to seek private financing, through equity, to improve vital water infrastructure.

This is also a win for the American taxpayer. Title transfers like this reduce regulatory paperwork and staff time for both parties, reduce the Federal backlog for repairs and upgrades to improve the environment and public safety, and reduce Federal liability.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Newhouse), the author of this measure and a leader on the Natural Resources Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, every nation has a natural right and a fundamental responsibility to determine who is admitted within its borders. This is what defines a country and ultimately determines whether its culture, customs, and institutions will endure.

The unique qualities that develop within each country's borders naturally make some countries more desirable places to live than others. These differences drive immigration patterns. The more successful a nation, the greater the demand to immigrate to it, and ours is the most successful in human history.

Most of the world's 7\1/2\ billion people live in violent and impoverished conditions, and it is no wonder that they find the United States an attractive alternative. Yet uncontrolled and indiscriminate immigration from those countries to ours risks importing the same undesirable conditions that encouraged their immigration in the first place.

History offers us many examples of great civilizations that have succumbed to this paradox, and the current crisis on our southern border poses a fundamental test of whether ours may join them.

America has traditionally welcomed the truly persecuted who have escaped to our shores, but what is unfolding today makes a mockery of our asylum laws. This was not a peaceful caravan of asylum seekers, as many have attempted to portray. A caravan is a group of people traveling legally and peacefully through a foreign land. An invasion is a group of people attempting to violate a nation's border by force, whether by military or mob action.

The vast majority camped on our southern border are military-aged males. Authorities have already identified roughly 600 as known criminals, and Mexican law enforcement has reportedly arrested roughly 100 for crimes committed in their country. The fact that this force has attacked both Mexican and U.S. law enforcement, with several injuries reported, contradicts any claims that, as a group, they come with peaceful intent.

Nor are they asylum seekers in any conventional sense. No doubt many are nonviolent and simply caught up in the group dynamic of a mob. But poverty and violence in a country does not entitle every person in it to enter ours. Asylum is reserved for those who have been specifically targeted for harm by their own government based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or social group, and who have entered directly into our country from their own.

In these instances, asylum is reached by crossing a border and accomplishing separation from that government. A Central American arriving in Mexico has already achieved this and, therefore, has no call on asylum in any other country. The appropriate request to make is to the Government of Mexico, a request some have already made and Mexico has granted.

Nothing succeeds like success. If this group is allowed to muscle its way into the United States, we can expect many and still larger groups to follow.

If anything, this crisis should emphasize the importance of completing the border wall that Congress first authorized in 1996 and President Trump is desperately trying to construct.

A forceful incursion of our border can be repelled only by applying equal or greater force. That is a recipe for violence and bloodshed. The physical separation provided by a wall can prevent that.

It not only protects the officers who place their lives on the line in defense of our law, it also protects the lawbreakers themselves from the violent conduct that their behavior otherwise would make inevitable.

Orderly immigration, regulated by law and protected by secure borders, is a prerequisite to a civilized and prosperous nation. If our immigration laws are not enforced, then our borders become meaningless and America becomes a vast, open territory between Canada and Mexico susceptible to every social, political, and economic disorder brought to it.

This seems to be the ultimate aim of the American left and its powerful chorus in the media. We are fortunate in this crisis to have a President obedient to his constitutional command to ``take care that the laws be faithfully executed.'' In the remaining days of this session, Congress has a responsibility to give him the tools to do so. It remains one of the great remaining tests of the 115th Congress.

Mr. Speaker, for those of us who have had the honor and privilege of working with our departing colleagues in the California Republican Congressional delegation, this is a very sad day.

For us, yes, we are losing friends and colleagues whose good judgment we have often relied upon and whose friendship we will always treasure. But far more importantly, it is a sad day for our State and our Nation, for they are losing the service of experienced leaders dedicated to restoring freedom as the cornerstone of our public policy.

David Valadao and Jeff Denham ably represented communities in the Central Valley of California, in highly competitive districts where Republican voters have always been a distinct minority. And yet, their sincere engagement with their constituencies and their pragmatic approach to their local challenges and problems saw them elected and re-elected in the House.

