Floor Statements

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

Mr. Chair, I rise to bring attention to a matter of critical importance to the health and safety of my constituents and citizens across the country.

We need to act swiftly to clean up abandoned uranium mines in the Southwestern United States. On the Navajo Nation alone, there are over 500 abandoned mine sites that remain unaddressed and pose a danger to area residents.

Many of these mines provided uranium to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission for defense activities between 1947 and 1970, putting them in the purview of the Defense-Related Uranium Mines Program. While this program is working to inventory and assess sites, we must begin planning to clean these sites up.

This past week, I was in Cameron, Arizona, a community on the Navajo Nation which has been impacted by uranium mining. The town sits right above the Little Colorado River, and the mine sites are not far from the river, whose water eventually flows into the Grand Canyon.

In Cameron, I heard stories about how these sites have gone decades without the necessary cleanup. At this same meeting, I heard from community members and Tribal leaders that sites like this are a growing concern across the Navajo Nation. These communities need us now, Mr. Chair.

Across northern Arizona, uranium mining has a toxic legacy, and many of my constituents continue to fight the cancers and diseases that were caused by radiation exposure decades ago. This exposure was so severe that Congress went so far as to pass the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.

Today we understand these health risks, and we know that unaddressed sites pose a danger to public health and will continue to pose risks until they are remediated or reclaimed.

In some communities, abandoned mines are near water, near schools, or are places where livestock graze. The potential contamination of these areas that are so critical to our communities and our food and water resources is a serious issue that we have put off for too long. We must step up now and clean these sites.

My amendment simply designates funding to expedite cleanup of sites through the Defense-Related Uranium Mines Program. This amendment will ensure that we are doing our part to improve public health for long- neglected communities in Arizona and the Southwest.

It is past time to turn the page on the Federal Government's disgraceful failure to address this issue for the families affected spanning decades. I urge my colleagues to support my commonsense amendment on behalf of these families and their communities.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I stand here today as a former law enforcement officer and a member of the House Law Enforcement Caucus to honor the brave men and women in uniform who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect, and to thank those officers who are putting their lives on the line every day to protect our communities.

We owe a great debt of gratitude to these men and women and their families, who make their own sacrifices as they see their loved ones off every day.

I remember when I went off every day and said good-bye to my wife and my children. I usually worked nighttime. I remember afterwards coming home, and on some nights when an officer had been killed or shot, and they would mention it on TV, but they wouldn't give the name out until the family was notified. Those times for all the families in a large major police department or a small one are traumatic.

After a while, my son, who was very young at the time, would sit on the stairway going up to the second floor and the bedrooms late in the evening until I came home.

I have lost friends and partners in the line of duty; one, Erwin Jackson, after he saved my life on a robbery arrest, within a year, he was shot dead on a call.

I have grieved with their families, and during the most difficult times, I have experienced firsthand the real sacrifices they make.

This week, my wife, Pat, and I pause to remember our friends, reflect on their service.

Mr. Speaker, last year, 129 officers died in the line of duty across this country.

And so far this year, preliminary reports show 54 officers have died.

Arizona has lost one brave officer so far this year. The family of Nogales Police Officer Jesus Cordova and the entire community continue to mourn his death after he was shot and killed by a carjacking suspect last month. He was the first Nogales officer to be shot and killed in 130 years.

These law enforcement officers served and protected their communities admirably, and while we can never repay the debt we owe them and their families, we will forever remember their service.

This week, 360 officers were memorialized on the National Law Enforcement Memorial here in Washington, D.C.

Three brave Arizonans were honored: Paul Lazinsky of the El Mirage Police Department, whose watch ended last year; Alfred Moore of the Arizona Department of Liquor Control, whose watch ended in 1965; and Rupert Hopkins of the Pima County Sheriff's Office, whose watch ended in 1950.

The memorial also includes Navajo Nation Officer Houston Largo, who died last year while responding to a domestic violence call in New Mexico.

As we look to the future, it is important to highlight the work being done at the local, county, and State levels to improve the relationship between police officers and their communities.

I have seen firsthand how community policing practices benefit both the communities and the officers on patrol. It improves safety, increases trust, and it reduces violence. Communities across Arizona are leading the way in developing strong relationships between these two groups, and I applaud their hard work.

Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the support I have seen this week for our law enforcement community.

I addressed how my family felt. I have spent a lot of time at funerals with the families of those that have fallen, too much time. And I have spent too many times at bedsides with seriously wounded officers. I was a homicide detective, and I investigated their shootings. Please remember in your prayers not only the officers that have fallen but their loved ones.

Mr. Speaker, Arizona's First Congressional District is home to some of the most beautiful forests in the country, including the Grand Canyon, but paired with the dry conditions and high heat, the First District is historically home to some of the worst wildfires in the country.

Earlier this month, my constituents in rural Arizona faced off against the Tinder Fire, which spread more than 16,000 acres before being mostly contained. It could have been far worse.

I rise today to commend the hundreds of brave first responders, community leaders in Arizona and across the West, public safety officials, who worked tirelessly over the past 3 weeks to contain the fire and protect residents and their homes.

It was their quick thinking and expert training that prevented this fire from spreading even further and destroying hundreds of homes.

The fire, which was reported on April 27 by Coconino Forest officials, and before the fire even reached 50 acres on the second day, the decision was made to bring in the Type 1 Southwest Area Incident Management Team to oversee the firefighting efforts and safety efforts.

This is unheard of for fires of this size, but it turns out that it was the right call.

The Type 1 IMT team was able to set up a strong line of defense and get hotshots and firefighting crews on the ground to save hundreds of homes, ranches, and lives.

This was not the only proactive measure that was taken during the early stages of the fire, Mr. Speaker.

During my visit to the Type 1 incident command center earlier this month and to the fire site, the team shared with me their work. I have to extend my sincerest gratitude to the Coconino National Forest, Coconino County Sheriff's Office, and the county staff in their work.

They saw the dry conditions in the area, they saw the weather report of high winds coming, and the decision to evacuate residents was made before the fire grew to a significant size. It was made correctly.

They made this decision as that fire moved towards large subdivisions, and it was moving at a rate of 3 miles in 1.5 hours. The wind speeds were up to 50 miles an hour.

This contributed to one of the smoothest evacuation efforts these teams have ever seen, and it made a difference. It saved lives.

My team worked with local county and State officials to deliver information and resources to those who were evacuated to the centers.

In addition to the more than 800 personnel on the ground, I want to thank the communities who stepped up to help from all across the Western United States and from all across Arizona. In both Coconino and Navajo Counties, businesses opened up their doors to evacuees and their livestock and their pets, and volunteers signed up to assist at evacuation shelters.

It was interesting when I visited the site, the trees were not burned except for underneath. The fire was moving so

fast, that the crown fire did not occur, but you could see where the trees were bent and the needles on the tree were all pointing in the direction of the wind.

The fire spread out throughout and then hit those homes, and then the homes went up in fire, over 3 dozen homes.

Fighting efforts were aided by the work of homeowners. These residents over time had personally cleared fuel, like small trees and underbrush, from their home. They followed fire-wise community planning.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I thank all of the brave men and women who worked to contain this fire.

I would advise anybody to look into this more to understand the difficult conditions that they have to work in: 18 hours, 19 hours, 20 hours on the line, going back to pup tents to sleep for a few hours, and then going back out into the field to save lives and save homes. Then after this fire, they will move right on to another one. That is, sadly, the condition of our forests in the West.

This fire and the prevention of loss of life and death from other destruction was to be accomplished only by professionals who did this in a way that brought honor to their service.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to express my strong opposition to H.R. 2. Some may call this a farm bill, but for my district, this is a ``harm'' bill.

Unfortunately, this year's farm bill is deeply flawed. This bill lacks a significant commitment to the needs of rural communities, with no guaranteed funding for the rural development title.

It is unclear to me how members of the committee say they understand the need of investment in rural America, but decided to cut $517 million from rural development programs.

As we work to help communities build stronger economies, we must ensure that we have a plan in place that lends a helping hand to those who need it. In Arizona, this bill will take food out of the mouths of tens of thousands of children and veterans. It is a sad day in America when we are debating a proposal that would make children go hungry.

I hope for a robust debate on how we could promote rural economic development and how to improve the business climate for rural communities and work to address resource concerns by improving conservation programs like EQIP.

Sadly, this bill was written in a back room and kept secret until the last possible moment. We owe the American people something better.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mr. Rodney Lewis, a respected member of the Gila River Indian Community, a loving father, and a committed Arizonan who made a career fighting for water rights for Indian Tribes across the country.

When he was a boy, Rod, as his friends called him, remembered watching his family survive droughts that destroyed crops, and he would listen to stories about the damming of the Gila River, which gave life to those who lived in the region.

Mr. Lewis served his country in the United States Army infantry, becoming an Army Ranger and rising to the rank of first lieutenant. After being honorably discharged, Rod went to law school at the University of California, Los Angeles, where his next chapter of service began. According to his son, Governor Stephen Lewis, Rod came home to serve his people, to bring back that education, that legal expertise that the community and many Tribes did not have, which was something extraordinary and very significant to the community--and, later on, to the entire southwestern United States.