When we served together in the State Senate, Jeff Denham refused to vote for an irresponsible State budget. Public employee unions tried to recall him for it, but the voters stood by him.

No one doubts that, but for the hyper-partisan tone of these unique times, they would have both been handily re-elected.

I first met Ed Royce 37 years ago when we served together in the California Legislature. When he was already a recognized leader in the State Senate, one Saturday afternoon, I found him, to my stunned surprise, wearing an apron and working behind the counter at a coffeehouse he had just acquired. That work ethic, combined with his quiet and unassuming nature and keen ability to cut through rhetoric to reach bedrock reality, has made him one of the most effective Members of the House and someone I greatly admire.

I met Dana Rohrabacher a few years later when he first ran for Congress in 1988. It has been said that if you look up Orange County in the dictionary, you will find his picture. For three decades, he has been an icon in Southern California, representing the conservative ideals, the libertarian leanings, and the casual lifestyle that define the big OC of that era, an era that now closes with his departure from Congress.

In 1993, I met Darrell Issa when he became a driving force on the board of directors at the Claremont Institute, a think tank devoted to putting American founding principles back into the public policy debate. That same driving belief in freedom and free markets had already made him a titan of industry and would soon make him an effective and tireless advocate for these principles in Congress.

More recently, I have had the honor to serve with Mimi Walters and Steve Knight.

I can tell you that when Mimi sets her mind on something, she is terrifying. She pursues her objectives with all of the subtlety and nuance of a heat-seeking missile. Her constituents had an advocate who pulled out all the stops on their behalf, something I think they will come to appreciate in retrospect.

I served with Steve Knight's dad in the State Senate and, at that time, represented the adjoining district. I have sat with Steve every day on this floor during votes, and I can say with some authority that he is the full measure of his father and then some. Never have I known a colleague to agonize more in order to weigh his votes for the betterment of his community and his country. He is a man of quiet and firm principle, a voice that I predict his constituents will also come to sorely miss.

You know, Churchill once observed that politics are just as interesting as war, and much more exciting, for in war, you can be shot dead only once, but in politics, many times.

I have found that to be true over my political career, and it is from that fact that springs my hope that we will see all these heroes back in new and more influential roles in the years ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the Gold Star Mothers of Northern California:

Carolyn Acosta, Mother of Spc. Rudy Acosta; Loretta J. Bridges, Mother of Staff Sgt. Steven Bridges; Betty Hall, Mother of Sgt. 1st Class Bryan E. Hall; Satnam Kaur, Mother of Cpl. Gurpreet Singh; Dianne Layfield, Mother of LCpl. Travis Layfield; Suzy Maddox, Mother of Sgt. Matthew William Maddox; Jan Martinez, Mother of Private 1st Class Jesse Jack Martinez; Debbie Mason, Mother of Spc. Roy Brooks Mason; Karen Meredith, Mother of 1st Lt. Ken Ballard; Rinda Pope, Mother of Private 1st Class Alexander R. Varela; Patricia Schumacher, Mother of LCpl. Victor Dew.

These are the Mothers of brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of their country. The Gold Star Mothers of Northern California highlight perhaps the most binding characteristic of these heroes: they are family. They come from the towns occupying the vast valleys and foothills of Northern California. They come from high schools and churches that produce some of America's greatest minds. But most importantly, they come from the homes of loving families.

When we as a nation lose a soldier and a patriot, these Mothers lose a child. We must remember that for the families of these fallen heroes, as with countless other families in our country, every day is Memorial Day. Time, sadly, does not heal all wounds. The grief of our Gold Star Mothers is just as great today as the day the casualty officer came to their door. Their loss is a heavy burden that they carry with them every day. Nonetheless, they persevere to keep alive the spirit of their brave children.