For over 30 years, Rod not only served as general counsel to his community, but he was also sought after across the country as a preeminent legal scholar on Tribal rights, water and energy law, and Tribal gaming. He was the first Native American attorney to argue and win a case before the United States Supreme Court. He was also the first Native American attorney to be admitted to the State bar and to practice law in Arizona.

One of Rod's longest lasting accomplishments is the Arizona Water Settlements Act, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush. He led the negotiations with the Federal Government, Arizona, and more than 30 non-Indian parties for settlement of the community's water rights and claims. The legislation set aside billions of gallons of water for Arizona Tribes and helped avoid lengthy lawsuits. It also helped settle the long-

lasting needs of water for the entire southern region of Arizona. I had the honor of working with Rod on important water issues and saw firsthand what his knowledge and passion did for his community and the State of Arizona.

He and his wife, Willardene, met in the first grade and raised a close-knit and passionate family. According to Governor Lewis, his mother and father were the definition of soulmates.

My heart goes out to Willardene, Governor Lewis, John, Katherine, and the whole community as they mourn their loss and celebrate the legacy of a great man.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on National Teacher Appreciation Day to praise the work of educators and school staff in Arizona and across the Nation. These men and women are shaping the lives of our children and preparing them at every educational level for a successful future.

I am married to a teacher, Mr. Speaker, and she and all teachers will tell you that there is no such thing as a former teacher; they are educators for life.

I am grateful for the teachers I have had over the years, and I am proud to stand with Arizona and America's teachers as they demand adequate pay for the important work they do.

Investing in education will spur economic growth, create jobs in communities across the country, and allow future generations to thrive.

Mr. Speaker, we must do more to support our schools, our educators, and our students.

Mr. Chairman, I strongly oppose this amendment.

I am acutely attuned to concerns about fiscal responsibility. While Congress has struggled with fiscal concerns, the consistent attacks on the critical EAS program demonstrate a complete lack of concern for the realities of life across rural America.

Supporters of this amendment claim that, in many cases, an alternative airport is a short drive away. This incorrectly assumes that point-to-point miles on a map are the same as road miles.

The truth is that EAS is a vital economic engine that remains just as important today as when it was created. It supports economic development in small and rural communities by connecting businesses to larger markets.

Page, Arizona, in my district, is just one example of the need for this type of critical infrastructure. The challenges are real, but so is the promise in Page. Taking away vital EAS dollars at a time when Page and places like it all over the country are trying to attract business and capital would be devastating and undermine the critical work being done.

Let's work to support these communities, not exasperate the stark economic disparities in rural America. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to reject this shortsighted amendment.

Mr. Speaker, the passing of any person always brings dismay, sadness and the sense of permanent loss. Hence, it is difficult if not impossible to avoid these sentiments when writing this tribute to a person like Jean de Vellis. For those of us who had the honor and privilege of knowing and working alongside him, Jean meant more than a simple professor, more than a creative scientist, more than an outstanding colleague, more than just another boss. Jean was a fatherly and wise man who forever touched the heart end enlightened the minds of uncountable people during his 60 years of work and service for the advancement of science and the formation of researchers. His scholars, colleagues, and friends will miss him deeply and we all share in the sadness of Jean's wife Phyllis, and his children, Genevieve and Philip.

Meeting Jean was an adventure in itself. There was the contrast between the quick smile of recognition and a twinkle in the eyes when you encountered him, and the thoughtful pause before addressing a difficult problem. With his characteristic demeanor, Jean would face any crisis with a rare mix of optimism, foresight and acceptance that life deals both good and bad hands. He would always remind us that it is up to ourselves to move forward in front of adversity. This pragmatic optimism in his conduct always felt natural, magnetic, iridescent. Jean had limitless faith in people, believing in our capacity to surpass the unsurpassable, and to constantly remake ourselves into something better, greater and more powerful. He would encourage, support, praise and believe in the potential of people, especially the young, and remarkably, those coming from dire socio- economic conditions. Jean's energy was contagious and an endless reminder that we all have the seed in ourselves to bloom into beautiful flowers. Not surprisingly, Jean was an excellent and patient gardener.

During his illustrious career, multiple societies, institutes, and boards, including the American Society for Neurochemistry, the International Society for Neurochemistry, the Winter Brain Conference, the Institute for Developmental Neuroscience and Aging, the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Research Foundation, and the Mental Retardation Research Committee of the NICHD enjoyed from Jean's keen mind and expert advice. Jean was an editor for the Journal of Neuroscience Research (JNR) from 1980 and Editor-in-Chief from 1999 until 2015, remaining as Editor-emeritus until his death. JNR was more than a scientific publication for Jean, it was part of his family. As editor- in-chief of JNR, he was exceptionally supportive of multiple meetings such as the International Conference on Brain Energy Metabolism series and was a strong advocate of special issues dedicated to encompass broad areas of brain function. Jean was the Director of the Mental Retardation Research Center (now the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center) at UCLA, where he worked since immigrating to the U.S. in 1959 as a graduate student. He held the George Tarjan Chair in Mental Retardation at UCLA and was a Distinguished Professor in Neurobiology since 2004.

For decades, Jean and his colleagues shared successes and failures, both professionally and personally. Curiously partaking in the American dream and at the same time rooted to his French family and culture, he understood very well the global citizenship shared by all scientists. Jean often welcomed students from all around the world to work on their dissertations for one or two semesters. His laboratory was an example of a multicultural global environment, with postdocs from every continent. Being a creative and innovative neurochemist, Jean made seminal contributions, particularly to the field of oligodendroglial biology. He was the first to successfully develop the methods to obtain and culture primary oligodendrocytes and astrocytes from the brain. This technique, which provided investigators across the world with the revolutionizing capability to study oligodendrocytes, was the cornerstone of countless publications and it is still one of the most used approaches to culture glial cells in current research. In the lab, Jean was a warm, and engaging counsellor with so much enthusiasm for his research and that of others, and for studying all aspects of brain development and neurological disorders. He would be a strong and constant advocate for thinking outside of the box. Jean was generous to all, without distinction, and would always find the right way to help everyone succeed. So many of us have our paths and our lives shifted for better by Jean's advice. So many of us are in his debt forever.

Atop of his kind nature, was a gentleman who would always pay attention to details

such as bringing double delights roses from his garden to the secretary office, or oranges and grapefruits to our lab meetings, cultivated by his own hands in a small parcel of land in Venice, Los Angeles. He fondly loved that place, which he once told me, reminded him of his childhood at the old family orangery farm near Soliman, Tunisia on Cap Bon.

Jean was like a cool breeze bringing balsamic accords to the spirit at dawn of warm summer mornings. Although the sadness of losing Jean will never disappear, we owe it to him to stand up and stay in the race. He was a long-distance runner and he has now passed the baton of his legacy to us.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to take a moment to thank the chairman and the ranking member for their support of my commonsense, bipartisan amendment that strengthens our commitment to rural America.

The Essential Air Service is a critical link for residents and businesses in small and rural communities by linking service to hub airports in 36 States. EAS serves as an important economic tool in local communities.

Page and Show Low, Arizona, in my district, are two communities that benefit from EAS, which allows businesses there to access larger markets and compete on a level playing field. My amendment simply requires the comptroller general to analyze the impact any proposed reforms to EAS it reports to Congress would have on the local communities that depend on the program.

At a time when rural America is still recovering from economic recession, we should be working together to revitalize communities and create jobs. EAS is a vital resource in many of these communities across America, and we must continue to protect it. I thank Congressman Don Young for cosponsoring this amendment and being a stalwart champion for EAS.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for including it in their en bloc package.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him and the chairman of the committee for supporting my commonsense bill with the gentlewoman from Georgia (Mrs. Handel), my colleague.

As millions of taxpayers across this country prepare to file their returns on time this week, we must ensure they have the resources they need to properly comply with the law.

Taxpayer Assistance Centers play a critical role in communities across this country. Over 3 million Americans visited one of these centers in fiscal year 2017, many of whom traveled considerable distances to get their questions answered face-to-face. Arizona's five Taxpayer Assistance Centers help thousands of individuals every year.

Ensuring compliance with a complicated Tax Code can be challenging for families. With the new tax law set to substantially change the current Code, it is more important than ever for taxpayers to get answers that will affect their bottom lines.

Over the past few years, dozens of Taxpayer Assistance Centers across the Nation have closed as the IRS sought savings. According to the national Taxpayer Advocate, over 7 percent of these centers have been shuttered since 2011. Closing one of these centers, which often receive walk-in visits, with little or no clear public notice is disruptive and undermines fairness.

While the IRS offers virtual help and assistance to taxpayers, the reality is that many older Americans and those with disabilities cannot meaningfully access or utilize such technology. People who are honestly trying to comply with the law should get the help they need, face-to- face, on a timely basis.

People in rural counties spend time and money to drive hours away to get their questions answered at Taxpayer Assistance Centers. That is time away from running their businesses, from their jobs, and from their families. Issues like transportation barriers and childcare often complicate the process.

Our commonsense bill simply affirms the taxpayers' right to quality service by requiring the IRS to notify Congress and affected communities at least 90 days before closing down a Taxpayer Assistance Center.

Providing accessible, quality service to the people we represent is the most basic and important function we have as Members of Congress. While exploring innovative ways to expand technology is a smart strategy for Federal agencies and one Congress should encourage, we must make sure in-person service remains a viable and meaningful option for those Americans who need it, especially for the agency that, arguably, has the greatest direct impact over the most people in the country--the IRS.

This bill will hold the IRS accountable for making sure communities impacted by a Taxpayer Assistance Center closure have adequate notice and are informed sooner about alternative sources for assistance.

I thank Congresswoman Handel for working with me on this bipartisan bill, and I urge my colleagues to support its passage.

Mr. Speaker, on the third day of this reckless government shutdown, I rise to urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find common ground and end this gridlock.

Families in Arizona and America are hurting. It is past time for Congress to come together to boost our military. We must reauthorize funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program, community health centers, and the Special Diabetes Program for Tribal communities, and many others.

Mr. Speaker, we can't go back to business as usual and continue to fund our military a few weeks at a time. Secretary Mattis and our military leaders have been clear about the dire impacts of continuing resolutions on our national security time and time again throughout this year.

We are facing increasing global threats. We cannot undermine our defense leaders and our troops by refusing to work together. We are here to solve problems. For our brave servicemembers and families across our communities, let's get the job done.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay my respects to a hero. George Willie, Sr., of Leupp, Arizona, passed away this week at the age of 92. He was a highly decorated Navajo Code Talker who served with the Second Marine Division from 1943 to 1946. According to his family, George delivered and received coded messages using the Navajo language at the Battle of Okinawa.

His love for his family was unwavering and his commitment to his country was steadfast. Pat and I are keeping George's wife, Emma; his 10 children; and his grandchildren in our prayers as they mourn his passing.

A celebration of his life is scheduled for Friday at the First Presbyterian Church in Leupp, and George will be laid to rest with honors at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Camp Navajo.

Mr. Speaker, today is the final day of National Native American Heritage Month.

I rise today to honor and celebrate the rich history and traditions of Native Americans and to note the work we are doing in Congress to invest in infrastructure, education, and healthcare across the entire Indian Country.

It is an immense privilege to work with Tribal communities across Arizona's First Congressional District. With more than 12 Tribes and nations in my district, I see the impact of Native American heritage in every town I visit, especially their strong commitment to family, community, and traditions--traditions, by the way, that people from all around the world come to see every year.

It has been inspiring to see the many tributes my colleagues have shared here with this body throughout the month. It underscores the immense and immeasurable contributions of Native Americans to this country. Yesterday I spoke about the Navaho code talkers and all the code talkers and the veterans who have come from Native American lands.

As a member of the congressional Native American Caucus, I am proud to work with Tribal leaders to strengthen the relationship between our country and their sovereign nations. There is a great deal to do to ensure rural, Tribal communities have access to 21st century infrastructure, education, and healthcare, but I am confident that the work we are doing will make these critical investments.

Mr. Speaker, one of the founding principles of this great country is the celebration of diversity of its people. When we recognize that as a strength, we truly are a more perfect union.

Mr. Speaker, Native American Heritage Month affords us the opportunity to honor the Native American veterans who fought for this great country.

I rise today to celebrate the indispensable contributions of all Native American code talkers. Throughout much of the 20th Century, Native American soldiers used their native languages to develop unbreakable codes for military operations. Their actions were critical for many Allied victories.

Every day, I am reminded of the contributions of the code talkers who served at Iwo Jima. A tribute to their service hangs in my office, and it contains this quote from Major Howard Connor, a signal officer for the Navajo code talkers: ``Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines never would have taken Iwo Jima.''

I want to extend my sincere thanks to all the brave code talkers who served with honor and our veterans.

One of the founding principles of this country is the celebration of the diversity of its people. When we recognize that, we truly are a more perfect union.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support Small Business Saturday on November 25.

Small Business Saturday takes place every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It is a day for Americans to support their community and their local businesses. As a former small-business owner myself, I know the value that our small, locally owned businesses add to our local economy.

Arizona is the proud home of more than 500,000 small businesses that employ nearly 1 million Arizonans. These small businesses are the lifeblood of our local economies, and they are vital to the future of our communities. Our entrepreneurs are local community leaders. They hire local employees and they contribute to local causes.

This holiday shopping season, we have the chance to show appreciation for our local businesses and all they do for our communities. I encourage all Americans to go out and shop at their favorite local small businesses or dine at their favorite local restaurant and support Small Business Saturday on November 25.