I have heard many stories of the young men from Northern California who have fallen in combat--among them; Garret Pant, Jeremiah McCleery, Joshua Hardt, Victor Dew, and Sky Mote. By all accounts, these young men wanted to serve their country from the time they were in grade school. They sacrificed their lives and their promising futures to protect their fellow countrymen, and for that, we owe them a tremendous debt. Although we can never repay that debt, we can always remind these Mothers of our respect and appreciation for the sacrifices their children made and the work they are doing to carry on the legacy of each and every fallen soldier. It is organizations like the Gold Star Mothers of Northern California that keep their memories alive so that we as a nation pay tribute to them every day.

These Mothers carry out the promise to our fallen heroes set forth by Reagan: ``That just as they did not forget their missing comrades, neither, ever, will we.''

Mr. Speaker, congratulations to Scoutmaster Mitch Gorsen and all the leaders and young people of Eagle Scout Troop 121 on its 50th anniversary. It has been 50 years of amazing success, culminating in the 300th young man from the troop being recently awarded an Eagle. Troop 121 is known for its adventurous spirit, sending Scouts to New Mexico, to the wilds of northern Minnesota and to Sea Base in Florida to experience a range of physical and mental challenges that mold Eagles.

A major force in the success of Troop 121 was the presence of John Hooten who passed away in March. John served as Scoutmaster for more than 20 years, motivating many to attain the highest rank of Eagle Scout. His contributions will never be forgotten.

Troop 121 is well positioned to continue its mission of providing a quality Scouting program for the young men and women in the Granite Bay/South Placer area. I wish them continued success in helping create America's future leaders.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6013) to amend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to establish January 31 of each year as the Federal closing date for duck hunting season and to establish special duck hunting days for youths, veterans, and active military personnel, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6013, the Migratory Bird Framework and Hunting Opportunities for Veterans Act, accomplishes two goals. First, it provides certainty to States by setting a specific Federal framework closing date for duck hunting. Second, it provides States the option to establish special duck hunting days for youth, veterans, and members of the Armed Forces.

In addition to the Department of the Interior, I want to thank Ducks Unlimited, Vista Outdoors, the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, and Will Primos among others for their work on and support of this important bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for adoption of the measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6299) to modify the process of the Secretary of the Interior for examining certain mining claims on Federal lands in Storey County, Nevada, to facilitate certain pinyon-juniper-related projects in Lincoln County, Nevada, to modify the boundaries of certain wilderness areas in the State of Nevada, to fully implement the White Pine County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6299, introduced by Congressman Amodei of Nevada, provides commonsense improvements and technical corrections to existing laws that will spur economic development and ensure better land management in several Nevada counties, including Storey, Clark, Lincoln, and White Pine. The provisions included in this bill represent strong collaboration with State and local elected officials and have been supported by the entire Nevada congressional delegation.

I want to thank Chairman Gowdy for his cooperation in getting this bill scheduled for consideration and simply conclude by saying this is a good bill. It is going to enhance sound land management and provide significant public benefit to the people of these Nevada communities. I want to thank and commend Congressman Amodei for his fine work.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I am prepared to close when the gentleman is finished.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Natural Resources,

Washington, DC, September 20, 2018.

Hon. Trey Gowdy,

Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,

Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: On September 5, 2018, the Committee on

Natural Resources ordered favorably reported H.R. 6299, the

Nevada Lands Bill Technical Corrections Act of 2018. This

bill was additionally referred to the Committee on Oversight

and Government Reform.

I ask that you allow the Committee on Oversight and

Government Reform to be discharged from further consideration

of the bill so that it may be scheduled by the Majority

Leader. This discharge in no way affects your jurisdiction

over the subject matter of the bill, and it will not serve as

precedent for future referrals. In addition, should a

conference on the bill be necessary, I would support your

request to have the Committee on Oversight and Government

Reform represented on the conference committee. Finally, I

would be pleased to include this letter and your response in

the bill report and in the Congressional Record.

Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to

further opportunities to work with you this Congress.

Sincerely,

Rob Bishop,

Chairman,

Committee on Natural Resources.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6687) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to manage the Point

Reyes National Seashore in the State of California consistent with Congress' longstanding intent to maintain working dairies and ranches on agricultural property as part of the seashore's unique historic, cultural, scenic and natural values, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present this bill on behalf of its author, Mr. Huffman, and its cosponsor, Chairman Bishop. Chairman Bishop has also asked that I commend my colleague from California for his work and collaboration on this measure.

Representative Huffman worked to forge consensus with diverse local stakeholders on a complicated issue. When we found local solutions that the local people agree is the answer, as has been done here, we should do everything we can on both sides of the aisle to advance the solution forward.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5420) to authorize the acquisition of land for addition to the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site in the State of New York, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5420, by Congressman Faso of New York, would allow 89 acres to be added to the historic site that was Franklin Roosevelt's lifelong home and birthplace in Hyde Park, New York, which was designated as a National Historic Site in 1944. The land is currently owned by the Scenic Hudson Land Trust, and they would like to deed it to the National Park Service.

The addition would provide important context for visitors and better connectivity to the Hyde Park Trail that links the FDR National Historic Site to the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site to the north.

The addition would not require any outlay of Federal funds. The transfer would be by donation, exchange, or purchase, using donated funds only.

I would like to commend Congressman Faso for sponsorship of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would simply like to remind the ranking member that the transfer of this land would be by donation, exchange, or purchase, using donated funds only. No Federal funds are involved from the LWCF or anywhere else.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6599) to modify the application of temporary limited appointment regulations to the National Park Service, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, recently, the Office of Personnel Management questioned how the National Park Service rehired temporary seasonal employees. The NPS did not agree with OPM's interpretation of the relevant regulation but, nonetheless, complied.

OPM's directive caused confusion for Park Service hiring managers and threatened the ability of parks to open and operate as normal this past summer. Additionally, many temporary seasonal employees were unexpectedly left without a job.

H.R. 6599 addresses this issue and allows the Park Service to continue its longstanding practices in hiring its essential seasonal employees for 1 year while Congress acts to address the issue systemically.

Congressman Steve Knight of California has brought us this measure, and I would like to commend him for his leadership on the issue. Americans across the country are going to benefit from this work. I would like to thank him for his cooperation, allowing this to go forward.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Natural Resources,

Washington, DC, September 24, 2018.

Hon. Trey Gowdy,

Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,

Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: On September 5, 2018, the Committee on

Natural Resources ordered favorably reported H.R. 6599, to

modify the application of temporary limited appointment

regulations to the National Park Service, and for other

purposes. While this bill was not originally referred to the

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I believe your

Committee has a valid jurisdictional interest in the measure.

I ask that you not seek a sequential referral of the bill

so that it may be considered by the House of Representatives

this week. This action in no way affects your jurisdiction

over the subject matter of the bill, and it will not serve as

precedent for future referrals. In addition, should a

conference on the bill be necessary, I would support your

request to have the Committee on Oversight and Government

Reform represented on the conference committee. Finally, I

would be pleased to include this letter and your response in

the bill report and in the Congressional Record.

Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to

further opportunities to work with you this Congress.

Sincerely,

Rob Bishop,

Chairman,

Committee on Natural Resources.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5585) to extend the authorization for the Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5585 extends authorization of the Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission until 2028. The commission provides valuable feedback to the Cape Cod National Seashore, which helps to promote sound park management, improve public access, and ensure that the National Park Service is a good neighbor to the surrounding communities.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for adoption of the measure and am prepared to close when my colleague is finished. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 46) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of Fort Ontario in the State of New York, with a Senate amendment thereto, and concur in the Senate amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Natural Resources be discharged from further consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 418) urging the Secretary of the Interior to recognize the cultural significance of Rib Mountain by adding it to the National Register of Historic Places, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

I have an amendment to the text at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Natural Resources be discharged from further consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 460) requesting the Secretary of the Interior to recognize the rich history of the logging industry and the importance of lumberjack sports by adding the Lumberjack Bowl to the National Register of Historic Places, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

I have an amendment to the text at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading.